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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1969)
Writ- y n MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1969 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA VOL. 92, NO. 97 Zucker, Vavak, US 0 ft V X:- ' 1 V 0 v fit.'-' rf" " IT . ' v" Bob Zucker 'ASUN- should use strong faculty friends' ASUN in the past has failed to take advantage o fits friends in the faculty to achieve the goals and implement the policies students want. Bob Zucker, ASUN presidential candidate who Is heading the Elec torate '69 slate, said Thursday that when students realize that their most powerful allies are in the faculty and capitalize on that friendship, they will have discovered the essence of student power. "It is simply finding out where the power lies," he added, "and then tak ing advantage of it." "EFFECTIVE STUDENT power begins with Intensive self-education on the part of student leaders," Zucker continued. He used the implementa tion of a fail-pass-pass-with-honors .rade system, which Elecotate '69 advocates, as an example. "On a pass-fail program, ASUN ftiould find out what the system is like at other schools, how other pro grams work and what problems other schools have encountered before pushing for a program here," he said. Once ASUN leaders understand the pass-fail program and how to imple ment it they must try to Influence students and faculty, Zucker added. ASUN spends too much time passing resolutions supporting Issues they c'on't even understand, according to Zucker. Much of the business of ASUN Is verbage which accomplishes nothing. RESOLUTIONS IN ASUN are conceived on a Friday, discussed among some senators over the weekend, written on Monday, sten cilled on Tuesday, passed in Senate meeting on Wednesday and forgotten on Thursday," Zucker continued. Zucker was pleased with at least tao resolution, which was passed in .Senate Government Bill 24, which in his words "effected a real change in Ktudcnt life." ."The Council on Student Life, which came out of Government Bill 24, is the most dynamic change which has happened on this campus in student lite, he said. "Because they are a committee immediately below the Regents with a voting majority of students, they have an opportunity to alter the student's environment." WHAT THEY IK) will be re niCmbered because they will affect student life, Zucker added. The Coun ell on Student life will change ASUN from a Wednesday Afternoon Club In to a body which considers significant legislation weekly. ASUN can become the student arena where students announce their posi- Hons and tell what students want. The Council should reflect the thoughts and opinions of ASUN. "The time is ripe for ASUN to Income a meaningful body and stop bordering on the absurd. Now is the time ASUN can start dealing with student problems," the candidate said. Zucker feels that by developing specialists within the ASUN com mittee structure Senate can become better. "If wa can get freshmen Involved and sophomores directing their efforts to a special committee or interest, ASUN will get the value of their ac quired knowledge the longer they stay in Senate work," he said. "Hopping from committee to com mittee just doesn't work." ZUCKER HOPES to involve non senators in the top-level committee positions. He also commented on the sharp split in Senate this past year which often produced near tie votes on many Senate issues and how an executive should handle such factions. "When students get involved In Senate they aren't politically" oriented," according to Z u c k e r . "However, floor debate becomes too personal, and here is where factions develop." The retreat held at the beginning of first semester created a cohesive group for awhile who at least knew each other, he added. If the executives can get to know all the senators that too helps prevent factions. Electorate 'G9 supports mandatory faculty evaluation, something Zucker feels is necessary before a faculty evaluation book is possible. "The Faculty Evaluation Book (last year) was dropped because we weren't financially capable and we didn't have enough material to write a good book," according to Zucker who was chairman of the Faculty Evaluation Committee. "I we would have put out a bad book, we would have killed faculty evaluation at the University for good." Zucker listed the primary reasons why the book was never published as a lack of finances, poor participa tion on the part of fuculty, and a realization that the book would be of no value in pre-registration as long as departments refuse to list instruc tors along with tentative courses. ACCORDING TO ZUCKER, these problems could be remedied by man datory faculty evaluation participa tion, financing the faculty evaluation book out of student fees, and requlrng departments to list the names of pro fessors with offered courses in pre registration forms. He added that since ASUN over spent its budget by $1,000 in the first semester, there was some question as to whether the faculty evaluation book had any money at all to work with when the decision to stop publication was made. Electorate '69 also advocates bring ing back the World in Revolution Conference and expanding the Time Out program held last fall. "In a Time-Out series we could use local people to hold teachlns and seminars and other similar pro grams," Zucker said. "We need to take time out fro-n the drudgery of the classroom for a day and direct our attention to pertinent problems." It is necessary for students to become Involved and keep informed about