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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1995)
insidell lit ednesday Sports Men’s gymnastics team looking for a repeat title, page 7 Arts & Entertainment Wickedly good “ The Last Seduction” comes to the Ross Theater, page 9 April 19, 1995 UNL student dies of apparent suicide By Matthew Waite and Brian Sharp Senior Reporters The weekend death of a UNL fresh man has left family, police and univer sity officials searching for answers. Stacy Lynn Bartlett, 19, died Sat urday after being hospitalized for eight days following an April 9 pill over dose in her campus residence hall room. Bartlett was a 1994 graduate of Harvard High School. “This is just unusual,” said Dwight Cude, the guid ance counselor at Harvard High. “We’fe a little bit removed out here, but everybody remembers Stacy. “She was just a great kid.” Funeral services for Bartlett are today at 2 p.m. at St. Cecilia’s Catho lic Church in Hastings. Bartlett’s death has been prelimi narily classified a suicide by police, but remains under investigation. James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs, said the UNL offices of Greek and judicial affairs were look ing into reports of alcohol in the case. Griesen and university police pro vided the following account of the events leading up to Bartlett’s death: On April 8, Bartlett went to a party about 10 p.m. at Delta Upsilon Frater nity. She reportedly drank alcohol throughout the night. “The investigation is not complete,” Griesen said. “But if the early reports of the drinking happening at the Delta Upsilon house hold up, indeed it would be an infraction of the student code of conduct. Delta Upsilon President Bret Bailey declined comment. After the party, Bartlett returned to Sandoz Residence Hall at 3 a.m. Sun day. She spent three hours in a friend’s room, and then returned to her own room on the second floor. At 6:30 a.m., Bartlett called the friend she had just left and said she had ingested a lot of pills. Friends reported that Bartlett said “I don’t want to die” and asked for help. Two friends took her to the emer gency room and checked her into Bryan Memorial Hospital at 7:28 a.m. Bartlett apparently overdosed on asthma medication, Tylenol and large doses of another unidentified drug. See SUICIDE on 6 UHC offers counseling From staff Reports Counseling services for students suffering from depression, having difficulty dealing with stress or cop ing with loss are available through the University Health Center. For appointments call 472-5000. In the wake of the Saturday sui cide death of a University of Ne braska-Lincoln freshman, signs of suicidal behavior are not uncom mon at this time of year, said James Griesen, vice chancellor for stu dent affairs. “I think many students start to feel the pressure of term papers and impending finals,” Griesen said Tuesday. “It makes it difficult for students that are suffering from depression.” Griesen urged any student on campus who was feeling depressed to call the health center for help. He also said students with friends show ing signs of depression should en courage the friends to get help. Rolling Storm thunders over NU players By Brian Sharp Senior Reporter Shad Dahlgren glides to the basket. As the UNL junior puts the basketball through the hoop, a boy seated at the courtside smiles and shouts something to his father. The 8-year-old boy is Scott Pigsley. He has spinabifida and is in a wheelchair. As NU bas ketball player Jaron Boone brings the ball down the court, Pigsley leans back again, his big, green eyes wide with excitement. Basketball is Pigsley’s favorite sport — to play and to watch. When asked who his favorite Comhusker is, there is little hesitation before he blurts out, “Boone! ” and points to the young star breezing by. Boone and other NU basketball players faced Dahlgren and his Rolling Storm team Tuesday night at the NU Coliseum for the second annual Rolling Storm benefit wheelchair basketball game. Throughout the night, Boone often found himself one-on-one with Dahlgren. And he usually lost. “He’s slippery,” said Boone, who was play ing in his second wheelchair basketball game. “These are a great bunch of guys. They’re out there playing a game they love. Dahlgren knows how difficult it is to leam that different game. He played on his high school’s basketball team in Bertrand until a June 1993 car accident. Dahlgren has been in a wheelchair since he was 16. He spent his last two years of high _ ' $ Travis Heying/DN Rolling Storm basketball player Jeremy Schmitt watches as teammate Dale Johannes collides with NU basketball player Andy Markowski during tne second annual benefit wheelchair basketball game Tuesday night. school on the sidelines, watching his friends and teammates win two state championships. “It was really hard,” Dahlgren says, taking time between questions to sign autographs. Athletics were very big there.” In Augqst 1993, Dahlgren created Rolling Storm. Players range from amputees to quad riplegics, he said, and some players don’t use a wheelchair in their daily lives. In the contest with Boone, Dahlgren came out on top. He finished with 12 points in a 34 27 victory. Boone finished with six points. Lincoln man shoots self as police arrive at scene By Matt Woody Senior Editor A 35-year-old Lincoln man died Tuesday on his apartment balcony from a self-inflicted gunshot, police say. David Rivers of 4340 Leighton Ave. committed suicide as police ar rived on the scene, said Lincoln Po lice Sgt. Jim Spanel. Spanel gave the following account of the incident: The Lincoln 911 center received a call at 2:32 p.m. from Rivers, who said he was going to commit suicide be cause “he had to.” Units were dispatched to the scene at the Cheever Apartments. As police came around the side of the building where fevers was, they saw him with a rifle^hointed up from beneath his chin. They backed off and did not get a chance to establish communication with Rivers, who then pulled the trig ger. No one else was home at the apart ment when the shooting occurred, Spanel said. An autopsy will be conducted, he said, and a grand jury investigation will begin through the county attorney’s office. Such an investiga tion is standard when a person is shot in front of police, the sergeant said. Funeral arrangements through Roper and Sons Mortuary are pend ing. Rivers is survived by his parents. Legislature feels the ‘crunch’ By J. Christopher Hain Senior Reporter The Nebraska Legislature is ex periencing its own version of end of-the-semester blues. With 27 days left in the legis lative session, several impor tant bills have yet to be ad dressed. Gov. Ben Nelson likened the situation to the two weeks before final exams in college. “It’s crunch time,” Nelson said. Nelson said that every year the session gets to a point where legis lators start to wonder if they will get to every important bill. Among bills yet to be debated, Nelson said, the crime bill is his No. 1 priority, followed closely by welfare reform and a proposed cap on special-education funding. The budget also has yet to be debated but will be addressed dur ing the next few weeks. Budget debate has been known to be lengthy, but Sen. Roger Wehrbein of Plattsmouth said he expected moderate debate on it this year. That doesn’t mean the Legisla ture will be able to get to every key issue, Wehrbein said. “I assume in 27 more days we are not going to get to everyone’s priority,” Wehrbein said. Bills to be addressed are chosen by Speaker of the Legislature Ron Withem of Papillion. Withem said he would deter mine which bills to address by ask ingmembersofthe Legislature what their biggest priorities were. Defining legislation of this year ’ s session is still ahead, Withem said, though the budget is the only thing the Legislature is required to deal with. He said the crime bill would be covered only if members thought it was important enough to bring up out of its natural order. Otherwise, the bill will carry over to next year’s session. Withem said many bills faced the same situation. “The worst thing that happens to a bill is that it will be one of the first ones we pick up next year,” he said. Nelson said that may not be in the best interest of the state. “Every day they don ’ t pass some thing important,” Nelson said, “it’s just that much worse off.”