Nelson not selected for jury duty
By Ted Taylotr —
Assignment Reporter
Gov. Ben Nelson appeared in a
Lancaster County districf'coui't
room as a prospective juror Monday,
saying even the highest ranking
public officials are not exempt from
being chosen to fulfill a civic duty.
“It was a reassuring experience,”
he said. “I now have a renewed faith
in the system.”
After more than an hour of gen
eral questioning in the old federal
building’s district court number
seven, Nelson was not chosen to be
part of the 12-member panel.
The case involved a man seeking
damages following a 1990 automo
bile accident.
Nelson said later in the day that
he wished he would have been cho
sen to sit on the jury.
“I’m just like everyone else,” he
said. “I would like to be in a jury
room that is not created in
Hollywood.”
Both attorneys addressed
Nelson as governor during their
questioning, but he said he consid
ered himself a common citizen
among the seven men and 10 women
who were part of the pool of poten
tial jurors.
“It was clear that I wasn’t there
as governor, but as a registered
voter,” he said. “I had to answer
questions just like everyone else.”
He has never been summoned to
appear for jury duty before.
Nelson, a former attorney, state
director of insurance and claimant
in a similar auto accident lawsuit in
1960, admitted that if he were on the
other side of the jury box, he proba
bly would have removed himself,
too. <
“I probably wouldn’t have been a
very good candidate,” he said.
The governor, who still has two
weeks left in this jury term and
could be called to serve again, had a
message for anyone who tries to get
out of it.
“I highly recommend it for those
who are called,” he said.
Nebraska Barbie scores big
ByIevaAugstums
StaffReporter
Walk into many retail stores, and
you will most likely find a number of
tall, blonde Nebraska cheerleaders
with peppy personalities and 36-24
36 measurements.
No, the world has not discovered
how to clone humans yet, but the
Mattel Corp. has tried to do the next
best thing.
Mattel chose the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln and 18 other
schools to produce the University
Barbie. The doll will model the
schools’ colors and help show school
spirit.
Since 1959, Mattel has made the
Barbie doll. Their latest creation, a
blonde, Caucasian woman sporting a
red and white cheerleader uniform,
has been on the market since August.
The Athletic Department has
received numerous phone calls ask
ing why the Barbie doll looks the way
Jtyhes, rather than having a different
skin and or hair color, Black said.
l ne only explanation we nave
for the University Barbie’s appear
ance is that the original doll Barbie
has always been a blonde and
Caucasian doll,” said Renee Black,
athletic licensing coordinator. “It was
the Mattel Corp. who decided what
the doll would look like.”
The University Barbie is the sec
ond doll Mattel has created reflecting
UNL and its football tradition. The
first was a national champion doll
created in 1970.
Sara Rosales, Mattel spokes
woman, said the colleges chosen to
have a University Barbie were based
on school colors. Navy, orange and
red were decided upon because
Mattel found the colors complement
ed die doll’s appearance, she said.
Rosales also said Mattel looked at
the schools’ location and stadium
size, the amount of collegiate
licensed products sold and the foot
ball and basketball rankings.
The Athletic Department will
receive a royalty from the percentage
of sales.
Black, who is also the NU Spirit
Squad adviser and a former cheer
leader, said she was thrilled to be
working with the Mattel.
Black said that when any corpora
tion or individual wants to use the
university’s name, they must contact
the university and then contact the
Collegiate Licensing Co. After the
proper paperwork is drawn up, a
product model is sent to the licensing
department and a decision is made
whether or not to go through with
manufacturing.
“It’s a lengthy process, but licens
ing a product, regardless if it is a
Barbie or if somebody here in
Lincoln wants to make a T-shirt, they
all have to go through the Collegiate
Licensing Co. and the same type of
process,” Black said.
The dolls are in limited amounts,
she said. Once the stores are sold out
of the doll, trying to find a store that
has the doll in stock is going to be
nearly impossible, Black said, and
customers may wait until next year
when the doll is reintroduced.
Stores in Lincoln, including
Target ($18.99); Kay-Bee Toys
($19.99); Shopko ($17.99); and Hy
Vee Food Stores ($19.99) are sold out
of the doll. Walgreens ($19.95);
Kmart ($19.99); and Toys R Us
($17.99) have die dolls in stock. Toys
“R” Us has about 1,000 dolls in stock,
and expects a shipment of 6,000 in
coming weeks.
“Most definitely having the foot
ball season around the comer helps,”
said Toys “R” Us director Steve
Aune, “but I believe the doll would
have been a great success anyhow
because of Nebraska fever and the
great Nebraska Comhusker follow
ing.”
Black said the University Barbie
is not popular just because it is from
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
but because, “Barbie is popular for
the mere sight that it is Barbie.”
Black, along with cheerleaders,
already have purchased the doll or
have received the doll as a gift.
“Once we learned that we made
the squad early in the spring, one of
die mothers decided to buy us all die
doll,” said cheerleader Kristin
Wismer, a freshman nutritional sci
ence and pre-med major.
Stacia Welch, a senior nursing
major and spirit squad member, said
she had not heard negative remarks
made toward the squad because of the
doll. ^
Michael Williamson, a senior
biology and pre-med major, said he
liked the doll for the most part.
“The Barbie is good because it
gives Nebraska national recognition,”
Williamson said. “But it is also bad
because it stereotypes us as Nebraska
Cornhuskers ... it’s like we are only
known for our football.” '
Lane Hickenbottom/DN
THE UNIVERSITY BARBIE, dressed in a Husker cheerleader’s uniform, Is sold
out In some Lincoln stores. “Everyone is excited to be part of a nationally
known dell,” NU cheerleader Stacia Welch said.
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