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wednesday, january 9, 2013 volume 112, issue 077
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Dear Mr. President,
More than 300 college leaders petition U.S. policymakers in support of tougher gun laws Story by Cristina Woodworth | Photo Illustration by Andrew Dickinson
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n the wake of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings on Dec. 14, more than 300 college presidents voiced their support for tougher gun laws in an open letter to President Barack Obama and Congress. Neither University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken nor the four NU chancellors signed the letter that mostly included signatures from leaders of private, liberal arts colleges around the U.S. Three college leaders from Nebraska did sign the letter, including the presidents of Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Bellevue University and College of Saint Mary in Omaha. The letter, which was made public on Dec. 19, calls for the reinstatement of a ban on militarystyle semi-automatic assault weapons and for requiring consumer safety standards for all guns, such as safety locks and regulations to prevent manufacturing defects. The letter also expresses opposition to any legislation allowing guns in university classrooms or on college campuses. Lawrence Schall, president of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, was one of the co-writers of the letter along with Elizabeth Kiss of Agnes Scott College in Atlanta. In a blog post about the letter, Schall said he
wrote the first draft of the letter after watching a televised vigil for the 26 victims of the mass shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Twenty of the victims were young students at the school. “I got into bed and just could not fall asleep,” Schall wrote on his blog. “It often helps me to write down what I was feeling and that’s what I did. The next morning I decided to share it with a few friends who are also college presidents.” The letter was originally circulated by several different groups of private colleges including the Georgia Independent College Association, according to Renee Vary, director of university communications at Oglethorpe University. About 160 signatures had been gathered before the letter was made public, which was when the number of signatures grew to around 320, Vary said. Only a few leaders of public universities signed the letter, including Marc Johnson, president of the University of Nevada, Reno. “I signed the letter to express the position of this university that concealed carry weapons should be permitted only in certain circumstances, such as, evidence of a direct, specific threat to an individual,” Johnson said. Johnson said he believes the letter wasn’t
widely circulated to public university presidents, which is why it mainly includes signatures from private college leaders. UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman said he had not been provided an opportunity to sign the letter. “I generally do not sign petitions that are not directly related to university issues,” Perlman said. “I am opposed to guns on campus.” Doug Kristensen, chancellor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, said he also had not heard about the letter. “I was not aware of the letter,” Kristensen said. “My focus is on safety at the Kearney campus, and we have a policy of no guns on campus. I think my time is best spent enhancing our local procedures and policies.” Milliken could not be reached for comment. As of August 2012, 49 states had concealed carry weapons laws, with Illinois in the process of passing concealed carry legislation. Nebraska is among the 21 states that ban carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Students honor Sandy Hook victims Abel-Sandoz residents decorate dorm windows with paper snowflakes Melissa Allen dn Inside Abel and Sandoz residence halls, it’s a winter wonderland. As University of NebraskaLincoln students arrived back from winter break on Sunday, they were asked by resident assistants to cut paper snowflakes and attach them outside their windows for all to see. But these snowflakes resemble more than just decoration, said Amy Fellhoelter, the residence director of Sandoz. “We are going to put up snowflakes in our residence windows and send the picture to the (Parent-Teacher Association) of Sandy Hook Elementary to share with the families and show support for this difficult tragedy,” she said. News of the Dec. 14 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. that killed 20 students and six faculty members spread across the country, and relief and aid have come from around the world.
Allison Hess | dn
Residents of Abel-Sandoz cut out paper snowflakes and hung them on their windows Tuesday to show their support for the Newtown, Conn., school shooting victims. The PTA of Sandy Hook asked for donations of snowflakes to be sent to school to decorate for the children on their first week back from break. The response was im-
mediate and overwhelming. “At this time, we have enough beautiful snowflakes to blanket the community of Newtown,” states the Sandy Hook Fund page
on the Connecticut PTA’s website which hosts donations sent for Sandy Hook. Instead, the Sandy Hook Fund is now accepting pictures of buildings decorated in snowflakes in honor of the victims and donations raised by fundraising events like walk-a-thons, pajama days and coin-raising competitions. On Tuesday, Fellhoelter and Abel Residence Director Alan Frizzell took pictures of the dorm windows decorated with snowflakes and sent them to the PTA. “We want to deliver the message that we’re thinking of people affected, even though we can’t be there,” Fellhoelter said. Fellhoelter said she thinks students can learn a valuable lesson through the snowflakes. “We want our students and staff to show their support during this difficult tragedy,” she said. “We’re hoping that they understand the significance of the greater impact they create by participating.” Resident assistants like Amaris Baker were asked to spread the word and encouraged students to make paper snowflakes for the pictures. “It’s important that the fami-
snowflakes: see page 2
letter: see page 2
Former UNL student faces trial Charges of breaching NeSIS may result in up to five years in prison LIS ARNESON DN The case against a former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student accused of hacking into the University of Nebraska’s Nebraska Student Information System on May 23 will head to trial. Daniel Stratman, 22, refused to enter a plea during his arraignment Tuesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart. As a result, the district court entered a plea of not guilty. The U.S. Attorneys’ Office filed charges against Stratman on Dec. 6. In court documents, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Russell said that between April 24 and May 24, Stratman intentionally accessed a protected computer without authorization, which resulted in reckless damage. The charge claims that Stratman’s conduct caused a loss of at least $5,000. NU spokeswoman Melissa Lee
said that Stratman is not a student at UNL at this time. In the of spring 2012, he was a senior math and computer science major at UNL. Stratman was enrolled from Fall 2008 until Spring 2012. Following the breach, the university re-evaluated its computer system, Lee said in a Jan. 4 interview. The Nebraska State College System and NU have used the shared student information system NeSIS since 2009, according to the NeSIS website. The shared student information system contains the records of over 650,000 students, alumni, employees, parents and applicants. Lee said university officials do not yet know if Stratman “misused any of the information that he was able to access.” If convicted, Stratman could face up to five years in prison, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The case will return to district court March 13 for a status conference, where deadlines – such as when evidence will be turned over – will be discussed. NEWS@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM