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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1994)
ASUN recognizes Martin Luther King Senators also debate possible new grading systems for UNL By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter A senate resolution went before ASUN Wednesday night formally recognizing Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday. Art and Sciences Sen. Jim Collura drafted the bill and said it would be better for this bill to be considered before King’s birthday passed. Engineering Sen. Jeff Krohn tried to amend the bill to include all national holidays. “We need to be inclusive of all groups and not just the group Martin Luther Ring Jr. represents, ne saia. Collura opposed the amendment saying the purpose of the bill was to highlight King’s birthday, not all na tional holidays. Graduate Sen. Doug Oxley also opposed the amendment. King repre sented all people, he said. The Krohn amendment failed unan imously. General Studies Sen. Mark Byars amended the bill to say, “Therefore be it resolved that the University of Ne braska-Lincoln should, and be it fur ther resolved that Association of Stu dents of the University of Nebraska does formally recognize the contribu tions of Martin Luther King Jr. to our society.” The Byars amendment passed with out opposition. In other senate action. Vice Presi dent Trent Steele encouraged the sen ators and all students to get involved with the proposed change in the UNL grading system. Steele said the proposal would change the system from a letter grade system to a numbering system. The change would give professors more latitude in grading students, he said. The change would set up a system with 40 grading levels, compared to eight in the current system. Vice Chancellor for Student Af fairs James Griesen said he opposed changing the grading system. Griesen, who spoke to the senators about the change, said grading stu dents with such small increments would cause errors. He also said the new system proposed was confusing to professors. Of colleges and universities in the United States, the majority of schools used the letter-grade method, Griesen said. He said Nebraska used what was called the half-step method. He said most schools used a letter-grade sys tem pluses and minuses, with a .33 point difference between each grad ing level. Griesen, who commissioned a study on the grading system, said most fac ulty members supported the eight step method over systems using a five- or 13-step method. “We’re kind of in the middle at eight and it is a good compromise,” Griesen said. An overwhelming majority of stu dents, Griesen said, supported the eight-step method. After the meeting, Griesen said faculty and student input was needed. Involvement is the only way to ensure everyone’s voice is heard, he said. Also in the senate, Government Liaison Committee Chairman Andrew Loudon announced a lobbying effort underway at the Nebraska Legisla ture aimed at improving tenant-land lord relations. Loudon, who will hold a press conference today to formally an nounce the initiative, said the issue would affect the 17,000 students who live off campus. \5u’re smart enough to calculate the size of a Hydrogen atom. And you’re still smoking? Grand Opening Saturday, January 15III 1-4 pm • Free Balloons •Meet your friends from 104.1 The Planet from 2-4 pm to win a TV & VCR 16th & Q 1601 Q St. 475-8484 (to be given away January 31 st) w o □ 16th n Free Movie Rental Rent one video game, get second video game rental of equal or les ser value FREE. One coupon per account. Not valid with any other coupon offer. Offer good for members only at 16th & Q. Offer ex pires Feb. 13, 1994 5101EJ02 r Free Video Game Rental Rent one video game, get second video game rental ol equal or les ser value FREE. One coupon per account. Not valid with any other coupon oiler. Oiler good lor members only at 16th & 0- Offer ex pires Feb. 13, 1994 5101EI14 Jay Calderon/DN Pat Goracke of Lincoln Electric System replaces wire early Wednesday morning near the Bob Devaney Sports Center, as the sun breaks from behind the clouds. I Commission Continued from Page 1 Commission members have aired concern over the load of paperwork needed to complete their tasks, Sen. Ardyce Bohlke of Hastings said. And, intervention in universities’ internal affairs by the commission has created a “turf battle,” she said. Blank said,“They’re (the commis sion) totally involved in the entire budget in every institution, which goes beyond just coordination.” Blank said the commission needed to have its role redefined to what the Legislature originally intended. “We need to avoid duplication and make sure they’re following their role and mission,” Blank said. “But it’s gone well beyond that. “We definitely need a clearer def inition,” he said. Michael Mulnix, executive direc tor of university relations, said confu sion arose shortly after the commis sion’s formation. “Obviously the tension involves better defining what authority the commission has over the Board of Regents,” Mulnix said. “It is a confus ing thing for the university.” The formation of the commission I was worthy, Mulnix said, but its role was not well defined. “It is confusing where the commis sion’s authority begins and where it ends,” Mulnix said. “Some clarifica tion is definitely necessary.Some fine tuning needs to be done." Warner said because the commis sion is new, the problems may just be growing pains. The commission may misunderstand what the government anticipated of it, he said. Before LB 1063 was introduced, Warner said he had only general dis cussions with officials from the uni versity. Lee Rupp, NU executive vice pres ident, who also directs legislative affairs for the university, said although all university officials had not seen the bill, they would most likely favor it. Rupp said a public forum on the bill could alleviate some confusion surrounding the commission’s author ity. “Sometimes discussion has a ther apeutic effect,” he said. But, he said, the confusion could not be eliminated by the bill alone. “Discussions are a large part of bills,” he said. “This is, as the saying goes, not an event, it’s a process.” Telescopes to focus on Orion constellation From Staff Reports January is a stellar month for astro nomic observation. Star clusters, plan etary nebulas and colored stars arc some of the sights Hyde Memorial Observatory telescopes will be fo cused on for the next few weeks. The constellation of Orion, and nearby objects, will be the location of two special views this month. The multiple-star system Sigma Orionis will be visible just below Orion’s belt and newly formed stars around the constellation also will be visible. The observatory, located at Holmes Park, is open to the general public every Saturday night during the month of January from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Weekday reservations can be made for groups of more than 20 at 441 7895. , Saturday Jan. 8 and 22 are the best days to view the moon this month. Telescope operators will be on hand to answer questions. Admission to the observatory is free for all ages. Police Report i if Beginning midnight Monday 12:34 p.m. — Hit and run accident, park ing lot east of Biochemistry Hall, $400 damage. 12:59 p.m. — Hit and run accident, park ing lot at 10th Street and Avery Avenue, $1,000 damage 3:26 p.m. — Jewelry stolen, 1545 S St., $3,800 loss 4:25 p.m. — Wallet stolen, Avery Hall, $50 loss 5:09 p.m. — Injury accident, East Cam pus. 7:16p.m.—Necklace stolen, 1545SSI, $350 Joss. 9:32 p.m.—Hit and run accident, Sandoz Hall parking lot, $1,000 damage
