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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1997)
UNL sophomore drowns in lake I By Ted Taylor Assignment Reporter A informal high school reunion ended in the drowning death of an 18 year-old UNL sophomore this month. Benjamin A. Silverstein, a 19% gradu ate of Omaha Westside High School, drowned shortly after 4 am. in a private lake 12 miles west of Fremont Silverstein, a broadcast journal ism major and member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, had gathered with a group of about 10-12 high school friends for an afternoon of water-ski ing at Legge’s Lake and dinner at a cabin owned by a family friend. The accident occurred when Silverstein tried to swim to shore from a small island in the lake. He was recovered from 8 feet of water. Fremont Fire Chief Gary German said the North Bend Volunteer Fire Department received the fust call about the accident at 4:04 am. and arrived 10 minutes later. At 4:19 am. the Dodge County Water Rescue Team was called German said that it took about 10-15 minutes to assemble the dive team before leaving for the lake at 4:35 am. and arriv ing there about 5 am “We (the Fire epartment) our first call around 4:20 am and were en route a few minutes later,” said “When Silverstein we arrived at around 5 am. he was essen tially recovered on our first dive.” The dive team’s response time was “extremely adequate,” German said. At least two life support para medics were on the scene, “with every intention of working him if they had any sign at all,” but Silverstein was pronounced dead when he was brought to shore, German said. While Dodge County Attorney Dean Skokan would not speculate about whether Silverstein or any of the others at the lake were drunk at the time of the incident, he did say alcohol was present Phi Gamma Delta President Jay Pohlad said that even though last year was Silverstein first year in the fra ternity last year, he was active. “He was involved in a lot of stuff?’ she said “He was our assistant social chair, and he just helped out quite a bit” The house is planning a memorial service for Silverstein a week or so after school starts, Pohlad said. The service will be open to everyone. Silverstein’s mother, Kris Campbell, said that the past two weeks have been excruciating. “It’s very hard,” she said. “We’re all feeling a roller coaster of emotions right now.” Last Thursday, Silverstein’s father, Barry Silverstein, talked with Skokan about the investigation. Skokan gave the family as much information as he could, Campbell said but for complete details they would need to go to Fremont to see the actual investigation report - something she is not quite ready to do. “I would think sometime in the future we will go look at it,” she said. “But even when I rehash it today, it’s almost too much to handle right now.” Silverstein’s 17-year-old sister, Sarah, was on vacation with her father in Brooklyn, N. Y., when she heard the news. Since then, she said, she has been in constant denial. “I keep thinking he’s still coming home, that he’s just off at college and he’s coming home,” she said. His older sister, Marta, who now lives in Phoenix, spent the last two weeks with the family helping them get through everything, she said. Silverstein’s mother, who spoke to the Daily Nebraskan 11 days after her son’s death, said his death has cost her more than just the life of her only son. “We have a lot of wonderful mem ories of Ben, but we have such a void in our life without him,” she said. “He wasn’t just my son, he was my best friend.” Housing has enough space HOUSING from page 3 have had to live in lounges. The stu dents who will be assigned to tem porary triple rooms will be on a waiting list to move into a double room. | Peg Blake, associate vice chan cellor and director of admissions, said it’s impossible to calculate the exact number of students expected to live in the halls. “Numbers are going to continue to increase until Friday,” Blake said. “But we cannot say how much they are going to increase by.” Residence Hall Association President Ben Wallace said lower numbers don’t mean the halls will be left empty. “I think we are full, but comfort able this year,” Wallace said. When the halls are less crowd ed, students will have a better time ! living on campus, he said. Hearings focus on bleach ■ Witnesses claim Gabel used chlorine a month before the killing. By Ted Taylor Assignment Reporter Pretrial hearings for Gregory Gabel continued last week as county prosecutors began laying out evi dence they plan to present against the man accused of killing an 1 8 year-old UNL freshman in 1995. Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey said that Gabel the hearings should continue into the fall, leading up to a jury trial that is set to begin in late January or February. Gabel, 33, is charged with first degree murder and the use of a weapon to commit a felony in the July 25, 1995 slaying of Martina McMenamin, who was found stabbed to death in her southwest Lincoln apartment. Gabel was arrest ed and charged with her murder a year later after investigators matched DNA in his blood sample to the DNA in a blond hair found clutched in McMenamin’s hand. McMenamin, who was sexually assaulted and beaten before being stabbed, was found by her roommate, Sarah Bognich, in their Amberwood apartment, 4600 Briarpark Drive. In November, Gabei, a frequenter of Lincoln s dance clubs and down town businesses, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Last week, pretrial testimony focused on what some said was an obsession Gabel had with chlorine bleach and whether he mentioned McMenamin’s name to a friend at a