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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1994)
4SPORTS Pike's Not Peeking NU senior forward Eric Piatkowski says he refuses to look at his NBA chances until after Tournament. Page 7 iHJI tut Friday 28/12 Today, mostly sunny. February 25, 1994 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 93 No. 112 Support of regents to help Smith begin job By Jeffrey Robb Senior Editor L Dennis Smith will enjoy uni versity-wide support when • he begins work as NU’s new president, members of the NU Board of Regents said. And, they said, that support will provide Smith with a golden opportu nity to address current problems and issues within the NU system. Regent Chair man Charles Wil son of Lincoln said the backing would provide Smith with a “honeymoon” of presdential TRANSITION sorts. But once Smith starts making tough decisions, opposition could de velop and the opportunity could fade, Wilson said. Wilson said Smith, who takes of fice Tuesday, didn’t have the baggage or opposition on issues that those in the system eventually gather. “The vice presidents, chancellors and all the faculty-senate presidents I’ve talked to have all expressed en thusiasm about working with Dr. Smith,” Wilson said. Regent Don Blank of McCook said regents’ support for Smith was strong. “We’re all 100 percent behind him,” Blank said. Though they have had little contact with Smith, Regent Robert Allen of Hastings, along with Wilson and Blank, said Smith had the qualities needed to improve the university. “He looks and sounds strong,” Allen said. “I think he’ll be good.” From his exchanges with Smith, Wilson said, the incoming president is direct, but still pleasant. “I look forward to serving with him,” he said. Soon after Smith takes office, the board will hold a special meeting to sit down and talk with the new president, Blank said. The desire to work toward a one university concept, however, is one issue that Smith won’t need to be informed of, Wilson said. Smith al ready knew what the board wanted and had expressed ideas on how to make it work, Wilson said. He said Smith needed to develop a good chemistry with administrators to foster the one-university concept. “I hope and the board hopes, if our judgment of the man is correct, that he can do that,” Wilson said. Allen said Smith should sit down See REGENTS on 3 LETTUCE gets canned, can’tparticipate in debates By Angie Brunkow Senior Reporter he ASUN Electoral Commis sion chose to stick to the rules Thursday by excluding a pro test party from an ASUN election debate. Brenda Keller, an electoral com missioner, said election rules indicat ed that only recognized student elec tion groups could compete in the three debates sponsored by the Association of Students of the University of Ne braska. LETTUCE, an unauthorized party that is running a write-in campaign, petitioned the commission on Thurs day to allow executive candidates to speak in the remaining two debates. Matthew Kisslcr, presidential can didate for LETTUCE, said the party deserved the opportunity to get its name out in the debate. He said the party, which was formed about a week ago, would generate student attention and interest in stu dent government. “Within a week’s time, we’ve gen erated more media attention than VI SION and RESUME (the two recog nized parties),” he said. Mark Byars, the electoral commis sion director, said he wanted to in crease student interest but had to be fair to the registered parties. “It is not the obligation of the com mission to allow you into a debate simply because you’ve become popu lar,” he said. Brian Fitzgerald, first vice presi dcntial candidate for LETTUCE, said keeping the party out of the debate put it at a disadvantage. But ASUN President Keith Bcncs said LETTUCE should have followed the rules like the other parties. “That’s the price you pay,” he said. In other business, the commission decided not to release the number of votes cast on election day for David Letterman. Gary Doyle, chairman of Students For Dave, is sponsoring a write-in campaign to get the popular comedian elected as president. Byars said votes for Elvis Presley weren’t released when students wrote him in a few years ago. Presley and Letterman arc ineligible to take office because neither are UNL students. “Precedent has already been set in this matter,” he said. Lee Thurber, an electoral commis sioner who voted to release the infor mation, said students would want to know how many votes Letterman got. “If we have the information, what the heck,” he said. “We may as well release it.” Students could probably figure the number of votes for Dave by subtract ing the number of votes each eligible candidate received from the total num ber of votes, he said. Byars said students were welcome to do that. “We may be encouraging higher education," he said. “If students can figure it out by themselves, they ought to do the math.” Abbas All, a former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student now In Bosnia reDorts back ivwnn a so on Ms experiences In the middle of war-torn former Yugoslavia. Others at IIM. share a aiTiereni perspective. Seepages. DN graphic Kitey Timpertey/DM Sandy Uhing of Hartington testifies in support of a legislative bill that would allow people to sue in cases of wrongful death of a viable fetus. Uhing displayed photos of her son Joshua, who was stillborn after a car accident when Uhing was more than eight months pregnant. Bill to consider rights of fetus By Kara G. Morrison Senior Reporter Sandy Uhing was eight months pregnant when a car accident on Oct. 11, 1991, caused her abdomen to be crushed against the steering wheel of her car. The driver of the other vehicle had failed to yield on a country road near Why should my child's life be any less important than anyone else’s? — Uhing testifying on behalf of LB921 Uhing s home town of Hartington. As a result of the the collision, she said, her son was still born. Uhing, testify ing to members of the Legislature’s LEGISLATURE Judiciary committee I hursday, said she was told she had no cause for action against the driver for the loss of her child. “Why should my child’s life be any less important than anyone elsc’s?” Uhing said, displaying a pic ture of her stillborn son to committee members as she spoke. Uhing asked senators to pass LB921, which would allow the death of a viable fetus to be actionable under wrongful death charges. Sen. Connie Day of Norfolk said she proposed the bill as a result of Uhing’s experience. Day said she did not think the bill should be connected to the abortion argument. “This is not a pro-life or pro-choice issue,” Day said. “... Even Roe vs. Wade recognized a third trimester.” The bill, she said, addresses only those immediately surviving the dead. Mike McCormack, an Omaha at torney, also testified in support of LB921. McCormack said his client, a 27-year-old woman, was two weeks from term when she, too, had a car accident. The woman was hospitalized and released, but was told the next morn ing that her placenta had been lacerat ed, McCormack said, causing the baby to drown in its own blood.“My per sonal opinion is that it is obscene that there is no cause for action,” McCormack said. It doesn’t make any sense at all.” Jim Cunningham of the Nebraska Catholic Conference testified in sup port of LB921, saying it would “es tablish the humanity of the unborn child.” Sen. Tim Hall of Omaha asked Day whether the term “viable fetus” would have to be defined by the bill. Day said a judge would have to define the term, but thought a viable fetus was one “close to full birth” and able to survive outside the womb. She said three other states had laws recognizing, but not defining, the death of a viable fetus as a cause tor wrong ful death action. No one testified against the bill.