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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1995)
Teacher awaits rare opportunity Education needs , outweigh risks of space travel By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter On the morning of Jan. 28,1986, Barbra Morgan was on the ground at Kennedy Space Center. As the space shuttle Challenger streaked the sky with its vapor trails, the third grade teacher from McCall, Idaho, wished she was on that flight to the stars, sitting in the place of Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first teacher in space. As the Challenger went with throttle up, Morgan watched as the Challenger exploded. The seven crew members died. Eight years later, Morgan, who was runner-up to McAuliffe in the program, awaits the opportunity to be the first teacher to go into space. “And I’m waiting patiently,” the 43 -year-old mother of two said before a ceremony honoring Nebraska teach ers Thursday night. The Teacher in Space Program that sent McAuliffe in the Challenger is still going, Morgan said, but the flight part is on hold. The flight sec tion is up for review now and a deci sion will be made soon on whether or not Morgan will fly in the space shuttle. Morgan insists she is not nervous about going into space or the dangers involved in being a teacher in space. “It is risky, and people need to know that,” she said. “But you need to weigh those risks. I can’t think of anything more important than educa tion. “We have hundreds of my col leagues that daily risk greater danger (with school violence) and we think nothing of it.” Morgan said that if someone in a school was killed due to violence, the school was closed for one day, not eight years to debate whether to con tinue the school. Morgan said her trip into space was being made for teachers and learn ing, not to see what it was like in space. She said she had not thought about what it would be like in space. “I know that I’m not going for me,” she said. “That’s not what this program is about. “I’m just lucky. It’s a great respon sibility to leam as much as I can and share that.” And there is nothing more impor tant to Morgan than coming back and teaching her experience to kids ev erywhere. “My motivator is to do something that I think is right to do and keep doing it,” she said. “You teach people by showing, not by telling. You can tell people about sending a teacher in space but they won’t leam anything until you do. “If it was important enough to do the first time — and if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have done it — it’s impor tant to do again. It was important enough to give those people’s lives.” Morgan said her voyage into space was also important to teaching stu dents. “In our classrooms, before your students can leam anything, you have to grab their attention — that’s the first rule. “This is going to grab their atten tion.” CFA votes to up DN budget By Erin Schulte Staff Reporter The Committee for Fees Alloca tion recommended Thursday that the Daily Nebraskan receive a 10 percent -increase in stu dent fee funding. At its Tuesday meeting, the com mittee recom mended a 5% in crease in DN - funding. The 10 percent increase would raise the amount allotted to the DN from $41,153 to $45,268. Daily Nebraskan Editor JefTZeleny asked the committee to change its recommendation to a 20 percent in crease to help offset large increases in the price of newsprint. Zeleny said the cost of printing the newspaper next year would increase by about $150 a day. Rainbow Rowell, arts and enter tainment editor, said some compa rable college newspapers charged stu dents directly, usually 10 to 25 cents per issue, so it was not unreasonable to ask for more student fees. The cost each University of Ne braska-Lincoln student pays in stu dent fees for the Daily Nebraskan is 1.14 cents a day, or 88 cents a semes ter. Zeleny said a 20 percent increase would raise the cost to $1.06 per semester for each student. CFA member Dave Hengeii was the only representative to support the 20 percent increase. ) “It’s unreasonable to request apet ter newspaper and then not support it,” he said. Hengen said the Daily Nebraskan had asked for few increases through out the last 10 years. Over the years, he said, a slow, steady increase in funds probably would have added up to more than the 20 percent increase, he said. CFA member Brendan Bussmann said the Daily Nebraskan should look for other ways to fund the newspaper and not pass price increases along to students. After nearly an hour of discussion, the committee, however, voted 8-1 against the 20 percent increase and instead voted 5-4 to recommend a 10 percent increase. In other business, Dorene Johnson, president of the University Program Council, appealed CFA’s Tuesday decision to recommend a 4.65 per cent decrease in UPC funding. CFA denied the appeal. Charges against Phillips dismissed By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter Charges against NU football player Lawrence Phillips will be dropped today at the request of the victim, Hal Anderson, Phillips’ attorney said Thursday. Anderson said a motion would be filed by prosecutors in Lancaster County Court to dismiss two counts of vandalism, one count of misde meanor assault and one count of dis turbing the peace. The dismissal came after Phillips paid for a $400 gold chain, which