Questions arise over diversity data
DIVERSITY from page 1
racial minorities, not just women.
Neither set of data could provide
a 100 percent accurate comparison
between peer institutions, Benson
said.
“Even though they’re peer insti
tutions, those that have different
programs are being compared
against each other,” he said.
Benson said six of UNL’s peer
institutions include librarians in fac
ulty counts; three do not.
The university’s report, which
was required by LB389, passed last
year, includes both the percentage
of minority and women faculty and
plans to increase faculty diversity
on all four NU campuses.
State senators threatened to
withhold 1 percent-about $3.5 mil
lion - of the university’s budget
with the passage of LB389 if NU
failed to meet certain goals in hiring
of women and minority faculty.
Although there is disagreement
regarding the data, Sen. Don Wesley
of Lincoln said he did not think NU
would face the budget-cut penalty
this year.
Despite the education depart
ment numbers, Wesley and Beck
agreed the report was an adequate
step towards gender equity.
“I would be willing to live with
this first-year report,” Beck said.
“Some effort has been made, and
there are signs around that there is at
least good faith to do some things.”
I *
Beck said she would work with
other women faculty to persuade the
NU system and the Legislature to
use the more accurate AAUP num
bers.
“Historically, we haven’t done
enough (to enhance gender equity),
but I’m willing to give it a little
more time.”
-1
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Chapter closes doors
to Kappa Sigma house
FRATERNITY from page 1
Kirkland said the chapter was
unable to meet “standards held by
local alumni and the national fraterni
ty.”
UNL Kappa Sigma President
Adam Miller said he was unaware of
any specific standards the chapter did
not meet.
“It was more like ‘keep your noses
clean’,” Miller said. “It was kind of a
gray area.”
Reiner said although the fraternity
had disciplinary problems in the past,
members had “cleaned up their act”
and were in no trouble during the fall
semester.
He said members had planned to
appeal to the UNL office of Greek
Affairs this semester to have their dis
ciplinary probation reconsidered.
Director of Greek Affairs Linda
Schwartzkopf was unavailable for
comment.
Although Kappa Sigma members
said no disciplinary violations were
logged during the fall semester,
Kirkland said violations, which he
would not specify, did occur in the fall.
Financially, Kirkland said, the fra
ternity also could not survive.
“We had a large physical plant (the
house) to support,” Kirkland said.
“Financially, we could not support
that.”
Miller said if financial reasons
were behind the closing, the fraternity
should have been shut down last
semester before it borrowed $80,000
from the national fraternity to keep the
house open.
Reiner said a capital campaign to
build a new house had begun, and if
the house was closed during the fall
when many alumni were on campus,
no alumni would have contributed to
the campaign.
“A lot of people think (the alumni
board) kept us around this semester
because a lot of alumni were coming
in,” Reiner said. “(Members) feel used
- like they just wanted to show us off
to the alumni to make money.”
Kirkland said those allegations
were unfounded.
“The only thing we did was bor
row $80,000,” he said. “We would not
have done that without die belief that
the chapter, at that time, was a viable
entity.”
Members also said finances were
under the alumni board’s control, so if
money was a problem, it was die alum
ni’s fault.
“If they had to close it because of
financial reasons, they’re kind of lean
ing it on us,” Miller said. “They’re the
66- |
We had three
weeks to find places
to live over
Christmas break”
Kevin Reiner
Kappa Sigma member
ones that probably screwed up.”
Whatever the real reason for the
closing, about 40 people are out of a
place to live, and new pledges will not
have the opportunity to go through ini
tiation.
Reiner said members who lived in
the house had to scraipble to find a
place to live over winter break.
“We had three weeks to find places
to live over Christmas break,” Reiner
said. “Some people got stuck in dorms
when they’re seniors.”
He said others were not returning
to school this semester because they
could not find places to live.
nappa aigma iormer
President Paul West said members
were more upset at the lack of notice |
than the actual closing.
Kirkland said he checked with the
UNL housing office to make sure
enough rooms were available in the
residence halls for displaced mem- |
bers.
He said although members wouTd
no longer have a house, if they were in
good standing they would not forego
their eligibility for alumni status, as
long as their behavior was acceptable.
Reiner said he felt the alumni had
left members out in the cold.
“I feel really betrayed by our alum
ni,” Reiner said. “They’re supposed to
support members in the house.
“We were trying to improve, and
they just stabbed us in the back.” ;
Kirkland and the alumni board
plan to re-open the house in 2000, ip
order to “recolonize” by getting a fresh
group of faces in the fraternity.
Members will have the opportuni
ty to appeal the suspension of their
house charter at a meeting ip
Tennessee in March, West said.
West said a group of younger
members was planning to fight the
suspension, and some were also talk
ing about starting a group off campus.
But, without a house, he said, it
would be close to impossible.
‘To me, it feels like 3lA years went
down the drain,” West said. “All my
work just wait for nothing.”
' ' * ' j ' |
I-,---1----.---a,
From staff reports
Burglaries plague building
* A rash of burglaries was report
ed last week, all in the same apart
ment building.
Five burglaries took place last
week, three on Monday and two
Wednesday at 942 Foxcroft Court.
JliPbtl<?e said three.of the.burglar
WfelsuKed ih^OsSes^lo^a^ing more
than $1,500 each.
There was no sign of forced
entry in any of the burglarized
apartments, and all burglaries
occurred during the day, Lincoln
police Sgt. Ann Heerman said.
Man charged with murder
A Lincoln man was charged
with second-degree murder Dec. 23
in connection with the shooting
death of a 19-year-old after finals
week last semester.
Maurice Miley was accused of
shooting Frankie Rhodes at 2945
Starr St. after Miley was allegedly
told to leave a party at the residence.
Miley was also charged with the
use a weapon to commit murder,
second-degree assault, use ofa
weapon in connection with ah
alleged assault, terroristic threats
with a weapon and the unlawful dis
charge of a firearm.Miley allegedly
fired into die house on Stai^i^gg^
critically wounding Rhodes.
A preliminary hearing was set
for Jan. 23.
Shooting injures man
Police are investigating a shoot- '
ing in which a Lincoln man was crit
ically injured. jj
Jackie White, 22, was shot on
Dec. 28 in his home at 1210 N. 26* St
White was critically injured in
the shooting, but his injuries were
not considered life-threatening.
No arrests have been made,
Heerman said.
