dailu m
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monday, april 17, 1972
lincoln, nebraska vol. 95, no. 97
V
Candidates
contest RHA
elections
Glen Murray and Gail Watson were elected
president and vice president of the Residence Hall
Association (RHA) Thursday night, but the election
will be contested.
Murray and Watson defeated Dennis Lavelle and
Bob Brehm 531 to 167, but the losers have asked the
RHA court to review election practices.
The statement filed by Lavelle and Brehm,
according to RHA president Roger Story, maintains
that Schramm Hall should have been allowed to vote
in the election; that RHA's policy excluding
Schramm is absurd and that the dorm was excluded
partly because of strong support for Brehm and
Lavelle.
According to Story, since Schramm is not an
active member of RHA and has indicated that it does
not want to be an active member, it is
constitutionally unable to vote. At RHA council
meeting preceeding the election. Story was overruled
and Schramm was allowed to vote.
Fifteen Schramm residents voted, seven for
Murray and Watson, seven for Brehm and Lavelle and
one for a write-in candidate.
Statements contesting the elections were required
to be filed by 7:00 the night of the election,
according to Lavelle. "We had to contest the election
before we knew for sure what had happened," he '
said.
"At the time, it looked as if there were some
irregularities in the vote count so we went ahead and
filed the statement."
After talking to several people, Lavelle decided to
withdraw his contest. There were several questionable
election practices, he said, but it would be hard to
prove anything about their effect on the vote.
Brehm, however, will take the issue before the
RHA court Monday night He said he does not want a
new election, but simply wants to protest "unethical
and inappropriate actions" on the part of RHA
president Roger Story.
The day of the election a large poster endorsing
Murray and Watson appeared in Cather Hall. It was
signed by Story, RHA secretary Jane Romeiser and
John Vihstadt, Cather RHA representative.
The poster referred to Lavelle and Brehm as
"inexperienced, and clearly unqualified candidates."
"We were perfectly within our rights to endorse
particular candidates," said Story. "We kept our
official duties separate, and acted impartially. In any
case, the poster would have affected only a small
portion of the vote.
"Up to that time, there had been no concrete facts
present?! to the voters by either side and very little
debate. The majority of the people had no idea wno
to vote for, so we decided if no one else was going to
say anything, we'd give our personal opinions. They
were presented as personal opinions and I think they
were taken that way."
Brehm also contends that Story acted
inappropriately by manning one of the voting booths
in Schramm Hall.
Story said he made no contact with anyone other
than in handing out ballots. Turn-out at Schramm
was light, and five people voted while he was at the
booth, he said.
"Roger Story was carrying out a personal vendetta
against me," said Brehm. "We've had what you could
call a feud over a lot of things. I was very active in the
coed visitation movements and RHA was not. They
had a secret meeting once on the issue and kicked me
out. They finally approved the minimum proposal. I
think we should have gone for 12 hours a day."
Both Story and Brehm were disappointed at poor
voter turn-out Brehm maintains that there was no
publicity about the elections and that consequently
most students didn't vote. "They (the current
officers) weren't looking for a good turn-out," he
said. Those who did vote war Influenced by Story's
actions, he added.
"I just don't think you can have a free open
election when the president of RHA slanders one of
the candidates."
"We expressed our opinions," Story said, "out we
acted impartially in our duties as officers."
Summer
Orientation
may add
minority hosts
If there's enough money in the budget-and that
question will be answered Monday-two or three
foreign and minority students will be added as hosts
for this summer's New Student Orientation Program
(NSOP), according to Chris Harper, a member of a
committee investigating that possibility.
Interim Dean of Student Affairs, Ely Meyerson,
said Sunday he would announce Monday whether the
funds are available.
Harper's nine-man committee, composed of ASUN
representatives, NSOP personnel and members of an
ad hoc student group, Friday urged foreign and
minority student hosts be added to the program.
None of the original 13 students selected as NSOP
hosts are foreign or minority students.
The committee cited three justifications for the
suggested additions, according to Harper. They are:
1) adding minority and foreign student hosts would
better convey the diverse nature of the UN L campus;
2) they would add to the general development of the
NSOP program by providing another perspective; 3)
they might be available to help with UNL's Special
Services Orientation and Foreign Student Orientation
later in the summer.
The NSOP will be held during June and July. It is
designed to acquaint incoming UNL freshmen and
their parents with the University.
An ad hoc student group earlier pressed NSOP
administrators to redesign the procedure for selecting
the 13 students who act as program hosts.
Group members, claiming the NSOP was really a
public relations program for parents, called for more
student input into the host selection process.
Harper, also a member of this group, contended
that the hosts chosen weren't the most qualified of
those interviewed, and weren't representative of the
UNL student body.
In subsequent meetings with NSOP administrators,
it was decided to suggest foreign and minority
student hosts be added to the program.
Harper said if money is available for additional
hosts they will be selected by an eight-member board,
composed of four foreign and minority students plus
Wirtz, a faculty member, an administrator and
another student.
Interviews for host positions would be held next
week. Harper said. All foreign and minority students
who applied for one of the 13 original positions will
be contacted if the go-ahead is given, Harper said.
Nine per cent of the original applicants were
foreign or minority students, Harper noted.
NSOP director and Coordinator of Student
Activities Peter Wirtz confirmed Sunday that the
student host selection process will be reviewed before
the 1 973 program.
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Sunday in the park. . . near-ideal weather greeted relaxing students during afternoon
jaunts to Pioneers Park.
