Nebraska

Nebraska's response to player-assistant coach's sexual relationship was inadequate, lawsuit says

Published

3 months ago

February 19, 2024

Nebraska's response to player-assistant coach's sexual relationship was inadequate, lawsuit says

OMAHA, Neb. — (AP) â A former Nebraska women’s basketball player alleges coach Amy Williams and athletic director Trev Alberts did not take appropriate action when her sexual relationship with an assistant coach became widely known.

Ashley Scoggin filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court describing how Chuck Love allegedly took a special interest in her and how the relationship turned sexual and caused Scoggin to fear retaliation if she refused to engage in it.

The lawsuit was filed Sunday and, in addition to Williams and Alberts, names the university’s Board of Regents and Love as defendants. Scoggin seeks a jury trial in Lincoln and unspecified damages for the alleged violation of her civil rights.

Williams and a spokesperson for the regents declined to comment. Alberts and Love did not immediately respond to text and emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.

âIt’s a very troubling and serious subject of predatory coaches that pursue sexual relationships with student-athletes,â Scoggin attorney Maren Chaloupka said. “There’s an enormous imbalance of power between the professional coach and student-athletes. This is something that was well known in 2022.

âCertainly Division I universities that operate at the top level are well aware of the harm that comes from this kind of a predatory situation, and there’s a strong onus on the university and on the coaches to prevent this from happening and, heaven forbid it does happen, to address is correctly.â

Scoggin played two seasons for the Cornhuskers. She was dismissed from the team on the same day Love was suspended with pay in February 2022. Love resigned three months later. Scoggin now plays at UNLV.

Williams and Alberts are accused of not setting rules, training or policies prohibiting staff members from having sexual relationships with athletes, with the lawsuit alleging that the lack of safeguards âwas so reckless that misconduct involving sexual misconduct by coaches was inevitable as of September 2021.”

According to the lawsuit:

Scoggin had an internship in the athletic department in the summer of 2021 and she expressed interest in becoming a coach someday. Love invited Scoggin to work at a small table in his office, and she accepted.

Love, who was married, asked Scoggin personal questions, including the type of alcohol she preferred, and Love began asking her to go out for drinks with him. Scoggin declined several invitations but eventually accepted one. A few days later, they met late at night in a Costco parking lot, where Love kissed her and asked, âHave you ever done anything with a coach before?â

The interaction left Scoggin feeling âconfused and trappedâ because âit was now undeniable that Love wanted a sexual relationship.â Once the relationship turned sexual, Love expected Scoggin to be âavailable and willingâ whenever he wanted to have sex and included summoning her to his hotel room when the team traveled for away games.

On the night before a game at Penn State in February 2022, team members and practice players created a ruse to confirm and videotape Scoggin’s presence in Love’s hotel room. A male practice player falsely represented himself to the desk clerk as Love to obtain a duplicate room key. Two team members confronted Scoggin in Love’s room. They reported their findings and showed the video to Williams.

âWilliams cast Ashley in the role of a seducer and a liar,â the lawsuit said. âShe allowed the players to berate and accuse Ashley for hours. She did not redirect or counsel the players that what they had seen may be the result of an abuse of power by her associate head coach.â

Upon returning to Lincoln, Scoggin was not informed of her rights under Title IX and in a meeting with Williams and other members of the administration was told she was off the team, according to the complaint.

Scoggin’s dismissal and Love’s suspension were reported simultaneously by the media.

âNU, Williams and Alberts were motivated to avoid scandal and embarrassment to the Cornhuskers women’s basketball program instead of being motivated to protect its student-athlete, Ashley,” the lawsuit said.

âNU, Williams and Alberts allowed the speculation and perception to fester that Ashley was âequally to blameâ or otherwise had done something improper when they should have sent a clear message that it is always improper for a professional coach to pursue a sexual relationship with a student-athlete.â

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Nebraska

Grand jury indicts Nebraska State Penitentiary inmate in the murder of his cellmate

Published

3 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Grand jury indicts Nebraska State Penitentiary inmate in the murder of his cellmate

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A grand jury indicted a man in the murder of his cellmate at the Nebraska State Penitentiary on Oct. 29, 2022.

Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon announced Monday a grand jury made up of 16 people returned an indictment charging Tyler Stanford with first-degree murder in the killing of his cellmate, Philip Garcia.

Under Nebraska Law, a grand jury is called whenever “a person has died while being apprehended by of while in the custody of a law enforcement officer of detention personnel.” The grand jury determines whether an offense against Nebraska criminal laws occurred regarding the death.