was broken in a scuffle in which he was allegedly involved, Anderson said. Phillips originally had entered a pre-trial diversion program for the charges, but was formally charged after he did not complete the pro gram. Phillips pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Jan. 13 arraignment. Phillips, a sophomore from West Covina, Calif., led the Huskers in rushing last season. At Phillips’ arraignment, Ander son said the charges stemmed from an incident in which Phillips tried to stop a fight between a friend and a Doane College student. On that night, Phillips and his friend were driving on Ninth and Claremont streets and stopped, he said. Anderson said it was not clear whether the Doane College student or Phillips was blocking the road. At the intersection, an argument erupted between Phillips’ friend and the Doane student, Anderson said. He said it was then that Phillips pulled the Doane student away and the chain was broken. Anderson said Thursday that Phillips last saw the chain at the feet of one of the people who made the charges. “Lawrence paid for the chain that was broken,” he said. “No one was hurt, no harm was done.” Anderson said neither he nor Phillips had asked about the chain. “Lawrence said, ‘Somebody said I broke it. I’ll pay for it and that’s it,”’ Anderson said. Scuba Continued from Page 1 diving, in Nebraska — go figure. “It’s not just a tropical thing,” Stuart said. “And it’s not all fun and games.” Stuart said he had been teaching scuba for 2 1/2 years, and diving in Minnesota, New Mexico, Mississippi, Kansas and, yes, even Nebraska. Mark Kuzma, a graduate student in biology, said he appreciated the needed attention to details, but treat ing it like work was ... dull. “I think of it more as enjoyment than a class,” Kuzma said. “I don’t really enjoy my classes.” After spending more than two hours in the water, some students appeared ready to call it a day. But Kuzma, who got interested in scuba while snorkel ing in Lake Tahoe, Nev., this sum-. mer, was ready to take it to the next level. “It was incredible, fascinating,” he said. “I want to go out in the open water already. I’meven more excited.” The same could not be said for his families’ and friends’ reactions when he told them he’d signed up for scuba diving this semester. “A lot of people laugh,” he said. “They think it’s kind of goofy. I mean, a lot of the lakes around here are so dirty you can’t see your hand under water when it’s six inches in front of your face.” Mike Nattress, a junior business management major, is looking for ward to getting back to California. Nattress said he lived by the beach and, like Kumza, got his start snor keling. As 8 p.m. rolls around, the pool is silent. Tiny air bubbles sparkle the surface of an otherwise tranquil pool. Class is in session, down there — about ten feet from the surface. Daniels Continued from Page 1 Police Capt. Jim Peschong said police had increased their presence in the area, because of a number of mi nor assaults and other incidents, as well as a fall shooting at 26th and W streets. Patterson’s account followed much of the police reports, but she said she saw Rupert leave the disc -j ockey stand carrying the gun. Patterson said Rupert had begun shouting at the crowd after everyone “mobbed and went crazy.” Patterson said Daniels told her he was going to get her coat so they could leave. After that, she lost him in the crowd. Patterson said she saw him again, standing near the door, just as Rupert shot him. DanielswasreleasedApril 14from the Lancaster County Correction Cen ter after serving more than four years on a manslaughter charge. Daniels, along with another man, was convicted of robbing and beating a 35-year-old Lincoln man to death with a tire iron. The incident oc curred in August 1988 at Penzer Park, near 26th and Potter streets. Prosecu tors said Daniels was believed to be an accomplice in the man’s death, but he became a witness for the state. Rupert’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for today in Lancaster County Court. ACCESS Continued from Page 1 Pekron said that if elected, AC CESS would try to lobby the Legis lature to improve the older build ings on campus. “We’re afraid that some of the building problems are becoming detrimental to our education,” he said. “When there are floods in classrooms that force classes to be moved, that’s really bad for our education.” ACCESS is also concerned with safety outside the classroom. “We want to work on safety on campus, especially the parking lots after dark,” he said. “We want to work with the university PD to make more patrols in lots at night so people will feel safe.” Ready to Let Your Hair Down? International Film Series sponsored by UPC Cafe au Lait Mary Riepma Ross Film Theatre This Sunday 3,5,7 & 9pm $3 UNL Students w/ID • $5 Public % Hair Raising Funs Collegiate Beach Club A Division of Holiday Express Cancun - $499 VJe snPP'V ^ * days & 7 nights You suppty ^ SPRING FEVER NEBRASKA NEBRASKA TRACK & FIELD vs. NORTH CAROLINA ^ SATURDAY Jan. 28 ^ 10:30 a.m. $2 - General admission $4 - Reserved seating NEBRASKA SWIMMING & DIVING vs. MISSOURI SATURDAY Jan. 28 a 1 p.m. $2 - General admission C WOMEN'S BASKETBALL >. IOWA STATE corporate SUNDAY Sponsor: Jan. 29 i,A^'m 2 p.m. - General admission v wtu,*wc<-* _ Full time UNL students with photo I.D. get in FREE to all sporting events.