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Wednesday, february 27, 1 974
llncoln, nebraska vol. 97, no. 25
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Francis "Sissy" Farenthold spoks Tuesday in the
Nebraska Union.
Feminist candidate claims need
for skilled women politicians
By Mary H. Wagoner
Speaking to a crowd of 400 Tuesday,
Francis "Sissy" Farenthold, National
Chairperson of the Women's Political
Caucus, contended that "women have to
develop a reservoir of skill and experience"
in dealing with politics.
Women running for national public
office, according to Farenthold, first have to
be "exposed to the same kind of experience,
stress and responsibility" as their male
counterparts.
'Traditionally, presidential and vice
presidential candidates have served in the
Senate or as governors. There are no women
governors and few women senators," she
said.
"Politics have been considered off limits
for women, and women have gone along
with this. I hope before long that a person's
gender will not be an issue, but women have
to get in and take the effort and the risk of
running for office. Womtn can only improve
their position, and I think this will be done
in 1974," she said.
Farenthold cited audacity, assertiveness
and awareness as the three major
qualifications women need.
"I've seen an incredible transformation of
awareness in women over the last five years.
If you don't know where you are, you don't
know where you're going," she said.
Commenting on the Equal Right
Amendment (ERA), Farenthold said the
reversed position of the AFL CIO, now in
favor of the ERA, has had a big effect.
With its support, Maine, Ohio and
Montana passed the amendment this year.
"The amendment may not get all the states
this year, but I think it will be ratified next
year," she said.
Farenthold said one important issue
coming out of Watergate is the public
financing for national campaigns.
. "Campaigning financing needs to be
changed," she said. "There should be ceilings
on expenditures, and full disclosures of
campaign contributions,"
Farenthold, asked if President Nixon
should be impeached, would only say, "The
mechanism (the impeachment process) is not
there to be read, it is there to be used."
Asked about her views on the abortion
issue, Farenthold said, "I feel, no matter
what my personal view is, that abortion is
the right of the, women carrying the fetus. I
think the Supreme Court made the only
possible decision that could be made in a
pluralistic society."
Farenthold, currently a Texas
gubernatorial candidate, noted that women
are "beginning to run for office all over the
country. But women must realize that they
can't wait for the party to call on them to
run. They must strike out on their own, and
meet the challenge."
By Wes Albers
Should women have male visitors in their rooms?
How much power should fraternities and sororities
have in student government? And how effective is the
Student Council?
Those were burning questions for NU students 10
years ago, when alcohol on campus wasn't an issue
and the open door policy would have been welcomed
as a big improvement.
, But 10 years make a big difference, as recent
telephone Interview! with six past ASUNStudent
Council presidents showed.
In that time student concerns have run the gamut
from "Greekdormie" squabbles and war protests to
today's alcohol and visitation issues.
When John Lydick was Student Council president
in 1984-1985 there was "no talk at ail about alcohol
on campus and only a little talk about visitation," he
said.
. "Black activism was growing at that time and
students were just beginning to call for a greater voice
in programming," he said.
Lydick was graduated from NU in 1966 with a
major in mechanical engineering. Now employed by
IBM, he spent several years after graduation working
for a local bank.
It was during Lydick's term of office that the
switch was made from the Student Council to the
ASUN Senate.
'ASUN
was created by a constitutional
certv-ntSen Jr. IOCS," iij. "ii had been under
discussion a long time and probably was the most
significant thing we did."
Ken Neumeistcr was ASUN president in 1865-66
when the senate began Its first year amid discussion
of its effectiveness.
"The Student Council had been nothing but
another student organization," Neumeister said, "It
wasn't representative and had no real power. The
fraternity and sorority system dominated campus
activities in those days."
ASUN changed all that, according to Neumefcter.
The new "centralized, representative government"
soon led to "a real decline in the power of fraternities
and sororities," he said.
1065-68 also saw the beginning of the student
unrest that was to sweep campus? in the late '60s.
"Nu was a target institution that year for the SDS
(Students for a Democratic Society)," he said. "Their
national vice president was here and that was the first
year forums were opened in the student union for
debates about the role of student government and the
war in Veitnam."
A 1308 graduate, Neumeistcr went on to Harvard
Law School and earned his master's of m degree. He
is currently an assistant professor tt Creiqhton
University in Omaha.
1 96370 ASUN president Bill Chaioupka described
hit year in office as "a difficult experience."
"It was frustrating, but a good opportunity for
growth and to meet some people' he said. "It was
the sort of experience I wouldn't recomment to
anyone but wouldn't have missed either."
Now an electrical engineer for Western Electric in
Phoenix, Ariz., Chaioupka said the Council on
Student Life (CSL) was "just "getting started ' in his
term and visitation had become an issue.
"I've tien back on campus Wee or four times
since then and the buildings have really changed," he
said. "I'll suspend my judgment on whether or not
the students have changed."
1970-71 ASUN President Steve Tiwaid said the
UNL student strike of May, 1970, was "the biggest
single event" of his term.
The strike was marked by a student takeover of
the Military and Naval Sciences Bldg.
"My job was to see that the students as citizens
could express their opinions freely and openly about
the war but also avoid violence," he said.
Tiwaid said his administration also worked to "ge
students more involved in the processes of the
University."
"We felt more student involvement was. really
important," he said. "Students are supposed to be the
key persons in a University."
After graduation, Tiwaid was active in Sen. George
McGovern's presidential campaign and was a delegate
to the Democratic National Convention in 1972. He
now works for a Lincoln trucking firm.
1971-72 ASUN President Steve Fowler and
1372-73 President Bruce Beecher said campus issues
have not changed much since they were in office.
Fowler, now a Nebraska state senator representing
the 27th District, - said the big issues of his
administration were visitation and the use of student
fees.
Beecher said his year as president was valuable
because it gave him a chance "to work with my peers
as well as with faculty and administrator's.",
He is currently a budget analyst for the Nebraska
State Legislature.
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Wayne Stita CoUeg is one of four Nebraska stats eoSfegsx currently caught m tfia
financial crunch of inflation and declining enrollment. See story on page 6,
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