^SPORTS
NU nets first title
Eric Piatkowski and the
Huskers look to win first NCAA
Tournament game after winning
the first Big Eight title in school
history.
Page 7
Monday
71/30
Today, mostly sunny
and warm, cooling
off at night.
March 14, 1994
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 93 No. 123
Haste could cause
waste, senator says
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Editor
and Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Editor
Caution should be exercised
before acting on recommen
dations to create a separate
Omaha engineering college. Sen. Don
Wesely of Lincoln said Sunday.
“I just don’t think we should drop
everything and take this consultant
report and try to push it forward,”
Wesely said.
A report on the
engineering college
will officially be
released today.
Sources have said
the report, prepared
by four independent
consultants, recom
mended establish
ing a separate engi
neering college at
the University of
DEBATE
Nebraska at Omaha.
Wesely said he had not seen a copy
of the report. But he urged caution if
the report did recommend a separate
engineering college.
“There is a lot of momentum out of
Omaha to jump on this issue,” he said.
“I’m just concerned we not act in
haste.”
Wesely said that with one month
left in the legislative session, there
was not enough time to make a deci
sion about supporting a separate col
lege in Omaha.
“1 think it’s the beginning of the
discussion,” Wesely said. “My con
cern is legislative movement that is
faster than the (NU) Board of Regents
and the administrations of the cam
puses.”
Sen. RonWithcm ofPapillionsaid
Sunday he thought the Legislature
should act on the report in its current
session if it recommended a separate
engineering college for UNO. Howev
er, Withem said he agreed the Legis
lature should not move too quickly.
Withem said the Legislature could
respond to the report by passing a
resolution that would begin the pro
cess of implementing the college.
The resolution, he said, would make
it clear that the Legislature intended
to move forward on the recommenda
tion without acting too quickly to im
plement the proposed college.
“It’s adelicate issue,” Withem said.
“I don’t think we can just ignore it.
“But on the other hand, we need to
make it clear that we do plan to move
the process forward.”
Ted Sokol, a UNO engineering
professor, said Sunday the report made
it clear that Omaha needed a separate
engineering college.
“Itbrings toaconclusion,Ihope,of
what we’ve been trying to convince
Lincoln of in the past 10 months,”
Sokol said.
everybody realized it was a pretty
obvious thing that had to be done,” he
said. “Why Lincoln persisted in fight
ing this I’ll never understand.”
Sokol said he had not seen a copy of
the report, but he became aware of its
contents from “officials high up.”
NU President Dennis Smith re
ceived a draft copy of the report last
Thursday, NU spokesman Joe Rowson
said. The report was released to mem
bers of the NU Board of Regents.
Contents of the report were not
intended to be released until today,
Rowson said.
Stan Liberty, dean of the Universi
ty of Nebraska-Lincoln College of
Engineering and Technology, did not
return telephone calls Sunday.
Many NU officials, including UNL
Chancellor Graham Spanier and re
gents, were at the Big Eight basketball
tournament Sunday and were unavail
able for comment.
Alleged campaign misdeeds
may break UNL, state codes
By Brian Sharp
Staff Reporter
If proven, alleged campaign
wrongdoings by the VISION
party may break more than just
ASUN election laws. They may also
violate the UNL Student Code of Con
duct, residence hall regulations and
state law.
Complaints were filed last week
against Jason Vogel, VISION elec
tion-day coordinator; Dave Milligan,
VISION senator-elect for the College
of Engineering and Technology and
Greek house coordinator; Doug
Stobbc, Greek house coordinator; and
other individuals party officials could
not identify.
Violations that VISION is accused
of committing include campaigning
in residence halls, males being on a
female floor without an escort, plac
ing party signs on vehicles, room-to
room telephone solicitation and re
moval of opposing parties’ campaign
signs.
The Electoral Commission will rule
on all campaign violation complaints
and may assess penalties Thursday
before deciding whether to certify last
Wednesday’s election results.
Mark Byars, election commission
er for the Association of Students of
Jbe University ofNehraska, said cam
paigning in residence halls might also
have vitiated state law. *
There have been reports of such
solicitation in several residence halls.
To date, however, only residents in
Abel Residence Hall have filed com
plaints.
“Now we’ re getting into some more
serious violations,” Byars said. “I take
the rules very seriously.”
Reports of campaigning in Sandoz
Residence Hall could lead to more
violations, if filed, because the hall
was a polling sight Wednesday.
