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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 2000)
Web site decries Perlman, NU ■ Former UNLSiuaent challenged university policies at the Regents meeting. BY VERONICA DAEHN Omaha resident Phil Torrison is ready to challenge the University of Nebraska system, the state of Nebraska and the United States government - all through his Web site. He too his first public action Friday when he told the NU Board of Regents that Interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman should not be considered for the permanent position. “His political correctness is destroying the university," Torrison told the Board during open forum. But Torrison, a UNL graduate, is not just upset with Perlman. He has a bigger concern - one that spans the university, the state and the country. "I want to bring out the truth," Torrison told the Daily Nebraskan on Tuesday. Because of his fears for the state of mankind, Torrison has started his own Web page, http://www.radiofteeornaha.com. The purpose of the site is to share what Torrison calls “the truth" with Nebraskans. One link on the site is called UNL WATCH. This screen is dedi cated to university activities that Tbrrison feds should be exposed. His main complaint is with a statement issued by the Executive Committee of the Nebraska Human Rights Initiative. Their statement was issued in response 10 renman vuiomg ms opposition to Initiative 416, the amendment that will ban gay and lesbian marriages, partnerships or civil unions in Nebraska. The committee’s statement said Initiative 416 would violate rights guaranteed in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Perlman was justified in speaking out against it Torrison said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was only applicable if exercised in accordance with the United Nations. He said the university should not be governed by the UN. "I see a lot of United Nations’ agenda at the university,” Torrison said. "The university is bypassing the House of Representatives and the Senate in Washington and the state Legislature. They’re doing it with grants.” Torrison said human rights came from God, not from a treaty. That’s stated in the Declaration of Independence, he said. “(The Human Rights’ plan has) got everything to do with the UN treaty,” he said. “It says so on their own Web site.” Torrison said he plans to speak at future Regents meetings to continue to reveal truths he feels are being covered up by uni versity officials. “The Board of Regents are a bunch of lemmings,” he said. “I don’t think they know anything that’s going on. The people of Nebraska need to know what’s going on.” Torrison said some of the uni versity’s classes and programs shouldn't be offered. The Board of Regents are a bunch of lemmings. I don’t think they know anything that’s going on. The people of Nebraska need to know what’s going on.” Phil Torrison Web page designer He doesn’t think there should be a Women’s Studies program. UNL isn’t teaching what it should be, he said. “Those people at the univer sity are never going to show you how to question what they're say ing,” Torrison said. Lyons Regent Chuck Hassebrook said he found Torrisoris comments at Friday’s meeting contradictory. “On the one hand, he was decrying political correctness,” Hassebrook said. “He was attack ing people who express views dif ferent than his own. But he was only opposed to political correct ness when it disagreed with his views.” Hassebrook, who hasn't looked at Torrisoris Web site, said he didn't know if Torrison would be allowed to speak at further Regents meetings if he would only be repeating what he said Friday. “We’re not going to tie up the meeting with the same thing every time,” he said. ASUN holds service survey BY MARGARET BEHM If a stranger stopped you on Wednesday to question your knowledge of student govern ment, you weren’t alone. Student senators collected about 80 surveys from students in the Nebraska Union and East Campus Union. The polling was for ASUN Awareness Day. The survey was coordinated by the Campus Life Committee as a way for senators to touch base with students, committee chairman Nathan Fuerst said. “We just wanted to get in contact with students,” he said. Students were questioned about their knowledge of vari ous services ASUN offers. Students were also asked to voice their opinion about the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska. The survey results will help senators know what services need to be advertised more. It is important that students know services, such as NU on Wheels and Student Legal Services, are available, Fuerst said. “If students don’t know about the services, obviously they’re not using them,” he said. According to the survey, the most unknown program was the commuter and student services, Fuerst said. The service provides com muter students with informa tion about housing and answers other questions that arise when students move off campus, said Communications Chairwoman Vicki Geiser. r “If students don’t know about the services, obviously they’re not using them.” Nathan Fuerst Campus Life Committee chairman “It's really comprehensive as far as different services,” she said. Students can get a free book let which has information such as landlord-tenant laws, bike trails and facts on housing options. Students can pick up the booklet in room 135 of the Nebraska Union. Judge says he s fit for panel JUDGE from pagel “It's not only proper, but it should be encouraged