-4 SPORTS
Huskers
hold on
Nebraska squeaks Monday
by Kansas after the __ .
Jay hawks' last 50/25
minute, two-point Partly cloudy and cool
conversion fails. m
Pigs Q the low 50's.
Dennis Smith picked for NU’s top spot
3 finalists drop out
prior to selection
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Editor
Dennis Smith was named the fifth presi
dent of the University of Nebraska sys
tem Sunday after accepting a unani
mous offer extended by the NU Board of Re
gents.
Smith
Smith, executive vice
chancellor of the University
of California, Irvine, will
sign a three-year contract be
ginning March 1 with an an
nual salary of $ 165,000. Cur
rent NU President Martin
Masscngale makes the same
salary.
In a special meeting Sun
day, the regents voted 8-0 to
offer Smith the contract. All
four student regents supported the vote.
Regent Chairman John Payne of Kearney
said hi offered Smith, 55, the contract Friday
afternoon. Smith’s interview with the board
last Wednesday was a big factor in the deci
sion, Payne said.
“It just seemed the chemistry was right,” he
said. “He is easygoing, but he is firm. Once he
makes a decision, it is our feeling that is how
he is going to be.”
Smith was one of four finalists interviewed
by the regents last week. The other three can
didates withdrew from the race over the week
end.
Constantine Curris, president of the Uni
versity of Northern Iowa; Gregory O’Brien,
chancellor of the University of New Orleans;
and Warren Baker, president of California Poly
technic State University, had all withdrawn
their names from consideration by Saturday
evening.
Payne said he told Curris Friday afternoon
the board was leaning toward another candi
date.
“We had to be fair,” Payne said. “At that
time, it didn’t seem (the board would select
Curris).”
Regent Nancy O’Brien of Waterloo, co»
chairwoman of the presidential search com
mittee, said it was common for candidates to
withdraw immediately before the selection of
a president.
See PRESIDENT on 2
Assault charges
in UNL beating
to be determined
later this week
From Staff Reports
The Lancaster County Attorney’s office
began its investigation of the assault of
a UNL international student Friday,
Deputy County Attorney Jodi Nelson said.
Nelson, who is handling the case, said her
office would decide this week what charges
should be filed in the Oct. 17 assault of Boon
Chung “Marco” Ong.
Three men were cited with third-degree
assault about two weeks ago by the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln police department. One
of the three suspects was a student, Police
Chief Ken Cauble said.
The names of the suspects will be released
after charges are filed by the county attorney’s
office, Nelson said.
Police said the University of Nebraska Ath
letic Department assisted in the investigation.
Athletic department officials have declined
comment. _'
Ong, a junior marketing major from Ma
laysia, was beaten and kicked in the head
outside the Nebraska Union.
Jay Calderon/DN
Regent Charles Wilson of Lincoln and Regent Chairman John Payne of Kearney speak with the new University of
Nebraska President Dennis Smith during a telephone press conference Sunday.
New NU president pleases UNL officials
By Steve Smith
Senior Reporter
Dennis Smith’s selection as the next NU
president met approval from Universi
ty of Nebraska-Lincoln officials Sun
day.
During a special meeting Sunday, the re
gents voted unanimously to appoint Smith to
NU’s top post. The vote ended a 10-month
search forNU President Martin Massengalc’s
successor. Masscngalc announced in January
he would not seek to extend his contract, which
expires in January 1994.
Smith, who is executive vice chancellor at
the University of California, Irvine, will be
installed as NU’s president March 1.
Massengale will continue to serve as president
I
-44
I think we, as students,
have gotten our say in this
(presidential selection)
process.
— Benes
UNL student regent
-99 —
until that time.
UNL Chancellor Graham Spanier, who was
a member of the presidential search commit
tee, said he was pleased with the regents’
selection.
Spanier said he thought the momentum
Smith would gain from the regents’ unani
mous vote would benefit the new president as
he took office.
“The fact that he received a unanimous
regents’ vote is quite encouraging— that’s a
strong endorsement.” Spanier said. “He’ll en
joy a lot of momentum and support coming
in.”
Spanier said he and the other NU chancel
lors — UNO’s Del Weber, UNK’s Gladys
Styles Johnston, and UNMC’s Carol
Aschenbrener—got a taste of Smith’s leader
ship abilities when they met with the four
finalists last week.
“He’s very highly regarded,” Spanier said.
“The chancellors saw strength and leadership
in our discussion with him."
See REACTION on 2
-1
Grant to fund UNL student exchanges
By Dionne Searcey
Senior Reporter
wo UNL students will receive a bar
gain rate when they study abroad
next year, an international affairs of
ficial said.
Peter Levitov, associate dean of interna
tional affairs, said the University of Ne
braska-Lincoln and 11 other schools re
ceived a federal grant that gives the Lin
coln campus $6,000 to split between two
students.
The grant is part of an exchange pro
gram with schools in European Community
countries. More than 200 American univer
sities applied for the grant. Levitov said 16
European schools were selected to serve as
exchange partners with U.S. schools in the
program.
The UNL Office of International Affairs
will have information available to students
about the program before winter break, he
said.
The application, Levitov said, would
probably require a research proposal de
scribing the type of European Community
study intended. The sponsoring universities
together will create an application process.
Tuition probably will cost less than the
amount of the scholarship, he said. The
students could use leftover scholarship mon
ey to buy plane tickets or room and board.
American students applying for the pro
gram must study European Community is
sues abroad, Levitov said.
From the European schools, 32 students
will be selected to take classes in American
studies in the United States.
“It is focused,” he said. “It is not just
studying abroad.”
The Fund for the Improvement of Post
Secondary Education financed 20 Ameri
See GRANT on 3
Hazing hard to detect, Griesen says
Accident provides
chance to educate
By Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Editor
Hazing at UNL takes place under “a
conspiracy of silence” that makes it
difficult to prevent, Vice Chancellor
for Student Affairs James Griesen said Friday.
Jeff Knoll, a freshman from Ogallala, fell
from a third-floor window at Phi Gamma Del
ta fraternity Wednesday. Griesen said hazing
— including drinking ‘‘in a coercive environ
ment”— was involved in Knoll's accident.
Knoll was upgraded during the weekend
from critical to serious condition at Lincoln
General Hospital.
Griesen, speaking at a press conference,
said hazing violated the University of Nebras
ka-Lincoln’s Student Code of Conduct. But
hazing usually takes place with the consent of
the victim, he said, making the practice diffi
cult to identify or stop.
“It makes it virtually impossible for the
university to deal with it," he said.
Griesen said consent of the victim was not
a defense for hazing. Hazing still is punishable
under the student code of conduct even if the
victim willingly participates, he said.
Griesen said the hazing that took place at
the Phi Gamma Delta house Wednesday in
volved “alcohol consumption in an environ
ment where it would appear (Knoll) felt he
had no alternative.”
He said hazing was not a violation of state
law. But because it is a violation of UNL’s
Student Code of Conduct, it could result in the
loss of Phi Gamma Delta’s charter.
Griesen said the fall still was being investi
gated. Facts in the case are being forwarded by
the police to the Lincoln County Attorney’s
office, he said.
Griesen said he did not know how preva
lent hazing was at UNL. ' • ■ '
“The true extent to hazing we probably
See HAZING on 2