SPDBTS
Wising up
With a little help from her parents, Nebraska dis
tance runner Amy Wiseman’s track carrer is tak
ing off. PAGE 9
A & E
Armageddon time
This summer, natural disasters - including Dr.
Hunter S. Thompson - will once again rule the
big screens. PAGE 12
FRIDAY
May 1, 1998
Yay! May
Partly cloudy, high 75. Partly d l 'v tonight, low 43.
VOL. 97 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 152
Lane Hickenbottom/DN
MEMBERS OF THE Youth Fu Hsing Chinese Opera perform for Southeast High School Thursday afternoon. The
troupe from Taiwan will perform in Kimball Recital Hall on Saturday night as part of their 24-day U.S. tour.
Asian dancers visit Lincoln
—
By Lindsay Young
Assignment Reporter
When about 20 young
Taiwanese performers arrived in
Lincoln on Tuesday, the first thing
they asked for was "food from
home." one host said.
The performers were part of the
Youth Fu Hsing Chinese Opera and
| are in Lincoln for a week as part of
a 24-day U.S. tour.
"When you watch this Chinese
Opera you will think you are watch
ing seasoned veterans," said Jim
Cook, one of the week’s organizers.
However, the students are only
teen-agers.
The students are usually select
ed at the age of 11 for admittance to
the Youth Fu Hsing Chinese Opera
Mission, a Taiwanese training acad
emy for students of the classical
Chinese theater form, said Gwen
Cook, vice president of the Asian
Community and Cultural Center.
Students are required to pass
tests of aptitude and verbal ability,
as well as physical strength and
agility, she said.
They study traditional subjects
and the dramatic arts for eight
years. The academy is supported by
the government.
During its tour, the group has
traveled to San Francisco,
Minneapolis, Omaha and Branson,
Mo.
In Lincoln, the group per
formed at various high schools and
middle schools. It also performed
Thursday for one of UNL's College
of Fine and Performing Arts class
es.
Its primary reason for being in
Lincoln, though, is to perform 7
p.m. Saturday night at the Asian
Night Gala at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Kimball Recital
Hall.
The Chinese Opera, a spoken
play, was developed in the 20,h cen
tury and emphasized social or polit
ical stories.
During the performance
Saturday night, which is open to the
public, the troupe will perform
three mini-operas and give a mar
tial arts demonstration.
Chinese mythology, folk stories
and battlefield intrigue will be
woven together with the music of
Chinese instruments.
The group will “show us how
disciplined they are as performers,”
Jim Cook said. The students use
knives, swords and other martial
arts weapons.
He said it is amazing how the
students “display the use of a
weapon and not harm anyone.”
Jim Cook said many Americans
do not understand the subtle differ
ences between the various ethnic
groups in Asia. Asian Night will
show a cross-section of each
group’s talents.
Lincoln performers will be giv
ing traditional dance performances
from India, Korea. Vietnam and
Taiwan. There also will be a
demonstration of Okinawan karate.
Dancers from the Vietnamese
Student Association w ill perform
the Fan Dance. Gary Yuen's Asian
Community and Cultural Center's
Lion Dance Troupe also will per
form. Yuen is a UNL associate pro
fessor of plant pathology.
Asian Night tickets are S10 and
are available by calling the Asian
Community Cultural Center at
(402) 477-3446 or the Lincoln
Interfaith Council at (402) 474
3017. Tickets may also be pur
chased at Kimball on the evening of
the performance.
The gala is a fund-raiser for the
retirement of the Asian Community
and Cultural Center’s mortgage.
There will be a public reception
for the Opera Troupe starting at
7:30 p\m. Friday in the Nebraska
Union Centennial Room.
Read the Dady Nebraskan on the World Wide Web at http://www.unl.edu/DailyNeb
Political science
professor resigns
V
■ The instructor says the
unchanging environment in
the department prompted
her decision to leave.
By Brad Davis
Senior Reporter
A political science professor
resigned Thursday because she said
her civil rights are not protected at
UNL, though others say they are
pleased with the department.
Valerie Schwebach, an assistant
political science professor since
1994, said previous sexual harass
ment, and her belief that the political
science department refused to
improve its climate, forced her to
leave.
Schwebach's resignation comes
one week after the Daily Nebraskan
uncovered a report that detailed sexu
al harassment in the department and
declared its environment one that
“tolerates” harassment.
The committee, a unit of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln's
Academic Senate, exonerated then
department Chairman David
Forsythe, however it did recommend
changes to improve the department's
climate.
The committee also recommend
ed the department be placed into
“receivership,” or a probation-like
period, for at least three years.
Schwebach said she had hoped
the department would improve after
she filed a formal sexual harassment
complaint against the university in
June 1997.
Talks with the department chair
man and College of Arts and
Sciences Dean Brian Foster did not
lead to an acceptable solution to the
harassment that had progressed since
1995, Schwebach said, which caused
her to take formal action.
Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, political"
science professor and graduate chair
woman, countered that charge. She
said the department has been any
thing but inactive when it comes to
handling sexual harassment com
plaints.
“1 honestly think the department
has been very pro-active in taking
care of any gender issues in the
department,” Theiss-Morse said.
“The administration has immedi
ately taken action to try to take care
of the situation in an appropriate and
efficient manner,” she said.
Please see RESIGN on 6
Officials measure
drinking culture
By Jessica Fargen
Assignment Reporter
More than 30 campus, communi
ty and student leaders met Thursday
with representatives from a founda
tion that may award a S700,000
binge drinking grant to UNL.
The grant, awarded by the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
would provide money for programs
to increase awareness, education and
law enforcement efforts to combat
underage and binge drinking.
James Griesen. vice chancellor
of student affairs, said representa
tives from the American Medical
Association and RWJ foundation
have visited the University of Texas,
Georgia Tech, Florida State
University and Louisiana State
University, which are also applying
for the grant. By this summer two
schools will be chosen to receive the
grant.
“These visits allow them to come
to your campus and meet with prin
ciples involved in the grant to ask
questions, seek clarifications and
generally make some assessment if
«
What we have to
do collectively... is
devise a plan to edu
cate everyone. ..."
Charles Greene
•Judicial Affairs
we would be a good investment for
them,” Griesen said.
Sherri Neall, president of the
Panhellenic Association, said about
15 student leaders had lunch with
representatives, who wanted to
know how well identifications were
checked at bars, what types of cam
pus nonalcoholic activities were
offered and why they were involved
with the grant.
Neall said student leaders were
involved because they cared about
Please see GRANT on 8