for judges to speak out against laws they believe should be changed,” Hutchinson said. In his time on the bench, Rowlands has sentenced six peo ple for first-degree murder and has never handed down the death penalty. Four of those cases involved plea bargains that eliminated consideration of die death penal ty, Rrowiands said. In the other two cases, Rowlands served on three-judge sentencing panels. Rowlands voted with the unanimous panel to sentence Terry Reynolds, a Lancaster County man, to life in prison in 1990. Rowlands dissented from the other two judges, who approved the death penalty, in Jeremy Sheets’ case. Sheets was convicted of the 1992 murder of Kenyatta Bush in Omaha. This September, the state Supreme Court vacated that death sentence. The motion to remove Rowlands from the sentencing panel was the second such motion from Lacey. This summer, Lancaster County District Judge Bernard McGinn removed himself from the panel because McGinn was a deputy prosecutor when Reeves was tried. Lancaster County District Judge Karen Flowers was appoint ed to replace McGinn. Douglas County District Judge Richard Spethman is the third judge on the panel A motion to schedule the actual sentencing hearing is pending before Flowers’ court From bats to bugs, hotline has answers ■The NUFACTS system is a free service offering informa tion on many topics. BY SHARON KOLBET It's Thanksgiving, it’s mid* night, and you have a pressing question regarding the pumpkin pie. Is it safe to leave your dessert sitting at room temperature or should it go in the fridge? You have a food-handling crisis, and you don't know who to call *Press 682 to hear about manure handling. Press 707for questions about garter snakes in the house. Press 315 if you need information on freezing cheese.” The pre-recorded voice is bright and cheery as it dispenses advice about cheese. It also tells you what to do with your leftover pie. These topics and others cover ing farming, wildlife, health and homemaking are as close as your phone thanks to the NUFACTS system. NUFACTS is a voice message database developed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Cooperative Extension office. In Lincoln, the curious can dial 441 7188, and other Nebraska resi dents can call 1-800-832-5441 for free information. “Press 723 to find out how to become an organ donor. Press 763 to prevent flea problems. Press 515 for information on your child’s toddler years.” The fact line's debut four years ago reflects the commitment of the university's agricultural exten sion office to meet Nebraskans’ informational and educational needs. Don Janssen, Lancaster County extension educator, said the Nebraska system was based on a similar service in Minnesota NUFACTS has grown from its orig inal 300 topics in 1996 to include 725 different messages now. “We predicted that there was a need for this information to get out,” Janssen said. Dodge County Extension Agent David Varner spearheaded the information line’s develop ment, Janssen said. “The NUFACTS system is unique,” Varner said. “A person doesn’t have to be computer-liter ate to use the system.” And people do use it Janssen said more than 50,000 calls have been made to NUFACTS since the program began. This information line helps the extension office to be more There were 9,200 calls logged last year. If these calls were answered by a staff person and you figure that each call would probably take 10 minutes, you can see that 180 staff days were saved.” David Varner Dodge County Extension agent efficient, Vamer said. The system was designed to handle routine caller inquiries and to allow exten sion staff more time for focused program development "There were 9,200 calls logged last year,” Varner said. "If these calls were answered by a staff per son and you figure that each call would probably take 10 minutes, you can see that 180 staff days were saved.” The information available on the NUFACTS phone line was developed by more than 50 exten sion educators, specialists, and University of Nebraska Medical Center facility. After the scripts were written, the extension office looked to Lincoln's KFOR Radio on-air per sonalities to help record the mes sages. Vamer said the office revises and updates the system’s mes sages every two years. In the most recent expansion, 40 Spanish-lan guage messages were added for Nebraska’s Hispanic community. Janssen said the next goal of NUFACTS is to let everyone who might be interested know about the service. Currently brochures listing the three-digit codes for all 725 messages are available from any Nebraska extension office. “A large number of the calls are made during off hours,” said Janssen. “If a person wants to know something about bats at midnight, he just needs to give us a call.” EARN UP TO $2,210 CALL 474-7297 ASSIST MEDICAL RESEARCH Mark your calendars!!! j I Wednesday, Novemeber 29, 2000 ; [j j 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. | City Campus Union r Di sir ids attending are from the Lincoln area, ■ Metro Kansas City area, and Metro Omaha area L Please recycle your Daily Nebraskan. For All Your Party Needs! Old Style Reg. or Lt. 24 pk cans wm.7.99 Busch Reg. or Lt. 12 pk cans wm.4.99 Budweiser Reg. or Lt. 18 pk cans wm.9.69 Coors Reg. or Lt. 30 pk cans wm.14.99 Heineken/Amstel Lt. 12 pk bottles wm....10.39 Bacardi Lt. or Dk. 750 ML.8.99 Gordons Vodka 1.75 L.9.99 Windsor 1.75 L.12.99 Prices good through 11/15/00 RECEIVE 30 lbs OF ICE AND 50 CUPS FREE! 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