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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 1992)
| i ly Race separation NU capitalizes on [ N 68/35 Mostly sunny today and dear tonight. Tomorrow, a little warmer. Study indicates UNL’s climate unpleasant I^Uookathowfive groups of students rated their experience | with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Minority students find college life not satisfactory By Chris Hopfensperger Editor Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series on the findings of the UNL Racial Climate Survey. African-American students are not as happy as other groups with their education and expe riences at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, a survey released Friday in dicated. Results of the UNL Racial Climate Survey, conducted last spring, indi cate that“African-Amcrican students are significantly less satisfied than other students” with UNL, Wayne Osgood, co-director of the Bureau of Sociological Research, said. “ 1 hey aren t saying they absolutely hate this place,” Osgood said. “They aren’t saying they love it either.” During the survey, students were asked a series of questions to gather information in four areas: academic climate, social climate, perception of racial altitudes and satisfaction with the university. The answers then were reported in a series of scales, which combined responses to related ques tions. Results were based on telephone interviews with 433 full-time under graduate students. The group included 1(X) African-American students, 67 Hispanic students, 15 Native-Ameri can students and 201 non-minority students who were randomly selected from the university’s registration lists. For the most part, Osgood said, students expressed satisfaction with the university. Differences appeared when the results for the different groups were compared. Eighty-eight percent of the non minority students surveyed expressed general satisfaction with UNL. Only 60.2 percent of African-American stu dents said they were satisfied with the university. “That’s a pretty substantial differ ence,” Osgood said. James Griesen, vice chancellor for See RACISM on 3 -- | Assistance fund created for missing UNL student By Chuck Green Senior Reporter An assistance fund for the fam ily of a missing University of Nebraska-Lincoln student has been established, while the investiga tion into her disappearance contin ues. The fund, established by the Vet erans Administration, will help the family of UNL freshman Candice I Harms, who disap peared last Tuesday night. Harms’ fa ther works for the Veterans Adminis tration. Todd Sears, Harms’ boyfriend, „ said the fund would narmb ^ USC(j lQ pay por newspaper and television advertise ments, printing costs for fliers, fees for private investigators, if needed, and “anything else that might come up.” Sunday’s Lincoln Journal-Star ran an announcement of the fund on page 2. The ad included a photo and de scription of Harms, an address and telephone number for donations and telephone numbers of the Lincoln Police Department and Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. Sears said the Journal-Star ran the announcement tree ot cnarge. Also, The Associated Press re ported Sunday that Comhusker Print ing Co. planned to print at no cost several thousand fliers with Harms’ photo and description. Harms, 18, was last seen at about 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, leaving Scars’ house at 332 N. 22nd St. Scars and Harms’ father reported her missing at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Harms lives al 6100 Vine St. Harms’ car was found shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday in a milo field north of Lincoln. Lincoln police Lt. David Bcggs said Sunday that authorities had no new information on Harms’ disap pearance. Lincoln pol ice and Lancaster Coun try Sheriffs deputies are investigat ing the case jointly. Bcggs said a description of Harms and the details of her disappearance were entered into the national crime information computer last Wednes day, which would give law officers throughout the country information concerning the case. “Right now,” Beggs said, “it’s all just looking and more looking.” _ _ . . r. . . , Julia Mikola|cik/DN Keep the home fires burmn Mark Schoepp of Seward throws a third flaming torch to his 11-year-old daughter, Jeniea, during her juggling performance Saturday at the Farmers Market in the Haymarket. Isaac, 8, watches his sister perform. The family does a juggling show that includes stories and song. Women ‘get their say’ at Big Eight meeting By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Changes made last week in ihc Big Eight Conference athletic governing structure have laid the foundation for increased gender equity in athletics, two UNL officials said. Athletic and faculty representa tives from Big Eight universities met in Kansas City, Mo., last Wednesday and Thursday to discuss, among other issues, how to narrow the gender gap in athletics. James O’ Hanlon, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s faculty represen tative to the Big Eight, said the most significant action taken at the confer ence was a change in the Big Eight’s governing structure. That change will incorporate senior women adminis trators into conference decision-mak ing. He said the change, which was adopted after a vote by athletic and faculty representatives, would pro vide opportunities for women admin istrators to meet with athletic direc tors at future conferences to make recommendations and address prob Historic conference lays foundation for changes in athletic governing structure lems. BigEight representatives will meet again in December. Although representatives did not discuss specific action to narrow the Big Eight’s gender gap among ath letes and coaches, O’ Hanlon said, the change in the governing structure “opened the door” to solutions. “Clearly, this is a good first step,” he said. Athletic administrators through out the country arc search ing for ways to resolve gender inequity in college sports. An NCAA report released last March indicated that only 30.9 per cent of Division I-A athletes arc women. At UNL, 25.7 percent of Comhusker athletes arc women. O’Hanlon said senior women ad ministrators were asked at last week’s meeting to bring recommendations to December’s conference on how to increase equity among student-ath lctcs. He said there was no discussion of the possible addition of women’s var sity sports, such as soccer, to increase the number of women athletes. “Right now, it’s just too soon to tell what we might try to do,” O’Hanlon said. Barbara Hibner, Nebraska assis tant athletic director in charge of women’s athletics, called the change in Big Eighlgovcming structure “his toric.” “We’ve been wanting this for a long time,” Hibner said. “It wasa long struggle, but it was very fruitful. I know it was as hard for the men to do it as it was for the women to wait. But it’s something that needed to be done. “The Big Eight has not exactly been a leader in gender equity.” Hibner said she remembered sit ting at NCAA conventions and being one of only two women in the Big Eight party. Elaine Hieber, associate athletic director at Iowa State Univer sity in Ames, was the other woman. Other conferences, she said, al ready have incorporated women into their governing structures. “In other conferences, the women representatives would sit right along side their athletic directors,” Hibner said. She said the change would not enhance gender equity, but would “afford more opportunity to work in conjunction with the men” to find solutions to inequity. Hibner said she came away from last week’s conference “feeling very good.” “Finally, the athletic directors are saying,‘We want to hclfl, what can we do?”’ she said. “Finallyvthey’re ask ing us to present to them a list of programs for selection and solicita tion of women administrators and coaches, and to make recommenda tions on how to solve the gender eq uity problems. “Finally, they’re giving us our say.” i