The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, February 15, 1999, Image 1
SPORTS A tough loss The Nebraska wrestling team lost a dual to Minnesota 22-9 Sunday, dropping several close matches. PAGE 7 A & E Plains literature The University of Nebraska Press operates quietly in Lincoln but is heard around the world. Its catalog includes titles as diverse as basketball and classic science fiction. PAGE 9 MON >AY February 15, 1999 So-So Mostly cloudy, high 50. Snow possible tonight, low 30. VOL. 98 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 101 Acquittal spells relief for many students « In a way it wasn’t anyone s business. But even if you are the president, what he did was wrong" Tracy O’Donnell UNL freshman By Brian Carlson Staffwriter After the Senate’s acquittal of President Clinton on Friday, University of Nebraska Lincoln students’ reactions were mixed. An unscientific survey of students studying in the Nebraska Union on Sunday found a vari ety of reactions - disappointment, satisfaction, apathy and relief - that the 13-month saga had ended. The Senate voted to acquit Clinton on arti cles of impeachment alleging the president com mitted perjury and obstructed justice as he attempted to conceal his relationship with a young White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Ben Mueller, a freshman who has not declared a major, shared the ambivalence many Americans have expressed about the Clinton Lewinsky scandal. “I would have voted to acquit, even though I think Clinton’s a sleazebag,” he said. Although Clinton lied to the American peo ple and tried to cover up his relationship with Lewinsky, Mueller said, the president was tech nically not guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice. The House prosecutors failed to prove those charges, he said. “He didn’t commit an act that designated that he should be removed from office,” Mueller said. Perjury and obstruction of justice, however, would merit conviction and removal if proven, he said. Most of all, Mueller said, the scandal dis gusted him. He said he was most disturbed by the constant media attention to the scandal and the crude details contained in the report pro duced by Kenneth Starr, the independent coun sel. “The Starr report pretty much made the American government look like a joke in front of the rest of the world,” he said. “You have to have tact, and we didn’t.” Please see ACQUITTAL on 2 CHRISTINE MEYER, a senior horticulture major, and Craig Wagner, a senior English major, cuddle on the shores of Holmes Lake on Sunday evening. Valentines please some, peeve some By Sarah Fox Staff writer Cutie pie. You go girl. Www.cupid. Is this what St. Valentine was thinking of when he was beheaded in Rome? Valentine’s Day customs have changed since ancient Rome, and so have peoples’ attitudes. This year, the holiday may have seemed like a “Single Awareness Day,” a day celebrating friend ship or a day to celebrate true love. Valentine, a Christian bishop, didn’t intend to start a holiday in 270 A.D. when he opposed Claudius II, “mad emperor” of Rome, by per forming secret marriage ceremonies. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica online, http://www.eb.com/when Claudius dis covered Valentine was performing the cere monies, he was stoned and beheaded. Valentine left behind his lover, to whom he wrote a letter signed “From your Valentine.” Two hundred years later, a Roman fertility festival was changed into a Catholic church holy day, and Valentine was chosen as the day’s patron saint. However, some University of Nebraska Lincoln students wished the saint had never exist ed. Please see VALENTINE on 2 Read the Daily Nebraskan on the World Wide Web at dailyneb.com Need for teachers adds up ■ A report projects an increased demand statewide for teachers, gratifying education students. By Ieva Augstums Senior staff writer University of Nebraska-Lincoln students seeking a teaching career in the state won't have to look hard for a job. According to a report released Friday by the State Board of Education, the state could need 1,200 to 2,000 more teachers than are currently avail able by the year 2003, and 1,400 to 2,400 more teachers by 2008. “That makes me feel good." said Jennifer Seeman. a UNL junior ele mentary education major. “It's almost like 1 am going to be assured a job once I graduate. " Mike Britten, a consultant who per formed the study for the Nebraska Department of Education, told board members the high demand stems from young teachers looking for out-of-state jobs and older teachers taking early retirement. Nebraska’s 835 public and private school districts, along with the state’s 17 teacher preparation institutes, were asked to provide statistics for the study that sought to find the need and avail ability of K-12 teachers for the years 2003 and 2008. A preliminary report last month showed the state could have 1,600 unfilled teaching positions by 2003. Board member Rick Savage said the study might not accurately project a shortage, because only 51 percent of the state's school districts responded to the survey. But Teachers College Dean James O’Hanlon said he was not surprised to Please see TEACHERS on 2