Wednesday, april 5, 1972
lincoln, nebraska vol. 95, no. 91
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fhoto by Bill Gmrizel
Nebraskans help in McGovern victory
by Bart Cscker
RACINE, WIS.-A group of UNL students can
claim at least partial credit for George McGovern's
victory in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary.
The Nebraska students, freed from school by
spring break during the week before Easter, passed up
the chance for a leisurely vacation in favor of a week
of campaigning.
During the week prior to the primary, the young
workers established headquarters in the Southeastern
Wisconsin cities of Beloit, Kenosha w, Janesville and
Racine. And they attempted to reach potential
McGovern supporters by a variety of means.
Plans called for widespread leafletting and
door-to-door canvassing but as the week wore on
telephone campaigning assumed the major role.
On Wednesday, six days before the voters went to
eW t
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NOVA. . J'&H fsrent approaches to the same
' See story on page 1 2.
the polls, a storm buried Wisconsin in nearly a foot of
snow. Because of the inclement weather, the phone
campaign took on added importance.
Mary Kris Jensen, UNL coordinator of Students
for McGovern, said the snow hadn't hampered the
phome procedures in Janesville, where she joined
several other Nebraskans for the campaign. But most
of the volunteers indicated they preferred the
face-to-face confrontation.
"When you shake a hand and say 116110,' you
assume a personality you just can't project over the
phone," said Joe Carberry, a UNL junior from
Norfolk.
Because Nebraskans had been leaving Janesville
and heading back to Nebraska the emphasis had been
switched from an attempt to reach all the voters to
determining the McGovern supporters and assuring
that they reached the polls on Tuesday, Jensen said.
UNL student Suzy Prenger of Omaha said the
Janesville volunteers had been working "a good
10-hour day," and sometimes slaying on the job from
8 or 9 a.m. until 1 1 p.m. to f inish a day 's work.
" Their efforts began to pay ott when a Wednesday
report showed McGovern leading a poll with 23 per
cent of the respondents favoring the South Dakota
senator. Thirty per cent, however, were undecided.
" Co I less students, traditionally McGovern's
strongest supporters, were scheduled to begin their
spring break before Tuesday's election. Political
observers in Wisconsin indicated that might hinder
McGovern's chances.
However, reports at week's end showed
Wisconsin's 150,000 college students registering as
absentee voters at four times the normal rate.
In Racine, a primarily industrial city on the shores
of Lake Michigan, the volunteers began an all-out
effort on Thursday when a bus carrying 26
Nebraskans arrived at 5:30 a.m.
Most of the new arrivals were from Omaha, and
they were both high school and college students.
UNL student Gail Darling of Auburn briefed the
group on the procedures of telephone campaigning,
door-to-door canvassing and leafletting at factories
and shopping centers.
Volunteers were fed a lunch of bologna or peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches, topped off with potato
chips and washed down with a bottle of soda pop.
Then they were sent to their duties.
Lincolnites Biff Hoffman and Steve Fischer were
assigned to go door-to-door in a residential area. They
handed literature to interested individuals and fielded
questions about the campaign and about McGovern's
stands on the issues.
Four other early morning arrivals, Omaha Gross
High School students Kay Simodynes and Pam
Thurman, Archie Manning and Creighton University
student Bill Keating, were dispatched to leaflet at the
entrance to a shopping center.
McGovern received an added boost to his
Wisconsin attempt by earning the endorsement of
Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire over the weekend.
The volunteers indicated a strong showing in
Wisconsin would send McGovern into subsequent
primaries, including the Nebraska test in May, with
renewed vigor and organization.
The students also said that McGovern's opponents'
campaign workers seemed less organized than
themselves. .
"If Janesville is any indication of the rest of the
stats," said Csrberry, "McGovern's got it easily."
Photographers place high
In Hearst competition
Both Daily Nebraskan photographers placed
among the top 20 in the nation in this year's William
Randolph Hearst Foundation photography
competition. Bill Ganzel placed fifth and Gail Folda
placed twelfth it was announced Saturday.
Ganzel was awarded $300 for his efforts and the
UNL School of Journalism received the same .amount.
Ga reel's photographs are featured in a special
picture section on page B of today's Dally Ncbraskan.