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Georgia Congressman Ben Jones talks about his battle to stay sober Monday night at “Do
It Sober IX” at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
\ Sobering experience
’ ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ star warns of dangers of alcohol
By Stacey McKenzie
Senior Editor
yr"'V ne role Georgia Congress
B 1 man Ben Jones learned he
couldn’t play during his
early acting career was that of an
. alcoholic.
ft
* Jones, who is known for his role
as “Cooler” on the “Dukes of Haz
zard” television series, told of his
personal bout with alcoholism and
the benefits of sobriety to a crowd
of about 2,000 people at “Do It So
ber IX” Monday night at the Lied
Center for Performing Arts.
Before being elected to the-U.S.
House of Representatives in 1988,
Jones won his campaign despite
having his alcoholism revealed by
, his opponent.
“I’ve got more skeletons in-my
closet than the Smithsonian Insti
tute,” Jones told a crowd during his
congressional campaign. “That’s
because my name is Ben, and I’m
an alcoholic.”
Jones said these skeletons be
gan to form when he was a teen
ager. Growing up with an alco
holic father-Jostered feelings of
inferiority and insecurity, he said.
At age 15, he tried to cope with
these feelings by getting drunk.
“44
I’ve got more skele
tons in my closet
than the Smith
sonian Institute. .
Jones
congressman
-ff -
The skeletons grew for 20 years,
Jones said, during which time he
drank continually.
After high school, Jones worked
odd jobs until attending the Uni
vcrsily of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, where he became involved in
politics and acting. He also contin
ued drinking.
“For the alcoholic, one drink is
loo many and a thousand isn’t
enough,” he said.
After college, Jones said, he
worked in stage and film, but this
work didn’t keep his life from fall
ing apart. He married three times,
divorced twice and was thrown in
jail about 20 times for alcohol
related incidents.
On Sept. 25,1977, Jones said he
hit bottom. He laid on the floor of
his house with “the DT’s,”or delir
ium tremors.
Jones said he knew he was dying.
“I said, ‘Oh please God, help
me.’” He went to a recovery center
and hasn’t had a drink since.
SetTsPEECH on 3
Officials, students say
classics elimination
wrong move for UNL
By Kara Morrison
Staff Reporter
The elimination of the classics
department — the most prof
itable and efficient department
in the College of Arts and Sciences—
would not be in UNL’s best interest,
students and officials told the Budget
Reduction Review Committee Mon
day.
The BRRC is hearing testimony
on proposed cuts as part of the Uni
versity of Ne
BUDGET braska-LincoIn’s 3
— percent budget
reduction process.
► This budget cut
' was mandated by
the Nebraska
Legislature last spring.
John Peters, dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences, said the classics
department is one of only four depart
ments in the College of Arts and Sci
ences that was profitable in 1990-91.
The second most profitable, he said,
was the speech department.
Peters said the classics department
was an “efficient user of resources”
with an operating expense budget of
less than $3,000.
Valdis Leinieks, chair of the De
partment of Classics, said one-third
ofUNLstudcntstakeaclassicscourse
to fulfill a humanities requirement.
Michael Hoff, assistant professor
of art and art history, said many stu
dents and faculty would be inconven
ienced by the elimination of the clas
sics department.
Other departments are already
overloaded with students in their
humanities classes, he said.
Chairs and professors from the
departments of English, history,
modem languages and art and art
history also expressed concern that
the elimination of the classics depart
ment would affect the College of Arts
and Sciences and the quality of edu
cation at UNL.
These professors said they depended
on the knowledge of the classics
department and its research library to
assist them in their studies.
See BUDGET on 3
Floor reaches accord
with RHA, hall leaders
Issues still pushed
by Selleck 5300
By Michael Hannon
Staff Reporter
After a meeting between dele
gates of the 5300 floor of
Selleck Quadrangle and the
Selleck president, the residence hall
complex is no longer divided.
