—
lumi irom page i,
Officials at the Lied Center esti
mated morning attendance at 600 peo
ple for the kickoff to the day h celebra
tions. About 1,100 people attended last
yearh morning King convocation at the
Lied Center, even though classes were
held.
About 125 people attended a pro
gram on cultural diversity performed
by four members of a Chicago compa
ny called SST Communications during
the afternoon. Smaller groups attended
other presentations.
Celebration committee member
Eureka Daye, director of organizational
development and human resources,
said participation was good.
“I think this is a wonderful turnout
considering that schools are closed and
businesses are closed,” Daye said.
“People still came out and showed their
support”
Estrella Howell and Neda Molai
began their show of support by watch
ing Voices of Destiny, Lincoln High
School’s contemporary and gospel
choir. While choir members clapped
and sane* to the aeeomnanhnentnfeler
trie keyboards and a trap set, a diverse
crowd nearly filled the Nebraska
Union’s north entrance lobby.
“It was emotional,” said Howell, a
sophomore clothing and textile design
major. “It was just neat to see such a
large part of the university here cele
brating the day.”
Molai, a junior management infor
mation systems major, said she could
not have attended the events if she had
classes. Both she and Howell said they
were surprised the university canceled
classes. I
“I think they finally opened their
eyes,” Molai said.
Chancellor James Moeser opened
his remarks at the morning program
with similar sentiments.
“For the Fust time, we have truly
taken the time to honor Dr. King,” he
said.
The Board of Regents approved
canceling classes for the King holiday
in February 1998. Last year’s King Day
celebration included events at the Lied
Center and the Nebraska Union, but
classes continued.
UNL student LeAnna Karre and
Five friends made it to the Lied Center
in time to watch the Lincoln
Community Gospel Choir close the
morning event
Karre, a senior graphic arts major,
said she wanted to be personally
involved in the day’s events. One of her
friends, Katie Faust, a junior environ
mental studies and sociology major,
said she could not attend last year’s
events because she had classes.
Jermaine Flennoy, a food science
graduate student, said he was disap
pointed that classes weren’t canceled
last year. This year, he was disappointed
more students didn’t come to the Lied
Center program.
“I think a lot of students used this
opportunity to go home,” he said. “I
think they should use the opportunity to
support positive programs like this.”
The program included the signing
of a partnership agreement between
Alcorn State University in Mississippi
and UNL. The partnership includes
exchanging ideas, students and faculty
members.
Chancellor James Moeser present
ed exemplary service awards to Leola
Bullock, a Lincoln civil rights activist,
and Miguel Carranza, an associate pro
fessor of sociology and ethnic studies,
for their work in promoting King’s
dream.
Carranza, a past chairman of the
Chancellor’s Commission on the Status
of People of Color, encouraged action.
“I’m here to tell you today that it’s
not enough to keep die dream alive,” he
said. “We have to make that dream a
reality.”
Carranza said incidents such as the
dragging death of a black man in Texas
this summer and the recent beating
death ofa gay man in Wyoming are evi
dence that society still struggles with
rights and violence.
Lincoln is not immune, he said. He
uttered three names, offering no editor
ial about any of them: Francisco
Renteria, Candace Harms and Randy
Reeves.
Renteria died while in the custody
of Lincoln police. Harms was mur
dered while she was a UNL student.
Reeves was scheduled to die in
Nebraska’s electric chair last Thursday,
but the state Supreme Court delayed his
execution.
Everyone must “wake up, speak up
and act up,” to overcome society Is prob
lems, Carranza said.
Members of Junebug Productions
and Roadside Theater started and
ended their morning performance of
songs and stories with a chant:
“Blessed are those who have strug
gled. Oppression is worse than the
grave. Better to die for a noble cause
than to live and die a slave.”
Heather Glenboski/DN
DEMETRIA HASSEL, a senior at Lincoln High School, sings with the Voices
of Destiny mixed choir in the Union on Monday.
By Gabriel Stovall
Staffwriter
" • , " .
Nationally known talk show
host Bertice Berry demonstrated
Monday how elements of humor
can be used to teach a valuable les
son.
Berry was the keynote speaker
at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln Lied Center for Performing
Arts for the Martin Luther King Jr.
Day events.
The program culminated a
weekend of activities that celebrat
ed the legacy of the slain civil rights
leader. The theme of the weekend’s
activities was “More Than Just a
Day... Remembering, Reflecting,
and Renewing.”
Berry, who is the host of USA
Network’s daily talk show “USA
Live,” used an analytical yet amus
ing approach to challenge the audi
ence - which filled more than half
the seats - to not only remember,
but enhance King’s dream of racial
equality and harmony.
“This is really more than just a
day,” said Berry, who holds a doc
torate in sociology. “Like a diet, we
have to maintain King’s dream for
our whole lives in order to be suc
cessful.”
Berry, who has spoken at vari
ous other engagements in
Nebraska, received a friendly wel
come, especially from UNL stu
dents, who felt she was the best
speaker for the occasion.
“Berry has been to UNL before
and is a very charismatic speaker,”
said Sara Russell, president of the
Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska. ASUN was
instrumental in bringing Berry to
UNL.
“We felt that her ability to enter
tain and educate as she speaks
would allow her to be better
received by a larger audience,”
Russell said.
