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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1991)
— _m Partly sunny today with th© high arouna 60. Tonight, in creasing cloudiness and a 30 percent chance of showers with the low in the mid-40s. Thursday, a 60 percent chance of rain and the high around 60. ROTC policy Senate resolution protests ban on homosexuals By Dionne Searcey Staff Reporter If ROTC doesn’t lift its ban on homosexuals by 1993, ROTC pro grams at the University of Nebraska Lincoln may lose course credit, the Academic Senate voted Tuesday. The resolution states that if the discriminatory policy is not revoked by Jan. 1,1993, the senate will urge the chancellor to “renegotiate tne contracts of the three branches of ROTC at UNL in order to eliminate credit for all ROTC courses.’’ Stu dents enrolled as of Jan. 1, 1993, would not be affected. In passing the resolution, the sen ate joined other universities nation wide in protesting the Department of Defense policy barring homosexuals from ROTC programs. The resolution is intended to comply with the non-discrimination policy of the University of Nebraska, which states that ail students, regardless of sexual orientation, must be allowed to participate in university programs. Herb Howe, associate to the chan cellor, said the resolution is intended to urge national officials to revoke the discriminatory policy. “It sends a clear signal to the Department of Defense that our campus is not necessarily hostile to ROTC. We’re just asking that one policy be changed,” he said. But Leo Chouinard, associate professor of mathematics and statis tics, said the resolution would penal ize university ROTC programs for decisions made by national leaders. “For us to challenge it (national policy) is a mistake . To say if it isn’t changed, we’re going to run off and hide is a mistake.” But James McShane, Academic Senate president, said the policy simply urges the chancellor to renegotiate, “not run off and hide.” Chouinard also said he thought the policy was an attempt to “phase out ROTC” at UNL. James Hejduk, associate professor of music, said, “Given an ROTC which isn’t perfect but present... I would take the imperfect one,” But George Tuck, senate presi dent-elect, said, “It’s not an anti-mili tary resolution. It is an anti-discrimi nating resolution.” The senate also passed a resolu tion concerning the Crime Aware ness and Campus Security Act. The resolution orders the UNL chancellor to prepare a report that would show the steps UNL must take to comply with the act. The act would require universities to report the number of crimes yearly and prepare crime statistics starting Sept. 1. The senate passed another resolu tion supporting efforts to raise UNL’s minority enrollment to a level that would reflect the demographics of minorities in the state. Abortion notification bill moves closer to reality By Lisa Donovan Senior Reporter Nebraska legislators Tuesday moved one step closer to adopting a bill this year that would require women 18 years and younger to notify a parent or guard ian before obtaining an abortion. In fewer than two days of de bate, LB425, sponsored by Sen. Bernice Labedz of Omaha, was advanced to the second round of debate by a 30-13 vote. A similar bill was introduced and occupied seven days of debate in 1989. Last year, senators debated that bill for four days, much of the time used up by Filibustering. The bill calls for a pregnant minor woman to inform a parent or guardian of her intention to receive an abortion. Forty-eight hours fol lowing the notification, the woman may receive the operation. Some senators said they were __ relieved that legislation of good public policy overcame debate on personal religious, philosophical and moral concerns. Sen. EmieChambers ofOmaha, who has opposed the parental noti fication bills set before the Legis lature, said he was sorry to see the bill move forward, but that he appreciated the discussion preced ing LB425’s advancement. “I’m glad we didn’t have the kind of debate we’ve had in the past,” he said. Labedz, a strong opponent of abortion, told Chambers she was pleasantly surprised by the relative ease with which debate continued. “I, too, appreciate, Sen. Cham bers, that this was in no way like 1989 or 1990,” she said. Still, the more than seven hours of debate on the legislative floor gave senators about a dozen amend See ABORTION on 6 Fountain Fix-up Marvin Potter, of the Facilities Management Department, helps repair Broyhill Fountain on Tuesday weather damaae and the fountain’s spray are corrected, tne fountain should be ready to be turned on today if weather oermits, said Don Havlovic of the UNL Maintenance Management Division, who is helping with repairs.fhe fountain was built in honor of Lynn Diann Broyhill, class of 1967, who died in a car accident. “We want to keep it wel for her,” Havlovic said. GSL program reorganized to stop defaults By Adeana Leftin Staff Reporter _ Federal plans lo reorganize the guaran teed student loan program arc unfair to many students and to schools like UNL that have low default rates, a UNL administra tor said Tuesday. John Beacon, director of scholarships and financial aid, said responsible student loan recipients will be punished because of others’ defaults. The reorganization will implement more stringent monitoring and higher eligibility stan dards to combat record-high national loan default rales. Beacon said loan defaults are not a problem at traditional, public, four-year institutions,but are at a number of small, “fly-by-night” trade schools. Many studcnLs at the smaller trade schools drop out and don’t feel obligated to pay off their loans, Beacon said. He said one regulation already in place to prevent loan losses is withholding aid checks from first-time borrowers for 30 days, the time period in which most students drop out. Beacon said many regulations exist for schools with 30 percent default rates, but schools with much lower rates still will be hurt by the new plan. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a default rate of 3 percent, he said. “We are going to pay the penally,” Beacon said. “They’re cracking down on everyone.” According to a news release from the De partment of Education, loan defaults of SI51 million in 1981 grew to $2.7 billion in 1991. A recent review of the guaranteed student See LOAN on 5 I ■■■■ 1 ■ ■ — Kerrey: Beadle needs pledge, not funds! By Jeremy Fitzpatrick Staff Reporter _ U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey’s asser tion that the Legislature doesn’t have to dole out funds this year for UNL’s Beadle Center to ensure a $17 million federal grant, triggered mixed reactions from university offi cials Tuesday. UNL Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Bill Splinter said he was not completely sure what Kerrey’s com ments meant for the proposed George W. Beadle Center for Genetics and j Biomaterials Research, but that “one way or another, the university has to come up with the $6 million.” Six million dollars is the amount that must be raised to match the $ 17.7 million grant from the U.S. Depart ments of Agriculture and Energy. Kerrey reportedly said the state does not have to appropriate the money, but needs to make a commitment to the project this year. “I’m not sure what kind of com - mitments would have to be on the table to satisfy the government,” Splinter said. Regents Chairman Don Blank said Kerrey was “not raising new issues.” “We’ve known for quite a while that what we needed (now) was a commitment from the slate and not dollars.” Blank said. Kerrey, D-Neb.,also was reported as saying Monday that he thought plans for the Beadle Center might have to be redesigned to protect its federal funding. The current cost for the project is $32 million. Splinter and Blank agreed that the See PLEDGE on 6 Gorbachev proposes nationwide ban on strikes, rallies and demon strations to avert a “national catastrophe." Page 2. Student representation in Nebraska Coordination Commission unlikely, says ASUN president. Page 6. Huskers score last-inmng run to defeat Wayne State. Page 7. INDEX Wire 2 Opinion 4 Sports 7 A&E 9 Classifieds 10 l _ ■ - - —1 J