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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1996)
-NT iDaily, Nebraskan COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA SINCE 1901 VOL. 95 NO. 102 FRIDAY WEATHER: Today - Mostly sunny & warm. South wind 5 to 15 mph. Tonight - Fair and mild. Low around 40. February 9,1996 Mami Speck/D N Justin Firestone presents the OFFICE party platform Thursday afternoon in the Nebraska Union. Firestone, a junior Latin and economics major, is a candidate for ASUN president. OFFICE candidate says party will cure corruption By Joshua Gillin Staff Reporter Student government has been run by an “elitist” political machine for too long, the second announced candidate for ASUN presi dent said Thursday. Justin Firestone, the Association of Students of the University of Ne braska presidential can didate for the OFFICE party, outlined hispartv’s ASUN Campaign platform before an audi ence ofabout 40 students in the Nebraska Union. “There is a cancer, a _ spot on the sun that is this university — a growing cancer mat nas been testenng and corrupting your student government,” Firestone said. “The OFFICE party is the cure for that cancer. The OFFICE party will remove that spot from the sun.” Firestone said an “elitist” group of stu dents had long operated student government, and the time had come for “normal” students to take control. Kevin Gregorius, the OFFICE candidate for second vice president, said he wanted to carry that message to all students. “We ’re your average, run-of-the-mill stu dents,” he said. “We’re here to represent you, not impose some twisted political agenda on you.” Among the changes OFFICE plans to implement if elected are forming a commu “We're your average, run-of the-mill students. We're here to represent you, not impose some twisted political agenda on you.'' KEVIN GREGORIUS Second vice president candidate nity cabinet ofkey student organization lead ers to confer on student issues and develop ing an electronic-friendly learning environ ment. The key to the development of electronic learning is the Internet, Gregorius said. “More and more of the world is getting on-line,” he said. “UNL has to be a part of that.” The party is concerned with a widening rift between the student body and the Ath letic Department, as well as campus safety, overcrowding in residence halls and the renovation of campus facilities. Chuck Isom, the OFFICE candidate for first vice president, said it was time prom ises were fulfilled. “We've heard a lot of talk about parking garages and residence halls being built or renovated, but we haven't seen any progress,” he said. “If s time those things See OFFICE on 6 Abortion bill debated Proposal may challenge Roe v. Wade By Ted Taylor Senior Reporter A bill that would prohibit abortions when there is an “existing sign of life” spawned al most four hours of testimony and debate Thurs day in the Judiciary Committee of the Nebraska Legislature. Sen. John Lindsay, the Catholic attorney from Omaha who introduced LB 1380, defined those signs as the presence of circulatory and respiratory functions or the presence of cerebral functions. But Lindsay stressed that the measure was not trying to prove when life begins. “Make no mistake. LB 13 80 does not define when life begins,” he said. “It cannot do that. “What it does do is recognize that at a par ticular point in the pregnancy, life is present.” Before testifying began, a five-minute ultra sound video was shown to the committee and audience. The narrator outlined the early stages of gestation and the baby’s progression through out pregnancy. Opponents of the bill say it is an impermis sible ban on abortion and is in direct conflict with the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Lindsay conceded and said most of the testi mony against the bill would say that the measure is unconstitutional—an argument he would not deny. “LB 13 80 seeks to challenge the United States Supreme Court based upon the basic frame work of Roe v. Wade,” he said. Sen. Cap Dierks of Ewing, one of the co signers of the bill, called the measure “novel.” Lindsay said in his opening remarks that he See ABORTION on 3 Williams has one appeal left By Chad Lorenz Senior Reporter A Nebraska death row inmate Thursday lost one of his last chances to dodge the death penalty. Eighteen years after murdering two Lincoln women, Robert E. Williams has only one more appeal separating him from the electric chair. Lancaster County District Judge Paul Merritt ruled that Williams had a fair trial in 1978, even though juror Barbara Boyce looked at a map that had not been offered into evidence. “There is no reasonable possibility that the extraneous material or information secured by Boyce affected the jury’s verdicts to the defendant’s detriment,” Merritt said. “There was no actual prejudice and no reasonable pos sibility of prejudice to the defendant by Boyce’s misconduct.” Williams, 59, had been sentenced to death for killing 25-year-olds Catherine Brooks and Patricia McGaiTy. Williams pleaded guilty but said he had been influenced by alcohol, drugs and mental problems. The Nebraska Supreme Court stayed his execution on March 22, 1995, after Boyce is sued a sworn statement saying she improperly looked at the map during Williams’ trial to consider his travels after the killings. The Supreme Court gave Merritt the case to decide if Williams’ right to a fair trial had been violated. Merritt declared there was jury misconduct, See WILLIAMS on 3 American neo-nazi indicted From The Associated Press HAMBURG, Germany—American neo Nazi Gary Lauck has been indicted on charges of inciting racial hatred and distributing ille gal propaganda. Lauck, 42, of Lincoln, was arrested in Denmark in March at Germany’s request as he attended a regional convention of neo Nazis. Lauck, dubbed the “Farm Belt Fuehrer,” was extradited to Hamburg on Sept. 5 and has been held in investigative detention since then. Prosecutors in Hamburg on Wednesday charged Lauck with 38 counts of inciting racial hatred, distributingillegal propaganda, displaying banned Nazi symbols and other charges. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. No trial date was set. Under German law, a suspect can be detained under court order for up to six months without trial. After that, a judge can order the suspect released. According to prosecutors, Lauck has been the main supplier of neo-Nazi brochures, films and other propaganda for 20 years from his base in Nebraska. While such mate rial is generally considered constitutionally protected free speech in the United States, it is illegal to publish or distribute in Germany. Getting control Student winning bulimia battle By Todd Anderson Staff Reporter Joyce Fishel is still learning. At age 13, she developed an eating disorder called bulimia nervosa. “I began making myself sick up to seven times a day,” she said. Since then Fishel, now a graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been learning to live with the anxiety that causes such disorders. “At that age, I had anxiety about every thing,” she said. “I felt like I was losing control.” Fishel said she was plagued by worries in her early teen years. Competing for attention from boys and striving for an image caused her to worry about her appearance. “I knew 1 was having problems,” she said. “I knew something was wrong. I wanted to fix it, but I didn’t know how. “I was only taking in 200 calories a day. My electrolytes were so low I had problems thinking and concentrating.” Her parents noticed the problem and confronted her about it. “1 began to lie to them,” she said. “I started to leave the house if my parents watched over me.” Fishel tried an outpatient program when she was 18 and medications later on. Both helped a little, but neither helped her deal with the stress and anxiety causing the disorder. ' When she came to UNL, Fishel said, See FISHEL on 6
