The eyes of Christmas shsun&wn/oN
Wether ringing bells on street corners or corailing streams of children in shopping malls,
Santa Claus has definitely come to town. Story on page 4 of the Holiday Supplement.
Doctors suggest
moving Baldwin
oy unucK ureen
Senior Reporter
Former University of Nebraska
Lincoln student Andrew Scott
Baldwin may be moved to the
Lincoln Regional Center, his attorney
said.
Hal Anderson said Wednesday that
three doctors who examined Baldwin
recommended that he be admitted to
the regional center for treatment.
The doctors have determined
Baldwin is mentally ill and danger
ous, and shows signs of schizophre
nia, Anderson said.
Anderson’s comments came after
a hearing Wednesday to decide the
future treatment of Baldwin, who was
paralyzed from the chest down after
being shot by an Omaha police officer
Sept. 5 during what doctors called a
psychotic episode—his second in 10
months.
Baldwin was found not guilty by
reason of insanity in the Jan. 18 beat
ing of Gina Simanek Mountain, who
was leaving home to walk her dog
when Baldwin attacked her.
District Court Judge Paul Merritt
committed Baldwin to the St. Joseph
Mental Health Center in Omaha on
Sept. 2 on an outpatient treatment
program, which allowed Baldwin to
self-administer daily dosesof lithium,
an anti-depressant.
Three days later, Baldwin was shot
during a scuffle with Omaha police
after he allegedly tried to throw him
self through a glass door at an apart
ment building.
Lancaster County Attorney Gary
Lacey asked Merritt to place Baldwin
in the regional center for his own
safety, and the safely of the public.
“It’s important that he’s at the re
gional center where people can keep
close tabs on him,” Lacey said.
Lacey said Baldwin posed more of
a threat to himself than to others, but
that “he could be dangerous to others,
too, at some point.”
Anderson agreed that Baldwin
should receive treatment at the re
gional center, but requested that
Baldwin not be confined to the secu
rity ward.
Lacey said the state would pay the
cost of committing. Baldwin to the
regional center.
Anderson said he hoped Baldwin
eventually could be transferred to a
mental hospital in New Jersey, his
home state.
“He needs to be with his family
right now,” Anderson said.
Baldwin’s next hearing will be af- .
ter his annual review in August, un
less he requests an earlier hearing.
UJylL graduate student s
arraignment postponed
uvii rignts case
filed by McElroy
From Staff Reports
A University of Ncbraska-Lin
coln graduate student’s ar
raignment has been postponed
for another week.
Arthur McElroy of Bennet ap
peared in Lancaster County District
Court Wednesday, but the arraign
ment was delayed. He is scheduled to
reappear in court this Wednesday to
See MCELROY on 6
Spending limits unconstitutional\ official says
By Susie Arth
Senior Reporter
The question of placing campaign spend
ing limits on ASUN elections is not an
issue at all, a member of ASUN’s Elec
toral Commission said.
“It’s sort of a non-issue,” Jason Krieser said.
“It needs to be understood that it’s not a matter
of right or wrong.
“It’s a matter of what’s constitutional.”
By a 12-8 vote, the Association of Students
of the University of Ne
braska rejected a proposal
Nov. 18 tocliminate spend
ing limits.
But Krieser said a 1976
U.S. Supreme Court deci
sion, Buckley vs. Valeo,
outlawed spending limits
for candidates running for political office.
The ruling applies to the ASUN elections
- it
It’s sort of a non-issue. It needs to be understood that it’s not a
matter of right or wrong. It’s a matter of what’s constitutional.
Jason Krieser
member of A$UN Electoral Commission
-ft -
because the university is a publicly funded
institution, Kricscr said.
Kricscr said Richard Wood, the general
counsel for the University of Nebraska, agreed
with the Electoral Commission that spending
limits were unconstitutional.
Kriescr said the Electoral Commission met
Tuesday to get input from senators, but only
Electoral Commission members were present.
Kriescr said the Electoral Commission
planned to resubmit the same proposal to the
senate.
One possible scenario, he said, was the
electoral Commission resubmitting the pro
posal, the senate voting it down and ASUN
President Andrew Sigerson vetoing it.
In this ease, the proposal would be brought
to the Student Court to be reviewed, Kricser
said.
The Student Court is writing an opinion on
the ease, but cannot release a ruling until the
proposal either is adopted with spending limits
or vetoed without them.
ASUN now is without any election rules,
Kricser said, because it is the duty of the
Electoral Commission to review and resubmit
the election rules each year.
Last year, campaign spending was limited to
$3,500. He said there had been spending limits
on ASUN elections for at least 10 years.
But Kricser said he hoped the senators would
have a change of heart and would resolve the
issue by Jan. 11.
“We hope to convince them that our pro
posal is worthy of being passed,” he said.
Chartered plane ride leaves regent disgruntled
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
O chartered airplane ride for two Univer
sity of Nebraska regents has created
turbulence between them and at least
one other board member.
Regent Don Blank of McCook and Regents
Chairman John Payne of Kearney flew to Lin
coln Nov. 15 for an informal meeting at the
home of Regent Charles Wilson to discuss NU
President Martin Masscngalc’s performance
evaluation.
Regent Nancy Hoch also attended the meet
ing, but drove from her home in Nebraska City.
Blank and Payne chartered a plane oul of
McCook for the trip, which Blank said cost
S819. The flight was paid for with state funds.
Blank said the trip was
nothing oul of the ordinary
and that planes often were
chartered when regents or
other officials attended
meetings outside of Lin
coln.
4i really don’t see this as a
problem,” he said. ‘‘It’s no different than if I
would have felt the need to meet with
Massengalc for coffee. If I need to talk with him
about something dealing with the university,
.W”' ” h
then it’s university business.”
Regent Rosemary Skrupa of Omaha said
that since the meeting was unofficial, however,
the flight should not have been chartered at the
state’s expense.'
“My thought is that if this were sanctioned
university business, (Blank and Payne) should
have been reimbursed,” Skrupa said. “But if it
was just an informal rap session, which they’ve
already said it was, I don’t sec that as sanctioned
university business.”
The NU Board of Regents bylaws slate that
members “serve without compensation, but
shall be allowed actual travel and other ex
penses in conjunction with official duties, and
shall file statements of expenses monthly as
provided by operating rules of the university.”
But the bylaws are not specific on whether
informal meetings that are not official board or
committee meetings arc included in the com
pensation rule.
Payne said he thought all university business
— including informal meetings—was covered
under the reimbursement rule.
“We’re supposed to gel reimbursed for uni
versity business,” Payne said. “This was uni
versity business.”
Richard Wood, NU’s vice president and
See REGENTS on 6