University of Nebraska Kearney - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Kearney, NE)

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New law wins no popularity contest Sitting at home on a Friday night with nothing to do. the 20-year-old thought, If only those damn lawmakers hadn't raised the drinking age, I could be at the bars right now, dancing and meeting new people. I guess I'll just have to find a party and play 'quarters' instead. His complaint stemmed from a new law that raised the legal drinking age in Nebraska from 20 to 21, effective Jan. 1, 1985. The law created a debate, mostly between law enforcement officials and minors ineligible to purchase liquor or enter a drinking establishment. Many KSC minors felt they were still going to drink at parties, in their dorm rooms, apartments, or in their cars, so why bother raising the legal drinking age, they questioned. The new law won't stop people from drinking, it will just get more people in trouble, said Minden sophomore Valerie Vitera. She said arrests for minor-tn-possession and procuring for minors might increase because of the change. On the other side of the con- troversy, Kearney police chief Robert Jatczak saw the new law as a necessary one. The new drinking age is an effort to diminish alcohol-related accidents. It's been proven that a direct relationship exists between alcohol and drinking as far as ac- cidents are concerned, he said, Jatczak expected the patrol for Driving While Intoxicated arrests to remain at the level it was when the legal drinking age was 20. However, he said areas with histories of traffic problems might experience an in- crease in patrolling. Dissenters to this theory of de- creased accidents argue that the change-in-age requirement would not decrease accidents caused by drunk drivers. They said that alcohol-related accidents could actually Increase; citing reasons such as an increase in “road tripping, that is, drinking and driving, usually on gravel roads and highways, as a form of entertainment. Bill Clinch, a certified alcohol and drug counselor, didn't see the change as having much impact on the alcohol consumption of minors. “If you want to drink, you're going to get alcohol no matter what the legal age is, and people will still drive when they're drunk, whether they're a minor or not, he said. The minor's search for entertain- ment and a social life could increase the number of private parties given, according to KSC senior Marsha Kaiser. The issue was also a concern for bar and nightclub owners. Gary Allen, owner of Faces Nightclub, noted that going to the local bars was a big part of a KSC student's social life, and that the Interaction of students would suffer when many of them couldn't legally enter a drinking establishment. Many KSC students also felt that the main deterrent of the raised legal drinking age was not being permitted to enter the bars. “Not being able to purchase alcohol wasn't a big deal because you could always find someone to buy for you. But not being able to enter a bar, dance, meet new people, and have a good time unless you were 21 was a farce to me, said one KSC minor who requested anony- mity. Although many KSC students expresed verbal opposition to the new law, the response didn't go as far as it did at some colleges and universities around the country. Students at Illinois State University staged sit-ins, disrupted highway traffic, pelted police with rocks, and broke store and office windows in opposition to strict new drinking policies. KSC students, however, refrained from violence. Many said that purchasing alcohol was not the real issue, but being told they were not old enough to enter a drinking establishment put a definite clamp on their social life. As a new legal face appeared on the state lawbooks, many legislators and law enforcement official saw it as a good change. However, many KSC students saw the law as a wrinkle on the face of a KSC student's social life, as they were forced to wait yet another year to engage in that traditional extra-curricular activity of going to the bars. — Jane Carroll 23

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Issues Ads blasted as tasteless M Ithough we continually looked ahead, incorporating new ideas, a contraceptive m 1 advertisement shocked many KSC students into taking a second look at the print covering pages to their campus newspaper. The Antelope. The three-quarter page Today ad boasted “IN I960, THE PILL GAVE WOMEN NEW FREEDOM, IN 1984, THE SPONGE GIVES WOMEN A NEW CHOICE. The ad continued to grip the reader's attention with a visual Illustration of a woman's hand holding the easy to use sponge. Complet- ing the ad, an all-American, $100 off coupon enticed consumers to pur- chase two 3-paks or one 12-pak. This commercial attempt to en- lighten the KSC campus challenged many students to examine the value of censorship and determine how freedom of the press affects each of them personally. Offended by the blatant sexual Implications of the ad, two KSC students publicaly criticized The Antelope with letters to the editor, Kevin Scarrow accused the paper of trying to promote sex by printing and showing their support of this product. He went on, it is an offensive form of advertising which is displeasing both to faculty and students ... The advertisement is degrading to the Image of the paper. Russ Czaplewski also criticized the paper, There are limits to the tastelessness of the ads that are appropriate to our college news- paper ... I would like to think that the school newspaper would try to uphold the moral standards of our society and set a good example for the college as a whole. In response to the accusations KSC student Brenda Lovelace defend- ed The Antelope, suggesting It's the maturity level of the person that allows him to handle the idea of seeing them (contraceptive ads), Another KSC student, Mark Schroll wrote the editor, supporting this view. Perhaps the advertisement is serving the needs of those students not fortunate enough to have attended Helen Redden's (KSC instructor) Human Sexuality class. He questioned the rationale of the two young men accusing The Antelope of immoral ethics by writing, What is offensive about a product that besides being educationally oriented, claims to provide the consumer with freedom, choice and implicitly the ability to be personally responsible? At the center of the advertising conflict, freedom of the press and the issue of censorship were pitted against one another. The Antelope agreed to publish the advertisement at $60 per ad. Was The Antelope free of all responsibility as far as the offended students were concerned? The First Amendment does guar- antee Congress shall make no laws ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press which, on the surface, suggests The Antelope was acting within moral and legal boundaries. A 1981 Supreme Court decision, the Magner decision is also a factor. In this case, a college newspaper adviser refused an ad for an abortion referral service, but also accepted an ad for Birthright. The Supreme Court said that just because one doesn't agree with viewpoints, they can't be kept out of the newspaper. Because of this decision, college newspapers must accept ads if they are publicly funded, as The Antelope is. The newspaper must also accept ads if it is established as a public forum, meaning it runs editorials and accepts letters to the editor. However, a 1970 Supreme Court ruling put restrictions on complete freedom. Newspapers are legally bound to consider community as well IN 196a THE PILLGAVE WOMEN A NEW FREEDOM. IN 1984,THE SPONGE GIVES WOMEN A NEW CHOICE. 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Does the ad present a viewpoint in good taste, or is it obscenity that should be cen- sored? Has the campus pendulum swung toward the right, and are students offended by the contraceptive ad, or Is the ad a product of free enterprise which the public can either accept or reject. As we are looking to the future and forming our opinions and stan- dards, we must decide. — Donna Swigart