Students as well as faculty,
members were pleased with the way
that Berry was able to both amuse
and inspire people on how to
achieve King’s dream.
“It applied to me and encour
aged me to be focused in renewing
the dream,” said junior broadcast
ing major Tolandra Coleman. “She^
also explained the steps that we
need in order to achieve that suc
cess.”
Berry pointed out not only the
importance of King’s dream, but the
importance of making the dream fit
into audience members’ own lives
today.
“The dream has to evolve,”
Berry said. “We can’t just stay in
what King said, we have to move
also to pursue our own dreams.”
Berry made it known that her
message was for people of all ages,
races and genders, but there were
those who saw a personal element
in Berry’s message.
“Bertice Berry’s message was
enjoyable because of her speaking
conviction,” said Venita Kelley, an
assistant professor of communica
tions studies, and African American
studies.
“It’s important to see and sup
port a black woman who rises above
the times when black women were
not supposed to be heard,” she said.
Just like many others who have
achieved massive success, the road
was not easy for Berry. She encoun
tered many hard times and warned
others about running into serious
doubt, but she also assured those
things can be overcome.
“Doubt came with my limita
tion of choices,” she said. “But as
choices became greater, I started to
realize die small turning points that
came in my life every day that
helped me.”
— . 4
Task force will seek to cut administrative costs I
REGENTS from page 1
mendations have been used by the uni
versity to upgrade its administrative
processes.
The administrative efficiency task
force will use the committee’s recom
mendations as a guideline for its pro
posal, Smith said.
Ron Burns, chairman of Burns
Capital Partners of Omaha, will head
the group.
Regents Nancy O’Brien of
Waterloo and Drew Miller ofPapillion
I---r*
will also serve as members.
In other business, the regents dis
cussed a request to use $12 million of
the Othmer Endowment to provide
matching funds for new endowed dis
tinguished chairmanships and profes
sorships.
That $12 million is a part of the
$125 million donation from Mildred
Topp Othmer, an Omaha native and
UNL graduate.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chancellor James Moeser said the
. purpose of the endowments is to
1 _ fs
appoint scholars who could enhance
the quality of academic programs, as
well as create high national visibility.
The endowments would focus on
recruiting scholars pre-eminent in
their fields through nationally com
petitive searches, he said.
But regents Miller and Chuck
Hassebrook ofWalthill disagreed with
some broad statements found in the
request '
They both said the university
needs tofocus more on die state, rather
than on obtaining national visibility.
Hassebrook proposed an amend
ment that would have added specific
guidelines for die proposed positions,
which he said would benefit the state.
The board did not approve the amend
ment
Regent Chuck Wilson of Lincoln
was against Hassebrook’s amend
ment
“I object to that” Wilson said. “It
is unnecessary to have to determine
where excellence will be.”
But Smith reminded the regents
they need to remember the university’s
land grant mission and its responsibil
ity to the state.
Hassebrook agreed.
“In my judgment, if we achieve
national prominence but don’t fulfill
our mission, we would have failed,” he
said. “We are a land-grant institution,
and we have an obligation to this
state.”
The regents voted to approve die
program, with only Hassebrook cast
ing a dissenting vote. The program
goes into effect immediately and will
end Dec. 30,2000.
The regents also heard a report
from the university wide committee on
diversity.
UNL Affirmative Action Director
Linda Crump assured the regents the
university was doing better overall
than it has in past years, including an
improvement in recruiting and reten
tion of minority students, faculty
members and staff.
“We are doing lots, but there is
more to be done,” she said.
Some of the committee’s concerns
include a lack of coordination and
communication of diversity efforts
between campuses and campus cli
mate issues systemwide.
“There are things being done in all
of these areas,” Crump said. “Bi# we
would like to see more proactive lead
ership.”
N*S&bm
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THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
Online stores offer cheaper books, no lines
BOOKS from page 1 _
days.
“They receive their books earlier
than almost anybody else, because
our warehouse is located in Illinois,”
Bates said.
Bates said Internet bookstores
have become a big success. However,
he couldn’t give a percentage of stu
dents buying textbooks online
because most of the online college
bookstores started in August 1998,
which he said didn’t allow enough
time to estimate.
“But our sales are much higher
than we initially expected,” Bates said.
Schroeder said that an advantage
of buying books at the University
Bookstore or efollettcom is that stu
dents can be sure they will get the
right editions. The University
Bookstore sells all required edi
tions.Misty Sallinger, a freshman in
the Teachers College, bought her
books for the spring semester at the
University Bookstore in the basement
of die Nebraska Union.
She said it waseasy to call in her
reservation and pick up the books
when she would be on campus. But
for die fall semester, she will consider
ordering books on the Internet
“I saw on a flier today I could save
money on books,” Sallinger said.]
Alvin Sueper. a senior econojnics
major, won’t consider ordering books
online. He said it was more cobve
nient to buy books on campus. ‘ .
Sueper can buy all the books he
needs at the University Bookstore in
20 minutes, he said. And after his pur
chase, ke can immediately start read
ing- . |
The money he could save online
doesn’t attract Sueper. Although text
books can be cheaper on the Internet,
many online bookstores charge a
shipping fee, he said.
“Saving five or 10 bucks on books
is not worth it.”
