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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1994)
Correction: The calendar "Beyond Books " incorrectly stated that DV8 would be playing at fVC's this weekend. The band played last weekend and will not be performing again this weekend. The Daily Nebraskan regrets the error. ■4u& Raiders Relived The Star Ship 9 celebrates its anniversary with Indiana Jones this weekend. Page 9 Friday 55/24 Today, cloudy with a chance of showers. April 15, 1994 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 93 No. 142 William Lauer/DN Spring cleaning Linda Angel, landscape supervisor of Love Gardens, clears flower beds in front of Love Library Thursday morning. With the ground crew’s expectations of spring blossoms, “It’s our favorite time of year,” Angel said. Spanier reaps rewards of helping children By Kara G. Morrison Senior Reporter Growing up in a poorer neigh borhood on the South Side of Chicago prompted UNL Chancellor Graham Spanicr to vow he’d someday be in a position to help others in need. Years later, as chairman of the Christian Children’s Fund board of directors, that commitment has taken him around the world. “I just always had a strong feeling that when I could afford to assist others, I should devote a certain por tion of my salary to charily,” Spanier said. “After 1 got my first paycheck, following my Ph.D. in 1973, when 1 began teaching at Penn State, I signed up to sponsor a child (through the Christian Children’s Fund).” The chancellor and his wife, Sandra, an associate professor of En gl ish at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, recently returned from aCCF conference in Quito, Ecuador. “For the last 10 years, it’s been the most rewarding activity I’ve worked on,” Chancellor Spanier said of CCF. “1 don’t say that to diminish my role at the university, but it’s something 1 feel very deeply about.” The Christian Children’s Fund is an international nonsectarian agency that provides education, medical care, food, clothing, shelter and other assis tance to children in more than 40 countries. CCF helps about 2.5 million chil dren around the world, through month ly child sponsorship and community development projects. Sponsors pay $21 monthly to help ensure one child basic necessities such as food, cloth ing, shelter and education, Spanier said. Since 1973, the Spaniers have spon sored five children throughCCF. They have met two of these children, all of whom live in Mexico. “We chose Mexico, because my wife knows Spanish and could write to them in their native language,” Spanier said. Spanier said his involvement with the board began 10 years ago, when See SPANIER on 6 Speaker: Legislature did well By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter Despite some slowdowns, the legislative session scheduled to end today has been a good one, Spcakcrofthe Nebraska Legisla ture Ron Withcm said Thursday. “I know there have been a lot of reports about the logjam, the break down of the process, how things weren’t moving along, things were ■ not coming togeth er,” he said. “I sup pose that was an accurate represen tation of the way things were going along about the 40th legislative Jday.” LEGISLATURE Withem, in his first year as speak cr and his 12th session in the Legisla ture, said this was typical in the course of a session. Senators come to Lincoln in Janu ary and work well together, Withem said. But after some controversial is sues hit the floor, filibusters slow the flow of legislation. “Almost always things break loose and compromises are made and the people’s work ultimately gets done,” Withem said. “That’s been the hall mark of this session. “It may have been a little more difficult this year to accomplish,but it did, in fact, get done,” he said. In this year’s session, Withem said, legislators have passed, or will pass, about 240 bills, assuming all remain ing bills pass. He said there still was the chance some bills on final reading could run into a roadblock. In 1992, the Legislature passed 145 bills, and it passed 228 in 1990. Withem said the number of bills passed did not necessarily reflect on the quality of legislation. Laws dealing with crime issues, especially juvenile crime, were some of the highlights of the session, Withem said. The Legislature passed bills deal ing with juvenile crime and student discipline, which strengthened school and parental involvement in disci plinary actions brought by schools. See WITHEM on 3 Amendment could cut final readings By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter_ An amendment aimed at by passing final readings faces its own final reading today. LEGISLATURE The Nebraska Legislature ad vanced the proposed amendment to the state constitu tion, which would give state senators the option to forgo a bill’s final read ing, to that stage Thursday with a 28 12 vote, LR15CA would allow for a three fifths majority vote by the Legislature to eliminate a bill s final reading. Senators in favor of LR15CA have said that often, the final reading of a bill was excessively time-consuming. In a final reading, senators must be in their scats when the clerk reads each bill. Some bills can be more than 200 pages long and take up to three hours to read. Disagreements emerged between lawmakers that felt the final reading gave them more time to consider a bill and senators who felt they should have their homework done be fore they voted. Sen. Jerome Warner of Wavcrly said during Thursday’s Final read ings, which took more than five hours, that he actually changed his mind on how he would vote for a bill. “I see no harm (in keeping final reading),” he said. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who also opposed LRI5CA, said he used the time to examine the bills before the Legislature. He said the final reading process did not deter senators from doing their jobs. Sen. Doug Kristensen of Minden said LR15CA had nothing to do with senators thinking the current system was right or wrong. ‘‘Some of the words of the opposi tion are heart-felt,” he said. ‘‘(It seems) that if you vote for this you show disrespect for the system.” Kristensen said senators would have to show discipline and study the bills before they vote. ‘‘The system w il I only work as well as we arc,” he said. - (( The system will only work as well as we are. 1 — Kristensen state senator -ft - Under the language of the bill, Kristensen said, it would take 30 votes of the 43-member body to forgo the reading. I f LR15C A is passed on final read ing, it would go on to the ballot in November for consideration of Ne braska voters. Speaker of the Legislature Ron Withcm of Papillion said even if the voters give their support for LR 15CA, the Legislature’s Rules Committee would have to make some changes. The constitutional amendment only would give the Legislature the option of instituting the rule, and would not force it to change its rules, he said. Harms memorial approved; cost is estimated at $10,000 By Angie Brunkow Senior Reporter preliminary design for a Candice Harms memorial was approved Thursday during the Chancellor’s Aesthetic Review Committee meeting. Kim Todd, campus landscape architect, said the memorial, an S curvcd wall, would be located at the northwest part of North Park Plaza — the green space. A plaque honoring the Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln student who was murdered two years ago will be located on the nearly 35 foot-long and 20-inch-high wall. Todd said she talked with the Harms family about three weeks ago to discuss the location and design of the memorial. Harms’ mother suggested a sculpted tree made of woven wire with hanging, shimmering leaves, Todd said. “It wouldn’t have been appro priate,” Todd said. “It would have been easily vandalized.” Their discussion led them lo ihe idea of the wall, Todd said, which is designed and located as Harms' parents believed Candice would have liked. Although the memorial is “olT the beaten path,” it is still in the center of campus activity, Todd said. “Her parents described her as loving people,” Todd said. “She liked 1 ifc. She liked color. She liked activity.” A 6-foot-wide path will run alongside the memorial. The com mittee delayed more specific deci sions on what materials to use for the memorial. Todd said the funds probably would not be raised in time to build the memorial at the same time North Park Plaza was built. The memorial will not be built until enough money is raised to pay for it, Todd said. The project is estimated to cost about $10,000.