January 20-22, 1995
Trekkies critique "Star
Voyager," page 8
Christian Peter
sexual assault, page 9
$10 million expansion planned for Union
By John Fulwider
Staff Reporter
Nebraska Union officials plan to
complete a $10 million expansion
of the building by 1998.
Union Director Daryl Swanson
said the project would be paid for
by increased student fees.
However, he said, student fees
would not be increased until the
project neared completion, so
graduating students would not pay
for an expansion that they wouldn’t
benefit from.
The expansion would proceed
north into Broyhill Plaza. Both the
plaza and Broyhill Fountain would
be renovated, because the plaza’s
concrete and the fountain’s plumb
ing are deteriorating.
Swanson said a major aim of the
expansion was to add more meeting
space. He said there were 30 to 40
meetings held each day at the
union.
Some of the meeting rooms are
high quality, Swanson said, while
others are low quality. He said he
wanted to provide a more uniform
quality in union meeting spaces.
Swanson also said he wanted to
address problems involving union
recreation space.
He said the video game room
had been successful because of its
central location. However, it
caused noise pollution in the lounge
outside. Also, the basement pool
room was poorly located and
boring, he said.
Both problems would be solved
by locating the video games and
pool tables in a recreation room in
the basement.
Other areas that could be
improved:
• A 56-year-old mechanical
system. Swanson said the system
should have been replaced after 50
years. The electrical wiring and
sewer systems also must be up
dated.
• Handicap access. The ramp on
the west side of the building no
longer meets federal requirements
because its slope is too steep. It
would be modified and covered to
protect it from the elements.
Swanson also proposed a new
handicap entrance on the ground
level of the north side with a
passenger elevator serving all union
floors.
• University Bookstore would be
expanded because more storage
space is needed, Swanson said.
For three years, the bookstore
has had a tractor-trailer attached to
its loading dock for extra storage
space. Swanson said the trailer was
an eyesore and needed to be removed,
be removed.
• The computer room would be
See EXPANSION on 3
: ;
riamnn I oo/TIN
Paul Johnsgard, professor of biological sciences, is surrounded by some of the 33 books he has written about
birds. Johnsgard said he hoped to nave a complete shelf on his bookcase filled with his own books by the time
he retires.
Teacher’s passion is for the birds
By Tanna Kinnaman
Staff Reporter
Paul Johnsgard, known as “the bird
man,” is living proof that compulsions can
be beneficial to people and animals.
Johnsgard’s compulsion — and passion
— is birds. He studies birds, draws birds,
photographs birds, writes about birds and
carves birds out of wood.
Johnsgard, a professor of biological sci
ences at the University of Nebraska-Lin
coin, said he was fascinated by a “bird’s
sense of freedom that other animals don’t
have.”
“I have always envied the ability of birds
to fly away,” he said.
Johnsgard has published 33 books about
birds since he came to UNL in the fall of
1961. The majority of his books are written
for the academic world, where he has writ
ten more books about birds than any other
author.
Many of Johnsgard’s books are planned
years in advance. He said it usually took him
four to five years to write a book, but he is
always working on three or four books at a
time.
He said his most popular books among
mainstream readers had emerged in his
mind through sudden inspiration.
“Song of the North Wind: A Story of the
Snow Goose,” published in 1974, is one
such book^ Johnsgard’s inspiration came at
See BIRD MAN on 3
Abortion rights discussed at rally
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
Abortion rights supporters must rely on
strength and not succumb to fear in light of the
recent killings at abortion clinics, advocates
said Thursday at an abortion rights rally.
More than 100 people attended the rally
“Women’s Choices — Women’s Lives” at the
Lincoln Women’s Center, which was spon
sored by the Pro-Choice Coalition of Nebraska.
Kay Siebler, coalition president, said if abor
tion rights supporters gave in to terrorism and
fear, women would resort to self-induced abor
tions in back alleys.
“We are survivors,” she said. “We have to
empower ourselves and not hang our heads in
mourning.
“We should be filled with rage, not fear.”
Siebler said the abortion rights movement
had to stop referring to its opposition as “pro
life” and address it as “anti-choice.”
The abortion clinic killings were “assassi
nations,” not murders, she said, because they
were plotted, terroristic acts.
Nebraska is not isolated from the violence
that claimed the lives of four abortion clinic
workers last year, she said.
“There is not an abortion provider in this
country who has not received death threats,”
she said. “I’m sure doctors in Nebraska wear
bullet-proof vests. It could happen anywhere.”
A 40-year-old Lincoln woman self-induced
an abortion with a crochet hook because she
was afraid to face protestors at a clinic in
Omaha, Siebler said.
“People can beat their fists against reality,”
See RALLY on 3
Voters may
make Nelson
decide state
pardon cases
By J. Christopher Hain
Senior Reporter
“ Thegovernor will become the sole decision
maker in-pardon eases involving the death
penalty if a resolution introduced to the Judi
ciary Committee Thursday becomes law.
LR9CA calls for a constitutional amend
ment to be placed on the 1996 election ballot.
If approved by voters, the amendment would
drop the attorney general and secretary of state
from the State Board of Pardons in capital
cases.
The three-member board would remain in
tact for all other pardons cases.
Sen. Ernie Chambers of
Omaha, who serves on the
Judiciary Committee, ques
tioned why the board would
remain intact for lesser
cases but not for those in
volving the death penalty.
“If in the most serious
case, where a lire is at stake,
LEGISLATURE one P61^011 *s *n control,
lcuiolhi one why is it necessary to have
three people making decisions on less serious
matters?” Chambers asked.
The resolution was introduced to the Legis
lature on behalf of the governor by Sen. Eric
Will of Omaha.
Lisa Johns, legislative aide to Will,- intro
duced the bill to die committee and noted that
in nearly two-thirds of other states, the gover
nor already was the sole decision-maker in
death penalty pardons.
Furthermore, Johns said, there were reasons
for the secretary of state and the attorney gen
eral not to sit on the board.
She said the attorney general had a conflict
between his roles as the state’s chief prosecutor
and as a member of the pardons board.
Johns also said the secretary of state’s job
description had nothing that made it logical for
him or her to sit on the board.
Secretary of State Scott Moore, who took
office this month, testified in opposition to the
resolution.
“A decision of this magnitude should be
made by a board of three people,” Moore said.
Moore has not yet participated in a pardons
board meeting, but said he didn’t feel the
amendment was necessary.
“Obviously the constitution outlives all of
us. We should make sure it is created with the
best long-term interest in mind.”
In other legislative action, Sen. Chris
Abboud of Omaha introduced a bill (LB735)
that calls for the creation of a separate engi
neering college at UNO. 13 other Omaha area
senators co-signed the bill.
The idea of an engineering college at UNO
was rejected by University President Dennis
Smith and the Board of Regents.