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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1994)
^ A&E Art Gallery Warm up with a cup of tea at the new Noyes Art Gallery. This month's exhibit, "Tea Party," features mugs and saucers by Lincoln artist Alicia Hanck. Page 6 Wednesday 19/5 Today, doudy with a chanced light snow. January 19, 1994 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 93 No. 85 Bill would make hazing a crime in Nebraska By Angie Brunkow Senior Reporter Hazing will be a crime in Nebraska if the Legislature passes a state law intro duced Tuesday by Sen. Gerald Matzke of Sidney. “Every alumni organization and every house organization will realize that it will no longer be permitted,” Matzke said. Matzke said he decided to introduce LB 1129 after he was approached by the parents of Jeffrey Knoll, a University of Nebraska-Lin coln student who was injured last November in an incident related to fraternity hazing. The UNL Judicial Board imposed sanctions on Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity in December for forcing Knoll to consume alcohol, hazing and dangerous conduct. The Lancaster County Attorney’s office did not file criminal charges in the incident because no criminal law was violated, Matzke said. Under Matzke’s proposal, individuals sus pected of hazing could be charged with a Class II misdemeanor, punishable with a maximum of six months in jail and a $ 1,000 fine. A student organization, such as a fraternity or sorority, that is involved in hazing could be fined up to $10,000. Matzke, quoting the bill’s definition of haz ing, said, “I believe ‘ any activity which willful ly or recklessly endangers the physical or men tal health or safety’ of a student should be illegal.” The bill, which applies to post-secondary educational institutions, specifically outlines hazing to include whipping, beating, forced alcohol or food consumption, sleep deprivation and forced exclusion from social contact. Keith Benes, president of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, said with no state law to prohibit it, students could simply quit school to avoid all penalties for hazing. “They would basically get off scot-free,” said Benes, who worked with other university officials to give Matzke suggestions for the bill. James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs, said the bill could help reinforce uni ver sity decisions in situations like the Knoll inci dent. “We can only deal with disciplining the student as long as they remain a student,” he said. Matzke said most other states had laws prohibiting hazing. “I think in the majority of states in the country, there would have been a criminal prosecution (of the Knoll incident),” Matzke said. Matzke, a Fiji and UNL alumnus, said the bill was intended to help build up the greek See HAZING on 3 Gulf War anniversary evokes bad memories By Kara G. Morrison Senior Reporter ___ hree years ago this week, an unusual silence enveloped campus as the first news of Operation Desert Storm broke. Students gathered somberly around television screens across campus. CNN echoed through residence halls, greek houses and the Nebraska Union as groups of students listened to White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater announce, “The liberation of Kuwait has begun.” Some University of Nebraska-Lin colnand Nebraska Wesleyan students gathered on 16th and O streets that night, holding candles and waving the peace sign. The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska even ad journed its meeting early so that, as then-ASUN President Phil Gosch said, “we can all get home.” Most students, like Patrick Adams, now a junior political science major, remember what they were doing on Jan. 16,1991, the start of the Persian GulfWar. “The night everything broke out, I was at work at Gallup Polls,” Adams said. “Some of us came over and watched (CNN) at the Nebraska Union. We skipped work to see what was going on. Nobody got too much done at work that night.” Adams said the union crowd was “really somber.” “There were a lot of people, but no one was really saying anything,” he said. Debbie Wolfe remembers return ing from running errands with her ex boyfriend to a phone call from her mother, who asked, “Are you OK?” “I asked why, and she told me (the war) had started,” Wolfe said. “We hadn’t been listening to the radio or anything, so I didn’t know.” Wol&« father w a colonel in the 55th Wing at Oflfutt Air Force Base. “My dad had left (for active duty) seven days before that. 1 turned on the television and sat there and cried.” Wolfe, a senior marketing major, also remembers returning to Kappa Delta sorority that night. Most of the girls were gathered in the TV room. Some were crying, she said, but most were silent. “Everything was really still. Ev eryone was in shock, I think." Jared Wittwer, a December gradu ate of UNL, was part of a much differ ent scene Jan. 16. See WAR on 3 Few hot issues on tour Vision Statement widely accepted, chancellor says By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter UNL’s statewide tour to gather public opinion on its Vision Statement continues to roll along, entering its second leg Jan. 31. University of Nebraska-Lincoln representatives have visited Broken Bow, Grand Island, Hastings, McCook, Norfolk, South Sioux City, Syracuse and Wayne since Chancel lor Graham Spanier launched the state wide tour last semester. Spanier said his Vision Statement, which is a broad synopsis of long range planning and goals for UNL, had been widely accepted on the tour. He said the tour had not confronted any controversial issues through the first eight stops. The tour also has served as an important tool for the university to reach out across the state. “I don’t think there have been any issues that show up as hot issues,” Spanier said. The chancellor said the tour pro vided UNL administrators a chance to meet with a lot of different people, each with different opinions and con cerns. College deans, vice chancellors and faculty have shared the speaking responsibilities during the tour, Spanier said. Quality undergraduate education was an impoilant issue brought up in the tour, Spanier said. Another topic, he said, was quality in administrative services, such as admissions, finan cial aid and parking. The tour has gathered a mostly one-sided response, Spanier said. “Probably 90 percent positive,” Spanier said. Though the tour groups have re ceived some negative feedback at times, he said, it usually has been intended as constructive criticism. “It’s in a framework of apprecia tion for what we do,” he said. Spanier said Nebraskans’ opinions and criticisms were valuable and had been taken seriously. Feedback from on-campus and out of-town citizens is important to Spanier and his staff, the chancellor said. “We have to integrate (the opin ions) with comments that are being generated on campus,” he said. “People like that document,” he said. “Out in the communities around the state, they have been very posi tive.” The next stop in UNL’s statewide tour is Alliance on Jan. 31. The visits end March 25 with stops in Fremont and Wahoo. William Lauer/DN Michelle Tallman, a senior sociology major, covers up as much as possible while crossing campus Tuesday morning. The hiah temperature in Lincoln Tuesday was 5 degrees. Wednesday’s highs are expected in the 20s and 30s. End to bitter cold is in sight By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter_ Below-freezing temperatures and even colder wind chill indexes this week have made life darn cold for University of Nebraska-Lincoln students. The cold has made walking around campus an exercise in the art of layered clothing. Raquel Wright, a sophomore psychology major, said she wrapped herself in longjohns, jeans, a sweater, earmuffs and gloves be fore facing the biting cold. She said the walk to classes from her room in Smith Hall was a challenge. “It’s an uphill climb and another reason to skip class,” Wright said. “I don’t like to walk to class in this weather, and I wish they would close school for a while.” But for some students, it’s not that bad. C.J. Eggerksen, a sophomore elementary education and philoso phy major, was wearing shorts and a sweatshirt when he left Hamilton Hall. He said that compared to what he encountered in his hometown, this weather wasn’t that bad. “Beingfrom Michigan, this isn’t cold,” Eggerksen said. “Yesterday was cold. Today isn’t cold.” “You have to think positive. The sun is out, there could be eight feet of snow and it could be 84 below zero.” But the end of the cold weather may be in sight. The National Weather Service has predicted tem peratures would rise to the 40s by Saturday. A 30 percent chance of snow and highs in the 20s and 30s were forecast for Wednesday and Thursday. So far, the cold and the wind chill have not given any UNL stu dents more than a chill. Dr. Russell LaBeau, director of medical services at the University Health Center, said Tuesday there See COLD on 3
