New group hopes
to take active role
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
Minority students wanting to
improve relations with UNL Po
lice officers launched a new stu
dent organization to express their
concerns Monday night.
Geno Venegas, president of Stu
dents Taking Active Roles (STAR)
and member of the Mexican Ameri
can Student Association, said the
group, which met at the Nebraska
Union, would give
underrepresented student organi
zations a chance to communicate
and work with University Police.
Venegas, a senior psychology
major, was hired by the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln Police to act
as a liaison between the depart
ment and minority students.
Venegas said the Francisco
Renteria case brought minority and
law enforcement relationships to
light on campus.
Renteria died Oct. 1, 1994, af
ter a scuffle involving Lincoln
Police officers and one UNL of
are working on diversity training,
he said, but too much of it has been
just lip service.
Nasim Cross, a member of the
Afrikan People’s Union, said po
lice could “have their way and not
answer to anybody.”
“It’s become acceptable — ha
rassing people and being suspi
cious of everything you do,” he
said. “They get away with it.
“What message are we sending
when a police officer can say, ‘I’ll
do what I want, and you’ll cover
my back’?”
Cross said police officers should
be setting an example rather than
breaking the rules.
“When they catch someone,
they practice all these tactics, but
they need to practice some self
control,” he said.
Some students also defended
the officers.
ficer.
Some students disapproved of
the university officers’ actions fol
lowing the incident. Venegas said
the organization wanted to calm
those feelings.
“When we confront a police
officer, we act differently when
compared to white people,” he said.
“We’ve been conditioned to be
fearful.”
Kevin Nguyen, a member of the
Vietnamese Student Association,
said he was with a group of friends
when a police cruiser slowed down
and followed them for a short dis
tance.
“That could be kind of racist,”
he said. “They shouldn’t have to
do that because we’re minorities.”
Police officers have said they
“They are putting their lives in
danger,” Nguyen said. “They take
their chances too. They get shot.
They get killed.”
Students offered three sugges
tions to improving minority and
university police relations:
— begin stress-management
classes for university officers.
— work on exerting self-con
trol in high-pressure situations.
— set up a system where stu
dents and others can register com
plaints against an officer they be
lieve is harassing them.
Venegas said he wanted the
group members to bring their dis
cussion back to their respective
groups.
“I know this organization may
not make a big difference at the
start,” he said, “but we hope it will
spread.”
Muslims celebrate holy month
By Alex Harriger
Staff Reporter
For Masroor Malik, the next month
will be an exhilarating religious ex
perience.
“There is a special feeling in the
air during Ramadan,” said the gradu
ate student in mechanical engineer
ing. “It’s a feeling that I just can’t
describe. You can feel it all around
you. It’s a feeling that everything is
blessed.”
Ramadan, a holy month on the
Islamic calendar, begins when the
new moon is first sighted. Muslims
around the world, like Malik and
more than 700 others in Lincoln, will
begin observing Ramadan this week.
Malik, secretary of the Islamic
Foundation of Lincoln, said Ramadan
was the holiest of all months to Mus
lims— a special time to gain strength
from themselves, understand the
plights of the needy and perform good
deeds.
The Islamic Foundation of Lin
coin is planning to send a shipment of
food, clothing and money to refugees
in Chechnya during Ramadan.
During the holy month, Muslims
fast from sunrise to sunset. They break
their fasts at night, when it is accept
able to consume anything except pork
and alcohol.
Malik said the reasons for fasting
included gaining self-restraint from
worldly pleasures, as well as a true
appreciation for those who go every
day without food or water.
“It gives me more desire to help
those who suffer because it gives me
a sense of how others feel when they
are hungry and thirsty,” he said.
Ramadan lasts for about 30 days,
Malik said, and the last 10, while not
required, are very important. The end
of the month, he said, was the last
opportunity for Muslims to perform
good deeds. Muslims believe that
Allah rewards them 70 times for their
good deeds, he said.
During the last 10 days of the
month, Malik said, the Islamic Foun
dation of Lincoln organizes “all
nighters” for Muslims, or anyone in
terested, to break their daily fasts and
pray.
Malik, a native of Karachi, Paki
stan, said Ramadan in America was a
bit different than in his homeland.
However, he said, it still provided a
special opportunity for him to be close
to friends and to teach Islam.
To accommodate residence hall
students observing Ramadan, the
Selleck dining hall will provide spe
cial meals students can pick up and
eat later.
Ron Burke, director of food ser
vice in Selleck, said students on the
university’s food service program
could pick up food in microwaveable
styrofoam containers at 6:45 p.m.
each evening to break that day’s fast.
