_MORIS _»ll MON >AY
As Swift as it gets Righteous sister March 30,1998
Jess Swift scored a career-best 9.750 on the vault “Little Plastic Castle,” Ani DiFranco’s tenth solo
to help the Nebraska women's gymnastics team album, shows off more of the DIY songwriter’s WlNDY WELCOME
win its fifth-straight conference title. PAGE 7 talent and politics. PAGE 9 Breezy, chance of rain, high 57. Rainy tonight, low 35.
VOL. 97 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 128
Visions unmasked
at LeaderShape
By Lindsay Young
Assignment Reporter
Fifty-eight students last week
took off the masks they wear in
everyday life to concentrate on what
they could do to contribute as lead
ers to UNL and the community.
The LeaderShape Institute was
an opportunity to pack outside prior
ities. such as school and work, in a
box for a week and let participants
clear their heads.
Then, participants could find out
what to do with their goals, said
Marilyn Bugenhagen, LeaderShape
campus program administrator.
The conference, which is in its
second year at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. was at Camp
Carroll Joy Holling in Ashland from
March 21 until Thursday.
Kee said that when the partici
pants took off then masks, the val
ues the program taught were more
effective.
The program's activities helped
participants learn a key to good
leading - understanding themselves
and others, said Taylor Faulkner,
freshman mathematics major.
Andy Schuerman. sophomore
business education major, said par
ticipants learned things about them
selves such as what motivates them
and how well they work with others.
LeaderShape reflects important
leadership issues such as v ision.
partnerships, integrity and results.
Participants learned to work in high
performance teams, practice deci
sion-making in ethical dilemmas
and deal with change.
The conference was set up with a
different theme, such as "Building
A
D
Community,” each day. Students
worked in large and small groups.
By the end of the week, the par
ticipants each formulated a vision
statement and decided how to carry
it out. Those visions focus on some
thing the conference graduate can
contribute to the campus or commu
nity.
Visions included the creation of
mentoring programs and what par
ticipants could do to combat drink
ing and driving.
Kee's vision involves breaking
down cultural barriers and encour
aging more communication between
UNL's international and American
students.
ne sam ne win worn. as a Muaent
Assistant at Cather Residence Hall
next year. serving as an international
house coordinator. At LeaderShape
Kee realized how a supportive team
could help him achieve his vision.
Throughout the week he learned
how to tap into resources and
achieve his goal step-by-step. He
plans to start different cultural and
educational programs and create
activ ities and events where interna
tional and American students can
work together.
Bugenhagen said the
LeaderShape team continues to
motivate participants to carry out
their visions throughout the next
year through periodic enrichment
sessions and personal coaching.
This makes the program more
effective, said Kif Harvey, a sec
ondary education major.
“It's not just a week process.”
Lrime act criticized
Griesen says bill puts emphasis on reports
By Josh Funk
Senior Reporter
A bill in U.S. Congress could
change the way crimes are report
ed and handled on university
campuses.
The Accuracy in Campus
Crime Reporting Act would
require university administrators,
officials and counselors to report
all crimes to university police.
The bill also would change cam
pus disciplinary proceedings.
“I have some serious concerns
about this bill,” said James
Griesen, vice chancellor for
Student Affairs.
“It is well-intended, but not
well-proposed.”
The bill now is being consid
ered by the House subcommittee
on postsecondary education,
training and hielong learning.
Congressman John Duncan
Jr., R-Tenn., introduced the bill
Feb. 12, 1997, along with
Congressman Charles Schumer,
D-N.Y., and 19 co-sponsors.
Now there are more than 65
co-sponsors on the bill.
Griesen’s complaint was that
the bill emphasizes reports of
crime over incidents of crime.
“The proposed changes won’t
be at all effective lowering crime
on campus,” he said.
Requiring all university offi
cials to report any crime they
know about would require a
tremendous amount of coordina
tion to avoid duplication, Griesen
said.
“There are a lot of gray
areas,” he said.
