The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, October 12, 1999, Image 1

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VOL. 99 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 37
L l
I
By Josh Knaub
Staff writer
About 250 Nebraska high school
students got investing advice from
Warren Buffett and Jesse Jackson on
Monday.
The millionaire investor and the civil
rights leader shared one message: The
most important investment the students
would ever make was in themselves.
The students were gathered in
Omaha for a conference on economics
in education held by Sen. Bob Kerrey.
Buffett said financial success
depended on personal habits.
“If you choose the qualities you want
and practice them, behavior becomes a
habit,” he said.
The most important habit, Buffett
said, was the habit of making choices
with integrity.
“When we hire, we look for a person
with three qualities,” he said. “Integrity,
intelligence and energy. If you don’t
have the first quality, the other two will
kill you.
“The nice thing about integrity is
that everyone can have it.”
Buffett said the students should
choose a job based on what they enjoy
rather than the pay they would receive.
Buffett said great wealth and numer
ous possessions could not bring great
happiness. He told the students that he
was happier living in the home he and
his wife bought 41 years ago than he
would be “in a place that costs 200 times
as much.”
“I do what I like every day. I hope
you do what you like every day. I work
with nice people. I hope you work with
nice people,” he said.
“Great wealth is the tiniest bit differ
ent ... than having just a decent
income.”
Buffett said the single most valuable
financial asset those in the room pos
sessed was future earning potential. He
said it mattered little if the students ever
invested in stocks or bonds so long as
Please see CONFERENCE on 3
Gay holiday
supported
by Wesely
Dane Stickney
Staff writer
Deanna Zaffke wiped away
her tears, stepped up to the micro
phone and belted out words of
relief.
“It’s been a long time com
ing!” she said in response to
Mayor Don Wesely’s proclama
tion supporting Lincoln’s gay, les
bian, bisexual and transgendered
community.
The mayor’s proclamation was
read by his executive aide, tin
had to attend a funeral.
The proclamation was the first
in the history of Lincoln to show
support for any gay-related activi
ty, Quenzer said.
During the last two years,
Lincoln’s GLBT community has
asked former mayor Mike
Johanns to give his support to the
GLBT community, but he refused,
citing personal and religious con
flicts.
This year, however, Mayor
Wesely quickly responded to a
request for his support of National
Coming Out Day, said Zaffke, a
member of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln GLBT gradu
ate organization.
Zaffke was the master of cere
monies at the National Coming
Out Day rally Monday at Cooper
Park.
“This is a big step for us to be
seen as human beings,” she said.
u
I’m very happy;
very proud. This
was a very
emotional day; and
I am glad to be
part of it.”
Jeremy Patrick
NU law student
“I applaud Mayor Wesely for his
convictions.”
Quenzer gave an emotional
rendition of the proclamation,
which called the GLBT commu
nity a valuable part of Lincoln.
“We’re standing on the eve of
the 21st century, and we have an
awful lot to look forward to,” she
said. “We need to step into the
next millennium with pride,
together.”
The main purpose of the
proclamation was to show
Wesely’s commitment to diversity
and equality and to declare
Monday as Coming Out Day in
Lincoln, Quenzer said.
“All citizens of Lincoln
deserve respect regardless of our
differences ... and gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered citi
zens of Lincoln are valuable to our
Please see HOLIDAY on 3
Council approves building of downtown baseball complex
■ The city will contribute
$12.8 million to the
project, a joint effort with
NU and Nebco Inc.
By Sarah Fox
Staffwriter
The City Council agreed Monday
to contribute about $12 million toward
a baseball complex to be built near
UNLs campus.
The council voted 7-0 to approve
the first phase of an agreement
between the city of Lincoln,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and
the Railroad Transportation Safety
District to build the complex at Sixth
and Charleston streets.
Official anticipate construction on
the project to be finished by March
2001.
The council is set to vote on the
second phase - how the complex will
be used - in March 2000.
The council voted 4-2 Oct. 4 to
delay voting on the first phase for a
week because several council mem
bers were worried about costs.
In the revised agreement, the City
Council and the NU Board of Regents
would be given spending updates, and
the city would try to get federal grants
to pay for part of the complex’s costs.
The agreement shows who will
pay for each part of the $25.9 million
project, said Joel Pedersen, assistant
city attorney. UNL’s athletic depart
ment would pay $10.6 million through
private donations.
The city would pay $12.83 million,
which will be used to pay for parking
and road construction around the com
plex. The city’s contribution includes
$1.25 million from the Railroad
Transportation Safety District, said
Steve Hubka, city budget officer.
Its $1.25 million contribution will
buy land owned by Union Pacific
Railroad Co. near die complex site,
said Roger Figard, city engineer.
The money will also be used to
construct a pedestrian overpass over
the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe
Railway railroad tracks, which are also
near the site.
The railroad district is not one of
the three partners that will build the
stadium; its money will be given to the
project through the city of Lincoln.
“The RTSD is more of a partner as
a funding source,” Figard said.
The third member of the partner
ship is Nebco Inc., which is the poten
tial provider of a Northern League
baseball team that would use the base
ball stadium when the University of
Nebraska baseball team is not playing.
Nebco will give $6.1 million to the
project.
s One Lincoln resident was upset
that the complex would be built in his
neighborhood because he said he was
tired of construction. He said he was in
his 80s and had lived in Lincoln all his
life.
“I stand up for the people who
—,-r
helped built this town,” Harold Hale
said. “Here you turn right around and
shove that baseball field to us. It isn’t
your neighborhood.”
In other business, the council
voted 7-0 to continue putting eight
police officers in Lincoln Public
Schools. The eight police officers
serve four high schools and 10 middle
schools.
Police officers have served LPS
for four years, said Becky Wild, direc
tor of student service for LPS, in a tele
phone interview.
“We’ve found it to be a very valu
able partnership,” she said.
Read the Daily Nebraskan on the World Wide Web at daUyneb.com