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Issues Advice for porkers — “Let them 5ue's class was going to start in 10 minutes and she'd been around the block three times. Her frustration built by the second - there was not one parking place close to campus. The alterna- tive could mean walking eight blocks or more. A momentary hope rose, then was dashed, as a closer inspection showed a motorcycle taking up what had promised to be ci rare parking space. The residential area bordering campus became a backup solution. Some residents might resent the loss of their parking spot, but looking at her watch negated any consideration for their inconvenience - there was only three minutes to get to class! Desper- ation set in and a semi-legal parking attempt was made, followed by a dash to class. Fears of towing andl tickets lurked in Sue's mind throughout her classes. The same fears that caused her to complain to other fellow students. She found she wasn't alone. Parking at KSC was a favorite gripe of many students she talked to. Many students, visitors, com- muters and faculty to the campus have all, at one time or another, had a problem finding parking space. I pay to live here, but if I leave during the day, I usually can't find a parking spot when I return. People who don't buy parking stickers park behind our house on 24th Street, said Paula Ackerman, KSC student. Ackerman is one of the people who live in apartments in the residental area bordering campus. Parking is a real problem at KSC, said Mike Diffendeirfer, publishing representative from Walsworth Pub- lishing Co., whose work frequently brings him to campus. It's a hassle. You have to get a parking place to get permission to get a parking place, said Diffenderfer, in speaking about his personal experiences in trying to park near the source of his business at A.O. Thomas. Ever since the parking lot for car-poolers was shut down it has been difficult to find a parking spot. Car-poolers were competing with commuters, said Joel Lau from Hastings. Parking is a real pain around here, he said. Faculty member, Charles Pickens said that after 8:30 a.m, there was usually no parking for faculty members around Bruner Hall. He would then be forced to drive around and look for a spot, or try to park in the faculty lot near the Otto Olsen Building. Pickens said this lack of parking may have occurred because some faculty members were already here for the day. Remaining places were filled up by students with only an early class to attend, who believed they could sneak in and out, ahead of the crowd. In response to questions about parking complaints, Lynne Brandt, parking service officer, said, Every- body wants everything close, but people are going to have to learn to walk. Earl Rademacher, vice president for administration and finance, re- sponded with, Students need to leave 10 minutes earlier. They wait until the last minute, then become frustrated trying to find a close parking spot. Most parking tickets were written for having no permit during 1984-85, Brandt said. Some 11,900 tickets were written from the last of August, 1984, up to Christmas break. However, she also said 3,414 permits were sold for the year, but that there were only 2,440 parking stalls available. Accord- ing to Brandt, the reason this was done was because every vehicle parked on campus must have a valid permit. Solutions relating to the parking problem cited included working to acquire more properties between west and center campuses. A high- rise parking complex has also been a consideration but would have cost to much to maintain in addition to high interest rates, Rademacher said. According to Rademacher, this would have also resulted in high parking fees for students and faculty. As another possible solution, a shuttle bus was discussed, with students paying so much a year for its use. Pickens said he would like to see the Student Activities Council inves- tigate this possible solution for moving people back and forth, from east to west, as well as surrounding parking lots. A four-year-plan to improve and add additional parking lots was under way. Through this plan more land was being purchased and gravel lots were being hard-surfaced as well as added lighting improvements. Meanwhile, another frustrated driver had found a ticket on his window and Sue's car had been towed from her semi-legal parking spot. In 1984-85 the controversy surrounding parking at KSC kept many drivers muttering under their breaths. — Katherine Brown