Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2000)
Wednesday October 11,2000 Volume 100 4 Issue 38 dailyneb.com Since 1901 - . ; Storm chaser awes students A unified offensive line with taies of weather watching means tough Saturdays and photography for the defensive fronts of In News/5 NU foes In SportsWednesday/10 Star CHy Dinner Theatre lets audience decide how the story ends . In Arts/8 jM Italian, Chinese dasses may be first to go BY VERONICA DAEHN Administrators and teachers in the modern languages department don’t want to do it But they might have to. Because of retirements of Chinese and Italian teachers and a lack of money to find replacements, those languages will likely be dropped from the curricu lum. The two language classes are possibly the first casualties to surface as a result of a prioritization process being completed in every UNL department. Each University of Nebraska-Iincoln department has been asked to evaluate its programs and identify the strongest and weakest ones in a process that has been dubbed “academic-prioritization.” Radha Balasubramanian, vice chair woman of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, said she hoped the languages would not be dropped permanently. Italian and Chinese are important subjects, she said. “We are struggling with this problem,” Balasubramanian said. "But we still have time to discuss the possibilities.” Since the retirements two years ago, Italian classes have been taught by teach ing assistants who should be teaching classes in other languages, she said. Chinese is funded by alwo-year ad hoc grant that will end with this academic year. The department has been able to hire lecturers with that grant money. “We’re not sure about finding funds and getting qualified people to teach (after this year),” Balasubramanian said. “But we very much do not want to drop these languages.” Lana Pashkevich, a teaching assistant who teaches beginning Italian classes, said she was concerned there wouldn’t be anyone left to teach Italian after she grad uated in May. Pashkevich is a doctoral student in German, but was recruited to teach Italian. 1 After two semesters teaching Italian, Pashkevich said she realized what a beau tiful language it was. The classes are always full and stu "We’re not sure about finding funds and getting qualified people to teach (after this year). But we very much do not want to drop these languages.” Radha Balasubramanian Department of Modern Languages and Literatures vice chairwoman dents often request overrides. It is tin excellent class, she said, and one that should continue at the universi ty "I’m pretty upset about this,” Pashkevich said. “It all has to do with money.” Coral Su, a graduate student teaching Chinese 101 and 201, said she was learn ing how to write a grant, which, if won, would gamer money to help continue the Chinese program when the current grant runs out in May. There are a lot of Chinese students at UNL and around the world, Su said, and Please see CLASSES on 5 TOP: Senior agribusiness major Scott Peterson ravels up his lasso as he lets his horse Brownie take a rest before rop ing calves dur ing Rodeo Club practice on East Campus on Tuesday evening. The Rodeo Chib has about 50 mem bers and takes a good number of them on the road when it travels to week end rodeos in other cities and states for com petition. BOTTOM: Peterson throws his hands up to show he com pleted tying three ofacalft legs. Calf roping involves throw ing accuracy, (fis dpfiningthe horse to keep the rope tight and having the speed and experience to bring the calf to the ground, roping its legs as quickly as possi ble. RODEO DRIVE Roping and riding horses are ways of life for many students who were raised on farms. But love of the rodeo doesn’t have to end for students who come to college. Students can participate in UNL’s Rodeo Club and the rodeo team. This year the club consists of 50 mem bers who talk about their interests in rodeo. The rodeo team has 15 members who compete across the Midwest. The team is trying to qualify for the Collegiate National Finals. Jared Crauss, a senior secondary edu cation and natural sciences major, said being a member of UNL’s rodeo team is something he didn’t plan on when he was a child riding horses on the farm. "I’ve always wanted to rodeo for the university,” Crauss said. “In that sense, it’s a dream come true.” Rodeo Club President Eric Behlky said anyone with an interest in rodeo is welcome to attend the meetings on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on the rodeo grounds or at the Nebraska East Union. Story and photos by Nate Wagner | Student Court online-voting verdict split ■ Three justices thought an amendment was needed to allow Web ballots;three disagreed. BYJULZEMAN Members of the ASUN Student Court were split on whether