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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1993)
UNL official seeks response about anti-smoking policy By Jeffrey Robb Staff Reporter While UNL Chancellor Gra ham Spanier attempts to clear the air on the university’s smoking policy, ASUN members and some Administration Building workers would like to see cigarettes stamped out in all campus buildings. Last fall, Spanier announced to the vice chancellors that he wanted to revise the smoking policy, and he called on them to gather the campus’ attitudes and ideas on the subject. John Goebel, vice chancellor of business and finance, was appointed i Vice chancellor gets inputfrom petition, ASUN by Spanier to lead in the formation of a new policy. “We’re still wailing for creative thoughts as to how to deal with the issue,” he said. “I think we need to realize that there arc many factors to this issue and I think there are many people who have an interest as to how the policy will be placed.” Goebel said he would wait and listen to ihe university community, and then he would sit down and write a policy that reflected the “current thinking.” He said the chancellor’s cabinet then would seek further reac tions before finalizing the policy this spring. Two recent events seem to have fanned the flames of the debate on campus. Last Wednesday, AS UN passed a resolution that would ban smoking in all university buildings. The resolu tion was sent to the chancellor to be used in the formation of his new policy. Also last week, a petition contain ing 105 signatures from Administra tion Building employees supporting a smoking ban in their building was delivered to the chancellor. John Beacon, director of admis sions, scholarships and financial aid, initiated the petition last November. He cited tne employee break room as a problem. The room, Beacon said, has an ineffective smoke filter that lets secondhand smoke overflow into the work area. “I have staff who, on a day-to-day basis, are adjacent to it,” Beacon said. “That indicated to me that they have a greater exposure to secondhand smoke, and that’s what bothered me.” Michael Mulnix, executive direc tor of University Relations, said vice chancellors, not the ASUN or peti tions, had the most input in the smok ing decision. Vice chancellors report how their staffs feel about the policy. Amid the debate are student smok ers who want their voices to be heard. Steve Drda, a senior geology ma jor, said the anti-smoking effort was getting a bit extreme. “I don’t believe it’s driven by the genuine interest in the health of non smokers,” he said. “Even today, the reality is that See SMOKING on 3 Nation should shift priorities, senator says Stad McKee/DN Sen. Bob Kerrey speaks Friday to a group of foreign exchange program administrators at the Nebraska Union. Kerrey said the United States leaders must concentrate on the problem of Russia rather than other, less relevant issues. Russian issues ignored as other world events get top spots on agenda By Jeff Zeleny Senior Reporter Russia should be the United States’ pri mary international focus, even though the former communist nation is being overshadowed by other world events, Sen. Bob Kerrey said Fridiay. “Today we arc very much concerned about what s going on in Somal ia and what’s going on in Iraq. As a consequence, what’s going on in Russia gets pushed back,” Kerrey said. “On foreign policy agenda, if we were trying to list the most important thing, Russia should be No. 1.” The Nebraska Democratic senator spoke to about 50 international exchange program ad ministrators and business people at a workshop in the Nebraska Union. “We’ve got to keep focused on the objec tives,” he said. “We have to decide to separate those things that feel urgent from those things that arc important.” Kerrey said U.S. citizens also became dis tracted by domestic issues that attracted more attention than they deserve, including admit ting gays in the military. “It’s not the most important issue in the country by any stretch,”he said. “It’s important and needs to be dealt with, but it’s not a high priority.” Kerrey is in favor of admitting gays into the military in all areas except combat. “The combat thing is really an example,” he said. “Once you end the ban, you have to deal with rules and regulations of behavior. “I want it to be fair,” Kerrey said. “People who arc passionate advocates of this change need to understand and respect the culture and the legal structure of the military. This change will not occur as quickly and easily as many think.” Kerrey said the United States’ focus instead should be on building international relation ships with Russia and other former Soviet republics. With better relationships, Kerrey said, U.S. foreign policy leaders could better anticipate world events. “If our foreign policy leaders, myself in cluded, had anticipated that the glue that held Yugoslavia together since World War II was gone, it’s possible that we could have headed off the disaster that we now see in Bosnia,” he said. With improved relations and understanding also comes improved respect for countries, Kerrey said, which, helps develop policy. “Wc need individual respect,"he said. “Typi cally we come in and say, ‘You’ve got a bunch of nuclear weapons and wc want to get rid of them.’ “Obviously that’s important, but if wc treat them as important only because they have nuclear weapons, then they become more im-' portant than they need to be.” Kerrey outlined four goals of future ex change programs: • Programs need to include young people. “Our focus needs to be on the future,” he said. “Wc should do programs that would bring young Russian and Ukrainian citizens to the United States and vice versa.” • Recognize the significant cultural differ ences between countries. Respect fundamental and educational values to bring about change. • Work toward breaking the language bar rier that exists between countries. “They can talk about profits, investments and equity,” he said, “but it’s not understood the way we understand it.” • Make businesses in Nebraska and the entire United States profitable. Doing that will increase jobs here and in Russia, he said. Kerrey said there was a tremendous oppor tunity for change with the new administration, but people must be involved more now than ever. “Exchange programs should focus on citi zcn-to-cilizen,” Kerrey said, “as opposed to govemment-to-govemment.” Beginning fly fishers will test Pavilion’s turf first New class to teach fly tying, casting, best trout locations By Angie Brunkow Staff Reporter The line shimmered as it circled above the man’s head. The sun gleamed off the calm, smooth surface of the lake. Gently, the fly and line settled on the surface, and the fisher relaxed to wail for the first nibble. Well, lake away the gleaming sun, the calm, smooth lake, the nibbling fish and add Cook Pavilion,and you’vc got fly fishing class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The new class is offered as part of Campus Recreation’s instructional programs. The firstclass began today. Vcrl Borg, instructor of the class, said the 12-session class fit in with the recreational activities usually taught at the center, which once taught could be used for a lifetime. Borg, who is also a member of the Comhusker Fly Fishing Club, said he proposed teaching the class because he knew it would complement other classes, such as canoeing and back packing that arc also taught at the recreation center. Fly fishing is a sport that needs a lot of instruction, he said, because of the more difficult casting techniques. Borg said spin rods, which most fishers use, rely on a wcighion the end of the fishing line to carry the line out. “You put weight on it, and zoom, out it goes,” he said. But a fly line is rotated above the head before it is cast. The fly, or lure, has to land gently on the water so as not to scare away the fish. “It’s a matter of presentation,” he said. “If the presentation isn’t right, the fishing won’t be too good.” ' Borg said he also would leach fly j lying. The flics, which resemble in- j sects, come in many different shapes, patterns and sizes and are made of I hundreds of different materials. < Students will learn how to deter mine the best fishing locations and the ' best way to catch the fish. i Borg said most of the instruction -44 You really feel the fish. — Borg fly fishing instructor vould lake place indoors, but the ;roup might take trips to local lakes to jet practical experience. The 12-student class filled quickly >ecausc of the increasing popularity >f the sport in Nebraska, he said. Fly fishing is widespread in areas vherc trout is plentiful, such as Colo ado, Borg said. The trout is a traditional fly fishing ✓ W V target, but Borg said anglers were discovering the technique could be used to catch a wide variety of fish. Borg said another attraction of the sport was that it brought the fisher “closer” to the fish because the fly rod was bent and more flexible at the tip than a normal rod. “You really feel the fish," he said.