•4 SPORTS
Orange crush
Orange bowl president
Bob Epling expresses ErlHau
concern about rNClay
Nebraska's and the 55/35
Orange Bowl's position Rajn and
in the national thunderstorms today.
championship race. SSS&'Sitond.
Page 7 Highs around 50.
Prosecution, defense rest in Biorklund trial
By Dionne Searcey
Senior Reporter
Defense attorneys called no wit
nesses as they joined prose
cutors in resting their cases
Thursday in the first-degree murder
trial of Roger Bjorklund.
Arguments ended on the 13th day
of Bjorklund’s trial in the slaying of
UNL student Candice Harms.
“It is my position that the state
has not produced sufficient evidence
to establish Mr. Bjorklund’s guilt be
yond a reasonable doubt,” Lancaster
County Chief Public Defender Scott
Helvie told reporters after the hear
ing.
"HI*
Rofftr |
Heivie saiu
Bjorklund fol
lowed defense at
torneys’ advice to
not take the stand.
Pros ecu tors
called 59 witness
es to testify dur
ing the trial. Dur
ing the 13 days of hearings, prosecu
tors introduced 641 exhibits of evi
dence.
Lancaster County Attorney Gary
Lacey said he was comfortable with
the prosecution’s presentation to the
jury.
“I think we presented all the evi
dence we had in a very efficient and
forthright manner,” he said.
Both sides rested their cases just
before 4 p.m.
Before resting his case, Lacey re
offered all exhibits previously intro
duced to the court.
He added to those exhibits a purse,
a jar of fibrous material, a sack of
jeans and two belts, a round of .223
ammunition, a box of debris from an
area near 84th Street and Havelock
Avenue and black carpet from a
Nissan Pulsar.
Attorneys from both sides will
meet Friday in closed session to cre
ate a list of final instructions for the
jury.
Lancaster County District Judge
Donald Endacott reminded the jury
of their duties before dismissing them
for the weekend.
“It has been a long road that we’ve
all traveled together,” he said, “and
it’s so important — I admonish you
— please, please, do not discuss this
case.”
Attorneys will present closing ar
guments 8:30 a.m. Monday to the
jury.
A plea date has not yet been sched
uled for Scott Barney, who also is
charged in the slaying of Harms.
Barney has pleaded guilty in ex
change for a promise that prosecu
tors not seek the death penalty in his
case.
Sorensen:
confessions
not coerced
► Defense attorneys rested their
case Thursday without calling any
witnesses. The prosecution also
ended its arguments.
► Lincoln police Detective Sgt.
Greg Sorensen testified that
Bjorklund’s confessions were not
coerced or illegally taped.
► Attorneys from both sides will
meet in closed session Friday to
create a list of final instructions for
the jury.
► Attorneys will present closing
arguments to the jury Monday at
8:30 a.m.___
By Dionne Searcey
Senior Reporter
police sergeant testified, in
contrast to allegations from
defense attorneys, that he did
not coerce a confession from Roger
Bjorklund during two conversations
they shared.
Detective Sgt. Greg Sorensen tes
tified during the first-degree murder
trial of Roger Bjorklund about two
conversations he had with Bjorklund
on May 25 and June 5.
The questioning stems from the
Sept. 22, 1992, slaying of UNL stu
dent Candice Harms. Bjorklund and
Scott Barney are charged in the death.
Sorensen said Bjorklund initiated
both conversations and was prom
ised nothing in exchange for a con
fession.
Jurors listened to tapes Thursday
from the May 25 and June 5 conver
sations between Sorensen and
Bjorklund.
On June 5, Bjorklund said Barney
fantasized of kidnapping and raping
a stranger. Sorensen asked Bjorklund
if killing Harms was ever considered
as part of Barney’s fantasy.
“Never. 1 didn’t know that was
going to happen until boom boom,
he fired the f—ing gun,’’ Bjorklund
said. “1 mean, he’s lucky that when
we got back to the car that I didn’t
f—ing shoot him.
See BJORKLUND on 6
William Lauer/DN
Devore Silvey fires a salvo during ceremonies honoring armed services members a
the Veterans Administration Medical Center on Thursday.
‘Salvation7
ROTC cadets celebrate Veterans Day
By Paula Lavigne
Staff Reporter
About 7 5 ROTC cadets
gathered in front of the
Military and Naval Sci
ence building in perfect formation
to honor the veterans of World
War II on Thursday.
Air Force, Army and Navy Re
serve Officer Training Corp ca
dets took part in a special Veter
ans Day retreat ceremony Thurs
day.
