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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1993)
1 jj ;1:<spomsggg | Osborne wins 200th Nebraska comes Flldfly back to beat 7R/RR Oklahoma State ^ 27-75 Thursday ^Scfsrtxin ra»® f Saturday ___ — Homecoming theme pales with all-white court By Matthew Waite Staff Reporter he Homecoming theme “United Colors ofUNL” has some students questioning how an all-white Homecoming court can symbolize the colors of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “I found out the theme, and I’m thinking ‘United Colors of UNL’ — more diversity,” said Linda Kay Morgan, president of the Afrikan People’s Union. “And here it is, all the candi dates are white. That really goes with the whole theme of the program.” Morgan questioned the theme because no ethnic minorities were on the Homecoming royalty court. Andrew Loudon, co-chairman for Home coming Royalty, said the theme did not have to imply multi-ethnic issues. ‘“United Colors of UNL’ is a very generic term,” Loudon said. “It doesn’t have to deal with multicultural issues.” Loudon said a question on the royalty appli cation asked what the applicants thought the theme meant. He said the answers the commit tee received included ethnic-based answers, but also had responses saying the colors were those of the football team on game day. Morgan said her first impressions of the -44 The only color that's going to be happening is their hair. — Freimund co-chairwoman, Homecoming Royalty -tf — theme didn’t include the football team. “It just doesn’t seem right,’’ Morgan said. “And the whole purpose of‘United Colors of UNL’ is all ethnic diversity.” Karen Freimund, Homecoming Royalty co chairwoman and vice president of the Univer sity Programs Council, agreed with Morgan. “It’s dumb to have the theme since there arc no minority students on the court,” Freimund said. “The only color that’s going to be happen ing is their hair.” Freimund said the theme was selected last year by the UNL Steering Committee. “I think that there are other students that aren’t minority students that arc opposed to the theme,” Freimund said. She also said she was See HOMECOMING on 6 Curriculum proposal wins more backing By Dionne Searcey Senior Reporter UNL has moved one step clos er to revamping its entire gen eral education curriculum, university officials said. The Academic Affairs Office ap proved the proposal that would change the education of every student enter ing the University of Nebraska-Lin coln in 1995, said Liz Grobsmith, assistant vice chancellor for academ ic affairs. Academic affairs offic ials prepared a report outlining the plan and ex plaining the philosophies supporting it, Grobsmith said. The report is being sent to college deans and faculty members across the university, she said. Officials at each college will review the plan and offer suggestions. The new curriculum would include programs called integrative and es sential studies, she said. The integrative studies plan would require students to take 10 courses, including critical thinking, oral ex pression and appreciation of cultural diversity. The essential-studies plan would See GENERAL on 3 Bj orklund may not try to refile dismissed suit By Dionne Searcey Senior Reporter cr Bjorklund has made no ins to refilc a lawsuit stat ...g he was treated unfairly in jail. U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf dismissed Wednesday a suit Bjorklund and two otter inmates filed charging they were discriminated against in the Lancaster County Jail. The judge dismissed the case with out prejudice, which means Bjorklund can refile the suit. - The inmates were instructed to re vise their suit by Sept. 20 but failed to do so. A federal magistrate asked that the amended suit show the alleged discrimination was not based on legit imate governmental concern. Bjorklund and two otter inmates, Matt Williamson and Richard Blackwell, had filed a complaint June 23 alleging jail officials unfairly re stricted their freedoms. “You must believe that we are brain dead to think that we cannot see that we are being punished in every sense of the word/ Bjorklund stated in a complaint filed June 23. “We are to be treated as inmates in general population. Either move us or correct these things.” Jail rules state general population inmates can watch television, gain access to the law library, play board games and watch movies. Bjorklund said in the complaint that jail officials restricted his free doms, treating him as if he were in protective custody. Inmates in pro tective custody have limited access to television, the law library, board