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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 2000)
Tuesday November 28,2000 Volume 100 Issue 66 dailyneb.com Since 1901 mk:_. I Columnist Karen Brown relives fond memories with her Bronco named Floyd In Opinion/4 L/ ft*r% mi rvimani rmenaancitne Buskers blow post highly regarded Winthrop in a | 21-point win " In SportsTuesday/10 UNL greek houses are aglow in a holiday lighting contest In Arts/8 Disabled to Perlman: Fire office director ■The students and interim chancellor discussed complaints over the Services for Students with Disabilities office. BY JILL ZEMAN Emotions rose as students voiced their concerns with Interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman Monday regarding the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Services for Students with Disabilities, but Perlman took no immediate action on what he heard. Several students complained about die SSD office and its new director, Mary Thompson. Thompson took over as director in May, and since then, student complaints have risen dramatically, said Jodie Engsder, senior special education and deaf education major. The Daily Nebraskan could not reach Thompson for comment late Monday afternoon. Engstler said students’ grades have slipped because they have been unable to get notes for their classes on time. Because of this, several students requested to be reimbursed and have their grades waived for the classes in which they didn't get notes. The students also requested to have Thompson removed from her position because of changes she’s made to the office. When Thompson took over, she rearranged the office, making it difficult for students in wheelchairs to move around, Engstler said. It’s also hard for students to get an interpreter or find adequate testing space, Engstler said. Perlman said he hasn’t met with Thompson or anyone else, and he needed to talk to more people before he’d take any action on the issue. Perlman said if the students’ claims are true, the university should at least take some responsibility. “If the university has clearly caused you difficulty in your studies, it seems to be a fair request for us to regress,” he said. Perlman said he couldn’t set a date for action. But he said he hoped to know what to do by the end of die semester. William Olubodun, a doctoral student in educational administration, said he was displeased with Thompson because he said she acted patronizing toward him and other students. "Qualifications are one thing, but respect for students is another thing,” he said. Students have continually com plained, but litde action has been taken, “We should not be made to pay for the hiring of the wrong person William Olubodua _ doctoral student in educational administration Olubodun said. “We should not be made to pay for the hiring of the wrong person,” he said. The students met earlier with James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs. Engstler said the students weren’t pleased with the results of the meeting because to them, nothing was accom plished. But Engstler said the students held a little more hope after the meeting with Perlman. . “I think right now we're standing in neutral ground,” she said. “We’re hoping for the best but expecting the worst” But for the students it’s still frustrating because Perlman didn’t set an absolute deadline for when he’d make a decision, said Tim Schultz, senior family and con sumer science major. And if Perlman doesn’t side with the students, Schultz said he was willing to seek legal advice from outside the univer sity. “We won’t settle for anything less than we ask for,” he said. “Don’t do that to me,” Perlman said in response. “Let’s not put barricades up in advance.” Officials ponder DN inquiry BY JOSH FUNK__ The prospect of releasing certain University of Nebraska-Lincoln disciplinary records pits a stu dent’s right to privacy against the public’s right to know. Two officials involved with the Judicial Affairs appeals board said Monday they understand, and in some ways agree with, the Daily Nebraskan’s petition to make the results of disciplinary hear ings involving crimes of violence and sex offenses public, but university policy would have to be changed. “Any student has a right to privacy, but we have a right to know how safe we are,” said Andy Faltin, last year’s student chairman of the Judicial Board. Faltin said the Office of Judicial Affairs often prosecutes students for criminal offenses under the student code of conduct after criminal charges have been dropped in court Judicial Affairs requires only a preponderance of evidence to convict a student of conduct code violations instead of the criminal court system's more stringent standard of guilt beyond a reason able doubt. That could mean students could be punished under the code for violations they would be found innocent of in court The current faculty chairman of the Judicial Board, Ron Hanson, stressed that the board does not hear legal matters, only violations of the stu dent code of conduct. The Judicial Board only hears cases when a student appeals the decision of Judicial Affairs Director Rosemary Blum, and those appeals are rare. Hanson, who is in the middle of his third non Please see LAWSUIT on 3 ———^—1 JMM— NateWagner/DN