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dailynebraskan.com
monday, march 25, 2012 volume 112, issue 122
Inside Coverage
Senator Ernie Chambers argues for his bill, LB540, which would no longer require students in schools to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Chambers said required recitation of the pledge incites bullying on children who do not feel comfortable reciting the pledge because they disagree with what it says.
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Ernie Chambers returns to legislature after 4-year break, takes on death penalty
chamber Senator Ernie Chambers talks with supporters of LB540 outside of the education board meeting room. Chambers is also trying to abolish the death penalty.
chambers: see page 2
BEING ERNIE CHAMBERS 1937
Born in Omaha
1983 Marsh v. Chambers Supreme Court Case
1963
1970
Challenged discrimination from the Omaha Post Office
First elected to Legislature
1974
Ran for Governor
Counting your shots
A&E presents Unofficial UNL Parking Guide
New mobile app helps students track drinking
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story by Daniel Wheaton photos by Matt Masin
ebraska’s longest-serving state senator is as much a part of the unicameral as the golden sower on the building’s peak. Sen. Ernie Chambers, once called “the angriest black man in Nebraska,” is an accepted, respected and feared part of the political process. The “maverick of Omaha” once sued God and is a master of the filibuster and legislative rules. “I’m here to promote good legislation and fight bad legislation,” Chambers said. Today, Chambers is several months into his latest legislative session. He’s already served 38 years, until 2008, representing the 11th district in Omaha. Brenda Council briefly filled his office from until 2012. But while term limits kept Chambers out for those four years, he’s already back. This January he returned to his post after defeating Council in the November election. He is back in the same office and with the same secretary. Chambers is generally known for being elusive – he has granted very few interviews to the press. When asked what his greatest achievement is, Chambers said “I really don’t think in those kind of terms.” This session, Chambers has blocked several pieces of legislation – including Gov. Dave Heineman’s failed tax reform plan – and introduced legislation to end the death penalty. This was his 37th attempt to abolish the death penalty. In 1979, his bill passed but was vetoed by Gov. Charles Thone. On March 19, his bill passed in a 7-0 vote from the Judiciary Committee.
Park place
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COURTESY PHOTO
Senior post-secondary math education major Mikayla Wagner took this photo of newly elected Pope Francis from the crowd in the Vatican City before his installation mass. Wagner was one of a group of University of Nebraska-Lincoln students who traveled to Italy the day after Francis’ election.
UNL students travel to Vatican City and welcome new pope layla younis dn
1986
2007 Sued God
Advocated for student athletes to be considered state employees
2013 Introduced a bill repealing the death penalty for the 37th time rebecca rickertsen | dn
one day in Venice, one day in Florence and one day in Milan, according to Holdren. Wagner said she wanted to see the A group of University of NebraskaSistine Chapel, which is closed while Lincoln students spent their spring cardinals vote on a break in Italy, amid pope. celebrations of a new “We believe new“It’s mind-blowpope elected the day the (voting) ing to me,” she said. before their March 14 “This is where the flight. process was Pope lives. It’s where The Newman the head of the entire Center organized the put in place by universal church is, trip of 19, led by the Christ...” and it’s really exciting Rev. Ben Holdren. for me.” They returned March Ben Holdren While in Rome, newman center priest 24. the group had strucMikayla Wagner, tured visits to restaua senior post-secondrants and churches, but in Milan, Florary math education major who went on the trip, said the group hadn’t origi- ence and Venice the group members nally planned its trip to Rome to coin- had more freedom and time to explore cide with the election. The group spent six days in Rome, POPE: see page 2
Board of Regents extends College Readership Program Despite student disapproval, newspaper service will remain available Cristina Woodworth DN Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln won’t lose on-campus access to national and local newspapers after the University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted to continue funding for the Collegiate Readership Program at a meeting Friday. The board unanimously approved the fee allocations for Fund B users at
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UNL, including the Readership Program along with Nebraska Unions, Transit Services, the University Health Center and Campus Recreation. The Committee for Fees Allocation and the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska had already recommended the fee allocations. Approval of funding for the newspaper program came despite a narrow majority of students voting against it in the ASUN elections. The program failed by 36 votes, with 2,315 students voting against and 2,279 students voting in favor. Fund B users at UNL are mandatory fees, though, which means a student vote alone cannot eliminate the program. The vote was more a sampling of student opinion.
Eric Kamler, Association of Students of the University of Nebraska president and a senior agricultural economics major, said at the board meeting he believes students did not completely understand what they were voting for. “By voting the way the students did on this, I think it’s a fallback on ASUN’s part because we didn’t do a good enough job of telling students the benefits they are receiving from the readership program,” Kamler said. UNL’s readership program is ranked third in distribution numbers among 450 colleges and universities that have the program, ranking only behind Pennsylvania State University in the Big Ten. The program gives students access to The New
York Times, USA Today, the Lincoln Journal Star and the Omaha WorldHerald. “It’s one of the most used readership programs in the country,” Kamler said. “It’s not that students aren’t using it. I think they just didn’t understand what they were voting on when they voted on it.” Regent Hal Daub, of Omaha, voiced concern that the board would be approving a fee that the student body had voted against. “We are voting against the wishes of the student body in this case,” Daub said. Kamler said students had been adequately represented during the fee allocation process for the readership program because all
We are voting against the wishes of the student body in this case.” Hal Daub
nu regent
recommendations go through the student-led CFA committee. “(The vote) was just a stable way to have student input,” he said at the board meeting. Students currently pay $4.37 each semester in student fees toward the readership program, according to university data. Overall, this amounts to $200,000 in annual funding, or about 1 percent of the total amount of student fees.
more Inside Coverage:
Documentary exposes flawed justice system ‘West of Memphis’ tells story of three wrongly convicted killers
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Perfect Ten Women’s gymnastics wins their second-straight conference title
@dailyneb | facebook.com/dailynebraskan
The board approved a 1.7 percent increase in fees for the Nebraska Unions fee allocation at its Friday meeting, which includes the fees allocated to the readership program. Other fee increases approved by the board included a 62.3 percent increase for UNL Transit Services and a 7.4 percent increase for Campus Recreation. news@ dailynebraskan.com