Lincoln library last year. Chlorine bleach became an important part of the case when police found evidence of it at the crime scene. They think the accused killer used the bleach to destroy evi dence and clean himself up after the murder. Former coworkers of Gabel claimed during the hearings that he had an “obsession” with bleach and that he had used it to clean up blood that resulted from a fight outside Kabooms nightclub about a month before McMenamin was murdered. They said Gabel thought bleach was important in cleaning up body fluids. Three weeks ago, County District Judge Paul D. Merritt lis tened to testimony from Bennett Martin librarian Carolyn Dow, who said she overheard Gabel tell a friend in the library about strangling some one. The pretrial hearings are sched uled to begin again Aug. 25 at 9 a.m. The start date for the jury trial, however, may hinge on something that has nothing to do with the case itself. Lacey said that the trial may be pushed back because the County City Building offices will move to a new location at 10th and P streets while the old County-City Building is renovated. UNL orders Coke to raise prices in sports facilities COKE from page 2 caused controversy during contract negotiations. It was unclear whether vending machines, including two near the NU ticket office, were part of Memorial Stadium or part of the university, Watmore said. “This was a real, real touchy situa tion,” she said. But Pepsi decided to let Coca-Cola continue to operate the vending machines for the next two years, she said. Pepsi wanted a 12-year contract so the company could remain the sole provider of beverages at UNL for 10 years after the Coca-Cola contract expires, she said. Three vending machines are known to operate in athletic department offices. One is down the hall from Nebraska Football Coach Tom Osborne’s second-floor office, another is near the first-floor ticket office and the last is near the athletic train ing tables. The Hewitt Food Center, which serves meals to athletes, is operated by the university and will serve Pepsi prod ucts and display the Pepsi logo, Watmore said. But Baird said the Coca-Cola logo will remain in Memorial Stadium and other NU sports arenas through June 1999. The Pepsi logo will debut in the Devaney Center and Memorial Stadium during the summer of 1999. According to a 12-year sponsorship contract signed by Pepsi, the Pepsi logo will first appear on two 12-foot by 4 foot permanent panels around the HuskerVision screens. Three smaller panels will bear the Pepsi logo on field-level scoreboards, including one above the famed tunnel where football players emeige onto the field before a football game. During every home football game starting fall 1999, fans will watch the Pepsi logo fly across HuskerVision screens during at least eight instant replay segments m the first and second quarters of the games. In the Devaney Center, time clocks will feature 15-foot-long back-lighted Pepsi advertisements. Spectators in the center will watch four 20-second advertisements on the scoreboard and on smaller displays. Later, other Pepsi advertisements may be placed throughout athletic facil ities on the UNL campus as approved by NU and Pepsi Cola Co. Tor your tyzfrltk CsfMTt 'Hte-fy... mm mm mm mm mm i Primary Care Specialty Care Physical Therapy Pharmacy Radiology Laboratory Dental ___ Health Education SMfel Aft?u/ Counseling SC Psychological v?' ±ir*rr Services ^ CONVENIENT HOURS: __ _' Clinic Appointments: 8 a.m. - 6 pjn., M-F " T—" - tuTii mniT—» ~ _ am - a pm., Saturday (Uosed Sundays) East Campus Cfinic Moon - 3 pm., M Th East Campus CAPS Appts- 8 am. - 4 pm., T UnWe-rsity tye-tkltk C'e.ntkr^ 15th and U Streets http://wwwunl.edu/health/Welcome. htnd |l Health center sees change _HEALTH from page 7 ■ Scheduling to accommodate students who need assistance quickly. The center has opened appointment slots throughout the day. This allows students to come in right away to see a doctor. ■ A modification of East Campus clinic services that will provide a physician assistant, reg istered nurse and certified labora tory technician during clinic hours. In the past, the clinic was open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with only a registered nurse on staff. On Wednesdays only a physician assistant and registered nurse were available from noon until 4:00 p.m. ■ Students and health center staff who will address the content and quality of patient visits to establish higher satisfaction. This includes time for students to ask questions and clearer communica tion between patient and physician regarding diagnosis, treatment plan, medication use, self-help measures and follow-up needs. The center plans to address these through a review and a patient sat isfaction survey, as well as some methods that have yet to be devel oped. ■ Establishing procedures for student involvement in health cen «- ; We hope students find these changes to ; be positive Linda Herrmann health center director ter operations to build and enhance health services. Herrmann said the changes will benefit students by providing more access to and improvement in medical care on campus. “We tried to take a long view of the resources that were going to be available in the future and then worked to provide the best service possible within those resource limits,” Herrmann said. “We hope students find these changes to be positive.” Herrmann stressed the changes were part of the health center’s ongoing goals. “Our mission is to provide comprehensive, quality health care and education that promotes health and well-being,” she said. “Enhancing our patient-provider interaction is one of the best ways we can fulfill this mission.”