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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 1997)
SPORTS Hot bats warm NU On a day when temperatures were in the 30s and the wind chill was near 13 degrees, the Nebraska baseball team beat Creighton 13-3. PAGE 10 txi The mecca’s end * The SXSW Music and Media Conference wrapped up earlier this week, and Lullaby for the - Working Class proved to be a success. PAGE 12 WEDNESDAY March 19, 1997 WaLKHI’ Oh Partly sunny, high 65. Fair tonight, low 43. I a VOL 96COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 _ Matt Milles/DN FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Jason Frazier, loft; Jason Taylor, 17; Jenny Taylor, 16; and Jill Petrosky, 15, listen to the debate of 11280, a bill that would allow same-sex marriages. Some of the students said they thought the discussion was taking longer than necessary. "I think W% kind of a waste of time to debate the bill all day,” Frazier said. "There are so much more Important things they could be talking about like poverty and homelessness. There are more important things to talk about In this country than this.” Debate heard on gay unions Senators seek to define marriage and families. By Erin Schulte Senior Reporter A senator in favor of a bill that would outlaw recognition of same sex marriage in Nebraska said gays and lesbians should not be forming families. Floor debate was held all after noon Tuesday on LB280, intro duced by Sen. Jim Jensen of Omaha and co-sponsored by 28 other sena tors. “People of the same sex are not capable of forming a well-rounded family,” said Sen. Gene Tyson of Norfolk, adding that gays and les bians saw families as a way of “aug menting their numbers.” Jensen said the bill would ensure the protection of marriage. “The ideal family consists of one man, one woman and children,” Jensen said. “No county, state or country in the world currently al lows same-sex marriage. “LB280 does not change that, it merely maintains the status quo.” A few senators said it might be time to change the status quo. Al though more than half of legislators support the bill, much of the debate time was taken by the few senators who opposed the bill. Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln countered religious arguments. He said the Catholic catechism says gays don’t choose ta be gay and should not be discriminated against. They must be respected, and un just discrimination must be avoided, Beutler said. Beutler highlighted historical reasons for marriage, such as dis ease control. That was (me reason same-sex marriages could be ben eficial, he said. “The best thing we could do to curtail the spread of AIDS is to en MHH IH ■bf£5Tv? Hi HHHH Hit a i.«i: courage monogamy,” he said. Other historical reasons for mar riage included the care and protec tion of a spouse and children, and encouragement of procreation. All those categories except procreation pertain to same-sex marriages, he said. Procreation was a common topic during debate. Jensen said children needed both a female and male role model in the home. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said there were important reasons other than procreation for marriage. If procreation was the only reason for marriage, Chambers said, then those who are sterile or too old to have children would not be allowed to marry. He also said that just because children grow up with a mother and Please see MARRIAGE on 3 Family expresses hope for justice By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter The family of Tamara Ligenza won back a little more faith in the judicial system Tuesday afternoon as the man accused of killing her was bound over for trial. Richard and Pam Ligenza, the victim’s parents, said after the hearing that they were hoping for the day Clifford Davlin would be ordered to stand trial for the murder of their daughter. After testimony from a police in vestigator and a witness who said Davlin admitted to the crime while in the Sarpy County Jail, Lancaster County Court Judge Jack Lindner set Davlin’s arraignment for March 26 on first-degree murder and first-degree arson charges. “I hate to say it, but we were start mg to lose faith that this day would come,” Richard Ligenza said 'It gives you a little more faith in the justice sys tem when it does start turning.” Davlin is accused of strangling Tamara Ligenza in her apartment at 1640 Washington St. and then setting fire to the residence on Sept. 7,1993. He was charged with the murder Feb. 19 in Lancaster County Court af ter police began a review of evidence in August 1996. Felony charges are brought in county court, but after a judge decides there is enough evidence for a trial, the case moves to district court. As the only suspect to develop in the case, Davlin was charged by Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey after the evidence was reviewed. Six members of the Ligenza family sat and listened to sometimes graphic Please see DAVLIN on 3 Panel discussion turns to arguments about racism By Sarah Baker Staff Reporter The definition of racist expression and the Sigma Chi cross burning were two subjects that led to angry debate at Tuesday’s Community Conversa tions panel. “Is there a problem with racist speech on this campus?” forum mod erator Robert Lee asked. Lee’s question led to loud argu ments in which speakers interrupted each other. Lee said the intent of the forum, called “Racism at UNL: What are the Limits to Free Expression?” was for students, faculty and staff to talk openly about campus issues and questions dealing with racism. ! ' One argument centered on UNL administrators’ responses to racist ex pression ai me umversny. Richard Duncan, a UNL law pro fessor, said rapper Sister Souljah made racist comments toward whites when she visited the university several years ago. At that time, no administrators said she was wrong to express herself, Duncan said. They should have con demned her for it, he said. Some in the audience disagreed. “Sister Souljah expressed her own opinion, but Sigma Chi represents the entire university and the UNL commu nity,” one man said. “I don’t want to be represented by a burning cross in a field.” In January, members of Sigma Chi fraternity were found burning a cross as part of a pre-initiation ritual. Frater nity members said the off-campus cer emony did not have racist intent Please see FORUM on 3 Professor hopes to return to Albania --— u By Erin Gibson Senior Reporter When the United States evacuated its citi zens from Albania last Friday, Harish Gupta did not want to leave. “If the U.S. government said it was all right to return, I would be the first person to go,” he told the Daily Nebraskan Tuesday. The gunshots and machine guns that sounded his lullaby each night could not persuade the University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor that rtlae conflict was worth fleeing. The people were still good, he said, and the country was still beautiful. Gupta said he requested special permission If the president would have resigned two weeks ago, I would still bts (in Tirana).” Habhh Gupta UNL professor from the U.S. government to forgo evacuation and continue hisyyo^k at the University ofTirana in Albania’s capital city. The United States de nied hisrequest to stay, but the government could not deny Ms passion to return. As Gupta spoK£ he stopped to encourage a . , . colleague who had not yet seen Albania to go. Sl\e replied she would leave tomorrow if she could. ' They did not exchange words on the dan Please see GUPTA on 6 Read the Dailj^lebraskan on the World Wide Web at http: / / www.unl.edu /DailyNeb ' • V - . ri~-. . .. * .. \ r