matters cutside the classroom, he added. Zucker, who Is the oldest of the three candidates and who has com pleted four yearj at the University,' feels his age is a qualification which should be considered by students. "I think I can offer a perspective to student government by virtue of my age and experience in school," he said. Chaloupka v I t 0? . :- 1 y , . s V-J - t s I i .. ., V i ' . . .f f ... IV vie for r resident Ray Vavak Vavak cites importance of students as lobbyists Student government is an avenue through which to achieve educational reform because it serves as a means of expression for 18,000 students, Ray Vavak, Student Independent Party presidential candidate said Thursday. People such as the faculty, the Board of Regents, and the ad ministration will listen to the ASUN executive, Vavak feels. But the main areas of educational reform . must come through the advisory boards' and other committees not in ASUN, "Student government can also be an effective lobby to the legislature," Vavak added. "We most convince the legislators of the great importance of education in our society." IF ASUN cannot reach the legislators through lobbying, it should pressure the faculty In an attempt to make them see that the individual Is the most important part of educa tion, according to Vavak. The existing form of education is an insult to students. "People are distinct, unique and different," he said. "In the large classes we have, they lose that distinctness and everything becomes predictable." Education is not just job training. Its purpose is not to make people Into efficient, economic producing units. It should instead create a sense of personal awareness and identity. Until an indlvidaul has this awareness he cannot appreciate that other people are valuable. "KNOWLEIMIE ISN'T found in books. It is found in the mind, and all It needs is to be awakened," Vavak said. Included in the SIP platform is a plank which calls for Deferred Rush, and end to harmful pledge training, and an end to racial discrimination, in the Greek system. "We have no right to tell a student where he can live or if he can go dvough rush," Vavak said. "But we do have the right to concern ourselves with institutions which are a part of the academic community but which don't align themselves with the purposes of the academic community by practicing racial discrimination." GREEKS AND independents should be able to put aside petty differences for the sake of education, according to Vavak, but they haven't thus far in the campaign. SIP is also calling for a student with voting privileges on the Board of Regents. "The Board of Regents won't change education because they reflect middle class, conservative attitudes," according to Vavak. "But with a stu dent on the board, we can at least move in the direction of educational reform." IF NOTHING ELSE, Vavak believes something can be accomplished by virtuo of the student simply being a member of a different generation. "President Joseph Soshnik has said it would be difficult to find a student to represent the whole University," he added. "I think he Is right. Maybe Continued on page 6 WJlllltllillllf 1iI3IIIIIM(lllJllllllllIIIIIMIIIIM lllltlJIIMllllJlllllllliSllltlllllllilJflllilllllJllllllilltlllllllllllllltljllllllllirillllliaillllltllllllllllMIllitltje B S Nixon invited lo combined University commencement J President Richard M. Nixon has been Invited to participate at. the Joint University of Nebraska Centennial commencement ceremonies in Memorial Stadium May 31. according to acting Chancellor Merk Hobson. "There is a possibility he will come, although how great It is I don't know at this time," Hobson said. "Having the President of the United States with us for the commencement would provide a memorable cli max to the University's Centennial." The joint outdoor commencement will attract 20,000 to 40,000 people according to Hobson. It will Include graduating classes from both Lincoln campuses, the Medical Center in Omaha and from the University of Ne braska at Omaha. Hobson said that he thought if Nixon did attend, it would be to par ticipate in the centennial celebration of a land grant university rather than just a regular commencement exercise. The Idea of a joint centennial commencement, Hobson said, had oi finally been explored by Chancellor Clifford M. Hardin. Hobson said that the Idea appealed to 'the Board of Regents and they approved it. The significance of the Joint commencement as a part of the cen tennial celebration, Hobson said, Is in trying to bring together the total University in its one hundredth year. "I think there is something spectacular about it. The ceremony Is an expression of the growth of the University and of service to tho state," Hobson said. He emphasized, however, that the centennial ceremony is not an attempt to establish a precedent. It is a once in a hundred year program, he said. Hobson expressed hope that Hardin, now Secretary of Agriculture, would flso be in attendance at the ceremony, but that is not certain at this time. The detail of the ceremony are being worked out by the Joint com mencement committees, he said. In the event of bad weather, Hobson said, PersWng Auditorium might be utilized. Possibly the ceremonies would also b piped to the Coliseum on closed circuit television to accomodate the overflow crowd. uumuuuuiiiuumuiuiiHimuniiiimiiiiiiuniuiiiuuiitiuuituiuiinuiutittiiitutHtniiuuiiiuir luiuiiiitiiiitiiiiiuiitinitiiiitiiiiiuiiiim L ' v .' ' ' ' r mnirni mm Zlnwik ' f -nriii 'i -iihiii mini rfrmn in ' if 1 i , i Bill Chaloupka 