inside fW\
[hursday
Sports
Nebraska announces
volleyball signings, page 8
Arts & Entertainment
St. Louis symphony to stop
in Lincoln, page 11
February 9, 1995
Bill hopes to hit habitual criminals hard
By J. Christopher Hain
Senior Reporter
Gov. Ben Nelson wants to make
life difficult for habitual criminals in
Nebraska.
Nelson appeared before the
Legislature’s Judiciary Committee
Wednesday to testify in support of
LB371, a crime bill introduced by
Sen. John Lindsay of Omaha on be
half of the governor.
LB371 makes up a major portion
of several criminal justice initiatives
being proposed by the governor.
A large part of the bill increases
penalties for several types of crimes
and includes a “three strikes and
■■■IH you’re in” pro
posal.
“This bill will
increase the cost
of committing
crimes in Ne
braska,” Nelson
told the commit
-]_|_j- tee.
LEGISLATURE
the governor has called it, imposes a
mandatory minimum sentence of 25
years on certain repeat violent crimi
nals and 10 years on nonviolent re
peat offenders.
The bill increases penalties for:
dealing in illegal drugs, possession of
a firearm by a felon or fugitive from
justice, use of a firearm to commit a
felony, drug-related crimes near
schools and use of a motor vehicle to
assault an officer.
LB371 increases funding for sev
eral law enforcement agencies and
creates a boot camp for nonviolent,
younger adult offenders. The boot
camp would try to increase a con
victed criminal’s chance of becoming
a productive member of society
through education and rehabilitation.
Harold Clarke, director of the Ne
braska Department of Correctional
Services, said the boot camp would be
a six-month, structured program that
would provide punishment without
expanding the load on the state’s
correctional facilities.
LB371 also deals with juveniles
convicted of crimes punishable by life
and makes changes in “good time”
reductions for inmates.
Attorney General Don Stenberg, a
frequent critic of Nelson, supported
LB371. However, Stenberg suggested
several amendments to the bill.
“Three strikes and you ’re
in.”
■
BEN NELSON
Governor
Stenberg’s amendments dealt with
capital punishment, violent juvenile
criminals, habitual criminals, parol
ees and auto theft.
Policy targets
gun storage
on campus
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
If a proposed policy change is approved by
student government and the regents, UNL will
be like an old west saloon — check your guns
at the door. —*— •y"-- -
The change in the student code of conduct
would add to the regulations on living units
with an expanded section about weapons on
campus.
James Griesen, vice chancellor for student
affairs, said the change formed by a committee
reviewing the student code would require that
students living on campus turn over their guns
to University Police to be stored at the station.
The student code of conduct forbids guns
from buildings at the university, except for on
campus living units. The policy allows guns to
be stored by residence assistants in the resi
dence halls and the house presidents in the
greek houses.
Police Chief Ken Cauble told the committee
that individual gun covers, racks and a place to
clean the guns would be provided.
Griesen said the way the guns were handled
in the past was difficult. He said students who
liked to hunt but lived far away from Lincoln
had problems trying to check out their guns
early in the morning, when many left for trips.
Now, with the police holding the guns, they
will be accessible 24 hours a day, Griesen said.
But even that may not persuade some gun
owners to turn in their guns.
Andrew Loudon, the president of the Asso
ciation of Students of the University of Ne
braska, said that realistically, not every gun
owner on campus would turn in their gun.
“I don’t expect the majority of hunters to
give up their guns to police,” he said. “If you
ask me ‘do you think this is enforceable’... I
would say no.
“I’m not pessimistic, I’m realistic on how
this policy will work.”
Cauble said that the policy change would
add to the duties of the University Police, but
that he did not mind.
“It’s something we’re willing to take on to
make it safer for students,” he said.
Jon Waller/DN
Lincoln Public Safety Officer MHIeson tickets cars across from the Nebraska Union Wednesday afternoon.
Milleson was checking for cars that were illegally extending time.
Parking fines mean money for schools
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
When Mike Emanuel got into his shiny
red Chevy Beretta Tuesday afternoon, he
didn’t see the little gift the city left for him
under his windshield wiper.
Expletives flew when he did.
The sophomore agri-business major
claimed he was in the space, which-didn’t
have a meter, for only 10 minutes. He also
said the person who parked in the space
before him had left without a ticket.
Emanuel left with a $5 parking violation,
and he wasn’t the only one. More than 10
cars along R Street in front of Nebraska
Union had parking tickets on them.
According to Lincoln Violations Bureau
records, the city took in $498,889 from
January 1994 to December 1994. State law
requires that all money not set aside to run
the ticket program go to public schools in
the city. Lincoln sent $352,166 to the city
schools and $146,723 to run the parking
ticket program.
See TICKETS on 6
Milleson and Jim Salber of the Nebraska State Historical Library and
Museum talk after Salber received a ticket.
■ - 1 r . ; ■ - ■
Nelson supports government appointment of NU regents
By Wendy Thomas
Staff Reporter
A plan to appoint members to the NU Board
of Regents could cause the University of Ne
braska to drift into the hands of the govern
ment, NU Regent Chuck Hassebrook said
Wednesday.
Gov. Ben Nelson introduced a constitu
tional resolution Tuesday that would make the
regents appointed, rather than elected, offi
cials.
Hassebrook of Walthill, said the change
would signal the loss of NU’s independence,
and the new system would be not be represen
tative of Nebraska citizens, but of the Legisla
ture and governor.
The justifications for such a move,
Hassebrook said, are weak.
“To argue that somehow we’re going to
have higher quality regents if we go to appoint
ment,” he said, “ignores the practical experi
ence of what we see happening in other states.”
In states where regents are appointed,
Hassebrook said, some are judged by the amount
of money they give to a gubernatorial cam
paign. When that happens, the race becomes
more about wealth than about quality.
Hassebrook said other reasons given for
removing regent elections, were equally as
flimsy. He said one of those reasons, that
people don’t know who their regent is, was
especially poor.
“There’s a lot of people out there who don’t
know who their congressman is,” he said. “Are
we going to do away with Congress?”
But if the resolution passes the Legislature,
Regent John Payne of Kearney said it probably
See REGENTS on 2
