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18-year-old woman second
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In News/3
The Blackshirts have
improved, but Saturday
they face their stiffest test
of the season
In SportsWednesday/‘U|
A series looking at cre
ative parts of Halloween I
kicks off today with a
review of Lincoln’s haunt- B
edfun
■Officialssaid the increase
was a good sign but that the
school can't let up its efforts.
BY VERONICA OAEHN
The number of minority stu
dents at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln has
increased, but they still don’t
make up much of the total stu
dent population.
According to information
put together by Institutional
Research and Planning, black,
American Indian, Asian and#
Hispanic students made up 6.2 *
percent of the total student
enrollment in 1999. This year,
they make up 6.4 percent.
While the increase in the
proportion of minority students
compared to total enrollment is
slight, the actual number of
minority students at UNL did
increase by 4.8 percent this year
compared to 1999.
In 1999, there were 1,368
minorities enrolled at UNL. This
year there are 1,433.
These numbers do not
include international students
studying abroad at UNL.
The total number of students
enrolled is up this year by 0.6
percent. In 1999,22,142 students
were enrolled. This year there are
22,268.
Jimmi Smith, director of
multicultural affairs, said UNL
needs to continue to work hard
at recruitment and retention of
minority students.
The slight increase isn’t
enough, he said.
“We need to do substantially
more,” Smith said. “It needs to
carry into every college.
Students and faculty need to call
for greater retention.”
Smith said the Office of
Admissions shouldn’t be solely
responsible for recruiting stu
dents of color.
White students need to do
their part and open their arms to'
* minority students, Smith said.
"We need everyone in the
university community to help,”
he said.
James Griesen, vice chancel
lor for student affairs, said the
increase in minority students
was a good sign.
“WeTe very pleased (the
numbers are) moving in the right
direction,” Griesen said.
The number of freshman
minority students is a key area to
watch, Griesen said.
Freshman minority students
increased by 24 students from
1999 to 2000, an increase of 10.4
percent.
The total freshman enroll
ment for UNL fell by six stu
dents, a decrease of 0.2 percent.
Griesen said Cynthia Gooch,
assistant director of admissions
for multicultural recruitment,
deserved credit for the increase
in minority students.
She has been involved with
the recruitment of students
since 1999, Griesen said.
Gooch was out of the office
Tuesday and unable to be
reached for comment.
“We have to do more to attract and retain
students. We can do that by always looking at
our students and seeing they get the
experiences they need."
Chuck van Rossum
assistant director of the minority assistance program
Chuck van Rossum, assistant
director of the minority assis
tance program, said one can be
excited about the increase in
minority students, but should
not be satisfied.
“We have to do more to
attract and retain students,” van
Rossum said. “We can do that by
always looking at our students
and seeing they get the experi
ences they need.”
Most students attend a uni
versity for the academic pro
gram they’re taking, he said. And
there have been changes in
UNL’s academic departments.
Several colleges have been
proactive in developing pro
grams that make students more
welcome, he said.
But the programs are just the
beginning.
"It’s just starting steps,” van
Rossum said. "We’ve been pay
ing attention to students, but it
needs to happen more.”
Making all UNL students feel
cared for was the key to reten
tion, regardless of the color of
their skin, van Rossum said.
“That’s the key,” he said. “We
want the students to have the
best experiences. If we do that
everyday, they're more apt to
stay.”
NateWagner/DN
JAIL BREAK: Sophomore Carmen Helvey holds out her cup to collect spare change from students passing by the Project CARE-sponsored Jail N' Bail fund-raiser in the Nebraska Union. Volunteer stu
dents and faculty members participated in the second annual Jail N' Bail to raise money to promote alcohol education on campus. Students had to raise $25, and faculty members had to raise $50 to
get out of jail. Friends also could pay to keep their friends in jail if they didn't want to help them get out.
Empty court
slots critical
\
in election
BY BRIAN CARLSON»
As the closest presidential race since 1960 nears
Election Day, the future of the U.S. Supreme Court
hangs in the balance.
Court observers such as John Gruhl, a political
science professor at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, predict the next president could appoint
as many as three or four new justices to replace
those who retire.
Vice President A1 Gore, the Democratic candi
date, and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the
Republican candidate, have expressed sharply dif
ferent ideas about how justices should interpret
the Constitution.
For that reason, Gruhl said, the outcome of the
presidential election could have an enormous
impact on issues such as abortion, affirmative
action, religion and states’ rights.
