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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1995)
sd Sports set to battle Kangaroos, page 7 Arts & Entertainment Former Guns *N* Roses guitarist Gilby Clark stops in Lincoln, page 9 January 18, 1995 Students watch helplessly as quake hits By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter and John Fulwider Staff Reporter As the death toll mounted after Tuesday’s devastating earthquake, UNL students from Japan watched and worried from half a world away. Students witched as pictures of an earthquake-ravaged Kobe, Japan, appeared on their TV screens late Monday night and early Tuesday morning. In Japan, survivors with blank expressions wandered battered streets in a city that was supposed to stand up to earthquakes, their faith in technol ogy smashed by a disaster that al ready has killed more than 2,000 people. Hardly a block in the industrial port city of 1.4 million people had a house or building intact. Many streets were reduced to piles of rubble by the strongest quake to strike an urban area of Japan since 1948. Osaka, Japan’s second-largest city and across the bay from Kobe, also was heavily damaged by the 7.2-magnitude quake that struck before dawn Tuesday. More than 600 aftershocks hit the area through Wednesday morning, including 60 that could be felt. Na tional police said 966 people were missing Wednesday morning and 6,366 injured. The toll was expected to rise as communications were re stored. Some UNL students were lucky to get through to relatives in Japan. Yuko Ishida, a graduate athletic training major from Okayama, Ja pan, tried to call her family but was unable to get through for an hour because of damaged phone lines. When she finally got through, she was relieved to hear that none of her family had been injured in the quake. Her mother told her about the dam age in Okayama, which lies east of Kobe. Her mother said the quake would have been worse if it had not struck in the early morning, before rush hour began. The collapse ofhighways and roads did not cause many deaths, Ishida’s mother said, but it prevented the fire department from extinguishing the house fires ignited by the quake. Ishida said she was shocked by the news of the quake. “I’ve never had anything like that happen as long as I remember,” Ishida said. “I was pretty upset when I heard about it.” Toskiyuki Taki, an exchange stu dent from Japan studying communi cations was not so lucky. He said he had an aunt (and uncle who live in Kobe. Taki said he hadn’t been able to contact them because of the damaged phone lines. He said he hoped they were not at the restaurant they owned when the quake struck. “I saw the TV, and I recognized the place, and the building they work in is crushed and broken,” he said. “It’s dead.” Shiro Hayashizaki, who was bom in the heavily damaged Osaka, said See QUAKE on 3 Chambers’ vision: pay football team By J. Christopher Hain Senior Reporter Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha has once again proposed a bill to pay ccMege football players, but this time he hopes the idea has picked up enough support to move forward. Chambers’ bill (LB435) would make foot ball players employees of the university, enti tling them to wages and benefits. It also would create a new class of felony to punish the act of denying players a salary. The Legislature passed a pay-for-play bill in 1988, but Gov. Kay Orr vetoed it. The new bill doesn’t specify the amount players would be paid. But, Chambers said, in a successful program like the University of Nebraska’s, he could see a salary of around $1,000 a month, especially considering that players are barred from having jobs. Everyone can make money off the athlete, Chambers said, but the athlete makes nothing. The bill would create a Class V felony, which would be a mandatory $10,000 fine. Each football player not paid would mean a separate Class V felony for the university. Chambers said his impetus for the bill was the hypocrisy of die NCAA in its treatment of football players. The NCAA generates enormous amounts of revenue from players’ efforts, Chambers said, yet places the student-athletes under “ardu ous” demands. The argument that athletes aren’t paid to preserve the amateurism of college athletics doesn’t find fancy with Chambers, either. “The NCAA wants the facade of amateur ism,” Chambers said. “Scholarship wipes out amateurism.” Recognizing the old concept of amateurism in college athletics has also been embraced by former NCAA executive director Walter Byers, who recently said he supported paying college athletes. Byers told The Associated Press that ama teurism was outdated and that it was a disser vice to deny student athletes a fair share of the economic market. Lights, cameras, action Gerik Parmete/DN Willie Hibler, a junior psychology major, sings “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” while his image is shown on a TV screen. Hibler was taping a Fun Flicks music video in the Nebraska Union Tuesday afternoon. Fun Flicks, billed as interactive video, was sponsored by the University Program Council. Congress may pull plus on public radio By Paula Lavigne Senior Reporter For more than 40 years, Nebraska has had access to commercial-free public broadcast ing, but as Republicans sweep into Congress, they may push this service under the rug. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has said he wants to “zero out” funding for the Corpora tion for Public Broadcasting, which funds the Public Broadcasting Service and National Pub lic Radio. PBS and NPR provide funding and pro gramming for the Nebraska Educational Tele vision Network and Nebraska Public Radio Network. If the cuts are approved, Nebraska Educa tional Telecommunications would lose $1.7 million in annual federal support — 14 percent of its budget. Ron Hull, NET associate general manager, said a loss that big would jeopardize NETV’s prime-time programs, including “The MacNeil/ Lehrer Newshour,” “NOVA,” “Great Perfor mances” and “The American Experience ” See NtTv on 3 Planned Parenthood abortion clinic draws opposition By Julie Sobczyk Statt Reporter Planned Parenthood of Lincoln is seeking to build the only clinic in the city to perform abortions, and some groups are voicing their opposition to the plan. Chris Funk, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Lincoln, said Planned Parent hood was expanding to a second location near 37th and South streets. The expansion has been planned for the past five years, and will be completed during this spring or summer. The additional site will provide reproduc tive health services, including first trimester abortions, Funk said. “It’s been in our mission to supply a com prehensive alternative so women can have choices,” Funk said. “A community this size should have the availability of this service.” Currently, abortions in Nebraska are avail able only in Omaha or through private physi cians. Abortions by private physicians can cost about $3,000 to $4,000, Funk said. Funk said an additional location was needed because of the increasing number of women Planned Parenthood assisted. Planned Parenthood assisted more than 75,000 women in 1993. Funk said the present location was too crowded and more space was needed. Funk said the additional location still would provide services such as pregnancy tests, but would also provide new services for urinary tract infections and HIV testing. Although the new site has generated some controversy. Funk said there had been strong support for it. :/ “We surveyed our clients and donors about the need of this service,” she said. “The pa tients have said they would continue to use our services.” Pledges and donations made for the new site are also examples of strong community support, Funk said. Most opposition has come from those living, near the site and from Lincoln Right to Life. Dominic and Mary Kay Pynes, who live a few blocks from the site, sent a letter to neigh bors expressing their concern. See CLINIC on 3