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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1992)
^ t -i Dailv •* 1 55/30 1 I _ ■ ./ ■ Today, partly sunny and mild, I I ^0^^ 0*^ ■ 00 0^^ southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. I M 'f H ^0 r^^B Tonight, increasing cloudiness ^^BB ^BnJB ■ V H H H a 20 percent chance ■ V H H H cloudy Preliminary hearing for Baldwin waived wait for Baldwin’s family to arrive in Lincoln. Baldwin’s family will not be in Lincoln until next week, Anderson said, “so we’ll waitand doeverylhing in district court.” Anderson said members of Bald win’s family could testify in the trial, but he would not comment on what the family members’ testimony would contain. Anderson also told Lancaster County Judge Jack Lindner that Bald win would waive the issue of bond until next week in district court. On Tuesday, Baldwin was declared competent to stand trial by Judge Paul Merritt Jr. in district court. After the competency hearing, Anderson said Baldwin would enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insan ity. Bill would guarantee homosexuals’ rights Opponents claim law would violate religious freedom By Jeremy Fitzpatrick Senior Reporter Members of the Nebraska Leg islature’s Judiciary Commit tee on Wednesday heard emotional testimony on a bill that proponents said would guarantee homosexuals equal protection under the law. Opponents of LB 1270 said the bill would infringcon religious freedoms. The bill, the Nebraska Civil Rights Act of 1992, was introduced by Sens. Tim Hall and Ernie Cham bers of Omaha. It would expand existing state law in Nebraska to make discrimination based on sexual orientation a Class I misdemeanor. James Kimberly, a professor of sociology at UNL and a member of a commiticc of faculty members for gay and lesbian concerns, told the judiciary committee thev should advance the bill to the Legislature for one reason: It is the moral thing to do. He said discrimination was the immorality of American society. Just as it is immoral to deny a person housing or a job because of their race, he said, it it immoral to discriminate against homosexuals. Bill Schatz, executive director of the Nebraska chapter of the Ameri can Civil Liberties Union, said gay and lesbian people should have the same rights, benefits and freedoms all citizens enjoy. In the absence of federal legisla tion protecting sexual orientation, he said, states have the responsibility of providing that protection. “When a group cannot protect it self from prejudice, the government has the responsibility to step in and provide that protection,” he said. David England, a member of Par ents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, told the commiticc that his daugh ter’s rights were protected, but his See RIGHTS on 3 By Sean Green Senior Reporter ndrew Scou Baldwin on Wednesday waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Lancaster County Court. Baldwin, a 22-ycar-old student at the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln, was charged with first-degree assault after allegedly beating a Lincoln woman outside her apartment build ing Jan. 18. Baldwin awaits trial in district court next week. His court appearance is tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday. Hal Anderson, Baldwin’s defense attorney, said he requested the hear ing be waived because he wanted to Three cheers AISchaben/DN Jason Peterson, left, J.F. Hoffman and Jason Glock celebrate the game winning shot in overtime against Kansas Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Chambers says NCAA announcement no surprise By Cindy Kimbrough Senior Reporter An announcement Tuesday by NCAA Executive Director Dick Schultz didn’t surprise Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha. At the annual NCAA College Foot ball Forum, Schultz announced that he expected Division I schools to ap prove legislation next year to allow financially needy athletes to keep their full Pell grants. Chambers said the announcement followed what he had been saying to the Nebraska Legislature for the last three years — that the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln would not be pun ished if it allowed students who qualified for Pell grants to receive the full $2,4(X) they deserve. The NCAA now only allows ath letes to receive a maximum of SI,700 from their Pell grants. Any other fi nancial aid they receive must be ob tained from athletic scholarships. Chambers’ proposal,LB69, which ensured that students who qualify for any federal or state need-based aid would receive the full amount, passed through the Legislature last year. A second bill is being proposed to delay the impact of LB69 for two years because some state senators and UNL administrators fear the univer sity will be sanctioned because of the new law. Chambers said. He said that LB963, sponsored by Sen. Chris Bcutlcr of Lincoln, was proposed in response lo the “untrulhs exaggerated” by UNL administrators who wanted to stonewall him be cause they did not fully understand his proposal. Chambers said he was offended by the university’s practices — by “overplaying their hand” — and said he deplored being “lied lo or lied on.” But because of Schulu’s announce ment, he said, truth would be served and Bcullcr’s bill would die. “I know more about this subject than anyone else,” Chambers said. “I knew 1 was right all along, and I never waivered.” Whether the NCAA voles to pass the Pell grant legislation or not, he said, Nebraska will not be sanctioned. “Nebraska is the goose that lays the golden eggs,” he said. The university has a large follow ing, he said. Other schools like to play against Nebraska, especially in bowl games, and attract business from Husker fans, he said. Correction: In Wednesday's Daily Nebraskan, the Afrikan People's Union was identified as a University Program Council committee. The UPC committee is called African-American Special Events James Griesen is the vice chancellor for student affairs. Clarification: In Friday's Daily Nebraskan, an article about premarital sex should have indicated that Melissa Castro said sex had become more of a social issue than a moral issue because of the possibility of disease or pregnancy. The Daily Nebraskan regrets tne errors Wire INDEX T Opinion 4 Diversions 5 13 14 UNL parking takes center stage at debate ASUN candidates suggest new garage, increased spending By Sarah Scalet Staff Reporter Parking al UNL is an issue lhal must be addressed in the upcoming ASUN elec tion, candidates from the two parties said Wednesday. Candidates from the ACTION and COM MIT addressed platform issues ranging from parking to student government’s structure at the ASUN debate in the Nebraska Union. ACTION vice-presidential candidate Pat Piper said the party would emphasize a long-term plan for a parking garage, de creasing the overselling of parking lots and paving parking lots. Piper also suggested creating a special fund from increasing parking tickets to help pay for im provements. The fund will be created from increasing fines on parking tickets not paid on time, he said. In rebuttal, COMMIT presidential candi date Andrew Sigerson said parking is the parly’s No. 1 problem. It is lime to be realistic, he said, and work toward changes that can be made in one year. Sigerson said the party would emphasize ending the overselling of parking lots. The format l or the debate consisted of one parly answering a randomly drawn question in three minutes. The opposing parly was given See DEBATE on 3