Following the indictment being filed, the District Court of Lancaster County scheduled Stanford to virtually appear from the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution for his initial court appearance on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

This is an ongoing investigation. The Lancaster County Attorney’s Office coordinated with investigators from the Nebraska State Patrol, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln Police Department.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Extension offers Part 107 drone test prep courses

Published

10 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska Extension offers Part 107 drone test prep courses

During the months of June, July and August 2024, Nebraska Extension will be offering one-day (eight hour) courses across the state to prepare individuals to pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aeronautical Knowledge Exam.

“The Part 107 Test Prep Course has been very successful, and students have been doing very well,” said Dirk Charlson, statewide extension educator of digital ag and course instructor, referring to the same course offered in early 2024.

During the months of January through March, Charlson taught this course across the state at six locations from the Nebraska Panhandle to Lincoln. The course had a total attendance of 87 students, who represented a mix of backgrounds from growers, educators, real estate accessors, professional photographers, and individuals involved in emergency management. In addition to Nebraska, students traveled from several states to attend, including Wyoming, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.

This course covers aviation topics such as regulations, airspace, radio communication, weather, aircraft performance, and other basic aviation concepts necessary to pass the Part 107 knowledge exam. The exam is taken at an FAA designated location and consists of 60 multiple-choice questions.

The Part 107 Remote Pilot Exam Prep Courses are available to the public. Aviation experience is not essential to be successful in the course. The course will be offered at seven locations across the state from June through August, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time:

June 7 — UNL Panhandle Research, Extension and Educator Center, 4502 Ave. I, Scottsbluff.
June 14 — Syracuse Public Library, 480 Fifth St., Syracuse.
June 21 — Hall County Extension Office, 3180 W. Hwy 34, Grand Island.
June 28 — Gage County Extension Office, 1115 W. Scott St., Beatrice.
July 10 — Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center, 76025 Rd. 329, Grant.
Aug. 8 — Dodge County Extension Office, 1206 W. 23rd St., Fremont.
Aug. 16 — UNL West Central Research, Extension and Education Center, 402 W. State Farm Rd., North Platte.

Registration is available online for each location. Pre-registration is required with a $275 registration fee.

Please contact Dirk Charlson for more information on this course at 402-460-0742 (text or call).

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Nebraska

Nebraska Extension Introductory Level Crop Scout Training – 5/21/24 @ 8:30am

Published

17 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska Extension Introductory Level Crop Scout Training – 5/21/24 @ 8:30am

A May 21 Nebraska Extension training course is scheduled for industry representatives and corn and soybean growers wanting to learn how to better manage corn and soybean pests.

The introductory level crop scout training is designed for entry-level scouts who are working for crop consultants, industry agronomists or farm service centers in Nebraska and neighboring states. The training is also ideal for growers who scout their own fields or are interested in improving productivity, as well as for students being employed by agribusinesses.

The course, which will be held in-person, is from 8:55 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. with registration at 8:30 a.m. at the University of Nebraska’s Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center which is located at 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033. Nebraska Extension Educator Aaron Nygren says, “We look forward to providing participants a hands-on, in-person experience focusing on important crop scouting skills.”

Topics covered during the day include:
• Scouting Tips and Understanding Corn & Soybean Growth & Development
• Crop Diseases & Quiz
• Scouting Techniques – Soil, Tissue, Disease Samples & Drone Best Practices
• Identifying Weeds – Morphology, Using a Key to Identify Weed Seedlings
• Corn & Soybean Insect Scouting, Identification, Management
• Nutrient Deficiencies in Corn & Soybeans
• Hands on Practice

Some of the benefits past registrants stated the training provided included practical/working knowledge and better accuracy in field scouting. Other participants appreciated the hands-on, practical format. Past participants have consistently given the training high marks and state that the knowledge gained from attending improved their scouting skills.

Cost for the program is $100, which includes lunch, refreshment breaks, workshop materials and a 3 ring binder instruction manual. The take-home instruction manual includes a variety of reference materials that provide resources for crop scouting. For those attending the daylong training that don’t want a copy of the instruction manual, the fee is $60. Attendees should preregister to reserve their seat and to ensure workshop materials are available the day of the training session.

Certified Crop Advisor continuing education credits are being applied for with 6 credits in pest management, 1 in crop management and .5 in fertility/nutrient management.

To register or for more information, go to https://enreec.unl.edu/fieldcropscouttraining, contact Nebraska Extension at (402) 624-8030, or e-mail Aaron Nygren at anygren2@unl.edu. Preregistration requested by May 17 for meal planning purposes.

Extension is in the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

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