■ The group would
include community
members and would assess
the agency’s duties,
resources and manpower.
By Jessica Fargen
Senior staff writer •
The Judiciary Committee heard
testimony Wednesday on a bill that
would set up a task force to assess the
resources, efficiency and mission of
the Nebraska State Patrol.
Papillion Sen. Nancy Thompson
said she introduced LB 153 because
the state patrol is suffering from inad
equate resources.
Thompson said the duties of the
state patrol have doubled in the last 20
years, while the number of officers
has decreased.
“The Nebraska state patrol is not
in a position to adequately discharge
their mission,” Thompson said.
In 1978,394 officers were respon
sible for 27 duties. In 1998, 37.7 offi
cers were responsible for 56 duties.
One goal of the task force would
be to determine ways the state patrol
could cut down on the number of its
duties by possibly passing them off to
other agencies.
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i ne state patrol gets ooggea aown
with responsibilities such as inspect
ing school buses and working on the
state’s sexual offender registry, she
said.
Thompson said the task force will
look at whether other agencies could
perform those tasks.
“Maybe there are ways to deter
mine more efficient ways to do busi
ness,” she said.
The task force also would evaluate
the state patrol’s resources in sparsely
populated areas, communication
capabilities and the effects of reduc
tions in grant funding.
Increased manpower is one of the
solutions the task force may come up
with, Thompson said. An outright
request for more officers is not the
nest approacn, wmcn is wny sne pro
posed creating a task force to study
the patrol.
Representatives of the state
patrol, law enforcement community,
the Legislature and two at-large state
citizens would make up the task force.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha
would provide administrative assis
tance for the task force at a cost of
$37,562.
In December, the task force will
present a report to the Legislature.
Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers
asked Thompson why the task force
did not conduct an internal evalua
tion.
Thompson said the members of
the task force would be affected by
any changes to the state patrol, and
working together would produce
more viable suggestions.
Thompson and Steve Grabowski,
a member of the Fraternal Order of
Police, testified in support of the bill.
No one testified against the bill,
which the committee may vote on
today.
Grabowski said the task force
would take a broad look at the state
patrol and its involvement with other
law enforcement agencies.
“The task force would not look at
a problem here or a problem there, but
the state patrol as a whole,” he said.
The bill is supported by the
Nebraska Fraternal Order of Police,
the State Patrol, the Nebraska
Sheriffs’ Association and the Police
Officers Association of Nebraska.
Slow sales don’t disappoint
Husker yearbook organizers
By Kelli Lacey
Staff writer
Although 1.6 percent of the
amount of yearbooks ordered have
been sold, student organizers whose
aim was to resurrect the Comhusker
Yearbook said they’re satisfied.
The yearbook went on sale in
December, and since that time 50 of
the 3,000 ordered have been sold.
Work on the yearbook began in
August.
The process is going well, said
Sherri Neall, a senior news-editorial
major and editor in chief of the year
book. r>
“We’ve been working really hard
to try and get things rolling and mov
ing,” ]Meall said.
Neall said it was a challenge to
start a new organization, especially
because the yearbook’s charge is to
cover the entire campus.
Brett Stohs, a junior math major,
bought a yearbook and is excited to
see the result.
“I bought it because I want to see
all the new faces at the university,”
Stohs said. “I think it will be a good
sampling of all the student organiza
tions and events. It will cover all
facets on campus.”
The yearbooks can be charged on
a the Express Charge on UNL IDs,
which means students don’t have to
dish out the $30 for a yearbook right
away.
Neall said she was pleased with
the sales so far.
“We have sold as many as we
were hoping for in the first year since
there isn’t anything to base the book
on,” Neall said. “When you don’t
fcfc
Everyone was given an equal opportunity
but if people aren’t going to respond' you
can’t do much beyond giving them a
follow-up call”
Sherri Neall
yearbook editor in chief
have a product to show someone, they
are really hesitant to buy it.”
Some students were reluctant to
buy one because, to them, it might be
a waste of money.
Michelle Oliver, a sophomore
advertising major, was one of those
people.
“UNL is so large that I would
probably only know 20 to 30 people
in the yearbook,” she said.
Student organization interest was
lean as well, with about 50-60 partic
ipating groups out of the 400 student
organizations.
Every organization that is recog
nized by ASUN and Student
Involvement was contacted and given
the opportunity to have its group
photo taken for the yearbook, Neall
said.
“Everyone was given an equal
opportunity, but if people aren’t
going to respond, you can’t do much
beyond giving them a follow-up call,”
Neall said.
“With 400 organizations on cam
pus, that could be difficult.”
All seniors graduating from the
university were sent an e-mail mes
sage and a postcard that gave them
the opportunity to have their pictures
taken for the yearbook. The service
was free to students.
Postcards were also sent to all res
idence halls and greek houses adver
tising the book sales. Students can fill
the cards out and return them in cam
pus mail if they want to buy the year
book.
“We’re trying to cover as many
people as we can, understanding how
many students attend UNL. The goal
is always trying to get as many people
as you can into the book,” Neall said.
“I realize that’s almost impossible.”
The yearbooks were on sale for
several days last semester at a booth
in the Nebraska Union.
The yearbook sells for $30 and
can be purchased by contacting the
yearbook .office in the Nebraska
Union, room 334, or calling (402)
472-6248.
Neall, who will graduate in May,
said she was excited about seeing the
final product and hoped this year
book will be the start of a new tradi
tion at the university.
“I hope to leave it with a strong
foundation to keep it going.”
Event encourages young women
to pursue engineering interests
V
By Josh Knaub
Staff writer
UNL Professor Suzanne Rhode
almost gave up engineering after scor
ing 44 percent on her first quiz.
“I cried,” she said. “But when I
finally went back to class, I found out
that I’d gotten aB.”
Rhode was one of the speakers at
Wednesday’s Women Interested in
Engineering Day sponsored by the
College of Engineering and Technology
and the Society of Women Engineers.
The second annual event was
designed to provide information for
high school students interested in pursu
ing engineering at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
About 80 students attended hands
on demonstrations and discussions cov
ering the different engineering disci
plines offered at die university.
Fall 1998 statistics showed that 113
percent of the students in the College of
Engineering and Technology were
women.
Speakers gave varied reasons for
these numbers.
Rhode said women tend to shy
away from physics-related fields.
Others said women aren’t pushed by
teachers and schools in the direction of
engineering.
Women Interested in Engineering
Day attempted to provide prospective
students with information about and
contacts in the college. . ~
“We’re not promoting salaries.
We’re not telling men vs. women war
stories,” said Christine Cam, a senior
mechanical engineering major and
Society of Women Engineers member.
“We’re promoting women in engineer
ing.”
Attendees were given a packet of
information that included the e-mail
addresses of participating society
members.
Program Director Karen Schurr
said the information will provide high
school students with a basis to ask
questions of university students.
The combination of ice cream and
liquid nitrogen made Rhode’s mechani
cal engineering demonstration a popu
lar one.
Participants huddled in close as
Rhode mixed a bubbling brew of
cream, sugar and liquid nitrogen and
then passed out samples of the results.
Organizer Kathy Glenn said 20
more students attended this year’s event
than last year’s.
Jennifer Martin, a Lincoln East
high school senior, said she planned to
attend UNI. and major in biological
systems engineering. She said her
interest in math and problem solving
led her to engineering.
Lam said the event connected high
school students to the university.
“I hope this gives students die con
tacts they need.”