At a meeting Sunday, M.S. Wick
lund, one of five delegates elected by
the 5J00 floor, said the floor is still
committed to the issues that prompted
its claim of secession but now wishes
to work within the Selleck and Resi
dence Hall Association governments.
The floor no longer wishes to se
cede from RHA, Wicklund said.
The residents of floor 5300 had
previously requested the resignation
of the Selleck Quadrangle executive
board and adviser, but Wicklund said
the floor has dropped that demand.
Rob York, president of Selleck
Quadrangle government, said, “I think
all hard feelings will be put aside.”
York, a senior biology and chem
istry major, said he is glad the 5300
floor is now willing to work with him
and the Selleck government.
Wicklund, a political science and
sociology major, said the floor suc
ceeded in its attempt to bring its prob
lems to the attention of the Selleck
government and the RHA.
Wicklund said he now hopes to
form a “coalition” between graduate
and undergraduate students in Selleck
Quadrangle.
“I want to make sure that both
sides are validated so that this is a no
lose situation,” Wicklund said.
York said he supports the efforts
of graduate and non-traditional stu
dents to achieve greater representa
tion.
York said he will work for a change
in the Selleck constitution that would
require one of the hall’s two senators
be a graduate or non-traditional stu
dent.
In another effort to increase
Scllcck’s graduate and non-traditional
student representation, York said he
has established a graduate and non
traditional special interest commit—'
tee.
Wicklund said he will continue to
seek graduate and non-traditional
student representation on the Univer
sity of Nebraska Board of Regents.
The delegates and York also agreed
to organize social events to bring
graduate and non-traditional students
together with undergraduate students.
Amy Manbcck, another delegate
of the 5300 floor, said social interac
tion could correct undergraduates’
misconceptions of graduate students.
Graduate students often are seen
as people who study constantly and
don’t socialize, said Manbcck, a gradu
ate agronomy student.
Senators remain perplexed.
Page 2
Derek Brown had a good day
in Stillwater. Page 5
Nighthawks play sweaty blues
at the Zoo. Page 6
INDEX
Wire \
Opinion J
Sports b
Arts & Entertainment
Classifieds b
Construction hit by budget squeeze
By Wendy Navratil
Senior Reporter
The trickle-down effect of
budget cuts has manifested
itself in the elimination of eight
to 10 positions in the UNL facilities
management department.
Rich McDermott, director of fa
m irv^rv cilities manage
dUDvjCT ment at the IJni
- versity of Ne
braska-Lincoln,
said positions in
w the department’s
in-house con
struction division would be identified
for elimination this week.
“The in-house construction divi
sion is overstaffed and must be re
duced,” McDermott said. “The feel
ing from lop to bottom is we wish we
didn’t have to, but when you’re faced
with a deficit you can’t cover, you’re .
left with no other choice.”
McDermott said the division is
much like an independent contract
ing business in that it is not financed
by the university. For its profits, the
division relies on requisitions for minor
renovation services from different UNL
departments.
Having faced diminishing budgets
in recent years, those UNL depart
ments have shelved minor renova
tions, called renewal and adaption
projects, for their facilities, McDer
mott said.
With fewer requests for service,
the construction division profits have
turned into deficits and the staff has
run short of work.
McDermott said the deficit in the
division was more than $100,000 last
year.
“This is a trend we’ve followed for
a long time,” he said. “Last year, we
ran some red ink in (in-house con
struction). We covered it. There’s no
way we can cover it this year.”
The department notified all em
ployees Oct. 4 that some positions
would have to be eliminated. Last
week, supervisors and staff worked
together lo narrow the list of positions
that might be cut.
“We’re trying to use a participa
tive approach,’’ he said.
The employees on the list of posi
tions to be cut were notified at the end
of last week. They will meet today to
discuss the cuts.
By the end of the week, McDer
mott said, the positions to be elimi
nated would be determined.
"The requirements say that we must
give them two weeks notice, but we’re
going to extend the notice for as long
as the recharge work (from depart
ments) will support them,’’ he said.
See CONSTRUCTION on 3