The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 17, 1994, Image 1

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    .«4 SPORTS
Leaping the
Kangaroos
Spurred by aggressive
defense, Nebraska rips the
University of Missouri
Kansas City, 92- 71, for its
11th straight win.
Page 7
Monday
0/-25
Blustery and very
cold with scattered
flurries.
January 17, 1994
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 93 No. 83
Board approves new chairman, EPA fines
Regent: NU neglects
governing structure
By Jeffrey Robb
Senior Editor
Charles Wilson said he wanted to use his
new position as chairman of the NU
Board of Regents to refocus the board’s
attention to the university’s proper governing
structure.
The regents unanimously voted to approve
Wilson of Lincoln as the new chairman at its
meeting Saturday. Wilson, the only regent nom
inated for the position, replaces John Payne of
Kearney who was chairman for two years.
IKegentiNancyu orien oi
Waterloo was elected vice
chairwoman. Rosemary
Skrupa of Omaha declined a
nomination for the position.
Recently, W ilson said, the
University of Nebraska had
neglected to follow the struc
ture it bases itself on — one
Wilson university witn a strong pres
ident.
He said the NU campuses and the regents
had taken it upon themselves to tackle issues
that should have gone through other channels.
“The board is supposed to function through
the president,” Wilson said after the meeting. “I
don’t think the board should act independently
or directly with the chancellors ... the board as
a governing body hires the president to admin
istrate this institution.
“I think it’s important that we honor the
governing structure.”
Regents need to follow proper procedure
when bringing issues before the board, Wilson
said.
He said the board needed to avoid situations
1 ike last fall, when O’Brien and Skrupa suggest
ed NU consider the possibility of adding an
engineering college at the University of Ne
braska at Omaha. O’Brien and Skrupa by
passed NU President Martin Massengale and
administration and went straight to the board,
he said.
Wilson said the university couldn’t divert
into a federation of campuses. Some campus
construction projects have led to that break
down, he said.
The first step in realigning the proper struc
ture, Wilson said, could be to create a smooth
transition for new NU president Dennis Smith.
“We need to make sure the changing to Dr.
Smith as president succeeds,” Wilson said. “I
think it’s very important that the board very
early has extensive and serious dialogue with
the president-elect, to sit down and talk to make
sure he understands what the board expects of
him from his role as president.”
The board needs to include the president in
all discussions, including those that involve the
regents, the university or the Legislature, he
See WILSON on 3
University avoids
$5 million penalty
By Jeffrey Robb
Senior Editor
The NU Board of Regents averted a pos
sible $5 million penalty from the Envi
ronmental Protection Agency on Satur
day by voting unanimously to enter into a
settlement agreement.
The tentative agreement would total more
than $600,000 and settle EPA allegations that
NU violated federal environmental regulations.
If the university had decided against settling, it
could have faced paying $5 million in damages,
EPA officials said.
After routine inspections,
the EPA found the university
to be violating regulations
regarding storage and label
ing of waste, personnel train
ing, emergency planning and
burning of waste in an incin
erator.
NU President Martin
Massengale has said none of
the alleged violations resulted in damage to the
environment or the health and safety of any
NU REGENTS
individuals.
NU General Counsel Richard Wood and
Special Counsel Judy Roots said the university
was disputing all charges, but advised the uni
versity to accept the settlement or risk higher
fines and drawn-out hearings.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln would
pay $76,350 in fines and $152,700 for a com
puter chemical tracking system. The Universi
ty of Nebraska Medical Center would pay the
rest of the settlement.
Chairman Charles Wilson of Lincoln said
the university would continue to negotiate fur
ther, and the settlement should be finalized
within two months.
“We want to get on top of this and become
a model program for nuclear and hazardous
waste,” he said.
Regent Don Blank of McCook said entering
into a settlement wasn’t an admission of guilt
by the university.
The regents held a one-hour closed session
before the meeting to discuss strategy for fur
ther negotiations.
The settlement proposal could change, but
Wilson said he hoped the amount would go
down.
Wilson said the university had problems
with the complexity of the environmental reg
ulations. Two agencies, the EPA and the Nucle
ar Regulatory Commission, created different
regulations.
Because the agreement was still pending,
Wilson said he couldn’t comment further.
