Colors of history_
Candidates, officials examine alcohol
Lydia S. Gonzales/DN
LINDA EVANS of Pin Points Production stars in “1001 Black
Inventions” held at the Nebraska Union on Sunday. The play, which
recognizes several of America’s historical black figures and their
contributions, was held in honor of Black History month, said Bonita
Douglas, education specialist in the office of Multicultural Affairs.
Speaking to the audience, Evans said, “The purpose of thlrplay is
that everybody has their heroes.” 0
ALCOHOL from page 1
family of alcoholics, it’s not some
thing you mess with.”
Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs James Griesen wanted to dis
pel any myths surrounding the policy.
In particular, he wants to dispel the
myth that UNL’s campus is “dry.”
Consumption of alcohol is
allowed on campus through a permit
process in controlled circumstances,
he said.
The policy also does not favor
alumni over students, Griesen said.
Implemented in the early 1990s,
the policy states that any alcohol
served on campus must be approved
in advance for a specific event.
It can be provided by either a host
ed bar and served by the Nebraska
Union service staff, or a cash or host
ed bar by a third-party vendor,
Griesen said.
The point of the specifications is
to have someone serving the alcohol
who is not an attendee of the event or
associated with the group holding the
event, he said.
Also, whoever is sponsoring the
event must be able to prove that 75
percent of those in attendance will be
21 years old or older, he said.
It is too hard to control underage
drinking if a high percentage of the
attendees are under thdlegal drinking
age, Griesen said.
Linda Major, project director of
NU Directions, said anyone of vice
chancellor status or above can
approve the proposal for an alcohol
permit
Conley, who doesn’t have any
problems with the current policy,
doesn’t think a change would be good.
“If you have a situation where
alcohol is free-flowing, problems
abound,” Conley said.
A-Team candidate Schafer
agreed. >vy;y
' He thinks there would be an
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A paid political advertisement for the A-Team, Christina aietactom, TVNtturcr,
against alcohol-related incidents and
higher insurance.
He said changing the policy is
unrealistic, and he has been told that it
would require a change in state law.
Major said the policy follows a
state law prohibiting the consumption
of alcohol on state property.
The Board of Regents, because it
is a governing body of the university,
decided that under certain circum
stances alcohol consumption was per
mitted, Major said.'
Griesen said the reason for the
policy is not for the university to act as
a baby-sitter but to create a safe learn
ing environment for students.
“Our mission is to get them edu
cated,” Griesen said. “High-risk
drinking is not compatible for that
mission.”
Major said if a student body presi
dent, who also served as a student
U Our mission is
to get them
educated. High
risk drinking is
not compatible
for that mission.”
James Griesen
vice chancellor for student affairs
regent, wanted to expand the alcohol
policy, he probably could submit a
proposal.
But she suggested the president
would want to examine two things
before trying to change the policy.
First, the president should under
stand all the legal steps in changing
the policy and whether he or she has
the power to make it happen. Second,
the president should provide evidence
that the campus would benefit from
the alcohol-policy change.
Griesen said the university is con
cerned about high-risk drinking
among college students nationwide,
especially because the upper
Midwest, including Nebraska, has the
most high-risk drinking, according to
national studies.
The university also could be liable
in an alcohol-related accident, he
said.
Such was the case when the
Nebraska Supreme Court ruled on
Oct. 29,1999, that Jeffery Knoll, who
fell from the third-floor of Phi
Gamma Delta Fraternity in November
1993, could sue the university for neg
ligence.
Knoll suffered severe head
injuries from the fall. He was trying to
avoid a hazing incident.
The case was sent back to
Lancaster District Court last fall.
In the 14 years he’s worked at
UNL, about 85 to 90 percent of vio
lence on campus was alcohol-related,
Griesen said.
Mello agreed and said from what
he has seen, alcohol contributed not
only to violence but also to poor class
attendance and high freshman
dropout rates.
As for gameday policing, Griesen
said it was difficult to control all tail
gate activity, but it was something the
university was hoping to improve.
The objective of the enforcement
is not to police students harder than
alumni, Griesen said.
Though Empower, Impact and A
Team don’t list alcohol on their plat
forms, the three parties’ members
agreed that alcohol education and
expanding NU on Wheels would ben
efit the students.
Mello said he wanted to assist NU
Directions and Party Smart to pro
mote education, especially to fresh
men.
juaa, along witn increasing me
alcohol on campus, wants to imple
ment a required alcohol class for all
freshmen, something similar to
Library 110. Kidd said Wake Forest
University has implemented a similar
program that he admired.
He also said high-profile students
on campus should speak to freshmen
to let them know they don’t have to
drink.
Schafer said UNL should follow
the example of the University of New
York at Buffalo, which saved utility
expenses totaling $3 million through
an organized effort, he said.
If UNL followed its example, it
could use the saved money from utili
ty costs of the student unions, recre
ational center and the health center to
make NU on Wheels available for
more days each week.
Conley said he wanted policy to
focus on creating a way for students to
ask for help in serious alcohol situa
tions.
Many times students are preoccu
pied with staying out of trouble and,
consequently, are not responsible, he
said.
Hands down, everyone agreed that
the key to preventing alcohol acci
dents was to be responsible.
“We’re not opposed to legal,
responsible drinking on- or off-cam
pus,” Griesen said.
Attorney general bill vetoed
From staff and wire reports
Gov. Mike Johanns vetoed a bill
Friday that would allow Nebraska to
elect its attorney on a nonpartisan
ballot.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ernie
Chambers of Omaha, promised to
seek an override.
The bill, LB510, failed to pass the
final round of debate last week, but a
motion to reconsider the vote suc
ceeded, and the bill passed 28-19 -
two votes short of the 30 needed to
override a veto.
Any veto-override vote would be
close, said Speaker of the Legislature
Doug Kristensen, a supporter of the
bill.
“I would hope there’s 30 votes,
but I know it’s very close.”
In his veto message, Johanns said
the measure was unnecessary and
would interfere with Nebraska’s bal
ance of elected representatives for the
nonpartisan Legislature and constitu
tional officers who are elected on the
basis of party affiliation.
“Our democratic republic was
designed in a very deliberate man
ner,” Johanns said. “Even when
Nebraskans voted to change from a
bicameral to a unicameral
Legislature ... the election of
statewide constitutional officers
under a party system was left intact.”
Including Nebraska, 43 states
elect their attorney generals on a par
tisan ballot.
Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln,
chairwoman of the Government,
Military and Veterans Affairs
Committee - from where LB510
came - said she planned to oppose
the bill during the override vote.
“I understand the reason that a lot
of people voted that way,” Schimek
said. “They want the office to be less
politicized.
“(But) I happen to agree with the
governor on this.”
Staff writer Tony Moses con
tributed to this report.