'Student Life Council can change University' ASUN should use the Council on Student Life to effect changes in the structure of the University which students have endured for such a long time. Bill Chaloupka, ASUN presidential candidate said recently. ASUN would be failing if it does not capitalize on the creation of the Council, he added. Seriate should be the innovative and driving idea force behind what the Council does. "Although the Council on Student Life will make the decisions which will most directly affect students, there should be a working relationship between the two bodies and not a dominance by one over the other," he said. "ASUN won't be the benefactor of Council's decisions." CHALOUPKA, LIKE one of his pre sidential opponents, Bob Zucker, was happy with the results of Government Bill 24 passed last year in Senat, but he thought there were other means by which those results could have been reached. "We didn't need to accomplish our goals in Government Bill 24," he con tinued . "We didn't need a student rebellion. "We could have done what was placed In Government Bill No. 24 in a better way. There are methods for change in the University system which ASUN did not utilize. For ex ample, there are a vast number of University committees with which ASUN can work. "President Soshnik created the Council on Student Life to stop ASUN from carrying the government Bill No. 24 Idea further, lie expressed in this way a confidence In the ability of students and administrators to work together to achieve more student self-regulation. "We should accomplish that next year through the Council on Stu dent Life." Chaloupka thinks dormitory residents are the students most left out of communications between ASUN and the student body. "If we can get some senators from the dormitories who are willing to attend executive meetings, we can solve some of the problems," ac cording to Chaloupka. "If people are not Interested in .ASUN, there is no reason why we should try and force an Interest on them," he continued. "What is needed is success in many areas on the part of ASUN." THERE COULD BE no communica tions between people who are not in terested in each other, he added. Chaloupka doesn't believe that another of his presidential opponents, Ray Vavak, has developed the educa tional planks of his platform realistically. "Vavak has failed to see the situa tion as it really exists In education," Chaloupka said. "Vavak is saying we must change the whole form of education in the University and United States through government," he added. "Students will change education, but not through student government." ASUN SHOULD work within the structure of the University com mittees while also providing services to the academic community in the form of legislative liaison with the Unicameral, faculty evaluations and NSA, Chaloupka believes. "Students should have the op portunity to vote on NSA affiliation,", according to Chaloupka. "ASUN should use NSA as an information source and for programs for the stu dent." Senate hopes to work closely with the Nebraska Union next year on many of the programs available through NSA, he added. "In the past, ASUN hasn't used NSA correctly," Chaloupka said. "We have used NSA as a tactical tool to see how they would solve our problems when actually we are the best judge of how to solve our own problems." . Another service, that of faculty evaluation, "needs more permanence and 'money than is available to ASUN." according to Chaloupka. Therefore, Chadopka advocates 'placing that service under the 'Publications Board to insure its suc cess and faculty participation. "Last year in Senate, we balanced faction against faction," he said. "We didn't work together at all." "Senators and executives must ap proach each other as people not as members of a certain faction," Chaloupka continued. "I, as a can didate, am not trying to represent nny faction from Senate, but instead a large part of the student body as possible." Nevertheless, Chaloupka feels that the past year In Senate was satisfac tory even though it could have been better. Chaloupka also commented on two recent issues in and out of Seante, that of the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of Zucker's candidacy and reapportionment, a problem he worked with as chairman of the ASUN Reapportionment committee. "Generally I don't favor a rule by which the University can designate who can or who cannot run for an ASUN office." he said. . CHALOUPKA DOES NOT support the reapportionment proposals of Sen. Bruce Cochrane which will appear on the Spring Ballot as a referendum. "The issue Is not so much whether or not I like the reapportionment plan," he added, "as it is whether I think the student government should be restructured in a piece-meal fashion." Chaloupka, unlike either of his op ponents, is not heading a party. In stead he is the presidential candidate on an executive slate which Is en dorsing senate candidates. "We are trying to overcome the fact that we aren't identified with a party by pointing to t h e deficiencies of the party system and the Senate it has produced," Chaloupka con tinued. "Political parties have caused the election of some senators who should never have been elected." On a national scale, the voter knowi which group the candidate will lden tifiy with after the election, according to Chaloupka. But in student govern ment, it isn't that way. "An alternative Is the endorsement system by which we endorse those candidates we feel we can work with in Senate next year," he added. 1- 5 , : 'if , , f , ' '. L