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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1998)
* •• c - '' - - > Admis„ : to retair By Kim Sweet Staff writer The purpose of Cynthia Gooch’s job a year ago was to work to retain students of color at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. But the forma education special ist in Multicultural Affairs ran into one problem: There weren’t many students to retain. So Gooch decided to take matters into ha own hands when a position for minority recruitment opened up in Admissions. Now, the new assistant director for minority recruitment is seeing things from the other side of the fence and using ha experiences from ha old job in ha new one. MI thought that if someone recruit ed more effectively, we would have a better chance of retaining minority students,” Gooch said. After starting ha job in the spring, Gooch began efforts to do that. She spent the summer touring uni versities comparable to UNL to find out how they ran their minority recruitment programs. One of foe universities she collab orated with was University of Kansas in Lawrence, which increased the numba of minorities on its campus by 33 percent after increasing its recruit ment efforts, Gooch said. KU wasn’t the only school that increased its numbers dramatically, she said. After attending a conference on minority recruitment where schools with large and small enrollments were represented, Gooch found out UNL had a lot of work to do. “We’re behind. Way behind,” she said. One of die things Gooch is plan ning that will help UNL compete with other Midwestern schools that attract Nebraska’s students of color is Multicultural Senior Days. “They will be set up very much like Red Letter Days,” Gooch said. “Except they will be very colorful.” Latino Senior Day, African American Senior Day and Native American Senior Day will allow prospective students to tour the cam pus, talk with faculty members and hear from different cultural organiza tions on campus. Typically, Gooch said, only a handful of students of color come to each Red Letter Day. She thinks bringing students of the same background together will make them feel more comfortable while touring campus. “You want to be able to identify with someone else,” Gooch said. Gooch also hopes to start promot ing UNL to younger students of color. She is planning a day in the spring to bring high school sophomores and juniors from across the state to cam pus. A multicultural recognition night for top Nebraska seniors also is in the works. Activities like those will help UNEs recruiting efforts, Gooch said. “We’re trying to hit Nebraska real ly hard,” she said. “We need to recruit in our own back yard.” Interim Director of Admissions Larry Ruth agrees with Gooch’s theo ry feat bringing more students of color to campus Will increase the number who decide to come to UNL in the fell “That is one of our prime strate gies,” Ruth sakL .. u We need to recruit in our own backyard.” Cynthia Gooch minority recruiter Ruth said he couldn’t think of anyone better than Gooch to carry out the recruiting efforts. Though the new assistant direc tor knows bringing students to cam pus is important to recruiting, she said a campus that lacks diversity also can use other tactics to increase minority representation. Scholarships, such as the Davis Scholarship, are available for racial minority undergraduate students. Because of a lawsuit at the University of Maryland, state-sup ported scholarships aimed at specif ic minorities are illegal, Gooch said. But private scholarships can fill in the gap, she said. “I think the university needs to be more aggressive in finding those funds,” Gooch said. She said she hoped UNL Chancellor James Moeser and his cabinet would act on their commit ment to making the campus more diverse by finding such private sources. Gooch said she is confident the efforts she is putting into her new job will benefit everyone on campus, not just minority students. “A diverse campus benefits everyone,” she said. “It makes you a more rounded person.” ; ——■■ ■■■»■ .. Protests can continue Johanns vetoes plan targeting church pkketers ... By Jose Funk Senior staff writer Protesters can continue to demon strate outside Lincoln churches after Wednesday’s mayoral veto. Mayor Mike Johanns kept his promise to veto a proposed city ordi nance that would have restricted protesting during religious activities on the grounds that it unconstitutionally restricted the protesters’ rights to free speech. The ordinance was approved by die Lincoln City Council 4-3 Monday in response to the anti-abortion protesters who have been demonstrating outside of Westminster Presbyterian Church, 210 Sheridan Blvd., during the last 20 months. Rescue the Heartland has been protesting against Dr. Winston Crabb, a church elder who performs abortions in Lincoln and Omaha. Supporters of the ordinance on the City Council and associated with the church all echoed the sentiment that they were disappointed, but not sur prised, at the mayor’s action. Several supporters said the courts should decide constitutionality. “It’s not up to any one of us to decide if it is unconstitutional,” said Councilwoman Colleen Seng, who voted for the ordinance. Larry Donlan, director of Rescue the Heartland, also said he expected the veto, but was pleased with the action. “The Westminster tower of bab bling lies did not win out,” Donlan said. Donlan also promised his group would continue to picket at Westminster. “We’ll keep exposing that evil,” he said. One of the major objections to the group’s protests has been the use of giant-sized pictures of aborted fetuses. Churchgoers raised concerns about their children witnessing the graphic dembhstfatiaii.'; .7 V 1.77 Johanns said he was appalled by the demonstrators’ tactics, but he could not approve the restriction. “This is an obnoxious exercise of free speech,” Johanns said. ‘1 will do what I can to help.” Now supporters of the measure will consider other options to restrict the protests. With five votes, the City Council can override Johanns’ veto, but that means one of the three dissenters must change his or her vote. Then the council will look to other solutions. “We will consider other options to restrict the protesters including sign size and content restrictions,” Councilwoman Cindy Johnson, who voted against the ordinance, said. There ought to be something the common citizen can do about the protests, Councilman Dale Young said. “There should be some grounds for decency,” said Young, who supported the ordinance. But should City Council measures fail to affect the protesters, Westminster officials are prepared to take tbe issue to the ballot, Carl Horton, associate pasted; said. “We are entirely confident we can get die signatures for a ballot initiative,” Horton said. “There is enormous com munity support” Johanns emphasized he wants to resolve this issue for the health of the community. “I am more than willing to try to work through the situation for a solu tion,” he said. But Seng and other supporters of the bill remain disappointed in die city’s aCtlOnS., . .... ,f. “We kind of turned our backs, bn _ them,” Seng said, “andthat’s toobad”.. _ _.. .. - ■ .. ■ , ■■ , . ■ „ ■ . , __ — , ■ -1 -:-:-:- ' - — -- . -"--— >70 minutes of airtime for $24.99 per month. Now, a wireless service plan exclusively for students. For one low rate of $24.99 per month you get: 70 Anytime Minutes and 500 Off-Peak Minutes Per Month r> FREE Long Distance Calling in Nebraska & Iowa (from Home Service Area) < Domestic Long Dstance at $0.10 per minute ■ *9 rust incommg Murnte rree (in Jtiome service Air" Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting 2 TTiree-Waj Included ■ ft Nationwide Digital Network soHmo Long-Term Contract Requited Sprint PCS Center 5001 O St jpp ■- ' ■ _ ■ __: - , ■ - - -*»••• . 1 Limited time offer. Celle diet begin in one calling period and end in another caHing period will be charged in their entirety at the initial calling period rale. 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