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Former student warns of AIDS at UNL
Tanna Kinnaman/DN
Paul Moore talks about his experiences as a gay student at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
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By Tanna Kinnaman
Staff Reporter “
A former University of Nebraska-Lincoln
student said the university is in denial about the
existence of AIDS on campus.
Paul Moore, who coordinates a program for
homeless children in Portland, Ore., spoke at a
student affairs staffdevelopment meeting in the
Union Friday.
“In a meeting I attended as a student, a vice
chancellor denied that AIDS was a problem on
campus and didn’t need to be addressed by the
university,” Moore said. “I am here to tell the
university that AIDS is a problem here.”
“In a meeting I attended as a
student, a vice chancellor
denied that AIDS was a
problem on campus and
didn't need to be addressed by
the university. I am here to tell
the university that AIDS is a
problem here."
m
PAUL MOORE
Former UNL student
Moore said he probably became infected
with the AIDS virus while he was a student at
UNL. At the time, he didn’t think AIDS was a
Eroblem on campus. This belief was reinforced
y the university, the Lincoln community, his
friends and society, he said.
“Fear on campus of gays and lesbians is so
great that AIDS is rapidly spreading to others,”
Moore said.
While he was in a fraternity, some men were
having sex with both men and women, he said.
“But the men didn’t use condoms when they
had sex with women because they feared the
women might think they were gay,” Moore said.
The two most rapidly increasing groups be
coming infected with the AIDS virus are women
and people under the age of 21, Moore said.
“Statistics show that one in four women will
be raped. These women won’t be in a situation
to negotiate safe sex,” he said. “And neither are
abused women who don’t have the skills to
negotiate safe sex or set healthy boundaries.”
Moore said the self-worth of gays and lesbi
ans are publicly debated all the time.
“The message I continue to receive at UNL
is that gays and lesbians aren’t worthy of what
other students are worthy of,” Moore said.
“When (Mary Dean) Harvey says that gays and
lesbians shouldn’t be allowed to adopt children,
what does that say about my self-worth?”
Harvey is director of the Nebraska Depart
ment of Social Services.
Because'vof the messages he received on
campus and in society, he didn’t think he was
worth caring about. On the outside he appeared
to be a student leader, but inside he would have
done anything not to be gay.
“I thought it would be better to die than to be
gay,” he said.
Moore said his low self-esteem led him to
practice self-destructive behaviors.
It wasn ’t until he hit rock bottom—contract
ing AIDS — that Moore sought help.
Once he got helpand began working through
his problems, he started to feel good about
himself, Moore said.
“I feel better about myself now than any
other time in my life. Unfortunately it took
getting AIDS for that to happen.
“The scary thing is that odds are I’ll probably
get sick and die. It’s scary that people will go to
work the next day and I won’t be here,” he said.
“This is the 15th year of the AIDS epidemic.
Very soon more people will have died of AIDS
than all the people who have died in all of this
countries wars put together,” Moore said. “How
many have to die before people join in the war
and acknowledge AIDS?”
Moore said Jack, a friend of his who was a
former Jesuit priest, told him there had to be a
purpose for AIDS. We were supposed to leam
something from it.
“Maybe we’re supposed to leam to respect
each other and leam to care for each other,”
Moore said. “Millions of people will die from
AIDS. We have to leam something or all of
these deaths will be for nothing.
“What is it we’re supposed to leam?”
Court experience, education gained before law school
By Catherine Blalock
Staff Reporter
As an undergraduate, Monique
Ellert, a 27-year-old University of
Nebraska-Lincoln student, is gaining
experience toward her law degree.
When Ellert is not attending classes
towards her Political Science degree,
she can be found at the Healey and
Wieland law offices where she is a
legal secretary for Prosecutor Robert
Bartle.
Bartle is currently prosecuting
Stephen Schellpeper, who has been
charged with third degree assault in
volving the arrest of Francisco
Renteria. Renteria died the following
“I've just been at the
right place at the right
time. ”
: ■
MONIQUE ELLERT
Undergraduate Poli. Sci. major
day at Lincoln General Hospital.
Bartle also was the prosecuting at
torney in Officer Luke Wilke’s case,
who was found not guilty, and will
prosecute Danny Wright when the case
goes to trial August 7.
Ellert has been present in the court
room since the Wilke trial began. She
is gaining valuable experience toward
her law degree which she plans to
pursue at UNL after she receives her
bachelor’s.
“Asfor me.thiswasan opportunity
to experience firsthand the profession
I am interested in pursuing,” she said.
Ellert has been working 12-hour
days since the trial began, but the
work does not always include work in
the courtroom.
Last week she spent her time in the
office handling Bartle’s private prac
tice and plans to return to the court
room next week.
While Ellert is in the courtroom,
she takes notes and if an issue arises
where a piece of evidence is needed
she gets it out.
She is also present because she can
recall testimony from the Grand Jury
hearings.
“Bob’s been incredible in respect
ing my intelligence and involvement
in the case,” she said.
Through Ellert’s work with Bartle
she has been able to get to know the
man behind the prosecution of offi
cials involved in the Renteria trials.
“Mr. Bartle has shown me that in
tegrity exists in the legal profession.
He has been heroic in his ability to
stick to his job despite public disap
proval and disappointment. We forget
that it is his job to be divorced from
the emotions we all feel, in an attempt
to insure justice is carried out,” Ellert
said.
Ellert knows she is gaining valu
able experience in a way that most
people don’t. Many people start out in
a law office as an office runner or law
clerk.
“I’ve just been at the right place at
the right time,” she said.
Before coming to UNL, Ellert was
a legal secretary for three years in
Scottsbluff. Prior to that move she
attended a college in San Francisco.
Her mother lives in Scottsbluff and
her father lives in San Francisco.
This fall she’ll return to UNL as a
full-time student and will continue to
work for Bartle.
