Work begins on new prison
By Todd Anderson
Senior staff writer
TECUMSEH —■ Local and state
leaders kicked off construction of the
new state prison at a groundbreaking
ceremony Tuesday.
Speaking to a crowd of more than
150 local residents at the new con
struction site one mile north of the
small, southeast Nebraska town,
Department of Corrections Director
Harold Clark said it was because the
community pulled together that the
state chose Tecumseh.
“This was not given to southeast
Nebraska,” Clark said. “You earned
it.”
Though Tuesday’s ceremony offi
cially kicked off the prison construc
tion project by the DLR Group of
Omaha, preliminary construction on
the site already had begun.
With tractors and machinery
working in the background, Gov. Ben
Nelson thanked the crowd for finish
ing up the project. Its planning
spanned his two-term administration.
Despite the expense of building
the new penitentiary for the state’s
most dangerous criminals, Nelson
said ignoring the problem of housing
inmates would have been a mistake.
“We supported (the new prison)
Hagel loses bid
for chairman
From staff reports
Despite an expected loss to a senior
fellow senator, U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel
said Tuesday his decision to run for
chairman of the National Republican
Senatorial Committee was a good one.
Members of the committee voted
39-12 by secret ballot Tuesday to re
elect Sen. Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky for the position.
McConnell, who is Kentucky’s
only Republican office-holder, was
elected to a third term in 1996 and has
held the position of chairman of the
NRSC since 1994.
Hagel said it was important for the
GOP senatorial leadership to be able to
choose between two of their col
leagues.
“I wanted to give an alternative to
my colleagues and to make a contribu
tion,” Hagel said in a statement.
The Nebraska senator said cam
paigns should focus on why to elect
Republicans in a positive and uplifting
way.
The chairman of the committee
oversees both political and financial
support for Republican candidates for
the Senate.
“I am hopeful that by talking about
these kinds of issues that I will have
made a positive impact and changed
some things over the course of the next
two years,” Hagel said.
a
I think it s safe to say that
southeast Nebraska has turned
the comer”
Gov. Ben Nelson
because we knew it was the right
tiling to do,” he said.
Tecumseh was selected in May
over two other finalists: McCook and
Madison.
The prison will nearly double the
inmate capacity of the present one in
southwest Lincoln.
Of the 960 beds in the Tecumseh
penitentiary, 192 will be reserved for
top-security criminals.
Three buildings will be located
on the 360,000-square-foot “cam
pus-style” prison, with space in
between for operation and working
space.
The entire grounds will be sur
rounded by a wire fence and secured
with guard and video surveillance.
Carla Patterson, president of the
Southeast Nebraska Economic
Development Association, said the
Tecumseh Correctional Center will
be key to the growth of southeast
i
Nebraska.
“They’re words that are music to
our ears,” Patterson said.
The southeast Nebraska town has
seen an economic downturn in the
past decade with the closing of a
Campbell’s soup plant, one of the
region’s largest employers.
More recently, such projects as
the prison and a poultry production
plant have boosted the region as busi
nesses and home-builders are return
ing to the area to prepare for the
influx of new workers.
Nelson said good times are ahead
for Tecumseh and the region and
encouraged leaders to continue to
work together to ensure growth.
“I think ifis safe to say that south
east Nebraska has turned the comer,”
he said.
“There are more opportunities
out there, and you can make them
happen.”
The following is a list of goals ASUN has sit and the progress It has made.
1. Continue commitment to dtarefty Ihrough sponsored events and increased
communication with the campus community.
- The ASUN Human Rights Comritee is planning events far National Human R$ts Day on Saturday
from 9 am to 5 pm at the Nebraska East Union.
2. Maintain regular campuswkte community ssrvics projects.
- Ryan Anderson, chairman of the Campus Us Comritee, said ASUN all not be participating in any
farther serwoe projects this semester.
3. Enhance technological services to students.
-The Communication Comttitee is woridngwto Maggie DoyfapUtic relations bison, to ipdate student
government rtormation on the World Wide Web. Russel said ASUN woutol® student input on what
should be inducted on the ASUN Web page.
4. Resoorch the options to make student evaluations more effective.
- Kara Slaughter, Academic Comritee chairwoman, said the comritee has aooonvished its goals
regardng student evaluations. Slaughter said next semester toecomnitoewi send out an aMaoiy
e-mai message that wi include several midsemester feedback farm options.