Regents also approved a plan to install video
screens in Memorial Stadium. The project will
cost $4.5 million, but will be paid entirely by
See REGENTS on 3
Jeff Haller/DN
George Thorn, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate student, speaks at a Martin Luther King Jr. candlelight vigil,
while Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity members hold candles Saturday night in the Nebraska Union.
Ceremony celebrates King’s dream
Candlelight vigil
honors leader
in civil rights
By Cami Walker
ivil rights leader Martin
LutherX ing Jr. had a dream
that black children and
white children someday would join
hands and walk together as broth
ers and sisters.
Though progress has been made
since King delivered his famous “I
Have a Dream” speech 30 years
ago. his vision has not been real
ized yet, said Dwayne Mays, who
spoke Saturday night at a candle
light vigil honoring King.
“Wc\e come a long way since
Dr. King made that speech,” Mays
said. “But when we look around us
today, we see violence and crime,
Staff Reporter
high unemployment — especially
among blacks and people of color
—and a general degradation of the
opportunity to achieve the Ameri
can dream.
“This brings the realization that
Dr. King’s dream is not reality,”
said Mays, a member of Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, which sponsored
the vigil.
Mays told a crowd of more than
40 people that it was important to
keep alive King’s dream of equal
ity for all people.
“Young people need to realize
that the lives they enjoy today arc
the results of sacrifices of persons
like Dr. King,” he said.
Young people cannot become
complacent, Mays said. They must
continue to challenge themselves
and others to further peace and
equality.
The vigil paid tribute to King’s
goals and ideals, recognized other
champions of the civil rights move
ment and reminded people of the
war being waged today for equali
ty, Alpha Phi Alpha member Torry
Garland said.
Because King was a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha, the fraternity has
sponsored the event for the past
two years, he said.
“We feel a certain pride and
closeness to him,” Garland said. “It
is only proper that we give him
tribute here tonight.”
Ten-degree weather forced those
attending the vigil into the Nebras
ka Union, but candles were still lit
to honor King’s birthday. The can
dles also symbolized a ray of hope
for African Americans in their strug
gle for equality, Garland said.
Mays said cooperation, not vio
lence, was the best way to solve
problems between people.
Selfishness causes many of those
problems. Mays said. Those who
have overcome obstacles need to
reach out to their neighbors and
help them do the same, he said.
“Some people feel they have
achieved their full potential, but all
arc capable of betterment ... The
struggle must go on to realize the
dream of true equality,” he said.
Alpha Phi Alpha member
Reggie Chandler said young peo
ple had an important role to play if
King’s dream would someday be
realized.
“The most important thing we
can do is not to forget the dream of
equality,” he said.
But remembering isn’t enough.
Chandler said. People have to add
to King’s dream and make equality
a goal of this generation, he said.
Learning about other cultures
and finding common ground for
discussion and cooperation to solve
conflicts and overcome ignorance
are important first steps, he said.
Spacecraft
may move
to Devaney
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
The Apollo 009 space capsule
may have found a new home,
thanks to a UNL student’s note
to the chancellor’s office.
Graduate student Michael
Amundson wrote a letter to Universi
ty of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor
Graham Spanier in September, sug
gesting the space capsule be moved
from an East Campus storage shed to
a corner mezzanine in the Bob
Devaney Sports Center.
Herb Howe, associate to the chan
cellor, said the Athletic Department
was involved in a study to review the
use of its space. The Apollo 009 plan
would have to be incorporated into
the study, he said.
Athletic Director Bill Byrne said
Sunday the athletic department was in
the process of developing the study,
which would not be complete for an
other six months.
“We just learned of the interests of
the chancellor’s office,” Byrne said.
Howe said the placement of the
capsule in the sports center presented
some unique problems. For one, the
capsule would take up most of one
corner mezzanine.
“It’s not like you’re taking a little
comer and putting a basketball up in
a Plexiglas case,” he said. “You’ve
taken up a good chunk of space.”
The sports center was not one of
the buildings originally considered as
a location for the capsule, Howe said.
The Walter Scott Engineering Build
ing initially had been planned to house
the capsule, but there wasn’t a door
big enough for it.
An East Campus storage shed,
where the capsule sits, is the only
fac il ity w ith doors big enough to house
the capsule, Howe said.
If a door big enough does not exist
in the sports center, Howe said it
would be impossible to put the cap
sule there.
See APOLLO on 3