A&E
Music
Composer Randal Snyder
has written music for
almost two decades. One
of his works will be played
tonight by the University
Orchestra.
Page 12
Friday
33/22
Today, cloudy with a
chance of snow in
the afternoon.
February 11,1994
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 93 No. 102
Policy will
address sex
harassment
By Angie Brunkow
Senior Reporter_
S ex, romance and harassment
should be avoided by staff mem
bers who work closely with stu
dents, according to a proposed Stu
dent Affairs Ethics Statement.
Doug Zatechka, director of hous
ing and assistant vice chancellor for
student affairs, said the statement,
which should be finalized by late next
week, sets guidelines for student and
staff interaction.
The statement says staff members
should:
• avoid abusing power and trust in
student-staff relationships.
• ensure students get fair and equi
table access to services.
• avoid personal conflicts of inter
ests.
• recognize that their influence
over students and sexual encounters
with students are suspect because of
the nature of student-staff relation
ships.
Zatechka said staff members in
about 14 student affairs departments
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
formed special relationships with stu
dents.
Although the university has its own
ethics statement, the Office of Student
Affairs has an added responsibility to
f make sure sexual and romantic rela
tions don * t develop between staff mem
bers and students, Zatechka said.
Students often seek advice or con
. fide in student affairs staff members,
he said.
In no other university office, he
said, do staff members live in the same
building as students.
“Student affairs (employees) have
far more opportunity for this kind of
encounter because of what we are and
what we do,” he said.
Departments reporting to the Of
fice of Student Affairs include greek
affairs, campus recreation, the health
center and multicultural affairs.
Students should feel free to seek
help from staff members in those dc
. partments — without fear that what
they tell the staff member could be
used against them.
“We are a staff in the public trust,”
> Zatechka said. “We are expected to
conduct ourselves in a manner that is
most beneficial to the student that
seeks our help.”
Zatechka said consequences for
behavior violating the code would be
dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Complaints of possible violations
should be taken to the staff member’s
immediate supervisor or to the affir
mative action and diversity office, he
See HARASSMENT on 3
War vet sheds light on racism
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Adams speaks to a group of Lincoln Air Force Cadets
Thursday afternoon at the Military and Naval Science Building. Adams told of the
segregation he battled during his military career.
Officer had battles
other than in air
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
From peeling potatoes to fly
ing combat airplanes in
World War II, retired Air
Force Lt. Col. Paul Adams fought
against more than just enemy
aircrafts.
Adams, a member of the First
black flight school in Tuskegee,
Alabama, had to fight another bat
tle against segregation and discrim
ination.
In honor of African-American
Heritage month, the Air Force
branch of the University of Nebras
ka-Lincoln ROTC invited Adams
to speak during its Thursday learn
ing lab.
Adams provided a rather hu
morous account of his struggles to
enter flight school.
He said he was initially attracted
to becoming a cadet by the $75-a
month paycheck, because he had
been getting a salary of 50 cents a
week.
“Just fly an airplane? Heck, I can
fly almost anything for $75,” he
joked.
Although he came from a family
of 11 college graduates, Adams was
denied entrance even after he passed
the rigid physical exam three times
in Columbia, S.C.
“They didn’t want a black man
flying an airplane,” Adams said.
“They said that any black man who
got 10 feet in the air got dizzy in the
head.”
W ith help from first lady Eleanor
Roosevelt, Adams said blacks were
allowed to enter the military. A
separate army air base was built on
the grounds of Tuskegee Institute
for them, he said.
“They built this whole big air
base just for us,” he said. Adams
said their efforts paid off.
“We never lost one bomber to
enemy action,” he said.
Adams, with assistance from a
white family for whom he worked,
received his admission into the mil
itary.
“I got a telegram saying ‘report
toTuskegec training school,’ signed
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,”
Adams said.
A1 though Adams proudly served
his country in the military, the seg
regation continued. Black service
men were not allowed into officers’
clubs, they were not sal uted by whi te
officers regardless of rank, and they
had substantially lower-quality
housing, Adams said.
After Adams’ promotion to 1 ieu
See ADAMS on 3
Incoming NU president prepares for office
Engineering debate
near top of agenda
By Kara G. Morrison
Senior Reporter
Incoming NU President Dennis Smith said
Thursday he did not think the engineering
school debate was a political issue, but a
genuine educational concern of the Omaha
community.
“Any time a community expresses a need for
an educational program, the university needs to
take a look at it,” Smith said. “You can’t allow
any special interest group to dictate what a
public institution teaches. But I don’t see this as
a political issue."
Smith, who arrived in Lincoln Tuesday, said
he planned to meet with all four university
chancellors and Vice President for Agriculture
ana Natural Kesourccs irv
Omtvedt before returning
Sunday to the University of
Califomia-Irvine.
Smith said he had been
acquainting himself with the
president’s office and had
met with 30 members of the
Nebraska Legislature
Wednesday evening.
Smith, who will make the
Smith f nal recommendation on the
engineering college to the NU Board of Re
gents, said several people, including Omaha
businessman David Sokol, had contacted him
about the issue.
“Mr. Sokol sent me some information...”
Smith said. “I’ve had no direct contact from the
business community other than (Mr.) Sokol,"
Smith said.
NU Provost Lee Jones and Vice President for
External Affairs J.B. Milliken also have been in
contact with Smith about the engineering situ
ation, he said. Smith would not comment on
how he thought the issue could be resolved.
“It’s just not useful for me to speculate,”
Smith said.
He said he did not expect the university to
have large amounts of funding to work with in
resolving the issue.
“I have seen no indication there will be a
large infusion of funds,” Smith said.
Smith and his wife fnoved into the presi
dent’s house this weekend. They will return to
Lincoln Feb. 28, and Smith will officially take
over as University of Nebraska President on
March 1.
Smith said he would meet with Gov. Ben
Nelson on Saturday and would attend an NU
basketball game Saturday evening.
His agenda also includes meeting with facul
ty and Academic Senate members and minority
faculty and staff members.
“One has to get an overall picture of what the
campus is about. That’s what I’ve been doing,”
Smith said.
Smith said he planned to discuss with the
chancellors long-range planning and goals of
all four NU campuses.