The ceremony began with a
speech by Air Force 2nd Lt. Paul
Alfonso, Jr. He said although (he
retreat ceremony was in honor of
World War II veterans, they were
gathered to remember veterans
from all wars.
Air Force Capt. Kevin Driscoll
said the ceremony was part of a
nationwide effort to acknowledge
Veterans’ Day.
“It gives you time to think of
the sacrifices made and the lives
and dreams that were changed or
snuffed out,” Driscoll said. “The
impact is mind boggling.”
About four World War II veter
ans joined the group of ROTC ca
dots and active officers as honor
ary guests.
Retired World War II Army Air
Corp Officer Merle Summers said
he thought the ceremony was in
spiring.
“I think the world’s going to
fall apart.” he said, “then I see all
these young guys out here and I
see salvation.”
Summers’ brother. Air Force Lt.
Col. Gale Summers, said America
did a fairly good job celebrating
Veterans Day. He said the rever
ence displayed at UNL’s ceremo
ny indicated the country’s support
of U.S. veterans.
Racers drive
for contacts,
scholarships
By Amie Haggar
Staff Reporter
ith a full gas tank, fastened
seat belts and a desire to
win, two University of Ne
braska-Lincoln students soon will be
racing across the nation.
But their race cars aren t stream
lined for speeds of more than 200
mph. Rather, they’re practical, fuel
efficient Geo Metros.
Lonnie Behrends and Christin
Curry will be one of 20 college teams
putting across the nation in the Geo
Metro EconoRun contest.
EconoRun, which is sponsored by
the Sports Car Club of America, is a
seven-day, coast-to-coast road rally
to promote automotive fuel economy
and to support higher education, said
Behrends, a junior business manage
ment major.
The contest begins Monday in
New York and ends Nov. 21 in Los
Angeles.
“It’s going to be fun to see the
nation, driving from New York to
L.A.,” Behrends said.
The students are competing for
$104,000 in scholarships that will be
awarded to their college’s general
scholarship funds.
Curry, a senior marketing and eco
nomics major, said the contest would
draw national attention.
“I think we will get people’s at
tention because there arc 20 univer
sities involved,” she said. “This con
test is going to give a lot of recogni
tion.”
Behrends, who also is vice presi
dent of UNL’s Marketing Club, said
the SCC'A would measure the fuel
efficiency of each car daily at speci
fied stopping points.
“Our fuel consumption is going to
be very closely monitored,” he said.
Each morning after the fuel con
sumption has been measured, awards
of $4,000, $2,000 and $1,000 will be
presented to the schools of the first,
second and third place teams, respec
See RACE on 6
General education requirements receive ASUN support
By Matthew Waite
Staff Reporter
A SUN’s support of general education
requirements Wednesday was the first
official support for implementing the
program at UNL, officials said.
But student government support doesn’t as
sure the proposal’s success. t
Elizabeth Grobsmith, assistant vice chan
cellor for academic affairs, said the individual
colleges at UNL must approve the proposal
before the general education requirements
could be implemented.
Grobsmith, who is overseeing the propos
al’s formation and acceptance by the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln’s separate colleges,
said the proposal currently was being reviewed
by the nine undergraduate colleges.
College of Arts and Sciences Dean Stephen
Hilliard said the proposal was being consid
ered by a curriculum committee in the college.
He said the committee was reviewing the col
lege’s questions and concerns about the re
quirements and its ability to deliver the class
es.
James O’Hanlon, dean of the Teacher’s
College, said the proposal had been approved
by its curriculum committee. College faculty
will vote on a bill favoring the proposal on
Nov. 29. he said.
O’Hanlon said the Teacher’s College’s gen
eral education requirements would go beyond
what was being proposed in some areas.
Grobsmith said the general education re
quirements would consist of three areas of
study: information retrieval, integrative stud
ies and essential studies.
The information retrieval course would
teach students to use UNL’s library system.
Grobsmith said the course might take only
half of a semester.
Integrative studies would include require
ments in courses such as critical thinking,
writing, oral expression, analysis of contro
versy and inquiry into intellectual bias.
Essential studies would include courses in
communications, math, history, humanities,
science and technology. These courses also
would deal with issues of race, ethnicity and
gender.
All of the requirements can be met in 30
hours, Grobsmith said. General education re
quirements would not affect UNL’s graduate
programs.
A SUN senators’ support was based on the
condition that funding for the proposal would
be identified in advance. Grobsmith said fund
ing already was earmarked for any expenses
incurred in the program.
“Resources have indeed been set aside,”
she said. “The Senior Vice Chancellor (Joan
Lcitzel) last year during the budget re-alloca
tion had set aside $300,000 to assist us with
being able to fund various aspects of the pro
gram.”
See GENERAL on 6