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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1993)
Assaulted woman wants damages from former Husker By Chuck Green Senior Reporter A lawsuit seeking damages for injuries and emotional suffering was filed Mon day against former UNL student and football player Andrew Scott Baldwin by a women he assaulted almost one year ago. Gina S imanek Mountain, who was assaulted by Baldwin outside of her Lincoln apartment last Jan. 18, is seeking almost $59,000 in medi cal expenses and lost income as a result of injuries sustained during the attack. The suit, filed in Lancaster County District Victim’s family also files lawsuits-against Baldwin Court, also seeks damages for past and future physical pain, mental and emotional suffering, permanent brain damage and permanent im pairment of Simanek Mountain’s earning ca pacity, said Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey. Lacey would not specify how much Simanek Mountain was seeking in addition to the$59,000. Lawsuits filed by her parents, Kathleen and Leonard Simanek, also are seeking unspecified damages from the assault. Lacey said Lincoln attorney John Hendry was handling the suits. Hendry could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Psychiatrists determined last spring that the assault was caused by a psychotic episode. Baldwin was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the Jan. 18 assaults of Simanek Mountain and Lincoln Police Officer Greg Sims, who was on the scene to apprehend Baldwin. Baldwin had been treated for schizophrenia throughout last spring and summer following the January incident, and had self-administered the antidepressant drug lithium to preventaddi tional episodes. But last Sept. 5 Just three days after Lancaster County District Judge Paul D. Merritt Jr. or dered Baldwin to continue his outpatient psy chiatric treatment program atSt. Joscph’sCen ter for Mental Health in Omaha, Baldwin was shot by Omaha police officers during a second episode. Baldwin admitted to doctors that he had stopped taking his medication a few days be fore the second episode, in which police dis- - covered him trying to throw his body through an apartment building’s front door. A scuffle * * See BALDWIN on 6 Tight budget constricts repair work Projects await shot at funds By Steve Smith Senior Editor Ccars of weather, wind and use have taken their toll on univer sity buildings, and the Depart ment of Facilities Management now finds itself in the unenviable position of not having enough resources to handle its repair requests. Several buildings — most notice ably Burnett Hall, Love Library and Hamilton Hall — are in dire need of major repairs but might not get help right away, said Rich Hoback, the department’s maintenance division manager. Burnett has about 2,500 square feel of psychology experiment space lhat is unusable because of water seep age, Hoback said. Water has damaged the ceilings above Love Library’s ar chives, and about 20 of Hamilton’s air ducts have gone bad. Just to repair theducls, which bring outside air into the building, would cost $100,000, he said — funds the department simply does not have. Repairs needed in UNL academic halls and other facilities don’t end there, Hoback said. The department has requests for projects in almost all facilities — on both campuses. “We take care of about 157 build ings on both campuses,” he said. “And almost all 157 need work in some way, shape or form.” Hoback said the department has major requests not only from Hamilton, Love Library and Burnett, See BUILDINGS on 6 Sen. Bob Wickersham talks to Sen. Ardyce Bohlke about a bill he was introducing during Tuesday’s session of the Nebraska Legislature. Officials expect a record number of bills to be introduced this year. Bills abound for session Big numbers expected this year, official says By Sarah Scalet Staff Reporter The bill drafting department at the Nebraska Legislature is keeping pretty busy these days. Officials expect a record number of bills to be introduced in the 1993 session. The deadline for introduction of bills is Jan. 21. I Dennis Baack, speaker of l the Legislature, predicted ] that 1,000 bills would be ■ introduced this year. The previous record was 857 in 1991, he said. Joanne Pcpperl, revisor of statutes and a bill drafter, said her department always counted on hectic conditions as part of a legisiaii ve session’s beginning. But in addition to facing a record number of bills, Pcpperl’s department also had the Legislature’s special session to keep it busy, she said. This year, employees started working over time closer to Thanksgiving instead of wailing until nearer to Christmas, Pepperl said. However, Baack said having such a full slate was no problem for the senators. Some people think the number of bills should be limited, but he prefers the system as it is, Baack said. He esti mated that of the 1,000 bi 11 s, on 1 y 200 to 300 would pass. But whether or not bills pass, Baack said, all the ideas they represent arc presented to the people of Nebraska through the public hearing required by the state constitution. Baack said the main reason for this year’s increase was that the Legislature had dealt mainly with the personal property tax last ses sion. The tax debate put a lot of ideas on hold, he said, because the Legislature had less time to deal with them. Regents disagree on search for NU president By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Faced with the task of finding a new University of Nebraska president for the second time in four years, NU Regents arc ready for an intense game of hide and-seek. They agree on the need to hide from controversy, which dominated the 1989 presidential search, while seeking applicants for NU’s top ex ecutive position. But some of the regents disagree on where to look, and even when to start looking. Following last Friday’s announce ment by NU President Martin Massengale that he would not seek an extension on his contract, which ex pires Dec. 31, the NU Board of Re gents planned to assemble a search committee that would interview can -44 / think anyone promoted from one of the NU campuses would beat a tremen dous disadvantage simply because they’ll always receive opposition from (the other three) campuses. — Robert Allen, NU Regent __ ______ •• — didates for the upcoming presidential vacancy. But just five days after Massengalc ’ s announcement, contro versy already had emerged among regents on whether to conduct a na tional search for a replacement, or to promote someone within the NU sys tem. NU Regent Robert Allen of Hastings said he thought the univer sity would benefit more from the ap pointment of an outsider to the presi dency rather than an internal promo tion. “I think anyone promoted from one of the NU campuses would be at a tremendous disadvantage, simply because they’ll always receive oppo sition from (the other three) cam puses,” Allen said. The last time the regents appointed an outsider to the NU presidency was in 1970, when D.B. “woody” Varner waschoscn. Ronald Roskens, then the chancellor of the University of Ne braska at Omaha, succeeded Varner in 1977, and remained NU president w w until his resignation in 1989, when Massengale took over in the interim. Massengale has been at the Uni versity of Nebraska-Lincoln since 1976, serving as vice chancellor for Agriculture and Natural Resources, and later as the chancellor of the UNL campus. Because both Roskcns and Massengale were part of the NU sys tem when they were appointed to the presidency, Allen said, both suffered “strong opposition elements” from campuses other than their own. II docsn t mean that it has to dc that way, that no one from inside the university system will gel the job,” Allen said. “But at this lime, I think it would be best for everyone to take a look on the outside.” Andrew Sigerson, UNL student regent, and Regent Charles Wilson of Lincoln disagreed with Allen’s ap proach. “I don’t think it would be fair just to look at candidates from the outside and not give consideration to those already here,” Sigerson said. “Cer tainly, we have to find someone broad minded ... but there arc qualified people in the system, too.” Sigerson said he knew of other regents who also were reluctant to put an emphasis on outside candidates. Wilson said the committee ap pointed to search for candidates should See CANDIDATE on 6
