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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1994)
TViilv spom* J JLJL Y *25 NU senlors reca,, Memorial Stadium memories, I I 7^^^^^k Arts & Entertainment I AmJI ■ ^ m M V ■ ■ Production designer advises UNL students, Page 6 I W I £ I A I £ JM I I PAGE 2: Clinton Campaigns to keep Democrat majority COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA SINCE 1901 VOL. 94 NO. 55 __ Warm moments . Jeff HaUer/DN Corbott Harp, loft, an undoclarod ftwlwm, and HiM Mttor, right, a freshman biology motor, on Monday bogan tholr ThankaglvM voeatlona a month oarty In front of tho Nobraska Union. Tho M0i In Lincoln Monday waa 72 do*ooo. Today's high la pradktod to ha In tho adiHOs. Fiji works hard to rebuild image By Paula Lavlgna Senior Reporter Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity mem bers still feel the impact of a pledge’s hill from a third-story window of the house last November. Fiji fraternity members caught Jeffrey Knoll trying to go on a pledge sneak. They forced him to consume alcohol, and he later fell from the window. Brian Mejak, Fiji president, said the incident damaged the fraternity's image — one they are trying to re build through philanthropies, a new attitude and strict adherence to the rules. The fraternity needs to get its name out in a positive light, said Mejak, a senior biology major. “We’re improving the word Fiji because people think of it now as ‘Oh, a bunch of hazers and problem kids,’” he said. “The people who stayed in this house are committed to improving this chapter.” Differences Bottles of chlorination chemicals and parts of a pool vacuum sit inside the wont entrance of the Fiji house as evidence of the change. They are the last remnants of the fraternity’s recent philanthropy, “Bathing for Bucks.” Donors spon sored fraternity members who sat in a hot tub on the front lawn for about 48 hours. Donations went to the St. Elizabeth Community Health Cen ter. s The hot-tub-a-thon is one of six philanthropies the house has partici pated in this semester, including serv ing dinner at community centers and recruiting members for the Nebraska Human Resource Institute. The philanthropies fulfill sanctions levied against the fraternity last year by the University of Nebraska-Lin coln for violating the UNL Student Code of Conduct. The members are required to perform 12 to 16 hours of community service a month. Fraternity members also are for bidden from serving alcohol at social functions until 1996-97. Fiji alumnus Joe Spitzenberger is there to make sure they won’t. Spitzenberger, a graduate law stu dent, was hired by the university to watch over the fraternity and make sure members follow the student code of conduct and the sanctions. Spitzenberger said he saw the po sition as a way to give back to his fraternity and to make sure Fiji was headed in the right direction. When he first heard about the Knoll incident, he said, he knew it would harm the fraternity’s already suffer ing image. “They just seemed to stub their toes,” he said. Administrators examined the fra ternity member by member after the incident, he said, and asked several to take early alumnus status. This selective membership and the heavy emphasis on community ser vice were the first steps to rebuilding Fiji’s image, he said. "We know what the rules are. We know what the punishment is. We know what’s at stake, and that’s it,” he said. “It’s not right to be pointing fingers.” Spitzenberger said members had a hard time dealing with the bad pub licity every day. An accident that See REBUILD on 3 Kappa Deltas turn vacant lot into park Sorority says ‘thank you’for , years at UNL By Cathortw Blalock Staff Reporter To celebrate 75 years at UNL, Kappa Delta Sorority is turning a vacant lot west of their house into a park. “It is away of saying that we've enjoyed our relationship with this institution and want to say thank you," said Jean Stradley, co-chair woman of the 75th anniversary committee. Each time a Kappa Delta chap ter reaches its 75th anniversary on a college campus, Stradley said, the sorority does something to say thank you. Besides building the park at 17th and R streets, Kappa Delta will donate money to Love Library to purchase books, Stradley said. These books will have name plates enclosed to show the sorority helped with the purchase. Construction on the park began last Monday. Kim Todd, campus landscape architect, said the park should be completed this spring. The park will contain a diago nal sidewalk, a stone wall, three benches, trees, shrubs, flowers and a rose garden, Todd said. The side walk was completed last week. “It is a way of saying that we’ve enjoyed our relationship with this institution and want to say thank you.” ■ JEAN STRADLEY Co-chairwoman of the 75th anniversary committee Wilbur Dasenbrock, director of landscape services, said lawn sprin klers would be installed in the park to protect the plants. Stradley said the sorority would raise at least $10,000 to hind the Croject. The project’s money will e donated from Kappa Delta to the University Foundation. The national chapter of Kappa Delta will contribute $1,000, she said. Alumnae will donate the rest. Anne Cech, co-chairwoman of the anniversary committee, said the sorority had raised $5,000 for the park so far. The sorority sent alumnae a let ter two years ago asking for money. Cech said the sorority would send another letter after Jan. 1. The park will be dedicated April 8, 1995, as part of the sorority’s anniversary celebration. Todd said some of the flowers and the rose garden would not be planted by that time because it would be too cold. Judge OKs term limits on ballot By Chad Lofnz Staff Reporter A decision handed down by a Lancaster County district judge Mon day will keep the Nebraska term lim its amendment on the voting ballot. Judge Paul Merritt, in his deci sion, rejected 12 challenges related to the petition that put the amend ment before voters. Tim Duggan, John Hasenaur, Lincoln city councilman Ken Harr and state senator Ernie Chambers had asked the court to keep the amendment from being on the ballot. The court held that substantial, not technical, compliance with form requirements was sufficient to render the petition legal. “Although appearing to have been hurriedly and somewhat carelessly drafted, the court cannot, and does not, find that the initiative petition is not legally sufficient,” Merritt wrote. “There has been substantial compli ance with Nebraska law.” The plaintiffs said that, among other arguments, differences between the petition form filed and the form circulated should nullify the petition. As well, they argued the petition should be nullified because of inter nal consistencies on the form and because a list of the petition’s spon sors was missing. Merritt stated the analysis of the issues raised differed from that used by the Nebraska Supreme Court Fri day when it ordered five other consti tutional amendments removed from the ballot. Chambers predicted a wide ma jority — 82 percent—would support the amendment in today’s vote. How ever, he said, voter approval would not end the debate over term limits. The plaintiffs have 30 days to appeal the decision and take the case to the Nebraska Supreme Court, which could overturn the amendment again, Chambers said. Last May, the Nebraska Supreme Court overturned voter approval of term limits, saying the petition drive See TERM on 3 Few answers in death of homeless man From Staff Reports A county coroner’s report pro vided few answers Monday about the weekend death of a homeless man in Nebraska Union. A union employee found David Ball, 47, Saturday morning lying in the union’s south vestibule. The coroner’s report placed the time of death at 4 am. Saturday. The union employee found him about three hours later. The report said Ball died from natural causes. No autopsy will be conducted. Ball apparently suffered from asthma, but that was not believed to have been a contributing factor, the county sheriffs office reported. The coroner’s report stated it was unknown whether Ball had any fam ily and that the case was closed. There will be no further investiga tion.