“this is one of the clear differences between the
candidates,” he said. “It’s one of the ways things
could be very different depending on who wins.”
Gore has said he would appoint justices who
believe the Constitution is a “living and breathing”
document that should be interpreted in light of
changes in society. He said he admired the late
Justice Thurgood Marshall, who was one of the
court's most liberal and activist justices.
Please see COURT on 6
Dole honors
Stenberg fight
BY LINDSEY BAKER
After a short delay because
of heavy fog, former Kansas Sen.
Bob Dole landed in Kearney on
fliesday to lend his support to
Republican Don Stenberg in the
Nebraska Senate race.
Speaking before a group of
160 Stenberg supporters, Dole,
the 1996 Republican presiden
tial candidate, spoke in strong
favor of Stenberg.
“This is a very important
race,” Dole said. “It’s important
that (Nebraska Sen.) Chuck
Hagel has a partner in the
Senate. I think we need a
Republican Senate.”
The focus of Dole’s speech,
is well as Hagel’s and Stenberg’s
succeeding speeches, was the
mportance of maintaining a
Republican majority in the
■louse of Representatives and
U.S. Senate.
“I think Nov. 7 will be one of
the most defining times in the
history of our country,” Hagel
said. “We have within our grasp
(the opportunity) to shape the
world for the better if we lead."
Kansas Sen. Sam
Brownback, who now holds
Dole’s former Senate seat,
agreed.
“This is a critical race and a
critical year,” he said in Kearney.
“1952 was the last time that
Republicans were able to gain
the presidency, the House and
the Senate. If we govern for two
years with this lineup, we’ll gov
ern for 10 years.”
Stenberg focused on his
Please see DOLE on 6
Hot topic overshadow less-touchy work
■ Much of the student
senate's work is not done in
the public eye.
BY MARGARET BEHM
Recognizing American
Indian Day and coming out in
favor of domestic partner bene
fits are social issues on which the
student senate has taken action.
The Association of Students
of the University of Nebraska
Lincoln is proud of its reputation
of supporting human rights, said
Arts & Sciences Sen. Nathan
Fuerst.
But just because those con
troversial social issues garner
more attention than more mun
dane student issues, like park
ing, doesn’t mean that ASUN
isn’t doing anything, student
senate members said.
“In the past couple of years,
ASUN has tried to support
human rights," Fuerst said.
“That’s something we work for.”
Aside from working on social
issues, though, the senators of
ASUN take action on campus
issues that don’t make the senate
floor, ASUN President Joel
Schafer said.
“There’s a lot going on
behind the scenes,” Schafer said.
ASUN senators join a com
mittee to work on a specialty
area of the university. Their
choices are campus life, human
rights, academic, special topics,
communications or the
Committee for Fees Allocation.
Advisory councils are over
seen by senators of each com
mittee.
The idea to support
Domestic Partner Benefits -
which would give insurance and
other benefits given to same-sex
couples - first started in the
Sexual Orientation Advisory
Council. It then moved to the
Human Rights Committee and,
eventually, to the senate floor.
Other ASUN committees
work with areas such as parking,
NU on Wheels, technology fees,
Homecoming and public rela
“In the past couple of years, ASUN has tried to
support human rights. That's something we
work for."
Nathan Fuerst
arts and sciences senator
tions.
“We appoint over 200 people
campus-wide to various com
mittees,” Schafer said.
ASUN does try to improve
problems like parking, but the
senators don’t rule the lots, said
business Sen. Jessica Lopez.
“Parking is a never-ending
issue,” she said. “Some people
think that we have a lot of power,
some people think we have litde.
With parking, we can only do so
much.”
The Campus Life Committee
is trying to figure out how to
solve a recent busing problem,
Fuerst said.
About a month ago, the city’s
Star Tran bus service took away
five bus routes and added one
on 27th Street, Fuerst said.
The committee is discussing
possible solutions to the prob
lem, Fuerst said.
"The problem has been
identified, now we’re trying to
decide how to solve it,” he said.
On some issues, sometimes
the public may think ASUN has
taken action when it hasn’t.
Because it’s been discussed
in senate meetings, some people
may think ASUN has taken a
stand on Initiative 416, the so
called Defense of Marriage
Amendment, because it had
been involved in ASUN conver
sations.
“It was an issue that had
Please see ASUN on 6