Opinion
Wednesday, August 24, 1994
Page 4
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
JejfZelenv..Editor. 472-1766
Kara Morrison....Opinion Page Editor
Angie Brunkow.. .Managing Editor
Jeffrey Robb .......Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell.Columnist/Associate News Editor
Kiley Christian..Photography Director
Mike Lewis.. . Copy Desk Chief
James Mehsling.Cartoonist
1 .1>11 OKI vl
Pavement for pizza
UNL fails in attempt to repay neighbor
It seems almost ironic that 17 years of pizza, pasta and pesto were
replaced by 17 asphalt parking stalls at the comer of 13th and Q
streets.
After nearly two years of threatened demolitions and last-minute
reprieves, daVinci’s finally met its maker in May.
The only folks to benefit from the restaurants’ razing are 17
fortunate university faculty and staff members who can temporarily
park in the Area 10 lot. The rest of the university and downtown
community who first enjoyed Pontillo’s and later daVinci’s are left
hungry.
But the university, which eventually plans to turn the lot into a
grand entrance to City Campus, had a chance to pay daVinci’s back
this summer when a spot in the Nebraska Union food court opened up.
DaVinci’s lost again when a nationally franchised restaurant was
awarded the bid over the locally owned and operated store.
Never mind what daVinci’s has given to the Lincoln community.
In the past 10 years, the restaurant has served Easter dinner to more
than 5,000 homeless people, according to co-owner Kent Knudson.
That community spirit apparently couldn’t cut through the universi
ty bureaucracy.
“You can’t change the roles on the bids,” said Darryl Swanson,
director of the Nebraska Unions. .
We all want to see the university grow and prosper. And at times
that means turning businesses and property into parking lots, perform
ing art centers and parks. But UNL had a chance UNL had to repay a
community neighbor, and it let them down.
Safe housing
New officers worth added cost
On Feb. 25.1994, a man entered an unlocked door at Alpha Chi
Omega Sorority, made his way to a students' room, hid in a closet and
waited.
Luckily, the suspect fled soon after, but not until one woman
suffered cuts and bruises to her face.
With the addition of two new community service officers and
expanded patrol routes to include grcck houses at the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln, such incidents may not have to be repeated.
University Police Chief Ken Caublc said the new officers and routes
were added because campus administrators wanted more security on
campus.
The grcck system will pay a total of $8,000 annually to help cover
new expenses.
Though it is sad such security measures are becoming necessary,
the change will undoubtedly be worth the cost.
Cauble said the community service officers, unlike police officers,
are unarmed and cannot make arrests. The officers must ask for the
house director’s permission to walk through sororities and must alert
house officers before entering fraternities.
Cauble said the new officers were added to increase campus safety
and not to catch students drinking in grcck houses. If. in the meantime
the presence of the new officers encourages more responsible behavior,
the added security will be a plus.
All in all. the additional officers and expanded patrol routes seem to
benefit everyone.
i IH I < >l<I VI I'OI K \
SUIT editorials represent the official policy of the Fall IW4 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students ortho NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author. The regents publish (he Daily Nebraskan They establish the UNL
Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper According to policy set by
the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students.
I I I I I U l‘< >1 K \
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space
available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material
should run as a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Letters should included the author's name, year in school, major and group
affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted Submit material to the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448
fti / AHb« \S \T THM
Yoo THESE
St »A\kv5TotANT|C
\ ASSNOLT WeM t^oR?
TT--—I!-1
OH-ERl
SELF
MxjR secoA^ KVvE^nv^t At najorK
Ml< II \KI .1 ( Ml( I
Violence hits dose to home
Where I come from, crime is
common. So common, in fact, that
most incidents go unmenlioned — or
worse, unnoticed. I suppose that’s
bound to happen when you put 8
million people next to each other.
But with all the murders and rapes
and every other conceivable inhu
mane act that occurs in Chicago,
none of the violence alTccted me.
Two weeks ago, the random
disbursement of misfortune caught up
with my family and paid us a most
peculiar visit. Like all the strange
events that seem to find their way into
my life, it could have been worse.
On the night of Aug. 9, in a
church parking lot three blocks from
my house and just one block from a
police station, an undercover officer
arrested a man on charges of trying to
arrange the murder of my sister.
At 3 a.m. we received a phone call
from police informing us of the arrest
and the details involved. The man
was in custody, and the potential for
harm was eliminated, but the police
would send a car around our block
throughout the night—just in case.
I’ve learned that a person plotting
to kill usually knows his or her
victim. In this case, the man in
question was someone we knew; in
fact, he had been close to our family.
Surprisingly to us, though maybe not
to you, the man arrested was my
sister’s ex-boyfriend.
His name is Kevin Schwall, and if
you lived in the Chicago area or if
you watched WGN on cable, you
would recognize the name. He has
become a household conversation
piece — not only for what he was
charged but also for what he is: a
young, white male who lives in a
prominent North Shore suburb.
Kevin is educated (the high school
r
On the night of Aug. 9, in a church
parking lot three blocks from my
house and just one block from a
police station, a man was arrested by
an undercover officer on charges of
trying to arrange the murder of my
sister.
he attended consistently is ranked
among the best in the country, and he
was to attend Loyola University at
Chicago in the fall), disciplined (he
has worked after school since eighth
grade) and respected by his peers and
ciders. This is what has everyone in
the ana dumbfounded. According to
many locals, this sort of thing doesn’t
happen in their neighborhood.
Since this whole thing began. I’ve
noticed a certain attitude about crime
that exists in many Caucasian minds
that is both naive and stupid. Horrible
things aren’t limited to black.
Hispanic, poor, inner-city neighbor
hoods. My family has found that out
firsthand.
We are fortunate — my sister
especially—that the possible hit was
prevented. The thought of what might
have been can keep you up at night.
What if he had found a legit hit man?
What if he had decided to do it
himself?
He has been behind bars up until
last Thursday. That day his parents
put their house on the line to make
Kevin’s $50,000 bail. He can’t leave
the house, but he lives fewer than 10
blocks away.
The most disturbing and defining
aspect of this situation, however, is
the method he is charged with using
to plan her execution. You see, he
said he wanted not only my sister
killed but also his 7-month-old child,
which she was carrying. He told the
police during questioning that he
didn’t want to be a father. I guess at
any price.
The police have it all on videotape
and audio tape. How he wanted it to
look like a robbery attempt because
she worked late at a restaurant. How
he wanted her shot in the stomach so,
just in case she lived, the baby
definitely would be killed. He said he
didn’t want a drivc-by — too
uncertain. And it had to be done by
the 12lh of the month—the day he
was to begin child support responsi
bilities.
It comes down to Kevin apparently
not wanting to take responsibility for
his actions, but it stretches into much
more — the unborn child’s rights, for
instance. The way we try to make
problems go away instead of facing
and working through them. The
breakdown of the family unit in
America.
Kevin has 25 to 50 years, if
convicted, to think about what he did
and where he went wrong. My sister
has two months to think of a way to
tell her child that its father is charged
with trying to steal away its life.
Jntttee h a Juaior aewi-edltorial aad
broadcaitiag major aad a Dally Ncbraikaa
colu maiit.
1
The Daily Nebraskan wants to hear from you. If you
want to voice your opinion about an article that
appears in the newspaper, let us know. Just write a
brief letter to the editor and sign it (don’t forget your
student ID number) and mail it to the Daily Nebras
kan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R Street, Lincoln, NE
68588-0448, or stop by the office in the basement of
the Nebraska Union and visit with us. We’re all ears.
