I thought I'd put my two cents in. I cheer for my university, I'm on UCA Staff, and I'm a certified coach (I coach a junior all-star team).
I heard about Nebraska - some girl busted a back tuck, and sued the school, apparently. I'm not completely sure what happened, but I read the press release the day it came out. There's an excellent press release written by Jim Lord - the executive director of AACCA (American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors) you can get at
www.aacca.org on their homepage.
Basically he refutes some of the statistics that Nebraska cited in its press release concerning the grounding of its cheerleaders. Cheerleading is just like another sport where accidents happen.
Luckily for me, I've been at it since my sophomore year in high school and the worst thing that happened to me so far was breaking my nose twice when I cheered at Tennessee.
Becki - I'd print out the press release by Jim Lord and show your advisor and athletic director. Try to get support via signatures and show that your fans and alumni think that tumbling, partner stunts, baskets and building pyramids are the most effective crowd-leading tools at your disposal. (heck, we know they often are!)
Good luck.