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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1993)
NU women take on Colorado 35/25 Today sunny and mild, becoming dody and windy tonight and a 30% chance of snow. Tomorrow cloudy and 35 degrees_ Baldwin case prompts senator’s proposal Bill would give state judges more authority By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Proposals introduced Wednes day in the Nebraska Legisla ture would loosen restraints on state judges dealing with criminal cases involving the mentally ill, the bills’ sponsor said. Sen. Don Wcscly of Lincoln introduced LB518 in an attempt to give the courts l____more authority I^MmFOIUM ovcr lhosc found nol guilly for crimes by reason of insanity. Wesely said his proposal was in spired by the case of Andrew Scott Baldwin, a former University of Ne braska-Lincoln student and Comhusker football player. Baldwin was shot Iasi Sept. 5 by Omaha police officers during what doctors determined to be his second psychotic episode in nine months. “I’m hoping this legislation will prevent that scenario from ever oc curring again,” Wcsely said. Baldwin, 23, from Roselle, N.J., was charged with the Jan. 18, 1992, assaults of Gina Simanck Mountain and Lincoln Police OfficcrGrcg Sims. He later was found not guilty by rea son of insanity when psychiatrists determined the attacks were caused by a psychotic episode. -44 I’m hoping this legislation will prevent that sce nario from ever occurring again. —Wesely state senator Baldwin was diagnosed as suffer ing from schizophrenia, and was or dered by Lancaster County District Judge Paul Merritt to undergo psychi atric treatment at Omaha’s St. Joseph Center for Mental Health on an outpa - 77 tieni basis. In September, Baldwin was para lyzed when a bullet fired by an Omaha police officer severed his spinal cord. See BALDWIN on 6 Money needed for program to stay afloat The state of Nebraska has not kept promise, project director says By Jeff Zeleny Senior Reporter Cn effort to improve education in Nebraska’s elementary and high schools has been underway lor only a year, but it may be cut short if funds once promised for the project don’t come through. A program initiated by the Nebraska Math ematics and Science Coalition in 1991 was designed to improve math and science educa tion in all Nebraska schools. roiiuii luiium^iwi uii|;iu gram was provided through a grant from the National Science Foundation in Washington D.C. The grant was supposed to be matched with stale funds more than a year ago, but no money has been allotted yet. “The state of Nebraska made the promise for significant support — it was a letter of good intent,” Karen Ward, coalition project director, said. “At this point all wc have is good intent, we haven’t gotten any money from them,” she said. Sen. Ron Wilhcm of Papillion, chairman of the education committee, introduced LB649 Wednesday. The bill would appropriate legis lative funds to pay for the slate’s portion of the grant. Wilhcm’s proposal would appropriate S2 million lor the project in the next two years. If Nebraska doesn’t match the amount, the foundation will look down on giving future grants. Ward said. “If the Legislature hasn’t done something definitive, as far as getting us $2 million for the first grant, there is no way the NSF will look favorably on requests.” See BILL on 3 . Jeff Haller/D N Cool place to study Wendy Freeman, a senior electrical engineering major, studies Thursday in a spot she cleared of snow near 16th and Vine streets. Freeman, who was waiting to meet a friend, said she enjoyed the winter weather. East Campus college plans big changes By Mindy Leiter Staff Reporter This semester the College of Home Economics will make some changes, including a merger, a new department director and an anticipated name change, a UNL official said. Karen Craig, dean of the College of Home Economics, said the college was combining the Department of' Human Development and the Family and the Department of Consumer Sci ence and Education to create the De partment of Family and Consumer Sciences. in addition, Lraig said, me College of Home Economics is anticipating a name change, already approved by the NU Board of Regents and pending approval in March by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. The proposed name, College of Human Resources and Family Sci ences, better suits the college’s goal of finding new ways to serve families and communities, Craig said. “We want to move away from the cooking and sewing perspective that most people hold,” Craig said, “The faculty wants to operate within a 21 st century framework.” Such a framework, she said, will include dealing with all aspects of modem family life. ‘‘We need to help individuals and families and communities deal with critical issues in a responsible way, so they can act.” Craig said those issues involved single parenting, youth at risk, finan cial problems and the lack of rural businesses in small communities. Streamlining departments is one way the college will deal with these issues, Craig said. Racdcnc Combs, a professor of consumer science and education, and See MERGER on 3 Changes considered to boost residence hall appeal By Jeffrey Robb Staff Reporter In an effort to stave off a decline in the number of students signing on for spaces in UNL residence hal Is, the Office of U n i ver sity Housing is considering several measures to draw in more upperclassmen, a university offi cial said. Doug Zatcchka, university housing director, said residence hall population dropped 11 per eent in the last six years because students were moving off campus earlier. He said better communication was needed between students and housing officials to find out exactly what students, and especially up perclassmen, would value in the halls. Toward that end, a special workshop of housing admin istrators, residence directors and student assis tants was held last Sunday to work through Plans geared toward attracting upperclassmen ideas and coordinate plans. Zatcchka said four main ideas were being considered to boost residence hall appeal: • make parking lots larger and closer to the halls. •configure meal plans so food service could be provided later in the afternoon or evening. Zatcchka said many students suggested this because class schedules often run through meal times. • hold costs down. • designate halls housing only upperclass men. These halls would provide more privacy, with mostly single rooms for occupants. “We have upperclassmen who have a strong desire for privacy, like not having a roommate, for example,” Zatcchka said. Tiffani Walvoord, a senior anthropology major, has lived in an apartment throughout college. She said she thought residence halls were loo crowded, noisy and expensive. Pri vacy and freedom arc the main advantages of her apartment, she said. Privacy is also a factor in why JustinTumblin, a junior psychology major, lives off campus. He said his house offered privacy that residence halls couldn’t give. Zalcchka said residence halls had been im proved in the last five years to eater to students. Cable television, computer laboratories and 24-hour visitation have been added, but more is needed, he said. Jim H ill, a Cather Hall student assistant, said another idea proposed was to take a portion of students’ unused meal money and apply it to snack-bar use. Hill said a price discount for students who live in the halls three or more semesters also was discussed. Zatcchka said problems could arise in trying to fit such proposals into the housing budget. But he said if the plans were examined, and were found to be affordable and of student value, then the plan could move forward. However, Zatcchka stressed that possible improvements must be of student value. A survey was held last year to determine if 24 hour visitation rules would influence students to staying in the halls. Many students said they would slay in the halls because of the new measure, Zatcchka said, but residence hall population went down this year despite the plan. “I don’t want to spend a lot of money and a lot of time and find out nobody cares,” he said. Zatcchka said there was no timetable for when any new plans may be implemented.