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