ASUN President-elect Andrew
Loudon, the presidential candidate for
the VISION party, said some rules
had been broken, but he thought the
complaints unfairly singled out VI
SION.
“We did not willfully break elec
tion rules,” he said. “It did happen on
occasion out of ignorance.
“I don’t think this is going to be a
big deal when it comes out,” Loudon
said. “There will be a fine levied, and
we’ll pay it.”
James Griescn, vice chancellor for
student affairs at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, said past ASUN
elections had been free from viola
tions of the magnitude now alleged.
“All I can say is that anyone who
feels they know of any rule violations
should report them to the Electoral
Commission,” Griesen said.
The commission will not investi
gate the possibility of violations un
less they have been filed, Byars said.
Byars said “massive violations” by
all parties had brought only a $47 fine
against VISION.
Anyoae planning to report possi
ble campaign violat ioas has until noon
Monday u>do so. Filing must be made ,
at the ASUN office, 115 Nebraska
Union.
“I’ve come to the decision that I am
going to pay the fines (iflevied Thurs
day), Loudon said. “We need to get
this thing behind us.”
Damon Lee/DN
Eric Piatkowski hoists the Big Eight championship trophy up for the crowd at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center Sunday night. An estimated 5,000 fans gathered to welcome
the team home to celebrate Nebraska’s victory in the Big Eight Tournament finals.
Hoops hoopla
First NU conference title reflects fan force
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter
Finally, after 98 years, Ne
braska basketball fans have a
reason to celebrate.
After Nebraska beat Oklahoma
State 77-68 on Sunday to win its
first Big Eight tournament champi
onship ever, Nebraska fans showed
their appreciation.
Assistant Sports Information
Director Nick Joos estimated that
the Bob Devaney Sports Center
played host to a crowd of5,000 fans
Sunday evening to welcome Husk
er players and coaches home from
Kansas City.
Nebraska's championship
helped it earn the sixth seed in the
NCAA tournament's East bracket.
The Huskers, who are playing in
their fourth consecutive NCAA
tournament, will meet Pennsylva
nia on Thursday.
Coach Danny Nee said the en
tire state was excited about the
championship.
"Once we hit Nebraska, thue
were signs everywhere,*’ he said.
"We drove up here (tothe Devaney
Center) and there were people ev
erywhere. The people here have
been just wonderful.
“This is overwhelming.”
Nebraska, which has won six of
its last seven games, will try to
accomplish another feat never
achieved by any other Nebraska
basketball team — winning an
NCAA tournament game.
Assistant CoAch Gary Bargen
said capturing the Big Eight title
was a major boost heading into the
touniament.
“This has been a goal for us to
win the Big Eight forever,” Bargen
said. “We definitely have momen
tum going into the tournament. The
fans have really helped us get to this
point.”
Bargen said as the Huskers got
on a roll, Nebraska fans responded.
“We’ve had sellout crowds be
fore, but the last three (home) games
against Kansas, Kansas State and
Oklahoma State, it really escalat
ed,” he said.
Fans began chants more than a
half-hour before the team ’ s am val,
and the noise level increased con
siderably when point guard Jamar
Johnsoivled his teaismatetontojhc
floor carrying the Big Eight Tour
nament championship trophy.
After Nee’s opening statement,
each player spoke briefly — each
thanking the fans.
“I can’t explain how incredible
it is to see all of you out here,” Bruce
Chubick said. “It makes my day just
as much as a Big Eight champion
ship to know you were all behind
us. ’
For fans, the First championship
in Nebraska’s 98-year basketball
history couldn’t be sweeter.
“This is the best play I’ve ever
seen from a Nebraska team,” said
Sean Stevens, a senior marketing
major. “This is even better than the
26-win team in 1991. This team
plays as a team better than I’ve ever
seen.”
Sophomore pre-pharmacy ma
jor Mike Hayes said there had never
been a better time to be a Husker
basketball fan.
“This is great right now,” Hayes
said. “I think all this enthusiasm
started back with the fan stuff we
did earlier. It was as good of fan
support as I’ve ever seen at the end
of the season.”
Nee, in his eighth year at Ne
braska, was wore than happy to be
Hie coach togive Husker fans their
First-ever championship.
“To have one of these finally up
here is really special,” Nee said,
looking toward the championship
trophy.