Student’s dad sues UNK over housing rule
HASTINGS (AP)—A south cen
tral Nebraska man has filed a lawsuit
against the University of Nebraska at
Kearney, alleging that a housing rule
violates his 18-year-old son’s religious
freedom.
The rule requires that all full-time
freshmen live in on-campus housing.
Students who are married, 19 years
old or living with a parent or guardian
are exempt from the rule.
Michael Rader, who filed the law
suit in U.S. District Court in Lincoln
on behalf of his son, Douglas, said the
rule is unconstitutional and denies him
the right to direct his son’s education.
Douglas Rader began classes at
UNK this week and is living in an off
campus building operated by the Chris
tian Student Fellowship, a group sup
ported by his church.
The Raders seek a court decision
stating that UNK’s policy violates their
constitutional rights and preventing
" UNK from enforcingthe policy against
them. They also request payment for
attorney fees, court costs and any other
damages.
Lincoln attorney Jeff Downing told
The Hastings Tribune that the Raders
are not seeking monetary damages.
“They just want a policy set aside
for their son by the university,” he
said. “I believe many universities
would grant waivers for this type of
situation.”
Barb Snyder, UNK vice chancellor
for student affairs, said no action had
been taken against Douglas Rader for
living off campus. She said the univer
sity wanted to review its policy before
making any decisions.
“We believe it is a sound policy
academically, educationally and so
cially,” she said.
In March, Douglas Rader filed a
petition for exception to the freshman
housing policy. According to the peti
tion, Douglas said he was concerned
about the immoral atmosphere of col
lege residence halls.
“I have heard from many of my
classmates and friends of the wild
lifestyles allowed in dormitories at
UNK,” he said in the petition. “The
obnoxious alcohol parties in the dor
mitories, the immoral atmosphere and
the intolerance toward those who pro
fess to be Christians would severely
hinder my free exercise of religion
and be a definite hardship on me.”
Douglas R. Wermedal, assistant
director of resident life at UNK, de
nied the petition request in April. He
sdid there were many campus ministry
programs offered by residence halls.
“I am firmly persuaded that there is
nothing in the residence hall environ
ment that would prohibit the free exer
cise of your or any other person’s
faith,” Wermedal said.
In a letter sent with his son’s peti
tion, Michael Rader said he had spo
ken to other parents of college stu
dents who “told us sad stories of their
children.”
“Several young people, pressured
by their new friends, stop their in
volvement with the church and put
their faith on the shelf,” Michael Rader
said. “Doug is too precious to us to let
that happen.”
Downing said he was waiting for a
response from the university before a
hearing date was set.
Omaha teen gets
prison sentence
OMAHA(AP)—A 15-year
old Omaha youth was sentenced
to at least 10 years in prison
Tuesday for killinganother teen
ager in December.
Charles Harris was sentenced
to 10 years for second-degree
murder and from 10 to 15 years
for use of a firearm.
Harris had pleaded guilty to
both charges. Police said he shot
15-year-old Derick Cleghom in
the face during a fight between
two groups of youths in north
Omaha.
Douglas County District
Judge James Buckley said a life
sentence would have been ap
propriate if Harris had been
older.
Offutt officer considers
himself lucky after crash
OMAHA (AP) — An officer at
Offutt Air Force Base is nursing
wounds that include a sprained shoul
der, cuts and a few bruises.
But he considers himself lucky.
Maj. Chuck LeMay was one of 25
people who survived the crash of a
commuter plane Monday in Georgia
that killed five people, including die
pilot.
LeMay boarded the Atlantic South
east Airlines turboprop from Atlanta
to Gulfport, Miss., en route to Biloxi,
Miss., where he was to attend a weather
conference at Keesler Air Force Base.
The officer, who is not related to
the late Gen. Curtis LeMay, former
commander in chief of the Strategic
Air Command, works at Air Force
Global Weather Central at Offiit.
LeMay,42, spoke Monday evening
to the Omaha World-Herald from his
room at Bowdon Area Hospital in
Carrollton, about seven miles from
the crash site. The plane went down
around midday about five miles from
Carrollton, breaking into three large
pieces as it plowed across the green
field.
The pilot had radioed that he was
having engine problems and may have
been trying to land at West Georgia
Regional Airport, six to eight miles
from the crash site, said Christy Wil
liams, a Federal Aviation Administra
tion spokeswoman.
LeMay, a 22-year veteran of the
Air Force, said he heard a loud bang,
looked out a left window and saw that
the metal surrounding one of the en
gines was gone. Fuel began to pour
out of the damaged engine.
A flight attendant told passengers
that the plane could operate safely
with one engine and would turn around
to head back to Atlanta. Then she told
passengers what to do if the plane
crashed. She reassured them they
would not need to use the procedures.
A few minutes later, she told the
passengers to get into position for a
crash. LeMay said he and other pas
sengers still believed they were head
ing for an airport.
LeMay said he watched as the plane
clipped some trees, but never felt any
impact from them. He said the plane
hit the ground hard and slid.
The fuselage tore apart in the crash,
sending debris into the air.
Flames erupted as LeMay left the
plane. He said he was the second per
son out. The flames grew as he helped
others out of the wreckage.
“A guy sitting next to me took his
pants and shirt off and was beating
down the flames on people as they got
out,” LeMay said. “I’m just thankful
I’m alive.”
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