Please see CRIME on 2
Lane Hickenbottom/DN
ON APRIL 14, Lincoln Sen. Don Wesely will say goodbye to the Nebraska Legislature, ending his 20-year career ser
vice District 26. The UNL alumnus is considering running as a candidate for Lincoln’s next mayor in 2000.
20-year career nears end
By Todd Anderson
Assignment Reporter
Honesty is remaining true to one
self.
For Lincoln Sen. Don Wesely. that
has meant making decisions in
accord with his principle throughout
his 20-vear career as the District 26
representative in the Nebraska
Legislature.
“1 did what 1 thought was right,
even though it might have hurt me
politically,” Wesely said.
After 20 years of service,Wesely,
44, has announced that he will retire
from Nebraska Legislature after the
session ends on April 14. He also will
retire from Aliant Communications,
where he has worked as a research
consultant.
In 1978, while still a graduate stu
dent at the University of Nebraska
Unicameral after friends prompted
him to run.
Even though the then-24-year-old
student had never thought of running
for the Legislature, the idea intrigued
him when he received a positive
response from people in the Lincoln
community.
After narrowly winning in the pri
maries, Wesely won with a strong 59
percent majority vote in the general
election.
At that time, Wesely said he knew
he wanted to fight for the disadvan
taged and working-class people.
Sen. Chris Beutler, fellow
Lincoln senator, said Wesely s focus
has not changed in 20 years.
“(Sen. Wesely) came into the
Legislature with a well-developed
philosophy and an admirable set of
ideals,” Beutler said. “And that has
not changed.
"He's always had the judgment to
make necessary compromises while
moving toward his ideals.”
As chairman of the Health and
Human Services Committee for the
last 14 years, Wesely has become one
of the most informed and influential
experts on health care, locally and
nationally.
Wesely has spoken to legislatures
and committees nationwide about
health care and has served as member
of several national and state task
forces throughout his career.
Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln
said Wesely's focus has naturally
been on health issues, but his passion
has been economic development.
“He’s one of the few who call into
question the state's policy of giving
tax incentives to businesses,”
Schimek said.
Wesely said he fought business
tax breaks, such as the recent bill to
attract a Caterpillar plant to Omaha,
to remain true to his principles.
“I took on some very powerful
people,” he said.
“Every decision you make, some
body’s going to be mad at you,” he
said.
But in defending his beliefs,
Wesely has never been rigid or
impossible to work with.
On the contrary, Wesely is known
as a coalition builder in the
Legislature, Beutler said.
Lincoln Sen. Dave Landis and
Sen. Deb Suttle of Omaha both said
Wesely has a habit of making all the
different people with opposing view
points sit down at the same table and
talk to each other. He has even sacri
ficed mainstream popularity when
necessary, they said.
“1 think it’s an expression of his
own sense of conscience," Landis
said. “The application of conscience
in public life is uplifting and valu
able.”
Schimek, who has served on the
HHS committee for the last two
years, said Wesely is an effective
communicator.
“He's a very firm, yet gentle, style
of leadership,” she said. “He tries to
work with people to see that they get
to accomplish their own goals as
much as possible, while keeping an
eye on his own goals.
Beutler said Wesely employs the
General Patton approach in trying to
make progress toward his goals.
‘He goes on all fronts a little bit at
a time; he keeps moving,” Beutler
said.
Wesely said he’s willing to work
with anyone who is honest.
“The only people I can’t work
with are the dishonest ones,” he said.
“They infuriate me.
“Dishonesty is one of the traits
that I like the least.”
Seeking to open communication
among Lincoln senators, Wesely
started the Lincoln breakfasts, mod
eled after the Nebraska breakfasts in
Washington, D.C.
“(Wesely) has usually been the
unofficial organizer of the Lincoln
delegation,” Schimek said.
Debra Hardin Quirk, Nebraska
Democratic Party chairwoman, said
Wesely also has provided guidance in
the state party, by serving as a dele
Please see WESELY on 3
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