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April 1, 1994_University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 93 No. 132
Baldwin’s freedom
debated in court
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
Witnesses testified Thursday
that Andrew Scott Baldw in
was ready to move out of
Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital.
Lancaster County District Court
Judge Paul Merritt heard testimony
on a request to let Baldwin live with
his girlfriend, Jolcnc Davidson.
Baldwin, a former University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln student and foot
ball player, was found not responsible
by reason of insanity in the January
1992 beating of Gina Simanek. In a
subsequent psychotic episode, Baldwin
was paralyzed from the waist down
when an Omaha police officer shot
him in September 1992.
Merritt did not give a ruling in the
matter, but he said the Regional Cen
ter was not going to get out of the
responsibility for Baldwin’s rehabili
tation.
“It just astounds me, all of the
attempts by the Regional Center to rid
itselfof Mr. Baldwin,” he said. Merritt
said the Regional Center had legal
responsibility for Baldwin.
Chief Deputy Public Defender Scott
Hclvic said Baldwin had reached a
point where a less-restrictive altcma
- live treatment plan was warranted.
Baldwin would not be dangerous if
he followed the treatment plan de
vised by the Regional Center, Hclvic
said.
Lancaster County Attorney Gary
Lacey said the plan presented by the
center was too vague.
The plan would allow Baldwin to
live with his girlfriend while continu
ing physical rehabilitation at Madon
na and counseling with a private psy
chiatrist.
“They have a plan that is so vague
and imprecise ... it is not consistent
with public safety,” Lacey said. “I
don’t think there has been an adequate
showing by the defense that this is
consistent with public safety.”
Helvie called Dr. John Shuart, di
rector of neuropsychology at Madon
na, who testified Baldwin had been
responsible for taking his own medi
cine for more than three weeks.
Shuart said Baldwin had suffered
no breakdowns while at Madonna.
“Scott has reflected on his experi
ence he’s been through and he’s
showed good insight ... to prevent
future breakdowns,” he said.
Baldwin also has been out in public
more than 80 times for different ther
apy reasons, Shuart said. He said
Baldwin had been to UNL twice to
start work as an academic adviser in
See BALDWIN on 6
Abortion gag rule joes
say bill bad for women
By Todd Neeley
Staff Reporter
Opponents of legislation that
would prohibit public employ
ees from sharing information
about abortion said Thursday the bill
would make it impossible for a woman
to make an educated decision about
terminating a pregnancy.
Members of the
newly formed
Committee to
Slop the Gag Rule
said at apress con
ference that
LB 156 would
have a “devastat
ing effect” on Ne
braska’s women.
Christine Scuddcr, president of
Nebraska Planned Parenthood Voters
for Choice, said LB 156 would prevent
Nebraskans from speaking about abor
tion with doctors or other public em
ployees.
In addition to prohibiting certain
acts by public employees relating to
abortion, the bill would prohibit the
use of public facilities and funds for
abortion.
Scuddcr said the bill also would
deny a woman an abortion unless her
life was threatened.
The committee will try to fight
government attempts to stop Nebras
kans from speaking about the issue.
Although bills similar to LB 156
have been proposed three times, this is
the first time such a bill has advanced
from a committee, Scuddcr said.
She said the passage of LB 156
would result in a loss of federal fam
ily-planning funds to the state. It also
would force health-care providers to
violate medical community standards
and would deny information about
abortion to all women.
LB 156 would reduce the number of
health care providers for certain pa
tients and would endanger the lives of
many women, Scudder said.
Jan Kennedy, executive director of
Planned Parenthood of Omaha and
See OPPONENTS on 6
Judge Endacott’s actions
questioned by defense
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
Allegations of inappropriate
contact between judge and jury
in the Roger Bjorklund mur
der trial are upsetting, a member of the
jury said Thursday.
Roxanne Bom, foreman of the jury,
said Chief Public Defender Scott
Helvie was drawing at straws trying to
get his client a new trial.
Helvie has requested a new trial
based on what he called inappropriate
contact between Lancaster County
District Court Judge Donald Endacott
and the jury.
When the jury was selected from
Sidney, Endacott said a short prayer
with jurors. After the trial, Endacott
hugged the jurors, thanking them for
their service. They responded by giv
ing Endacott a chocolate pic.
Bom said she didn’t think any
thing about Endacott’s behavior dur
ing the trial created an unfair slant in
the iury’s decision.
“1 heard about this and it upsets
me because 1 don’t think you could
find a more honorable and well
intentioned (judge),” Bom said.
She said Endacott said the prayer
because he was human, not because of
anything to do with the case.
Bom said after the jury had been
selected, Endacott came into the room,
introduced himself and asked those
who wanted to bow their heads in
See BJORKLUND on 6
William Lauer/DN
Frank Hale, vice provost at Ohio State University, said although progress had been made
in terms of multiculturalism in education, universities needed to work hard to attract and
retain minority students. Hale was the keynote speaker Thursday for the Teachers College
annual conference.
No easy task
Speaker: Multicultural progress in education takes hard work
By Kara G. Morrison
Senior Reporter
Frank Hale said progress on
multiculturalism and diver
sity in highereducation could
only be achieved by aggressive and
united efforts.
“When we get down to it, it’s all
about commitment,” said Hale, who
received his Bachelor of Arts and
Master of Arts degrees in commu
nications, political science and
English from the University of Ne
braska-Lincoln in 1950 arid 1951.
uLong before civil rights legis
lation, long before affirmative ac
tion initiatives, there were blacks
and whites who were committed to
(equality) and went out of their way
to make a significant difference,”
Hale said.
The legacy of such work. Hale
said, needs to continue.
Hale was the keynote speaker for
the Teachcrs College ’ s annual con
ference Thursday in the East Cam
pus Union. The conference theme
was “Personal Growth Through
Diversity.”
Hale, currently vice provost and
professor emeritus at Ohio State
University, is credited with much
progress in diversifying education.
Ohio State was one of the top
institutions in numbers of African
American students receiving doc
torate degrees in the late 1970s.
Although Hale said much
progress had been made in terms of
mufiiculturalism in education, he
said universities had much hard
work ahead of them to attract and
retain minority students.
“We have to begin with admin
istration policy and procedures,”
Hale said. “There has to be a com
mitment from the top.”
With the administration’s com
mitment, Hale said, universities
must aggressively recruit minority
students and provide them with
financial aid.
“1 learned a lot from (Ohio State
football coach) Woody Hayes,” Hale
said. “He was not only a great coach;
he was a great recruiter.
“You don’t get good athletes by
sending out a letter with a 1 i ttle note
at the bottom saying ‘equal oppor
tunity employer.* Affirmative ac
tion says, go get ‘cm.”
Then, Hale said, a university
must diversify its curriculum and
work to assure a positive campus
climate for minorities.
“Curriculum, to be global and to
be reflective, needs to entertain all
ideas,” Hale said. “It is important
for all people where they sit to
understand that out of their roots,
each has made a contribution."
The final test of a university’s
commitment todi versity, Hale said,
is whether it commits significant
resources to the effort.
Hale, who arrived Wednesday
and will be in Lincoln until Sunday,
said he had not yet had time to
assess the progress UNL has made
in terms of diversity since he was a
student here. But he said he was
encouraged by his invitation to
speak at the conference.
‘*1 ’ m glad to know the university
is taking this issue seriously,” Hale
said.