_S PORTS A & E MONDAY
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Buffaloed Running with the bulls February 23, 1998
The Nebraska men s and women s basketball Colby Gines, a member of “The World's
teams scored v ictories over Colorado last week- Toughest Rodeo,” has been building his career as BACK In THE HlGH LIFE
end 79-71 and 78-53, respectively. PAGE 7 a bullfighter since age 7. PAGE 9 Cloudy, high 56. Clear tonight, low 30.
Black community unites for future
Conference
on government
‘empowering’
By Ieva Augstums
Assignment Reporter
Some left with a vision.
Some left feeling empowered.
And many left with Giowledge of how
to make their black student governments
stronger and with ideas to improve racial
environments on their campuses.
About 1.000 black student leaders from
colleges across the country trickled home
Sunday from the Big 12 Conference on
Black Student Government.
Organizers thought they had accom
plished their goal, and participants said
they took home something valuable.
“This weekend has been very empow
ering.” Shantana Groom, a University of
Missouri-Columbia student, said. "The
people that are here are the ones that want
to continue to learn about their heritage,
want to make a difference, and are going to
make a difference.”
This years' theme, “Black Love:
Restoring the Essence of the Black Family,"
Please see UNITY on 2
... , . LaneHickenbottom/DN
PAULETTE JONES of Lincoln |ams with the Holy Spirit Friday night at the Gospel Extravaganza at the Cornhusker Hotel. The event was part of
the Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government held in Lincoln this weekend.
Marital bill argued
By Joy Ludwig
Staff Reporter
Couples seeking a divorce could
find more hurdles to jump in the legal
system if a covenant marriage bill is
passed by the Nebraska Legislature.
However, some senators worry
that LB1214 would create a two
tiered marriage system because of the
stricter requirements involved in
cov enant marriages
The bill would require couples to
go through premarital counseling
before entering into a covenant mar
riage. Couples aiso would hav e to sign
a declaration promising to love, honor
and care for one another as husband
and wife for the rest of their liv es.
And if the couple decided to sep
arate or seek a divorce, they would
have to meet stricter requirements.
According to the bill, before a cou
ple could separate legally, they would
have to get at least 10 hours of marital
counseling.
In the case of divorce, they w ould
have to get at least 25 hours of coun
seling as well as prove that the other
party had committed adultery or
abuse, was imprisoned on a felony,
had lived separately for two years or
had abandoned the family.
Engaged couples still can marry
under existing Nebraska marriage
law if they choose. Married couples
also could convert their union into a
covenant marriage.
Although other states have consid
ered the covenant marriage proposal.
Louisiana last year became the only
state to adopt the marriage option.
Testimony from both sides was
heard Friday during a Judiciary
Committee hearing.
Sen. Cap Dierks of Ew ing, who
sponsored the bill, said the purpose of
LB 12 14 was to make marriage more
successful not to make div orce more
difficult to obtain. He said he was more
concerned about the impact divorce
has on children from the marriage.
The children are more likely to go
through depression, drop out of high
school and live in poverty once
divorce takes place, Ew ing said.
Nebraska Attorney General Don
Stenberg said LB1214 would be his
highest legislative priority this year.
He said the bill was designed to
strengthen the institution of marriage
and eliminate the problems that come
with divorce.
“I believe that if more Nebraska
children grow up in two-parent fami
lies, it would result in less crime, less
drug abuse, less poverty and a more
stable society.” he told the committee.
Stenberg said the requirements of
the bill would be optional.
But Sen. Ernie Chambers of
Omaha testified against the bill, call
ing it "busybodied legislation.”
“This is the most lame-brained,
crack-brained piece of nonsense 1 have
ever encountered in my life,” he said.
When young people are in love,
they think they are going to be togeth
er forever. Chambers said. Even after
going through premarital counseling,
he said, they might not understand
what marriage really involves.
"It's not playing house anymore.
It's a serious matter,” he said.
Sen. Kermit Brashear of Omaha
also expressed his concerns regarding
the bill, saying he was worried people in
regular mamages might feel covenant
mamages were supenor to their union.
Making divorce more difficult to
get is not the answer to reduce the
high rates of divorce, he said.
“People who say no-fault divorce
is the problem. I’m sorry,” Brashear
said. "The problem is with us, the
people and our society.”
The committee took no action on
the bill.
NU versus Michigan:
Battle for the blood
By Ieva Augstums
Assignment Reporter
Finally, Nebraska has the chance
to really stick it to Michigan.
The NU College of Dentistry in
Lincoln and the University of
Michigan School of Dentistry in Ann
Arbor, are going arm-to-arm with a
“competitive blood drive" to deter
mine who is really No. 1.
Larry Crouch, Ph.D., assistant
professor of oral biology for the
College of Dentistry, said he asked
UM to compete when he knew the
football season was going to end in a
split national title.
"The mutual challenge is a wav
for students and community mem
bers to support their collegiate teams
and community at the same time,"
Crouch said.
Mark Fitzgerald, D.D.S. M.S.,
assistant professor for the UM school
of dentistry, said the Big 10 school is
honored to compete in the challenge.
“The challenge is a statement of
support for the teams,” Fitzgerald
said. “But it is also a very tangible
contribution to our communities.”
The UM dental college's blood
drive will be March 25.
The NU College of Dentistry held
its blood drive Feb. 6, but is collabo
rating its efforts with the UNL
Campus Red Cross, the Community
Blood Bank of Lincoln, and the
Omaha American Red Cross until
Friday.
Ann White, mobile coordinator
for the Community Blood Bank of
Lincoln, said the dental college
donated enough blood to save up to
168 lives.
"The challenge has created a very
big interest within the community,"
White said.
White said blood bank donors
have requested to be counted as part
of the challenge in hopes Nebraska
can beat Michigan.
"We give everyone the option to
sign up to be counted as part of the
challenge," White said.
When asked if he thought UNL
had a chance in winning, Crouch
said “The people who are giving and
receiving blood are the true winners
of this challenge.”
Please see BLOOD on 6
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