The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 23, 1998, Image 1
SPORTS A good lickin’ With a win over 25th-ranked Texas Tech Wednesday, the Huskers now have won 5 of their last 6 games - all against ranked opponents. PAGE 10 A & E You should be dancin’ This weekend students of UNL Dance Professor Ann Shea will strut their stuff for an audience in “Last Chance to Dance.” PAGE 13 THURS. AY April 23, 1998 The Heat of The Momeht Sunny and warm, high 76. Fair tonight, low 46. NO. 146 ACTION victorious in run-off election ByIevaAugstums Assignment Reporter Despite campaigning efforts in UNL's largest residence hall Wednesday, RHAs run-off election did not produce enough student support to over turn original election results. Upon hearing run-off election results, Ben Wallace, RHA president-elect and junior French major, said his reaction was not “Wow, I won.” but “Finally, it's over.” "It was a long process and I'm glad it’s finally over," he said. Along w ith Wallace on the winnmg ACTION ticket was vice president-elect Shane Perkins, a junior international affairs major and secretary elect Jill Beran, a sophomore music education major. ENHANCE candidate Kristen Morrow, a junior physics and engineering major, received 71 percent of the vote, winning the Residence Hall Association treasurer position over ACTION write-m candidate Brain Opplinger, a sophomore operations management and mathematics major. Larry Willis, ENHANCE presidential candi date and nontraditional sophomore accounting major, said he also was glad the election was over. “The election was long and drawn out,” Willis said. “But we accomplished what we intended to do - we made it a fair election.” During an April 13 RHA election infraction hearing, ENHANCE party members asked for a review of April 8 election procedures. The RHA election commission heard five infractions from the ENHANCE party, but voted in favor of its request for a run-off election only because the Abel-Sandoz complex ran out of ballots during the original election. Kerry Stenger. RHA election commissioner, said the electoral commission voted for the re-elec tion because of the uncertain validity of approxi mately 19 “unofficial” RHA ballots. “I think redoing the election in Abel and Sandoz was valid,” Stenger said. “ENHANCE did have the right to a fair election.” Stenger said a total of 220 Abel and Sandoz residence hall students voted in the run-off elec tion. That was 113 fewer ballots cast than in the original election, she said. Originally, ENHANCE received 225 votes and ACTION received 88 votes. The ENHANCE party captured 80 percent of the vote in the Abel-Sandoz complex. ACTION took 20 percent of the vote. Wallace said he assumed ENHANCE would win Abel and Sandoz residence halls. “Knobbe is a great Abel hall president," he said. “Students voiced their opinion clearly.” Matt Knobbe, ENHANCE vice presidential candidate for RHA and junior computer science major, said he is pleased with the voter turnout in Please see RHA on 8 Honor thy Mother Professors refute harassment charge By Brad Davis Senior Reporter One day after a report surfaced detailing sexual harassment allega tions in the political science department, some professors say they were unfairly targeted. “We have been found guilty in the proceeding and we did not know we were on trial,” said Jeff Spinner, assistant political science professor. The report, issued by five fac ulty members from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Rights and Responsibilities Committee, rec ommended the department be placed under a “receivership,” or a three-year probation-like period. The report came in response to We appeal to the chancellor s sense of justice and fairness" Jeff Spinner assistant political science professor complaints filed with the universi ty by Valerie Schwebach, assistant political science professor. Schwebach said the department was negligent in responding to her sexual harassment complaints. Schwebach and her lawyer say they may file a lawsuit against the Please see REPORT on 9 Education officials call for special legislative session By Brian Carlson Senior Reporter Supporters of a special legislative session to restore vetoed educational funding measures went back to school Wednesday to present their arguments. In a crowded room in Lincoln's McPhee Elementary School, a group of state senators and education offi cials urged Gov. Ben Nelson to call a special session of the Legislature. The session is needed, they said, to restore educational funding provisions vetoed in LB 1175. State senators led by Sen. Ardyce Bohlke of Hastings, bill sponsor, said several portions of the bill were both essential and noncontroversial and should be restored in a 1998 special session rather than waiting until the 1999 session. Although Nelson supported the bill’s original intent, he vetoed it Sunday because of an amendment he believed would obligate the state to spend an additional S70 million for educational funding beginning in 2001. "(Nelson) needed to see the urgency of a special session.” Bohlke said. "It’s apparent that many people across the state of Nebraska see the urgency.” Bohlke has said the original provi sions of LB 1175 were essential for schools to plan budgets. They include: ■ An extension of state funding for special education beyond its Aug. 31, 1999, sunset. ■ Additional funding for very small school districts. ■ Restoration of funding for some Please see SESSION on 8 Top: JANE McCAULEY, 21, took advantage of the beautiful spring day by tossing around a Frisbee with friends near the Earth Day celebration Wednesday. Above: SHANE ROKAHR, a UNL sophomore, crushes a can during the celebration. The celebration, sponsored by Ecology Now, continued throughout the day in the greenspace in front of the Nebraska Union. Earth Day celebrated with music, games, food By Eric Rineer Staff Reporter As students celebrated a perfect spring day Wednesday, many also took time to celebrate Mother Earth during the 28th annual Earth Day. Ecology Now sponsored the all day event hoping to promote environ mental awareness coinciding with the international day of celebration. The event took place in the green space in front of the Nebraska Union. The bands Nub, Pablo’s Triangle and Ripple Effect highlighted the day's events, which featured activi ties like “Smash the Can,” where par ticipants smashed aluminum cans with a mallet. Other festivities included a num ber of performances from acoustic guitar acts Larry Everman, Chris Sayers, Jumpin' Kate, Shanti and Please see EARTH on 9 Read the Daily Nebraskan on the World Wide Web at http:/ /www.unl.edu/DailyNeb