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dailynebraskan.com
thursday, october 24, 2013 volume 113, issue 141
Inside Coverage
Back with a sweep
Disorderly hormones
Huskers bounce back with home win over Iowa
Is extreme PMS a mental disorder?
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Courtesy PHOTO
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Speech and Debate team has won three consecutive Big Ten titles and will attend its next tournament in early November.
Speech team shows passion, dedication sarah cohen dn The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Speech and Debate team is gearing up to participate in the L.E. Norton Invitational tournament on Nov. 2-3 at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. This comes after sweeping the competition at the Big Ten Conference Challenge Tournament on Oct. 12-13 to win its third consecutive Big Ten title. The team of two coaches and eight UNL students earned 293 points and eight individual Big Ten titles at the tournament, hosted by Northwestern University. While the Big Ten tournament isn’t the biggest competition UNL will participate in, it’s a favorite among the team, said Aaron Duncan, director of the speech and debate team. “These students get absolutely no financial or external benefits from doing these competitions,” Duncan said. “It’s the internal rewards and enjoying what they do and finding a voice by thinking about the issues that are important to them.” Josh Planos, a senior advertising and public relations major, participates in interpretation and public address events and earned conference titles in program of oral interpretation and informative speaking at the Big Ten Conference. Planos participated in forensics his entire high school career and has been on the UNL Speech and Debate team since his freshman year of
college. He said the busiest time of speech season happens at the end of the summer as students write, compile and pick out interpretive pieces, but he says every member on the team practices at least 10 hours per week. “Speech and debate at collegiate level is a huge time commitment,” Planos said. “This win did feel different because as an upperclassman senior, you really take a leadership role on the team.” Dawn Braithwaite is the chairperson of communication studies at the university. At some universities, the forensics team isn’t very connected with the communication studies, but it’s very important at UNL that the speech and debate team is integrated into the department, she said. “A lot of the faculty in communication studies, myself included, participated in forensics at various levels and it really changed our lives,” Braithwaite said. “Everyone in this department is so proud and eager to help out the students on the speech and debate team.” Duncan said forensics is a huge time commitment for team members. “It’s not like anyone is getting paid or reimbursed for being on this team.” Duncan said. “We are entirely dependent on students willingness to engage for the love of the activity, and they really do have that love.” news@ dailynebraskan.com
Three’s company
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s student-run theater, Theatrix, opens today with “No Exit,” a dramatic play based on the mental anguish of three people trapped in a room for eternity.
Crimein real time
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Story by Colleen Fell Photo by Spencer Myrlie Art by Inge Johannsen
InterAct Mobile software adds fast communication, research capabilities to 6 UNLPD cruisers
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niversity of NebraskaLincoln police officers now have access to crimes and statistics in real-time — all from the comfort of their cruisers. The department recently installed an informational and officer-to-officer contact software program, InterAct Mobile, on all six of its computer-capable cruisers. Officer Koan Nissen said the system is helping UNLPD officers keep up with and collaborate with other police forces in the area. The system connects UNLPD with Lincoln Police, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and 16 surrounding law enforcement agencies. “We are now capable of seeing — in real time — what everyone else is seeing,” Nissen said. The trial process for the software began in July and ran through the first week of October, with only three UNLPD officers being trained to use the system during that time. Nissen said after some of the bugs were worked out of the program, command staff approved it. Nissen said about 50 percent of the officers who use the cars are trained to use the program, and more will be trained in the near future. Nissen said UNLPD has been using in-car technology for more than 10 years, but this software helps to compile the necessary information into one program. “It’s one-stop shopping,” Nissen said. The software program offers three main components. The first is a communication portion, which officers can use to be in contact with each other in real time. The program also has a crime statistics database capability, which officers can use to check anything
With new software in the UNLPD cruisers, Officer E. Fischer is able to access more information than what was previously possible without having to call in and request for intel. The new software also includes a messaging feature that allows direct communication with the Lincoln Police Department. from a license plate to seeing if an individual has an arrest warrant. And the system is also connected with UNL’s dispatch center for emergency calls, as well as to the Lincoln Police Department’s dispatch center. The software’s advantages are numerous, said Nissen, who added it’s a beneficial resource aside from dispatchers to share information when time is a factor. “When seconds count, we’ll take as much help as we can get,” Nissen said. There hasn’t been a problem connecting with other officers in the past, Nissen said, as all officers in UNLPD and LPD use the same radio program. However, officers now have the information displayed on a screen in front of them. Nissen gave the example if there was a traffic stop a block
INTERACT MOBILE SOFTWARE CAPABILITIES Edit UNLPD & LPD MAN CITED FOR FISHING WITHOUT LICENSE
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5 STUDENTS CAUGHT DRINKING IN VINE STREET GARAGE
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7:44 PM MAN EXPOSES SELF NEAR OLDFATHER 8 STUDENTS CAUGHT DRINKING IN HSS
HERBIE HUSKER ACCUSED OF IDENITY THEFT 8,000 PARKING TICKETS OVERDUE
3 STUDENTS CAUGHT DRINKING IN ABEL
All officers from UNLPD, LPD and 17 other law enforcement agencies can communicate in real time.
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Access to database with information including current warrants, drivers licenses, license plates and stolen vehicles. Real-time display of emergency dispatch calls from UNLPD, LPD and other law enforcement agencies.
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Reddit co-founder encourages students to pursue ideas Alexis Ohanian spoke at the Kauffman Center to students and faculty about his new book Gabrielle lazaro dn In the early stages of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian said he had no clue what he was doing. “I’m telling you as the dude with a microphone, I’m in a perpetual state of not knowing what I’m doing,” the 30-year-old reddit co-founder said to a full room in Kauffman Center on Wednesday night. Ohanian co-founded Red-
dit, the popular social news and entertainment website, in 2005, and he helped found the websites Hipmunk and Breadpig. He spoke to University of Nebraska-Lincoln students about the importance of the Internet. First off, he said, it’s more than a fad. “It’s a big deal,” Ohanian said. “It’s eating the world. It’s a delivery mechanism.” Ohanian explained the story of how Reddit began – after deciding he didn’t want to be a lawyer, he and friend Steve Huffman came up with My Mobile Menu (MMM!), an app where you could place your order at a restaurant and pick it up without having to wait in line. Although the idea was unsuccessful, seed accelerator Y Combinator agreed to give them money for a start-up business if they would “trash” the idea and come up with a new one.
I’m telling you as the dude with a microphone, I’m in a perpetual state of not knowing what I’m doing.” Alexis OHanian reddit co-founder
That’s where Reddit was born. Ohanian told the audience how to take criticism in a positive light. “There are going to be haters,” he said. “Love thy haters. Eat them up for breakfast with some eggs, chicken sausage, whatever you prefer.” Ohanian went on to say that taking over the world can happen anywhere and being located in Silicon Valley isn’t a necessity. He also stressed how valuable
the skill of writing code is. “Those who can write code have the most valuable skill of this century, and those who don’t will be working for them — writing code is really that valuable,” he said. “The real talk is we can’t hire enough people who can write code and we can’t find enough people who can write code.” Hudl co-founder John Wirtz was the second speaker of the
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Jake crandall | dn
Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian speaks to a group of students and faculty in the Kauffman Center on Wednesday. Ohanian was promoting his new book “Without Their Permission,” which talks about using the Internet for good.