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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1995)
WEDNESDAY WEATHER: Today - Mostly sunny. Northwest wind 10 to 20 mph. Tonight - Fair. Low in the lower 30s. October 25, 1995 -—-l . . — —■—■-—-—— Phillips returns to Husker backfield By Jeff Zeleny and Trevor Parks Senior Reporters For the first time in seven weeks, Lawrence Phillips walked into Me morial Stadium Tuesday wearing his No. 1 jersey and carrying a football in his hand. On Nov. 4, Phillips will run onto the field with the rest of the team as the No. 2 Comhuskers play Iowa State. It will be Phillips’ first game since since Sept. 9. Phillips, who was a Heisman Tro phy contender, was removed from the team after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting his former girlfriend, Kate McEwen. Coach Tom Osborne’s de cision to throw Phillips off the team brought gasps from some football fans and applause from women’s groups across the country. “Quite frankly, when the event oc curred, I thought he should be dis missed permanently because I thought it was a stalking question,” Osborne said Tuesday. Those who applauded the decision to boot Phillips from the team were incensed Tuesday. It is a clear indica tion, they said, that football comes before women’s rights. My real pain in this is that it re minds every victim that they don’t count,” said Judith Kriss, director of the UNL Women’s Center. “I would like to, ifwecan, somehow rise above this situation that has become about football and to change attitudes in society.” Osborne dismissed Phillips from the team Sept. 10. The junior from West Covina, Calif., later told the coach he was “out of control” when he climbed into fellow teammate Scott Frost’s apartment and attacked McEwen. One day later, Osborne said Phillips could someday return to the team. “I’m sorry that this happened. I know I can’t undo the situation, but I am trying to learn from it,” Phillips said in a statement. “I haven’t run from the problem but I am facing it head on.” McEwen has declined to talk to the media throughout the last month. “The reason that I have not spoken to anyone to this point, is not only because of the overwhelming nature of the ordeal, but also because of my desire for privacy,” McEwen said in a statement. Phillips was found guilty of misde meanor assault and trespassing in Lancaster County Court. He will be sentenced Dec. 1. Phillips was or dered to have no contact with McEwen by the court and the University Judi I cial Board. “While there have been sanctions imposed by the university and the team, nothing can be done to change what has happened to me,” wrote McEwen, who is still receiving protection from Phillips. ‘I'll take the heat’ Medical tests on Phillips, who spent four days at the world-renowned Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kan., concluded that he does not have a personality disorder nor is he psy chotic. Although he is required to see a counselor twice a week and a psy chiatrist once a week, he isnot danger ous, Osborne said. “I don’t think the university or the football program has done the easy thing,” Osborne said. “The easy thing would have been to dismiss him, but after examining all the factors involved we didn’t feel it was the right thing to do.” Medical professionals said a struc tured environment was crucial to Phillips’ future, Osborne said. They advised Osborne it wasn’t in Phillips’ best interest to remove him from the football team. “I’m prepared to live with how it all works out,” Osborne said. “But if it doesn’t, then I’ll take the heat.” Many officials—athletic, univer sity and judicial — played a part in Phillips’ return. Lancaster County Judge Jack Lindner changed a court order Mon day that originally barred Phillips from being around Frost or McEwen. Frost, a transfer quarterback from Stanford, said in a letter to the county prosecutor’s office that he does not feel uncomfortable practicing with Phillips. However, outside of athlet ics, Phillips still is ordered to have no contact with Frost. “He and Scott cannot go to the movies together, but they can practice on the football field,” Osborne said. Osborne met with both players at midfield following Tuesday’s prac tice. Under guidelines of the Unity Council, a group of players who help decide team rules, Phillips would have had to miss at least three games be cause of his arrest. When Phillips re turns next week, he will have missed six games. “The team was quite supportive of his returning,” Osborne said. It’s not my team’ Beck said McEwen just wanted to put the incident behind her and focus Jeff Haller/DN l-back Lawrence Phillips waits to run through a drill at practice Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Phillips rejoined the Cornhuskers Tuesday after a six-week suspension. on her basketball career. She said she supported Osborne’s decision as a professional in the athletic department and a University of Nebraska em ployee. However, she declined to say what she personally thought of rein stating Phillips. “It’snot my team, it’s not my play -- ers, it’s not my university,” Beck said. “What it is, is I have to control my own team and my own decision making.” Beck and McEwen ’ s fami ly remain adamant about Phillips havingnocon tact with the sophomore guard. Phillips is not allowed to go into the student athlete cafeteria or academic center when McEwen is present. Although Phillips cannot have any contact with McEwen, she no longer is receiving 24-hour protection as she was before, Beck said. “She feels safe,” Beck said. See PHILLIPS on 2 Students to discuss Broyhill By Kasey Kerber Staff Reporter Students with questions about the future of Broyhill Plaza can -quiz planners at tonight’sASUN meeting. A committee will update the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska on current plans to reolaceBrovhill 1--1 Fountain at 6:30 p.m. in the East Campus Union. It also will field questions and comments in an open forum from any student who attends the meet ing. “We’re hoping to attract a lot of students to this meeting,” said Shawntell Hurtgen, ASUN presi dent. “This is a topic of importance to all students, and we hope to have their input on it.” Hurtgen said she expected the committee to address whether na tionally acclaimed artist May Lin had been contracted to design a water feature, a structure that uses water but is not a fountain. “From what I’ve heard, they’ve been trying to work out a contract with her,” Hurtgen said, “but de tails on this seem to change more each day.” Hurtgen said ASUN would wait until after hearing the committee’s report to take a stand on the issue. “We will likely write legislation endorsing the committee’s plans or we will draft legislation speaking out against it,” Hurtgen said. Student input will be vital, she said. “We need to take some type of stand before the plan is finalized,” Hurtgen said. “It’s important to let others know that students have an impact on this decision.” lestimony continues in Harms’ civil suit From Staff Reports Testimony continues today in Lancaster County District Court in a wrongful death civil suit filed by the parents and sister of slain UNL stu dent Candice Harms. The suit was filed against Roger Bjorklund and Scott Barney, the two men convicted of abducting, raping and murdering 18-year-old Harms in 1992. The Harms family is seeking $7,300 in damages for funeral and burial expenses. Additional compen sation also is sought for general dam ages. For 12 weeks following her abduc tion, the city of Lincoln was marked with fliers asking for any information on Harms’ whereabouts. Investiga tors had few clues before arresting the two men on robbery charges. Barney made a deal with prosecu tors to become a state witness in ex change for a life sentence. Bjorklund received the death sentence Sept. 21, 1994. “Defendants’ intentional, outra geous and extreme conduct towards Candice Michelle Harms went beyond all possible bounds of decency and is regarded as atrocious and utterly in tolerable in a civilized community,” the lawsuit states. See HARMS on 6