Poetry in Motion
are working hard to cre
ate a scene for their art.
A&E, PAGE 9 '
and tweets
Video-gaming’s popularity has dilut
ed its mystique and dulled its dark
Monday, February 21,2000 dailyneb. com Vol 99, Issue 106 attraction, opinion, page 5
Josh Wolfe/DM
MARLENA MCBRIDE and her husband, Stuart McBride, hold signs in protesl
of the World's Toughest Rodeo held in Pershing Auditorium on Sunday after
noon. They are members of the Students for Animal Rights group.
Fewer up-front issues
push campus activists
into the background
Editor’s note: In honor of Black History
Month, this is the third story in a weekly series
looking at the heart of diversity - what it means
now and what it meant in the 1960s. Today we look
at activism, a word that evokes images of people
fighting for civil rights.
By Kimberly Sweet
Staff writer
For UNL students in the late 1960s and early
1970s, one fear overshadowed their day-to-day tasks
of studying and going to classes.
It was the fear of the Vietnam War.
The knowledge that their brothers, cousins,
boyfriends or even they could be shipped off to a
war the United States was losing sparked fear in the
hearts of many.
Please see ACTIVISM on 6
Law college event
targets minorities
By Margaret Behm
Staff writer
To help overcome the natioitoide shortage of
minority lawyers, the University of Nebraska
College of Law held Diversity Law Day on
Saturday.
Glenda Pierce, assistant dean of the College
of Law, said the college geared the day toward
minorities because just 7 percent of lawyers
nationwide are minorities.
“It’s basically aimed for members of minori
ty groups because minorities are significantly
underrepresented in the law field,” she said.
Currently, there are 368 students pursuing
their degrees in the law college. Thirty are
minorities, Pierce said.
The law school wants to increase the number
of minority lawyers, and Diversity Law Day is
one of die ways to do that, Pierce said.
“We want a diverse class each year,” she said.
Diversity Law Day is similar to other pro
grams the law school has for prospective stu
dents. The only difference is that it focuses on
minorities.
“People of color do have different issues
sometimes,” said Damon Barry, president of the
Black Law Students Association.
“It’s geared toward a different crowd, but the
actual program, for the most part, is die same.” It
is important to have minority lawyers so there is
equal representation in the courtroom, Pierce
said
“You want your lawyer to mirror the public,”
she said “Lawyers represent people, and you
want to have lawyers that are representative of the
clients they represent.”
Minorities who need to hire an attorney may
feel more comfortable hiring someone from their
own ethnic group, Pierce said
“1 think that it’s helpful for people that are
involved in the judicial process to not feel they’re
isolated from members of their ethnic group,”
Pierce said
Having minorities in professional occupa
tions helps to break down racial barriers, Barry
said
It also breaks down stereotypes and stigmas
attached to minorities such as the idea that they
can’t become professionals, he said
Barry said he participated in Diversity Law
Day to help other minority students.
“I want to give back,” Barry said “I hope I
can help educate another person of color,
whether it’s a law degree, a doctorate or whatever
it takes.”
Barry said he hoped someday there won’t be
a need for a Diversity Law Day.
“Hopefully, one day we will be able to have a
regular law day,” Barry said, “that we won’t need
a Diversity Law Day. Unfortunately that day has
not come.”
i
Fund helps diversity projects
By Margaret Behm
Staff writer
The Diversity Enhancement Fund not only
financially supports diversity events, but it also
encourages campus faculty, students and staff to
work together.
The fund distributes money for diversity pro
jects organized by faculty members who work
together. Students can receive money for projects
if they work with faculty members.
Groups are more likely to receive funding if
they work with people they normally wouldn’t
work with, said Rita Kean, co-chairwoman of the
Faculty Liaison Task Force for Diversity.
The fund and the Faculty Liaison Task Force
. for Diversity are in their second year. The task
force is a link between faculty and administration
and serves as an adviser to Academic Affairs.
The diversity fond consists of $50,000 from
the budget of the office of the senior vice chan
cellor for Academic Affairs. The fund is not a
permanent addition to the budget.
Most campus entities have diversity pro
grams in place, but the problem is that the differ
ent groups atpn’t working together, said Kean,
interim dean of College of Human Resources
and Family Science.
“What we found is that almost every unit on
campus has special initiatives to address diversi
ty issues,” Kean said. “The problem is it is frag
mented. There’s a lot going on, but people don’t
always know what other people are doing.”
Kean said the fund shows that people are
willing to work together for a diverse campus.
“It has sent a message that diversity and
inclusion is important on this campus,” Kean
said. “It shows that the administration is serious
about this, and there’s no better way than having
faculty members weak together.”
Please see DIVERSITY on 7
JUNI WUliC/LriN
HOBBY UNDEMAN, an Omaha Burke wrestler, celebrates after his win over Hastings’ Dustin
Davis in the 189-pound Class A competition during the Nebraska State Wrestling Championship
Tournament finals on Saturday. The tournament was held at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
£*? •
"hi- '■
f£v'v'
If the eyes are the window to die soul, then
the face is die billboard of human emotions.
Pain, anger, frustration, joy, victory and
relief were all on display at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center during the Nebraska State High
School wrestling championships Thursday
through Saturday. The event brought students
and their families from all comers of the state.
Daily Nebraskan photographers Mike
Warren and Josh Wolfe set out to capture the
emotions on the faces of coaches and wrestlers
during the three-day tournament.
FOR PHOTOS PLEASE SEE PAGE 8
