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Ups and downs
Shedding their skin
Baseball competes in Buckeye rivalry game
Universe Contest releases new album, embarks on new tour
friday, april 4, 2014 volume 113, issue 126
dear diary jennifer gotrik | dn
Adrian Wisnicki, an associate professor of English, has recently used special lights and computer imaging to restore the manuscripts of David Livingstone, the famous 19th-century Scottish explorer, despite more than a century’s worth of damage. The 1871 field diary provides insights into Livingstone’s time in Africa and how his actions affected the continent as we now know it.
Associate professor makes progress in project to restore explorer’s writings
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University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor is shedding light on an explorer ’s diary entries more than 140 years after they were written. Adrian Wisnicki, an associate English professor at UNL, is heading a project to use spectral imaging to examine the diaries and letters of David Livingstone, a renowned Scottish explorer and missionary from the 19th century. The project has been going on for years and includes the work of scientists from all across the world. “The way we work is that we are not bound by location,” Wisnicki said, “so we can pull in the people who would really enhance our work, whoever they may be. We can really collaborate at a distance.” Scientists used spectral imaging, technology that allows images to be seen in certain wavelengths of light, to read the fragile and nearly il-
legible texts. By going through the color spectrum – from ultraviolet to infrared – and then processing the raw data, scientists were able to recover the full text. The project is studying manuscript topography, which is the way the page lays on the surface, using spectral imaging. “There are other kinds of substances; there are lots of stains,” Wisnicki said. “And if we can find out what those are through spectral imaging, we can potentially learn about the environments in which these pages where created, transported and preserved.” All the findings of the David Livingstone Spectral Imaging Project can be found online at livingstone.library.ucla.edu, published by Livingstone Online and the University of California, Los Angeles Digital Library Program. The project focuses on three documents: a di-
The way we work is that we are not bound by location, so we can pull in the people who would really enhance our work, whoever they may be. We can really collaborate at a distance. “ adrian wisnicki
diary: see page 3
associate english professor
Zeta Phi Beta UNL bicycle thefts increase in March suspended by national leaders Warmer weather traditionally sees increase in theft, particularly around Nebraska Union
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Zeta Phi Beta, a multicultural sorority at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, was suspended by the its national organization for an undisclosed incident. L i n d a Schwartzkopf, director of Greek Affairs at UNL, confirmed the suspension this week but didn’t say what happened during the incident. She said the incident involved some of the women in the sorority violating a national policy. The UNL chapter was given a cease-and-desist letter from the national organization. “It is the policy of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. to not comment on pending investigations,” wrote Stacye Montez, the executive di-
rector of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., in an email Thursday, The national organization is currently conducting its own investigation. It’s not clear what the ceaseand-desist letter was for, but Sgt. John Backer of the University of NebraskaLincoln Police Department said the letters generally act as an official notice that a behavior is unwanted or unwelcome. A cease-anddesist letter usually lays the foundation for a criminal or civil case, he said. Zeta Phi Beta has been on UNL’s campus since 1980 and has 12 members. The Daily Nebraskan reached out to the sorority’s president for comment but didn’t receive a response. news@ dailynebraskan.com
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Colleen Fell DN Spring weather means warmer days and more students outdoors. It also means an increase of bicy-
cle theft on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus. According to data from the UNL Police Department, bike thefts are highest in September and October and are lowest during the winter months. However, theft begins to increase once March hits. In March, there were nine bike thefts on campus, and there were two bike thefts during January and February combined. This is a relatively high amount of thefts in comparison to past March months. March 2013 had only two bike thefts, while 2012 had seven thefts and 2011 had two. UNLPD
has seen an average of 4.2 bike thefts in March since 2005. Police are also noticing that some locations around UNL’s campus have more cases of bike theft than others. In March, there were four incidents of bike theft from the racks outside of Canfield Administration Building. Each of the incidents involved UNLPD bait bikes and no cases involved UNL students. One case on March 20 involved a 49-year-old man switching his own bike out for one of the UNLPD bikes. The man, Tapia Santo Diaz, isn’t affiliated with
UNL and told police he switched the bikes out because he liked the UNLPD one more. Another case on March 16 involved Matthew L. Pangle, 21, not affiliated with UNL, taking one of the bait bikes, police said. Police found Pangle by the southwest corner of Memorial Stadium and he told police that he stole the bike because he was cold and wanted to get home faster. Sgt. John Backer said one reason why the Canfield bike racks may be such a hotspot for theft is that they are located next to the
bikes: see page 3
Red, blue gap grows nationally madison wurtele dn A recent Gallup poll found that more young adults are identifying as Democrats. The poll found a widening gap between young people ages 18 to 29 who identify as or lean toward Democrat and those who identify as or lean toward Republican. From 1993 to 2003, 47 percent of young adults identified as or said they were leaning toward the Democratic Party, and 42 percent said they identified with or leaned toward the Republican Party – a 5 percent gap. But since 2006, the average gap between the
two groups has grown to 18 percent, with 54 percent Democrat and 36 percent Republican. But the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Young Democrats chapter hasn’t seen an increase in membership. The group’s numbers typically fluctuate depending on the time of year and whether there’s an upcoming election, said Grant Thomas, a junior social science major and chapter president. While the group hasn’t seen a significant change in membership numbers, the organization expects to see a change in its contact with UNL students. “I think the biggest impact (the national trend) will have is
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I think the biggest impact (the national trend) will have is our ability to communicate with students on campus.” Grant Thomas
unl young democrats president
our ability to communicate with students on campus,” Thomas said. UNL’s College Republicans organization hasn’t seen a negative change because of this national trend.
“When I joined College Republicans my freshman year, 2008, there were eight or nine students who regularly attended meetings.
democrats: see page 3