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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1998)
SPOBTS On the Markowski Senior forward Andy Markowski and the Nebraska basketball team look to cut down on turnovers against Tulsa on Tuesday. PAGE 7 A&E Zoo story After coming close to the possibility of closing, The Zoo Bar has finally heard good news. The Lincoln fire marshal has raised the bar’s capacity from 86 to 125. PAGE 9 TUESDAY December 1, 1998 UWffASfflMMY Mostly sunny, high 64. Par anight, low 42. VOL. 98 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 67 Peru State avoids relocation a— I would like to give southeast Nebraska a chance to succeed more than anything else. I truly believe they can do the right thing.” Dick Davis commissioner State commission votes to renovate current campus By Lindsay Young Senior staff writer GRAND ISLAND - Peru State College will stay put and undergo about $20 million in renovations as long as the 1999 Legislature approves a state commission’s rec ommendation issued Monday. The Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education made that decision with an $-1 vote at its meeting at Central Community College. The recommendation will be included in a report that will be pre sented to the Legislature on Peru State College and the postsecondary needs of southeast Nebraska. Governor-elect Mike Johanns has said he supported renovating Peru State. The.report will ask for about $6.5 million from the Legislature to sup plement the $5.5 million already allocated for a new science hall on the college’s campus. In addition to renovations to the existing Peru State campus, up to three learning centers will be created in southeast Nebraska. The recommendation to keep Peru State came after nearly a year of heated debate after the State Colleges Board of Trustees voted in January to move Peru State to Nebraska City. Two bills were introduced in the 1998 legislative session - one for moving the campus to Nebraska City and one for renovating the campus. The commission decided to rec ommend the latter after spending about four hours Monday listening to public comment and discussing and editing the report containing the rec Please see PERU on 3 Student obtains National FFA position Puerto Rican hopes to pave way for others By Kim Sweet Staff writer Jose Santiago faced a formidable task when he decided to run for Southern Region vice president of the National FFA organization. He had to learn English. Almost 1V2 years after taking up a new language just to become a national officer and prepping himself for the process that is required of all candi dates, Santiago, a freshman agriculture education major from Puerto Rico, has become fluent in two areas: English and running a successful officer cam paign. During the 71st National FFA Convention, Santiago was appointed by the nominating committee to take the office. He is the first officer from Puerto Rico or any territory to be an officer of the National FFA organiza tion, formerly known as Future farmers ot America. He also is one of the first members to prove that no barriers should stand in the way of achieving what you want to do - even if it means having to become fluent in a new language in a year. “It doesn’t matter what language you speak or what ethnicity you are from,” Santiago said. “It’s the little hope that you have inside.” Scott Stump, National FFA Convention manager and manager of the national office, said Santiago’s appointment is an important one for members outside die mainland. “I think that it will really give (members from Puerto Rico) a boost in die arm,” he said. “The organization really does have value and purpose for all students involved.” The accomplishment hasn’t gone unnoticed by his family, friends and fel low FFA members at home. The gover nor of Puerto Rico will welcome Santiago home with congratulatory words when he returns in February. __L._1 1_____ Sandy Sdmmers/DN JOSE SANTIAGO, a freshman agriculture education major, was nominated Southern Region vice president of the National FFA organization this year. Santiago, a native of Puerto Rico, will travel more than 100,000 miles while representing the FFA. ----------r r1_::i'' Moments after his appointment was announced, members of the media waited to get a few words from Santiago. One of them spoke in his native language. The citizens, Santiago said, are elated.. “They are so excited they cannot even believe it,” he said. “They are inviting me into their homes.” Santiago said he is happy to make Puerto Rico’s citizens, and more specif ically the 3,000 FFA members, feel like they have access to die national office. Being accessible to FFA members was the reason Santiago ran for the office. “I decided I really wanted to be there because I wanted to be real and reachable to FFA members,” he said He will accomplish that goal during the next year as he travels nearly 100,000miles, conducting workshops, speaking with industry leaders and school administrators and giving other presentations. Fellow FFA member and Friend Phil Erdman, a junior agriculture edu cation and agriculture business major, said Santiago’s personality automati cally lends him to being real and reach able. “I have never met in my life some one who is talented in so many areas, yet so humble and forgiving,” Erdman said Erdman, who has been friends with Santiago since he met him at an FFA state presidents’ convention in Washington, D.C., has watched Santiago go to any lengths to be a national officer. v He watched him transfer to Nebraska because of the quality agri culture education program and oppor tunity to practice English. “Just the idea of leaving Puerto Rido to come to America is just one example of his courage,” Erdman said. With the evidence of his courage contained in a navy corduroy jacket - a special officer’s variation of the gar ment that identifies members nation wide - Santiago hopes he will be an example for other Puerto Ricans. “They will think, ‘Jose did it, Jose achieved - now it is ray time.’” Read the Daily Nebraskan on the World Wide Web at http: / / www.unl.edu IDailyNeb New gun checks run into problems ■ Nebraska’s permit system will remain, but gun shop employees from Lincoln say phone lines to the FBI didn’t work. By Josh Funk Senior staff writer Technical difficulties Monday marred the first day of instant back ground checks for gun buyers. The new system, mandated by the 1993 Brady Act, comes in the midst of the busiest time for gun buyers with holiday and hunting seasons in full For the first time, background . checks are being applied to purchasers of long guns - rifles and •• doubling the The System ofU checks totally failed. d01But the We had it on new system speed fal eliminate fyr 2% hoUVS Nebraska s J purchase straight with permit sys- ° tern for buy- HO luck.” ing hand le,1* Mike Peterson permit back- salesman at Shooters ground Guns and More checks more “ thorough. Anyming government can ao 10 keep firearms out of felons’ hands is good,” Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Larry Peschong said. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, operated by the FBI, can be contacted by phone or electronically, but Monday local vendors had a difficult time getting through. “The system totally failed,” said Mike Peterson, a salesman at Shooters Guns and More, 3Q31 O St “We had it on speed dial for 2 Vi hours straight with no luck.” Justice Department authorities said they expected some difficulties as they broke in a new routine. To prepare, the FBI hired and began training 513 people in West Virginia to handle its share of Ihe work, set up two telephone centers through a contractor and sent teams to brief the nation’s 106,000 gun dealers and pawnshop owners. Ed Gagner, a clerk at Arms and. Please see GUNS on 3
