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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2001)
Ml f^v *1 ^1_I_._■__L> January 23,2001 / B Volume 100 m m M M Issue 88 M M M yf dailyneb.com M M a /f j Since 1901 M ^ W He said, she said: Chief officially resigns ■ A press release announced Caubie's leave from his position was voluntary despite former allegations. BY CHARUE KAUFFMAN Off the record, former UNL Police Chief Ken Cauble was fired Thursday. On the record, Caubie’s sudden res ignation was voluntary. In a Monday press release, Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Christine Jackson said Cauble resigned voluntarily from the position he’d held since 1991. An anonymous source close to the UNL Police Department told the Daily Nebraskan on Sunday that Cauble was forced out of his job after he “blew off” changes that Jackson, who oversees the police, recommended. When reached for comment, Jackson said Cauble was not fired and that the sudden announcement of his resignation had nothing to do with his being forced out of office. "The suddenness is not an issue in my mind,” Jackson said. “Mr. Cauble's resignation (Monday) morning was a voluntary resignation,” Jackson said. “We’ll begin a nation-wide search for a chief in the next week or two.” f Interim Police Chief Bill Manning would not comment on the resignation or the future of the department. Assistant Chief Mylo Bushing also refused to comment on the resignation or on Cauble himself. The department was scheduled to have a meeting with Cauble Monday evening. In a press release, Jackson praised Cauble for keeping students and faculty members safe during his years as a UNL police officer. ' “We’re fortunate at Nebraska to have such a fine campus police department and a very safe community for students, faculty, staff and campus visitors,” Jackson said. “We appreciate Ken's con tributions to building this environment and wish him all the best in his new endeavors.” Cauble himself was quoted in the press release, but couldn't be reached for comment “I'll miss interacting with the faculty, staff and students,” Cauble said in the release. "But, after 17 years, I'm excited about seeking new professional chal lenges.” Cauble, who joined the UNL Police in 1983, was elected president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators in August, but will no longer be able to ful fill his duties, according to Lisa Sprague, secretary and treasurer of the organiza tion and director of public safety at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. “As far as I know, in order to hold office within IACLEA, you must be an institution member in good standing,” Sprague said. She added that the group’s president-elect will fill the position until the organization executive board meets to choose a course of action. Sprague, who said she hadn’t heard of Cauble’s resignation - forced or other ■ wise - praised his professionalism and competence in his leadership ot the group. "He’s been a very warm person, Sprague said. “He’s had very high integrity, and he's been a very good per son to work with. "He will be missed.” 4 Road funds an incentive to pass bill t BY GEORGE GREEN__ A little prodding from the federal government might be enough to force a bill through the Legislature that would lower the blood alcohol level for DUI’s. With the shadow of a federal mandate hover ing over their shoulders, members of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee heard testimony Monday about two bills geared toward lowering blood alcohol requirements from .10 to .08. Hie feds have promised to pull highway funds from states that resist lowering their blood alcohol requirements to .08. Nebraska has until Oct. 1,2003 to act on the bills before the federal government starts penaliz ing them for the higher level. After The Oct. 1, 2003, the federal govern ment will withhold 2 percent of the State funds it provides the state for high can’t way repair. » Each year after*2004, the state ajTOra to would see another 2 percent sliced lose from its budget. m ill inn c " In the first year, the state would millions, see $3.3 million dollars taken away, said Sen. Carol Hudkins of Carol Malcolm, who introduced one of Hudkins the bills on the subject. Nebraska But, if it changes the level state senator before 2007, it can get the lost dol - lars back. After 2007, though, the penalties become permanent. To raise the ante even more, she said, the feder al government has promised to send the state $3.5 million in incentive funds if it lowers the level by Oct 1 of this year. To get a piece of these funds, Hudkins intro duced LB 166 and Sen. Jim Jones of Eddyville intro duced LB 167. Both bills would send people with alcohol concentration levels of .08 or above to detox. LB 167 also throws boaters into the mix by requiring them to stay under the .08 ceiling. Hudkins said finding big bucks for roads if the bills aren't passed would be a daunting task. “The state can’t afford to lose millions,” she said. More importantly, she said, lawmakers need to pass her bill to ensure the safety of citizens. She said the proposed level, which would allot four drinks to a 170 pound man in an hour, is not too much ask for the additional safety benefits. Despite Hudkins’s insistence, the committee did not vote on the bills in its executive session. Jones echoed Hudkins’s concerns about safety. “The main reason I introduced this bill is to save lives,” he said. Simera Reynolds, executive director of Nebraska’s Mothers Against Drunk Driving group, said the millions of dollars floating around the debate should wake up policy makers to the importance of the issue. And, she said, if the cash doesn’t turn some heads in the Capitol, then lawmakers need to understand that alcohol-related fatalities are increasing, while