SPORTS
Spring rush
Senior rush ends Mike Rucker and Chad Kelsay
look to assume a leadership role this season for
the Cornhusker football team. PAGE 7
A & E
He writes the songs
Singer/songwriter Joel Mabus will perform Friday and
conduct a song-writing workshop Saturday at Lincoln’s
Wagon Train Project PAGE 8
THURSDAY
April 2, 1998
Pack Your Picnic Basket
Mostly sunny, high 60. Cloudy tonight, low 35.
VOL. 97 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 131
Paula Jones case thrown out
■ A judge says a lack of evidence
was the reason for dismissing all
charges against the president.
7
By John Solomon
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a dramatic victory
for President Clinton, a judge dismissed Paula
Jones' lawsuit Wednesday and said her claims of
sexual harassment “fall far short" of being worthy
, of trial.
Clinton embraced the news while traveling in
Africa, while Jones' attorneys said they expected
to appeal.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Susan
Webber Wright to dismiss all three charges
against Clinton surprised attorneys in the case
who were preparing for trial next month in Little
Rock, Ark.
“Although the governor's alleged conduct, if
true, may certainly be characterized as boorish
and offensive, even a most charitable reading of
the record in this case fails to reveal a basis for a
claim of criminal sexual assault,” Wright said in a
39-page ruling.
Her decision abruptly halted a sensational
lawsuit that had haunted the White House for
more than three years and threatened to place the
president’s sexual conduct before the nation in a
histone tnal.
Jones' attorneys said she was disappointed not
to have her day in court to punish Clinton for an
incident she said took place while she was a state
employee in 1991.
Jones “has failed to demonstrate that she has a
case, and the court therefore finds that there are no
genuine issues for trial,” Wright said in the deci
sion.
Clinton, wrapping up a tour of Africa, was so
surprised by the ruling he asked if it was an April
Fools’joke. The president is “pleased that he has
received the vindication he has long awaited,”
press secretary' Mike McCurry said. After learn
ing of the ruling, Clinton went shopping with
FTillary Rodham Clinton, who has staunchly
defended her husband throughout the controversy.
Jones' lawyers said an appeal was "very like
ly" and that “this ruling does not vindicate or
exonerate Mr. Clinton.”
Jones, 31, claimed that Clinton propositioned
her m a Arkansas hotel room in 1991; Clinton says
he doesn't recall meeting her and has denied any
thing improper.
“Paula was shocked,” said Susan Carpenter
McMillan, Jones’ spokeswoman. “We have a lot
of respect for Judge Wright. We just strongly,
strongly disagree.”
For weeks, Clinton’s lawyers were saying they
thought they had strong grounds for dismissal
even while preparing for a May trial.
In her ruling, Wright said whatever went on in
the Arkansas hotel room between Jones and
Clinton, then governor, she failed to prove she was
Please see JONES on 2
New leaders
sworn in at
inauguration
By Jessica Fargen
Assignment Reporter
When he was younger, outgoing ASUN
President Curt Ruwe said he told his dad he
wanted to build a clubhouse out of sticks.
And his dad laughed at him, picturing a
house tied together with ropes and sticks.
Ruwe said he finally built that clubhouse, but
it's tied together with the outgoing student gov
ernment body.
As the clubhouse was dismantled
Wednesday night, about 45 newsenators raised
their right hands and pledged to serve ASUN to
the best of their abilities.
Sara Russell was sworn in as the new presi
dent of the Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska. Kelly Hoffschneider
became first vice president, and Eddie Brown
assumed the role of second vice president.
Russell said Ruwe left big shoes to fill as
president and UNL student regent.
Please see ASUN on 6
t
In the belly of the beast
Ryan Soderlin/DN
ROLAND AND CHERI KRAHN of Lincoln check out the underside of a B-52B “Stratofortress” Wednesday during the grand opening of the
Strategic Air Command Museum near Ashland. The opening was more than two years in the making after SAC closed the old museum at
Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue.
Allies’ covenant voted down
By Ieva Augstums
Assignment Reporter
The Neihardt Residence Hall
Council and its individual floors
rejected a proposal Wednesday
from a University of Nebraska
Lincoln group that would have
declared the hall a “safe space” for
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgen
dered students.
No other residence halls or
greek houses have signed the “safe
space” covenant proposed by
Allies Against Heterosexism and
Homophobia. Neihardt, Gather and 1
Pound halls heard the proposal. <
“(You) have to be much more 1
careful of putting residents in a <
position - you can't do anything '
against residents’ wishes,” 1
Neihardt Council President Shane
Perkins said.
“If people choose to be mem- i
bers of Allies, that is fine, but ]
Neihardt Council represents the 1
hall.” t
About 35 people attended the
council meeting. <
The Neihardt Council voted 20- _
4 (four council members abstained
rom voting) against the proposed
:ovenant. Students on individual
loors voted 104-90 against the
:ovenant, with six residents, as
veil as the floor Piper 1. abstaining
rom the vote.
Perkins said the council first
/oted 15-12 to accept Allies'
equest to make Neihardt
Residence Hall a “safe space”
vlarch 4. But after hearing debate,
he council voted to reconsider,
rhe vote was tabled for further dis
:ussion on individual residential
Please see ALLIES on 2
‘Brain Gain’ bill still alive,
but passage not expected
By Brian Carlson
Senior Reporter
Gov. Ben Nelson and Sen. Jon
Bruning's quest to plug the state's
brain drain is still alive after the
Legislature advanced LB1176 late
Tuesday night, but senators say the
bill's chances of passage this ses
sion are slim.
Legislators have several con
cerns about the bill, including the
inclusion of needs-based criteria for
scholarships, the power of the state's
postsecondary education commis
sion to draw up criteria and the
necessity of addressing a “brain
drain" problem in the first place.
“This bill has four days to get its
act together,” said Bruning, who
sponsored the bill at Nelson’s
request. “We're going to work hard
to do that, but it’s going to be a chal
Please see BILL on 2
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