AUSSIE STYLE: Aussie the Miniature Australian Shepherd, dressed like a sailor, leaps to get the candy cane sophomore John Bums holds in the air in front of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity on Monday evening. Aussie has other outfits that he adorns from day to day that have '80s, slumber party and baseball themes. Bums, one of his owners, brought Aussie to school after buying him this summer. s ■ ' - ' ■ wren me presidency still up tor grabs, the Democratic and GOP par^r chiefs are following national trends in their reactions. BY BRIAN CARLSON .As George W. Bush began his transition to tiie presidency and A1 Gore vowed to fight on, Nebraska’s political leaders held to the party line. Chuck Sigerson, chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party, said it was “most definitely” time for Gore, the Democratic vice president, to concede. “It has to come to an end point sometime,” he said. “The votes have been counted* recounted and in some cases recounted again. The election has been certified; let's get on with the business of governing. “I don’t think A1 Gore’s attempt to over throw a certified election will do anything for this country.” But Anne Boyle, chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said Gore had a legitimate complaint because it is most impor tant that Florida produce a full, fair and accu rate vote count “I can't remember a time in history when any kind of elected official called the election when all the votes had not been counted," she said* Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Republican Bush supporter, certified Bush on Sunday as the winner by 537 votes in Florida. Bush, the Republican governor of Texas, said he would put together his transition team in preparation to enter the White House and called on Gore to concede. Gore contested the Florida results, saying the short-circuiting of hand recounts and what he called incorrect standards for counting improperly punched ballot cards made the results inaccurate. Sigerson said Gore had violated his pledge to abide by the results of a hand recount Gore offered to accept the results of a statewide hand recount but Bush declined that offer. But Gore has sought to force a hand recount in Miami-Dade County, where can vassing officials decided against completing a hand recount because they were unable to meet the deadline set by the Florida Supreme Court “Here we are, just seven days later, and it's like he never said it,” Sigerson said. “We just can’t trust Al Gore to keep his promises.” Sigerson said he expected Democrats around the country soon would abandon Gore's position and encourage him to concede. He said Gore would have trouble continu ing his fight after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the legitimacy of the Florida Supreme ST Court’s ruling that hand recounts should be considered. “I think at that point A1 Gore will no longer be able to continue his charade of being a man of the law,” he said. Boyle agreed that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling may bring an end to the prolonged dis pute. “I think when the courts have acted and said yes or no, at that point we need to let it go,” she said. In the meantime, she said, Gore is right to contest the results and insist every vote be counted. “If all the votes don’t count, I think that flies in the face of what we tell other countries,” she said. Boyle said GOP demonstrations against Gore's continuing legal challenges will increase the bitterness between the parties, regardless of which candidate takes office on Jan. 20. But she said if Bush officially becomes the president-elect, she would send out a message to Nebraska Democrats urging them to accept the result and put behind any bitterness. If elected, Sigerson said, Bush will have to reach out to the nearly half of the electorate that voted for Gore. Unofficially, Gore won the national popular vote but would lose the elec toral vote, 271-267, if he lost Florida. “The next president will have to gain the trust of the American people,” Sigerson said. . * . ASUN constitution reform on horizon ■The student government plans to pass a bylaw that will call for a committee to work on changes to the document. BY MARGARET BEHM Another step toward a new constitution for student govern ment will be presented Wednesday to ASUN. A foundation for the consti tutional convention committee will be presented in a bylaw to the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska. The committee will be in charge of revamping the consti tution. IWo-thirds of the senate will have to vote for the bylaw for it to pass. Twenty-one people will make up the committee under the proposed bylaw, Special Topics Chairman Urrvano Gamez said. ASUN President Joel Schafer and Speaker Jason Mashek will be included on the committee. The two were chosen to rep resent ASUN senators and exec utive members, Gamez said. Schafer and Mashek will each pick three ASUN members and two students. Gamez said he wants the two to pick people to serve on the committee for the right rea sons. "Hopefully it won’t become something where they choose specific people to push their own agenda,” he said. There also will be three at large students who will be Please see CONVENTION on 3 il' 9
