April 11, 1997
Nonconformist
Rebekah Miller, 3, takes in the sights during the Pledge of
Allegience
Monday at the School Is Cool Jam at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Students from 170 elementary schools took part in this year's event.
(Photo
by Richard Wright)
Consultant Gives Athletics a Postive Report
The University of Nebraska Athletics Department received an overall
positive
report from a consultant hired to study the climate for women
athletes.
The study, commissioned by Chancellor James Moeser last October, was
conducted
by Beverly Ledbetter of Brown University. Ledbetter, vice president and
general counsel at Brown, submitted her findings Tuesday after a process
that
included three visits to campus and more than 50 confidential interviews
with student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and students. To
encourage additional student input, Ledbetter also established a
dedicated
e-mail address that was posted on the student electronic mail system.
Moeser asked Ledbetter to assess the climate for student-athletes
following
the 1996 Task Force on Conduct Standards and Behavioral Expectations
report.
That report alleged harassment of women student-athletes.
Ledbetter uncovered no significant incidents of harassment and discovered
instead widespread praise for the Athletics Department among
student-athletes.
Her report said the majority of student-athletes believed Nebraska was an
excellent university and were satisfied with both their academic and
athletic
experiences.
Ledbetter said that athletics department officials' actions to support
student-athletes were important, but added that this support "should
not be misinterpreted as support for a student-athlete's ignoble
actions."
Ledbetter made several general recommendations to enhance the experiences
of student-athletes.
- Consider physical changes in the Hewit Center dining room hallway,
where student-athletes often gather, to make the area more hospitable.
Some
student-athletes said they were uncomfortable walking through the hallway
because male student-athletes sitting on the hallway benches, also known
as blocks, sometimes heckled females. The university already has made
some
changes in this area.
- Hire more female administrators in the Athletics Department.
Ledbetter
said more women in such positions would affirm that women are qualified
for decision-making in the world of athletics; would provide a sounding
board for female student-athletes; and would foster more respect between
the sexes.
- Reduce prices in the athletics dining room to encourage more female
student-athletes to eat there. Ledbetter said increasing the number of
women
using the facility would provide a more comfortable environment for them.
- Prominently post and adhere to weight room and athletic training
policies
regarding priority use. Ledbetter said some female student-athletes
complained
about being forced to wait to use weight machines and athletic-training
services when they were in use by football players.
- Consider designating one person within the Athletics Department to
handle initial complaints about unwanted behavior. Have that person be a
liaison between the department and the university on these issues and
obligate
the person to report and coordinate these complaints with the appropriate
universitywide entity. List the person's name and phone number in the
student-athlete
handbook.
- The university and the Athletics Department should articulate and
publish guidance that would distinguish coaches' authority over
infractions
of practice, play and training rules from infractions that would
otherwise
fall under the jurisdiction of universitywide authorities.
- Include in the student-athlete handbook summaries of the
university's
policies and procedures regarding harassment.
- Provide to the campus community at large a response to this report
and plans, if any, toward implementation of recommendations.
In accepting the report, Moeser thanked Ledbetter for her research.
"Her report verifies my belief that the Nebraska Athletics
Department
is a fair and hospitable environment for all athletes," he said.
"We
voluntarily opened ourselves up to scrutiny by an objective and
independent
person with the highest credentials. Her investigation was extremely
thorough.
We're grateful to her for identifying areas where we can
improve."
The complete report is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.unl.edu/pr/report.htm
l
Senate Approves Bylaw Changes
By Kim Hachiya
News and Information
At its April 8 meeting, the UNL Academic Senate accepted reports from
three
committees and passed a series of bylaws changes for the Committee on
Committees.
The UNL Benefits Committee proposed two items which the senate will vote
on at its April 29 meeting. The first item would delete a section of the
university's policy on compensating an employee on disability leave.
Currently,
a worker on disability leave can be paid regular salary less the amount
paid to a substitute hired to replace that worker. Agnes Adams, benefits
committee chair, said she has been told this has never been invoked, but
the committee would like to see it stricken to ensure that it not be
invoked.
The section affects only managerial-professional employees and permanent
academic-administrative staff.
The committee also put forth a parental leave policy for academic
employees.
As submitted, the policy would allow a woman who gives birth a minimum
eight-week
leave, and two weeks for a woman who adopts. Spouses or partners who
adopt
children or whose partners give birth will be guaranteed two week's
leave.
If approved by the senate at its next meeting, the items will go to the
universitywide (systems-level) benefits committee and ultimately to the
Board of Regents for approval.
In acting on changes in the Committee on Committees bylaws, the senate
passed
an amended version of one change orginally submitted last month. The
group,
after much discussion, agreed to change the name of the Faculty Salary
Advisory
Committee to Faculty Compensation Advisory Committee. But the group
retained
language indicating the committee's primary function is to advise on
salary
issues, as well as other forms of compensation.
Gail Latta, Libraries, reported that a new committee is drafting a policy
on post-tenure review. The goal is to have a policy ready for discussion
and approval/rejection at the next meeting.
In his report to the group, Chancellor James Moeser said the budget
reallocation
process is nearly complete and he is pleased with the outcome, which will
not be made public until after the Legislature and central administration
make final budget allocations.
The chancellor said the new student technology fee, to begin this fall,
will have immediate benefits by allowing 24-hour computer labs to open in
both Love and C.Y. Thompson libraries in the fall term.
Second Rural Poll Looks at Lives, Expectations
By Dan Holder
IANR news assistant
Nebraska's rural population is about to get its pulse taken again.
The University of Nebraska's second annual Nebraska Rural Poll recently
was mailed to 7,000 random households in the state's 87 rural counties.
Results should be available by fall, said John Allen, the rural
sociologist
spearheading the poll for NU's Center for Rural Community Revitalization
and Development.
Allen hopes to build on the 1996 poll's success.
"Last year I think it was very fulfilling that policymakers looked
at our reports and our findings, and raised questions about what it meant
for policy," he said. "It was a nice way to aggregate a rural
voice, which I thought was somewhat positive."
The survey asks rural Nebraskans about their views, needs, expectations
and concerns. This year's survey retains core questions on quality of
life
but expands work-related questions to include home-based businesses and
telecommunications use.
Allen said he added a short section on housing "to get a better feel
for what are some of the barriers, from people's perspectives, on
housing."
He also revised some Nebraska policy questions to better reflect current
policy issues in the Nebraska Legislature, and changed questions on
business
and the environment.
Analysts will get triple duty from the survey results, the NU Institute
of Agriculture and Natural Resources researcher said. Besides
highlighting
current rural views and concerns, trends should begin to emerge from two
years of responses.
The survey also provides baseline information for community leaders
across
Nebraska. Allen plans to develop materials communities can use for
self-study.
Localized results then could be compared with regional and state results.
The NU center will help communities develop self-study programs.
"I think it will give them a better perspective on who they are as
communities and what the issues are," Allen said. "It's a way
of moving this into an action stage at the very local community
level."
The Nebraska Rural Poll is conducted in cooperation with IANR's
Cooperation
Extension and Agricultural Research divisions, and the Partnership for
Rural
Nebraska.
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