games and movies. Bjorklund said he and other in mates were not in protective custody. They were pretrial detainees, Bjorklund said, who had not yet been found guilty of any charges by a court. Bjorklund is awaiting trial for charges of first-degree murder in the slaying of UNL student Candice Harms. Bjorklund’s trial begins Oct. 25. “We, the plaintiffs, are asking that we be given the same rights as other inmates at the Lancaster County Jail,” Bjorklund said in the complaint. Another lawsuit Bjorklund filed is pending. In that suit, Bjorklund alleg es jail officials retaliated against him because of motions he filed concern ing the murder case. Out of the house, into the spotlight Home schooling no hindrance to UNL senior By Trlsh Mooney Staff Reporter alee away her ambition, her self-motivation and her background and Cara Catlett might be just another 19 year-old student. But most UNL students Catlett’s age arc just get ting started. Catlett already is well on her way. She is a senior political science major who plans to graduate with honors fnpm the University of Ne braska-Lincoln in May. She was educated at home and began college at Mid-Plains Com munity College in North Platte when she was only 16 years old. She left the public school sys tem in Seward when she was in the fifth grade. Her parents, Walt and Jolene Catlett, wanted to teach her at home to give her an education with a strong Christian background, which they didn’t think could be found in a public school. Catlett woke up every morning and went to the “school room," set up in her home, where her mother taught her and her younger sister. At about 11 a.m., Catlett said she would work at her parents’ Runza restaurant. She would take a piano or gymnastics lesson in the afternoon and study in the evening. Catlett said she didn’t regret being educated at home and she didn’t feel she missed out on any thing. “I had all kinds of opportunities to interact with other home schooled children. We had planned activities and parties. “I don’t feel like I’ve been so cially deprived. It’s always been easy for me to get out and meet people. 1 enjoy doing that,” Catlett said. Catlett’s decision to start col Sandy Sum mars/DN Cara Catlett, a home-schooled student, surrounds herself with her studies. Catlett, a 19-year-old UNL senior, is active in College Republicans and ASUN. lege early can be traced back to when she was 12 years old. “I must have read about some one doing it, and I said, *1 want to do that,’ and when I turned 16,1 was still serious. My parents said they’d see what they could do.’’ Catlett said her parents had al ways supported her, but it was self motivation that drove her. “My environment would stimu late anyone,” she said. See CATLETT on 3 Athletic director fights to get Big Red in the black Athletic department budget Nebraska's athletic department deficit is declining and may be eliminated by the end of the fiscal year. Nine month reduction: Jan^-Sept. $2.4 million $1 million By Tim Pmrson Senior Reporter Before Bill Byrne took over as Nebraska athletic director, the. university’s athletic depart ment had a deficit of more than $2 million. In just nine months, Byrne has reduced the deficit from $2.4 million to about $1 million. His goal is to rid the department of that deficit by the end of the year, so Nebraska doesn’t have to be known by its football nickname in its budget affairs. < “We’d like to have a budget in the black,” he said. “We don’t want to have a budget that goes with our nick name: Go Big Red.” Byrne came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln nine months ago from Oregon, where he had been ath letic director since 1984. At the Uni versity of Oregon, Byrne raised more than $20 million for new athletic fa cilities. He was chairman of the PAC-10 Budget Committee and was named the top fund-raiser by the National Athletic Fund-raisers Association in 1985. While Byrne was at Oregon, fund raising rose from $400,000 a year to more than $2.5 million. At Nebraska, Byme is in charge of ' ''--T «• ' '' . * # a record budget of $17.8 million for the 1993-94 fiscal year. “I’m pleased with the budget,” he said, “we’d like to not have any debt, but we plan on reducing it this year.” Byrne downplays his role in reduc ing the deficit. “All 1 did was visit with all of the coaches about their budgets,” Byrne said. “We are working hard to make certain our accounts are payable.” Most public universities receive slate aid, but the UNL athletic depart ment receives nothing from the state of Nebraska. Byrne said this made it tougher to raise enough revenue. See BUDGET on 3
