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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1992)
i Daily -g I TMW. I ■ ^p* warmer with southwest I I f 1 V M winds at 5 to 15 mph. Fri ^^1 BmS ■ ■ ■ |4 ^ M ■ ■ day, partly sunny with a high l>ICt/lCl3l\.Clll l ^— - ' ' f^BBnTFOOL i :kle up AND DRIVE SOBER B,: F*^se family ^ "^pZ^^TtlEHr — - jCT*3 ■ .. .. . -- I —^—I ■ I Shaun Sartin/DN Think before you drink Members of Farmhouse fraternity and the Lincoln-Lancaster Health Department display a wrecked car on Broyhill Plaza in an effort to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and drivmg. Morality of death penalty debated Ethical battle over deterrents, prejudice waged in city union By Jeremy Fitzpatrick Senior Reporter In a heated debate Wednesday, former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meesc III argued that the death penally was needed to protect innocent people from murder, while American Civil Liberties Union President Nadine Strosscn countered that it was a barbaric and unconstitutional form of punishment below a civilized society. The two clashed over the morality of the death penalty in the Nebraska Union. About 400 people attended the debate, which was sponsored by the University Program Council Talks and Topics committee. Strosscn said “the United Slates stands alone” among civilized nations in using the death penalty as a form of punishment. Among in dustrialized nations, she said, only the former Soviet Union and South Africa execute their citizens. “There is no place in a civilized society for the death penalty,” she said. Mecsc said a majority of Americans — 79 percent, according to a poll he cited — sup ported the death penalty. “The reason that there is this overwhelming majority of Americans who do believe the death penalty is necessary is because they indeed do believe in the sanctity of life—” he said. Strossen said the ACLU did not support the death penalty because “state sanctioned kill ings give the lesson that the taking human life is a legitimate way of dealing with society’s problems.” She said she favored life in prison without parole or restitution instead of the death pen alty. In restitution, a convicted person would be required to work to provide financial com pensation to the victim’s family. Mccse said society was responsible for punishing those who had killed innocent people. “The whole focal point of any nation’s crimi nal justice system,” he said, is to provide retri bution for crimes. Life imprisonment is not a sufficient deter rent to criminals, he said, because they can be paroled and released. “Life in prison means in some stales being out in seven years, he said. Strosscn said the death penalty was not a deterrent to criminals. “States with the death penalty do not have lower crime rates_” she said. “There simply is no evidence of a deterrent effect.” Meesc disagreed. “For most people, reason and logic would suggest that the death penalty is a deterrent,” he said. When the death penalty is used, he said, the murder rate goes down; when it is not used, the rate goes up. The two also disagreed over whether the death penalty was discriminatory against mi norities. Strosscn described the death penalty as “random at best and discriminatory at worst.” She also said the death penally was almost exclusively assigned to the killers of white victims. “The only possible explanation is that the justice system values white lives more than black ones,” she said. Meesc argued that the death penalty actu ally discriminated against whiles. “All of the studies have shown that it is discriminatory toward while males as much as any group in our society,” he said. Bush targets UNL studies for cutbacks Officials unsure why 3 projects selected By Alan Phelps Senior Editor Officials involved with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s agriculture college projects appearing on the Bush admini stration’s “hit list” of recommended rescis sions said they were unsure why their programs were targeted. The Bush administration recently released a list of budget rescissions that would save the federal government $3.6 billion in the next fiscal year. While the bulk of the money saved would be in a submarine-building program the administration previously had said was to be slashed, other cuts deal t w ith a variety of lower profile programs across the country. The UNL College of Agricultural Sciences \Iotnro 1 D m'Ai■rr'nc’ r\rr\iAr<Ic on iKn lief were two wetlands research studies that totaled $100,000, and a $1.5 million joint water qual ity study between the University of Nebraska, the University of Kansas and Iowa Slate Uni versity. James Merchant, an associate professor with the UNL Conservation and Survey Division, said the purpose of the three-university water project was to better understand non-point pollution sources and their relationship to water quality. Non-point pollution sources, he said, are caused by water runoff from areas where chemi cals have been applied, such as farm fields or See HIT LIST on 2 UNL regains stolen books From Staff Reports Forty-five rare books, including a volume valued at SI,000, have been returned to the UNL Libraries after they were stolen by an Iowa man and reclaimed by the FBI. The books were stolen by Stephen Blum berg, who now is serving a five-year, 11 -month sentence, the Lincoln Journal reported. Blum berg traveled the nation, stealing 21,(XX) rare books. Joan Giescckc, assoc late dean for col lection and services at the UNL libraries, said the most valuable of the stolen books, “An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales,” was valued by the FBI at SI ,000. The volume was published in the late 1800s, Giesccke said, but most of the stolen books were published during this century. Outgoing senate opposes parking hike By Kara Morrison Staff Reporter The 1991-92 AS UN Senate, an hour before its term expired Wednesday night, passed emergency legislation expressing its “extreme displeasure and disapproval” with a $20 parking permit price in crease. “I’ve seen a lot of railroad jobs, but this tops it,” former Business college Sen. Rob Broomfield said. The meeting .... came before the inauguration of the 1992-93 Association of Students of the University of Nebraska execu tives and senators. Senators said ihcy were upset about the procedures the Parking Advisory Committee used to secure an extra $300,000 in revenue that would result New senate promises detailed plan to address price increase from the increase. The Senate’s resolution urged the university administration to reopen discussion on the increase to “allow for student and other input through the appropriate channels.” Former law college Sen. Gene Collins said the Parking Advisory Committee excluded student input by meeting a week early without suffi cient notice. The committee also failed to release its agenda until an hour before the meeting, he said. Collins called the increase “crazy,” especially after an increase in park ing tickets earlier this spring. Broomfield said it was ironic that the university spent 140 hours in hearings this fall to cut more than $2 million from its budget but “raised $300,000 in ten minutes.” Susan Oxley, student life chair person, said the committee staled the $300,000 would be used for parking lot safety, but said the committee’s written proposal stated almost $200,000 of the revenue would be used to pave several parking lots. One of the lots, Oxley said, is only for faculty use. Former Journalism College Sen. Pat Jilck blamed University of Ne braska-Lincoln Business Manager Ray Coffey for the increase and for disre garding student opinion. “Ray Coffey, last fall, said he val ued student input, then kicked us in the face,” Jilek said. After the 1991-92 Senate’s final meeting at the Wick Alumni Center, President Andy Sigcrson and the new AS UN senators were inaugurated. Sigerson.in his address, expressed his disapproval of the increase and the administration’s failure to consult student opinion. “Students are tired of being left out of important meetings and deci sions,” he said. In the next 30 days, Sigcrson said, AS UN will present a detailed plan as to how it will implement all of the goals on its platform. State Attorney General Don Stcn berg administered the Oath of Office to Sigcrson, who assumed the new role of Student Regent, and Collins was named ASUN’s 1991-92 outstand ing senator. I Creighton crushes Huskers 19-1. Page 13 lA/. INDEX Wire 2 Opinion 4 Diversions 5 Sports 13 Classifieds 14