They may also pick up cold cereal to
eat before dawn the next day.
Hot breakfast also will be avail
able at 6:15 a.m. each day during
Ramadan, he said.
2 fans arrested at Eagles concert
From Staff Reports
Two Eagles fans who decided to
take it to the limit ended up arrested
on charges of assault and failure to
comply with an officer.
Michael Brown, 22, was arrested
at the Eagles concert Saturday night
after UNL Police received several
complaints that he was being disrup
tive.
UNL Police Sgt. Bill Manning
said Brown was pushing and shoving
other fans, and became verbally abu
sive after one concert-goer told him
to quiet down.
The incident occurred shortly af
ter 9 p.m. Manning gave the follow
ing account:
Officer Brian Peters and Cpl. Brian
Scusa both contacted Brown and his
22-year-old brother, Aaron.
The officers reported a strong smell
of alcohol on both brothers, Manning
said, and escorted them from the Bob
Devaney Sports Center, where the
concert was being held.
Michael Brown, however, decided
to follow Peters back into the build
ing and grabbed hold of him. When
Peters then attempted an arrest, Aaron
shoved Scusa to get to the arresting
officer.
CUT COST
Continued from Page 1
said. After the student was readmit
ted by administrators, she counted
the number of students in class on a
Friday. The following Monday,
McGoveran said, the student found
five more people in class who appar
ently had not been dropped.
“I want to tighten up on professors
. and administrators and lighten up on
students,” he said.
When asked, McGoveran said that
he saw himself as a student advocate.
“We have 500 prosecutors, one
objective ombudsman and no defense
attorneys,” he said. “If a student is
trying to get something, and someone
is keeping them from it, I’ll help
them no matter what.”
McGoveran, who worked on tug
boats on the Missouri River for 12
years before a motorcycle accident
sent him back to school, said his age
would help more than hurt.
“I always say that we put Loud
(ASUN president Andrew Loudon)
in and it got quiet,” he said. “Put the
old man down there and see how loud
it gets.”
However, McGoveran said, he is
dedicated to students.
“If it costs me the chance to get an
education, I’m willing to pay that
price, he said. r- f \ ■
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138 N. 12th-475-0625
-Police Report
Beginning midnight Wednesday
9:31 a.m.—Larceny from build
ing, Nebraska Union, Bookbagtaken,
$230 loss.
1:25 p.m.—Vandalism/criminal
mischief. Area 1/2 19th and U to R
streets, side mirror broken, $100 dam
3Q0.
2:04 p.m. — Burglary, Adminis
tration, printertaken, $1200 loss.
2:14 p.m. — Accident, non-in
jury, Union Meter Lot, $300.
2:18 p.m. — Disturbance, Lied
Center.
11:13 p.m. — Shooting, assist
Lincoln Police, 2630 Orchard.
11:35 p.m. — Accident, 1300
block N. 16th, non-injury, $5000 dam
age.
1:37 a.m. — Disturbance, 13th
and R streets.
Beginning midnight Tueaday
12:59 a.m.—vandalism/cnminal
mischief, Abel Hall, sprinkler head
broken, $50 damage.
9:14 a.m.—Larceny from build
ing, case cleared/unfounded.
11:08 a.m.—Outside police as
sistance, case cleared/unfounded.
12:41 p.m.—Property damage,
Area 20 at 14th Street and Avery
Avenue, $150 property damage.
1:00 p.m.—City of Lincoln, mis
cellaneous.
1:55 p.m. — Richards Hall, in
jury/sickness.
6:37 p.m.—Abel Hall, wallet and
contents stolen, $35 loss.
6:37 p.m. — Abel Hall, theft by
deception, unknown loss.
7:08 p.m.—Law Library, miscel
laneous.
Beginning midnight Monday
12:11 a.m.—12th to 13th street,
miscellaneous.
4:24 a.m.—Alarm/security, acci
dental trip by custodian.
11:34 a.m.—Larceny from auto,
12th and R streets, $100 damage,
$340 loss.
1:55 p.m.—Vandalism/criminal
mischief. Area 3 Harper-Schramm
Smith, mirror broken, $50 damage.
2:36 p.m.—Larceny from build
ing, Campus Recreation Center, bag
and contents. $220 loss.
2:56 p.m.—Larceny from build
ing, 715 N. 16th St., cellular phone
taken, $100 loss.
3:40 p.m.—Vandalism/criminal
mischief, Andrews HaH.
4:29 p.m.—Fire, Area 1/219th
and R to U streets, $2,000damage to
vehicle.
5:05 p.m. — Accident, 14th and
West meter lot, $200 damage.