online voting can be used in ASUN and homecoming elections without a change to ASUN’s constitution. The court did not strike down an online voting system. Rather, it dis agreed on how computer ballots should come about. Because of the split verdict, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska is not prohibit ed from using an online voting system. But if ASUN institutes online vot ing without a constitutional amend ment, it runs the risk of having the constitutionality of an election chal lenged, said ASUN President Joel * * k Schafer. “We don’t want to see someone challenge an election and have it over turned,” he said. Schafer said ASUN will move for ward with an online voting system, but he didn’t know how and when that would happen. The court voted 3-3 on the issue, with justices Don Arp, Scott Lindberg and Andrea Slater supporting online voting without a constitutional change. # According to their judgment, changing the voting procedures would not give the Electoral Commission more power or change its role. Chief Justice Trent Steele, along with Justices Shanna Cole and David Ridenour, voted that an amendment r should bring about a change in voting ' procedures. 4* In their judgment, Steele, Cole and Ridenour stated the implementation of an online-voting system without a constitutional change would broaden the powers of the Electoral Commission, whose members are appointed rather than elected. ASUN can hold a special election for the amendment or can include it on the ballot in the coming homecom ing election or the spring ASUN elec tion. Schafer said the court’s decision slows, but does not eliminate, the implementation of an online voting system. "Our actions depend on what we hear from the senate,” Schafer said. Electoral Commission Director John Conley said he was pleased the court did not rule, as a majority, against an online-voting system. But Conley said he was disap pointed the court didn’t come up with a clear-cut answer. jt . “We don’t want to see someone challenge an election and have it overturned.” Joel Schafer ASUN president “They’re not saying we can do it, they’re not saying we can’t,” he said. Conley said he would talk with members of Information Services to have the voting ^system up and run ning, possibly in time for the Homecoming election. But ASUN must first decide which route it will take to implement a secure, accurate online voting system before any decisions are made, Schafer said. “We’re going to move forward with online voting,” he said. “Right now the question is by what means.” v x Perlman: 416would hurt UNL BYJILLZEMAN UNL Interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman pub licly voiced his disapproval of a same-sex marriage ban, saying it would hinder the university’s recruit ment and retention of faculty and students. Perlman announced his views about Initiative 416 to UNLs Academic Senate i on Tuesday. The amendment would ban same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic part nerships. Perlman said he had some evidence that the initiative on November’s ballot has influ enced some potential employ ees’ views of the university. If the initiative is enacted, it will clearly hurt the University of Nebraska and businesses in the state, he said. The single barrier to eco nomic progress in the state'is the small workforce, Perlman said. "(Initiative) 416 cannot be helpful in that regard," he said. “It will be viewed as an act of bigotry and intolerance by the world. That cannot be good for Nebraska Harvey Perlman UNL interim chancellor The effects of the initiative, if it is passed, would hurt the state, regardless of the intentions of the bill’s supporters, he said. “It will be viewed as an act of bigotry and intoler ance by the world," he said. “That cannot be good for Nebraska.” Perlman cited the decision of the three biggest American auto makers - Ford, General Motors and Please see PERLMAN on 5 Faculty given timetable for prioritization BYJILLZEMAN UNL Interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman spoke to the Academic Senate Tuesday about mov ing forward with the 20/20 Vision report and the university’s prioritization process. The senate already discussed the issues in ear lier meetings and were given more of an update in Tuesday's meeting. Perlman presented a timetable for the faculty members to chart the prioritization process. The Academic Planning Committee will be in charge of reviewing and recommending UNL’s highest priorities by May 1, before they are submit ted to NU President Dennis Smith and the Board of Regents on May 15. Departments will have to review and refine the preliminary priorities that are submitted by Dec. 15, according to the preliminary time table. . Academic priorities will be established by Feb. 1, Please see PRIORITIES on 5 ^ ** s H