5. Address campus parking concerns.
-ASUN members widscuss and vote on legisiation today concerning peritingpemi tee increases
and parking revenue. Russel said ASUN warts to decrease toe fcancial impact parking permis have
on students’pocket books.
6. Continue efforts to unite City and East campuses.
- In an effort to unto student organizations, Russel said she would be contacting East Campus Student
Invoivemert Office representatives to dscuss toe progress toe center has made wito programming and
activities. Russel said ASUN donated$9,000 to toe fadty to improve services to UNL students.
7. Create a larger representation of students through outreach initiatives.
- The senate wi vote today on vtoetoer to place a constifalionai amendnert on toe March 3,1999
election balot. The amendnert would restructure toe senate^ composition by creating a 3&member
senate, haf elected by colege and half elected by place of residence. The senate now has 35 members
al elected by theroolege. Russel said toe amendment would alcw for a good cross-section of the
urwersityls student population.
8. Lobby for student input and concern regardng the ASUN government party
system.
- Senate members voted Nov. 18 to accept toe ASUN Bectorai Commissions proposed 1999 election
rules and procedures. Desptie strong opposition from some senators, Russel said toe 1900 ASUN
elections wi be drected by toe approved rules.
a Work to promote alcohol awareness and education campuswkte.
- Russel said toe Laura Cockson Memorial Scholarship steering comritee is selling op appication
guidefnes and procedures to award schoiarshf) funds next semester to a UNL student who actively
promotes and brings awareness to toe adverse effects of alcohol Univarsity students and organizations
have donated $12,54823 to support the fund.
r.
Police jail four in arrest
Four people were arrested on
outstanding warrants and drug
charges at a Lincoln home Sunday
evening.
Lincoln Police went to a home on
the 600 block of South 17th Street
around 8:30 p.m. to arrest the 45
year-old man who lives there for
failure to appear in court, Sgt. Ann
Heermann said.
But at the house police found
three other people with outstanding
warrants and a small amount of mar
ijuana.
The three other people at the
house, two men, ages 37 and 24, and
a 44-year-old woman, were arrested
on warrants, and the 24-year-old
man and 44-year-old woman were
cited for drug charges.
At the house, police seized 2Vi
ounces of marijuana and six pipes.
All four people were jailed.
Guns stolen from home
Three handguns were taken in a
residential burglary Monday morn
ing.
Between 9 a.m. and noon, some
one broke into a house on the 4700
block of 47th Street through a side
door and took three revolvers, a coin
collection and a Vietnam service
medal.
Compiled by senior staff writer
Josh Funk
Academic Senate
salutes teaching
■ Professors and
departments receive
formal recognition for
passing knowledge on.
By Jessica Fargen
Staff writer
The Academic Senate for the first
time Tuesday formally saluted an
obvious, but often overlooked, aspect
of being a professor - teaching.
Much of the focus at universities
has shifted from teaching to research,
said Academic Senate President Pat
Kennedy,' which is why the senate
recognized exceptional teachers and
departments that offer teaching
opportunities.
“We thought,, as a lot of faculty
are beginning to see, we are not eval
uating and rewarding teaching as
much as research,” Kennedy said.
Ann Mari May, associate profes
sor of economics, received an award
for teaching excellence. Though
research is rewarding, May said, most
professors find their rewards in other
places.
“The satisfaction from teaching
comes from having an impact on stu
dents,” she said. “You and I all know
students are far different when they
leave this university from when they
come here.”
May said professors need to
encourage undergraduate students to
have more developed research skills.
Instead of bypassing the library and
doing research on the Internet, stu
dents should be encouraged to do
more detailed research with critical
analysis, she said.
Gail Latta, associate professor of
libraries, also received an award for
her work as chairwoman of the
Learning, Teaching and Technology
Roundtable. She said faculty mem
bers need to be aware of the opportu
nities available to them to improve
their teaching.
She pointed to the Roundtable;
the Teaching and Learning Center,
which gives professors a place to get
feedback about teaching problems;
and the Preparing Future Faculty
Project, which exposes graduate stu
dents to what they may expect as pro
fessors at institutions of higher learn
ing.
Other honorees included:
■ the Department of
Mathematics and Statistics.
■ Ted Pardy, professor of biolog
ical sciences.
■ Dan Bernstein, professor of
psychology.
■ Richard Waldren, professor of
agronomy.
■ Jim O’Hanlon, dean of the
Teachers College.
■ Ron Lee, associate professor of
communication studies.
■ Delivee Wright, director of the
Teaching and Learning Center.
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