SPORTS
Mac in Milwaukee
Reporters Andrew Strnad and James Nicas and
photographer Matt Miller see the Mark
McGwire experience firsthand. PAGE 6
A&E
One-man show
Robert Shapiro has gone from working in the mail
room at a talent agency to owning a production
company. He will lecture at UNL on Friday. PAGE 9
WEDN :s: »AY
September 23, 1998
A Touch of Gray
Mostly cloudy, rainy, high 70. Cloudy tonight, low 53.
VOL. 98 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 23
Sandy Summers/DN
JAMIE GRAYSON, a junior sociology major, studies Spanish by candlelight late Monday night in Habitat for
Humanity’s Shantytown. Grayson, who volunteered her time for the annual fund-raiser, said she feels strong
ly about the Habitat for Humanity. “I’m only here for an hour,” Grayson said. “I can’t imagine living the rest of
my life this way.”
Project serves as reminder
■ Habitat for Humanity
asks for $1 donation from
each UNL student to
reach its $25,000 goal.
By Angelia Huntley
Staff writer
As students walk between
Andrews and Burnett halls this
week, a small, cardboard dwelling
captures their attention.
The inside of the structure
smelled of wet cardboard Monday
as cold w ind gusted through and
water dripped from the ceiling.
The occupants aren't perma
nent residents, but they hope the
shanty is a v isual reminder of how
relatively easy most people’s lives
are.
The cardboard home, called
Shantytown, was constructed by
Habitat for Humanity volunteers
this weekend to promote awareness
and to raise money toward the
building of real houses.
“We are not focusing on home
lessness, (but) people really live
like this,” said Chris Stone, Habitat
for Humanity spokeswoman.
Habitat for Humanity’s campus
branch is a volunteer organization
that helps people in need of hous
ing, raises money for projects and
creates tutoring and mentoring pro
grams for homeowner families.
“We do not know what it is like
to live this way,” said Jason Dubs,
president of the campus branch. "We
just want people to think about it.”
Last year’s Shantytown raised
$1,300, Dubs said, but volunteers
hope to raise significantly more this
year - about $25,000.
“A buck to build" is the motto
and goal for the Shantytown, and
Stone said she hopes students take
the motto to heart. The money will
go toward building a house for a
needy family.“I hope students will
look (at the shanty) and think about
the impact they could make,” she
said.
“If every student gave just one
dollar, we could finish the house."
The UNL house will be built by
volunteers and members of the
family who will live in it when the
necessary money is raised.
The new owners will be
Please see SHANTY on 2
Union Board votes
to limit some areas
By Jessica Fargen
Staff writer
The Nebraska Union Board
voted unanimously Tuesday night
to restrict non-students from the
new northwest study lounge after
6:30 p.m. Sunday through
Thursday.
Nebraska Unions Director
Daryl Swanson proposed the
scaled-down version Tuesday night
after board members failed to vote
Sept. 8 on a policy that would have
restricted non-students from the
Crib, northwest lounge and the
unfinished basement billiard room
and television lounge.
During a 45-minute discussion,
four people spoke in favor of the
policy saying non-students have
made threats to union staff, are dis
tracting to students who are study
ing and make some students feel
unsafe. One student spoke in oppo
sition to the policy.
Saad Alavi, who has been the
Nebraska Union night manager
for three years, said he has been
students.
Swanson asked Alavi, “Have
you ever feared for your own per
sonal safety?”
“Many times,” Alavi said. “I've
had people in my face, threatening
me, calling me names.”
Alavi said the policy would
make his job safer and easier by
containing non-students in a small
er area at night, when staff is limit
ed.
But Peter Murphy, a graduate
student in philosophy, said he
opposed the policy because stu
dents could be just as disruptive
as non-students. He said the poli
cy would not make the lounge a
more study-friendly environ
ment.
It's not students who are drink
ing alcohol in the union, though,
Alavi said. They're not the ones
vomiting, threatening people and
disrupting the climate of the union,
he said.
44
I don't think this
policy goes far
enough. I think it
should encompass
the whole union."
Al Koenig
history professor
Swanson said students empa
thetic to homeless people who
could be displaced to other parts of
the union because of the policy can
donate money to Daywatch, a
homeless day shelter, in collection
boxes that will be placed in the
union.
Al Koenig, a history professor
who teaches at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln and the
University of Nebraska at Omaha,
said, “I don't think this policy goes
far enough. I think it should
encompass the whole union.”
The union should not be a “day
care center for free-loaders,” he
said.
Koenig also said “mumbling”
transients made it hard for students
to study, which he said was a func
tion of the union they paid for.
“If you try and study in the
union, it's damn near impossible,”
he said.
Swanson said a safe, comfort
able study area is something stu
dents need. The newly renovated
lounge is more conducive to study
ing with its bright lights, soft chairs
and its television that is shut off at
6:30 p.m.
Swanson said he chose the
study lounge as the restricted area
because the billiard room and the
Crib can sometimes be noisy with
different events scheduled through
out the week.
Signs will be posted by Sunday
Please see UNION on 2
ASUN considers eliminating party system in elections
By Ieva Augstums
Staff writer
University of Nebraska
Lincoln students may not have to
enVISION a COMMITment to an
ASUN party system this year.
ASUN President Sara Russell
said student government is looking
at ways to make elected positions
more accessible to students,
including the possibility of elimi
nating the current party system.
“We need to ensure student
government is doing its best to see
students' needs are met as best as
possible,” Russell said.
“Redefining the election party sys
tem process is one way.”
Last year during ASUN elec
tions, the question was raised to
both parties on whether or not stu
dent government leaders should be
elected by party affiliation.
Russell said her party, COM
MIT, was for dissolving the party
a
Without the party system student
government would be more inclusive. People
besides the greek system would be involved
Christina Anhalt
sophomore environmental sociology major
system. The VISION party was for
keeping it.
“Last year it was an all-or-noth
ing thing, but 1 don't know if that's
the answer this year." Russell said.
“Maybe there's a middle ground.”
ASUN Electoral Commission
Director Ryan Fuchs agreed.
Fuchs said there has been criti
cism that ASUN is dominated by
the greek system. Finding some
way to make ASUN elections open
to all students is one of the
Electoral Commission's goals, he
said.
Fuchs said ASUN is conducting
surveys asking students to com
ment on how they feel about the
Please see ASUN on 3
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