overall motor vehicle fatalities are falling. According to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, in 1995, 31.4 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in Nebraska involved alcohol. The per centage jumped to 40.7 percent in 1999, the office reported.Mary Campbell, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Beer Wholesalers Association, said the bills move the battle against drunk drivers in the wrong direction. Please see ALCOHOL on 6 bcottMcuurg/DN COME FISHIN: Don Howe, a UNL College of Dentistry professor, takes a "fishing sabbatical" Monday afternoon at Holmes Lake. Proposed pay raise benefits few workers Roe vs. Wade is 28; subject still divides BYGWENT1ETGEN Some Lincoln workers may see a higher numbered digit printed on their pay stubs next year if a bill to increase the state’s mini mum wage passes this session. But several Lincoln business owners say workers in low salary jobs already make more than $6.15 an hour. The bill would raise the minimum wage twice in a six month period. First, on Oct 1,2001, the wage will jump to $5.65 an hour and on April 1, 2002, to $6.15 an hour. Minimum wage in Nebraska, which is $5.15 an hour, hasn’t changed since Sept. 1, 1997 when the federal minimum wage increased. Gary Rihanek, owner of Wagey Drug on 27th and Vine streets, used to pay the mini mum wage as a rule for hiring new employ ees. Now, Rihanek doesn’t pay any employee less than $6.50 an hour. “In my opinion, the minimum wage is too low right now," Rihanek said. "Employees are worth at least $6.50 an hour nowadays.” Because unemployment in Lincoln is so low and the labor market is so tight, a higher minimum wage wouldn’t affect city workers much, said Bruce Bohrer, a governmental affairs counsel for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. “Employers go above and beyond the minimum wage to get workers anyway,” Bohrer said. “It’s an issue of supply and demand.” But a one-dollar increase would help Valentino’s hostesses like Lindsey Metcalf, 17, from Lincoln. Metcalf, a hostess for the Valentino's on Highway 2 and 27th streets, said increasing the minimum wage would give her more freedom with her spending. Sen. Chris Beuder of Omaha, who intro duced the bill, said increasing the minimum wage keeps people off welfare and other government programs. “In a time of unprecedented economic well being, it’s not fair to leave behind the lowest paid category of workers,” Beutler said. Last year, identical legislation was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives but killed in the U.S. Senate. Beutler said the Legislature will raise the minimum wage, but he didn’t know if it would happen this year or next year. “Sometimes, Legislators feel we should wait for Congress to act first,” Beutler said. “But we need to pass the bill at the state level in order for it to apply to a broader class of workers.” Beutler has been working on five bills, including LB 633, with Nebraska Appleseed, a public interest law project While raising the minimum wage is a good thing, it isn’t enough for those families on welfare, Milo Mumgaard, executive director for Nebraska Appleseed, said. “Six dollars and 15 cents an hour is still considered below the poverty level,” Mumgaard said. "We still have a long way to go if we want families living above the poverty level.” Beutler’s other bills address families liv ing below the poverty level and increase the standards of the livable wage. Though some may say an increase in the minimum wage will force low-income workers out of the job market, Mumgaard disagrees. “An increase in the minimum wage is entirely beneficial,” Mumgaard said. “Research shows when the minimum wage increases, low income workers only bene fit” BYJILLZEMAN Monday marked the 28th anniversary of the legalization of abortion, and the public remains as divided on the issue as it was in 1973. Several UNL students said they think the fate of the United States Supreme Court’s land mark decision, Roe vs. Wade, could lie in President George W. Bush’s hands. Bush signed a memoran dum Monday that blocked abortion aid to overseas coun tries, which is a step in the right direction for anti-abortion activists, said Sara Fiedler, a senior English and psychology major and president of UNL Students for Life. Fiedler said she thought Roe vs. Wade would be repealed in time, but probably not during Bush’s presidency. UNL Students for Life observed the anniversary Saturday with a march to the Capitol, mass and discussions about abortion, Fiedler said. “We’ll never give up,” Fiedler said. “We have to look for the future and keep educating peo ple.” Although Ted Mabie, a sen ior electrical engineering major, said he was anti-abortion, he thought the issue of abortion couldn't be resolved with laws. “I think the problem is so much bigger,” he said. “It's a problem of the heart.” Mabie said he supported “Abortion is a symptom of a larger social problem. It’s not going to be solved any time soon.” Dan Mauler UNL sophomore Bush and attorney general nominee John Ashcroft because of their anti-abortion stances. “When it comes down to it, if I have to choose one or the other, I choose pro-life," he said. Dan Mauler, a sophomore computer science major, said because abortion is a highly personal and emotional topic, it’s hard for opposing groups to agree on anything. Progress in the debate over abortion can only be made if pro- and anti-abortion rights activists could calmly discuss the issues, he said. “Abortion is a symptom of a larger social problem," he said. “It’s not going to be solved any time soon.” But not all UNL students side with the president's views on abortion. Corinne McChesney, a sophomore political science major, said she thought a lot of progress has been made for women’s rights since abortion Please see ABORTION on 6