The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 18, 1996, Image 1
THURSDAY WEATHER: Today - Blowing & drifting snow. Cold. Northwest wind 30 to 40 mph. Tonight - Clearing & cold. Low -5 to -10. January 18. 1996 Tanna Kinnaman/DN Steve Grohs, a junior environmental major, rides a crowded 11:30 a.m. bus from East Campus to City Campus Wednesday. Grohs said he rides the bus three times a week. Tight squeeze Students riding buses to class must overcome overcrowding By Tonya Cross Staff Reporter Students riding StarTran buses on Holdrege Route 24 may have to take a back seat — or no seat at all. Overcrowding on the bus line that runs between City and East campuses has left students cramming in while others are left to wait for the next bus arrival. Ken Paulman, a junior engineering ma jor, said he missed classes two days in a row because of inadequate space on the bus. To make it to class on time, he said, he must wake up half an hour earlier to catch a bus, and then wait another 30 minutes to return home. “An hour everyday out of my day really starts to add up,” he said. “I was pretty fed up.” Michael Cacak, director of transportation services at UNL, said he had received only one complaint. If overcrowding problems continue on a regular basis, he said, something would have to be done to alleviate the problem. “We should be able to provide transpor tation,” Cacak said. Paulman said more buses should be added in the winter. By March the number of riders would decrease because students start walking or biking, he said. “Especially at 9:30 a.m. more buses are needed,” said Trade Beck, a junior business administration major. “It’s really over crowded.” Beck said two buses running at the same time or one larger bus was necessary. Dwayne Sovereign, StarTran operations superintendent, said three buses ran in the morning. The first starts at 35th and Holdrege streets at 6:50 a.m.; others begin at 13th and Q streets at 7:20 a.m. and 7:35 a.m. All three make the 45-minute route until 2 p.m., two buses run until 3:55 p.m. and one bus runs until 6:07 p.m. The schedule is the same every weekday except for Monday, when an extra bus has been added between 9:30 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Each semester and day is different be cause of students’ schedules, Sovereign said. Bus drivers must call StarTran and confirm how many passengers were left behind. Then StarTran totals the results and informs the university. “So far the university has been very co operative if a bus needs to be added,” Sov ereign said. “It’s taken care of right away.” I-2:I Former Rep. Jordan dies of pneumonia By Peggy Fikac The Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas — Former Rep. Barbara Jordan, whose ringing, Jehovah-like oratory made her literally the voice of moral authority during the Watergate impeachment hearings, died Wednesday at age 59. joraan delivered me Key note address last month at the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s commencement. The NU Board of Regents conferred upon her the hon orary degree Doctor of Laws. Jordan — one of the first 1 1 1 two blacks elected to Con Jordan gregg from the South since Reconstruction — died of pneumonia believed to be a complication of leukemia, said George Christian, a Democratic insider and former press secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson. “When Barbara spoke with that deep, boom ing voice, it was as though she was speaking from tablets of stone,” former Treasury Secre tary Lloyd Bentsen said. “She had a presence as few people do.” Jordan also had been ill for several years with multiple sclerosis. Her life was a series of firsts: In 1966, Jor dan, a Democrat, was elected to the state Sen ate, the first black member since 1883 and the first black woman ever elected to the Texas Leg islature. In 1972, she became the first black woman elected to Congress from the South. Andrew Young of Georgia also won office that year. Once considered a possible vice presiden tial candidate, Jordan left politics after three terms in the House, choosing to teach at the University ofTexas. Shunning the limelight, she devoted her energies to her students, who fondly called her “B.J.” Always, there was her voice—formal, deep, powerful and carefully enunciated, befitting the daughter of a Baptist minister. “I thought I heard God speaking, and it turned out to be Barbara Jordan,” said Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro, recalling her from his days as a Senate clerk. Jordan won a national reputation during the committee’s 1974 hearings on whether to im peach President Nixon. See JORDAN on R Great Plains posts high bid By Julie Sobczyk Senior Reporter Great Plains Media Inc. of Elkhom has made the highest bid to gain the rights to the Nebraska Sports Network, offering the UNL Athletic Department $1.6 million for the 1996-97 year. Paul Carlson, interim vice chancellor for business and finance, released a statement Wednesday containing summaries of three pro posals submitted to UNL on Monday. The amount of Great Plains Media’s bid would increase by $75,000 after the first year, and by $50,000 every year after that. The company would develop a station net work throughout Nebraska, including a 16-sta tion, out-of-state network. An additional package of pregame and post game coverage also would be provided. Host Learfield Sports of Dallas proposed a bid of $1.15 million for the first year, with an increase of $50,000 each additional year. The company plans to request broadcasting of football and basketball games on both AM and FM stations in Lincoln and Omaha and will try to target a listening audience of 18 to 34 years old, a group it says is currently ignored. The final bid was proposed by Henry Broad casting Co., the parent company of KFAB in Omaha. KJFAB has been the flagship station of the Nebraska Sports Network since 1983. Henry Broadcasting proposed the minimum $1 million bid requested by UNL. The bid includes an increase of $200,000 each year of the contract. All bids must guarantee live coverage of men’s football and basketball games and women’s basketball and volleyball games. The winner will hold the contract for the next five years. A committee will begin to review the pro posals and make a recommendation to incom ing Chancellor James Moeser. The proposals are expected to be presented to the NU Board of Regents at its March meeting. Billproposesfishing free-for-all By Erin Schulte Staff Reporter Sen. Dave Landis of Lincoln hopes to reel in baiting his hook with a free fishing day. Landis proposed LB923 to the Natural R bill states that anyone could fish at state pari a fishing license or park pass on one day during tl Forty-four states have free fishing days, Landis The idea was brought to his attention by a constituent who used to work for the Nevada Deportment of Wildlife, which sponsors a free fishing day. Not only does it promote use of state parks, it could increase the number of fishing licenses sold if people decide they want to come back, Landis said. < But mostly it would encourage families to get out together for a day, he said. “Families don’t have to make a heavy investment to have one special day,” Landis said. AH other fishing regulations would remain the same. Anglers wishing to fish at specially-stocked lakes still would have to pay the extra fee, Landis said. Sen. Michael Avery of Gretna, a member of the Natural Resources com mittee, suggested an emergency clause [ See FISHING on 6 Aaron Steckelberg/DN