February 17

Page 1

dn the

dailynebraskan.com

monday, february 17, 2014 volume 114, issue 097

Inside Coverage

Best road win since 1997 NU finds way to beat No. 9 Michigan State

10 Where is the love?

Hooper sets record for 3-pointers

Senior forward Jordan Hooper led the team with 31 points, setting a program record for most 3-pointers. The Huskers managed a win even after Nebraska coach Connie Yori fainted on the court and left the game. photo by jake crandall

soberbros

10

Congregation rallies for marriage equality

5 Dubious Olympic diplomacy Ethical debate on 2014 games continues

4 No ocean? Not a problem Student builds 14-foot wave tank for research

3

Kenny Ginapp, Alessandro Godfrey and Alex Olson, Phi Kappa Psi fraternity brothers and UNL alumni, are the founders of SoberBros, a company that provides designated drivers to UNL students on weekends. The service officially launches on March 1.

Three alumni strive to prevent drinking and driving by providing transportation for UNL students s t o r y

b y

H

L a y l a

e was 21, and he stayed out late at the bars. It was just like any other weekend. Only that night, his life changed. He decided to drive home, and a cop pulled him over. Alex Olson, a University of NebraskaLincoln alumnus, got a driving under the influence charge that night in 2011. Three years later, he wants to help other students avoid a similar outcome. That’s why he and two of his Phi Kappa Psi fraternity brothers, Alessandro Godfrey and Kenneth Ginapp, started SoberBros, a new company that provides designated drivers to UNL students on Fridays and Saturdays. The service officially launches March 1. It’s a simple concept: UNL students can call 402-5000-BRO (402-500-0276) to arrange

Y o u n i s

|

p h o t o

a sober ride to and from their destination. The service runs off donations, and Olson said you don’t have to be intoxicated to call – although the idea is to prevent drunk students from having to walk or drive. “Anyone can call,” Olson said. Although DUIs have seen a slight decrease in Lincoln during the past year, DUIs issued on campus have increased slightly in the same period, from 103 in 2012 to 142 in 2013. In 2013, 24 of the DUIs were issued to students. The SoberBros founders hope to help decrease those numbers. This weekend was the third time Olson, Godfrey and Ginapp came to Lincoln to take calls and drive people to and from their destinations. They operate out of The Courtyards, where Godfrey’s brother lives and allows them to stay when they come to

b y

S h e l b y

W o l f e

Lincoln. This Friday they arrived at 7 p.m., although the phones didn’t start ringing until about 9 p.m. They spent the extra time working on a website they plan to launch in March and other social media platforms. Right now they have a Twitter page, are posting fliers around resident halls and using word of mouth to tell other students about SoberBros. So far, SoberBros has averaged about 20 phone calls a weekend. Shir Palmon, a senior psychology major, made one of those calls. She called them about 2 a.m. when she was out with friends downtown. Palmon said she tipped Olson, her driver for that night. “It’s a great alternative to a taxi,” Palmon said. “(They’re) kids that are right out of col-

soberbros: see page 3

Students advocate sweatshop-free clothing Colleen Fell DN

@dailyneb facebook.com/ dailynebraskan

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s United Students Against Sweatshops group staged a protest Friday in an effort to persuade Chancellor Harvey Perlman to remove clothing made in sweatshops from the University Bookstore. About 20 students marched from the Nebraska Union plaza to Perlman’s office with 193 signatures in hand. The group wants Perlman to consider switching the bookstore’s main brand to Alta Gracia Apparel, a line of clothing produced in a Dominican Republic factory that provides fair wages and working conditions for its workers. By the time the group made it to Canfield Administration Building, Perlman had left for the day, but Dylan Roberson, co-president of the group and a junior English and women’s and gender studies major, said they’ve been in contact with Perlman since last semester. Roberson said Perlman wanted to make sure that the group could garner enough support before considering an apparel company switch. Alta Gracia Apparel factory workers are paid more than three

times the minimum wage, or a “living wage” that is enough to support a family. In addition to wages, the company provides meals, housing, transportation and other necessities. Roberson said the switch would be relatively easy. “All it would take is a phone call, to be honest,” Roberson said. The cost to Follett, the company that manages UNL’s bookstore, and to students would not change, Roberson said. But the university would need to make a $250,000 initial order, which Perlman would have to sign off on. Currently, Roberson said, the bookstore does not offer enough variety for those students who want something that is certified as sweatshop-free. And if the product is marketed well, it could make a huge difference, Roberson said. “It makes a legitimate difference, and it’s one that we can win,” she said. The company has been a success at more than 100 other universities, including the University of Notre Dame.

sweatshops: see page 3

courtesy photo by nickolai hammar

Workers move about in the Alta Gracia factory in the Dominican Republic. Alta Gracia is a freetrade apparel company located in a factory that used to employ sweatshop labor.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
February 17 by Daily Nebraskan - Issuu