r
Voters
neglect
duties
morkb
rasmussen
in TTiTtr-Tiritiwi
We live in a university community of over
20,000 persons, yet cn i uesaay proDaoiy less man
half of that community will vote.
Some will forget, some did not even bother to
register and others, who have reached the peak of
pseudo-intellectual stupidity, will proudly pro
claim they are apolitical.
What do they mean by "apolitical"? Perhaps it
is their personal message to the ''system" thai
they are not fooled, that they will not be
manipulated. Hog wash I
The issues and candidates they could back with
their voter might not always win, but, except for
parts of Texas and Illinois, their votes will be
counted. No "message" ever really reaches the
system unless someone Is voted In or out.
Maybe the nonvoter Is one of those who says
' "my vote doesn't matter." It will be a strange
election day, indeed, if somewhere in the country
an election is not decided by a single vote. A
recount most probably will be called somewhere in
Nebraska because the vote is so close.
In 1960 a margin of less than one vote per
precinct decided the outcome of a presidential
election. If something or someone could motivate
and unite the UNL community, its 20,000 votes
could decide virtually any of our state elections.
The most likely reason for the nonvoter, both
outside and within the university community, is
apathy apathy which leads people to neglect the
research a responslbile voter needs In order to
make an informed decision on the candidates and
issues. I do not know which is worse, the
apathetic nonvoter or the lazy, uniformed voter.
Voter ignorance on some of Nebraska's political
issues was responsible for a deeply depressing
news release in last week's papers. A poll
commissioned by the Daily Nebraskan found UNL
students preferring J. James Exon, Ernie
Chambers and Richard Marvel for governor, in
that order. A vote for Chambers is a throw-away
vote. He does not stanr! a chance of winning. Even
if he did, have UNL students forgotten the
students during the alcohol on campus debate of
last spring.
It also was last spring that Exon vetoed the
three major University appropriation bills. These
' were not spending licenses for extravagance, but
rather, honest attempts by the Unicameral to
increase the quality of our education. Only
through the floor leadership and lobbying of Sen.
' Marvel did the Legislature override two of the
vetoes, for the benefit of our university
community. How good are the memories of UNL
students and faculty? Who really dees deserve
their vote for governor? J
f J
Do3r Editor, . - - ? . ; '
In reqard to the article "CSL' Approves Ombudsman
Requisite" (Daily Nebraskan, Oct. 25): several
statements were made about tho CSL meeting cf Oct.
24 which were not strictly in accord with the facts.
i CSL cannot vote "to require that the ombudsman at
the University Health Center be a medical doctor who is
not currently on the UHC staff." The Council can only,
recommend this type of stipulation. The recommenda
tion is then sent to the UNL chancellor, who can
approve, disapprove or disregard the recommendation.
CSL's action' was not taken "to keep Dr. P.M.
Bancroft, a retired doctor, as medical ombudsman."
His position was not in question.
The purposes of this resolution wero to recognize
officially the existence of the Office of the Medica:
Ombudsman and to set up criteria for his selection
The dropping of the two other recommendation:
' dealing with the Medical Ombudsman's office will be
communicated to only one group, tna Student Council
. on Health. CSL does not wish them to drop the
recommendations, but to hava tho Student Council on
Health study them, as this croup may wish to help put
them into practice.
Susan Rehm.
CSL student member
Yell about yell squad
Dear Editor,
Why doesn't the NU yell squad wake up and take a
good long look at itself?
Our squad has to use gimmicks, like Gary Smith
wearing that ridiculous fur coat Instead of wearing the
regular unidorm. I didn't seo eny of the OSU
cheerleaders with wacky outfits cn, yet Ihsy (OSU) had
control of their crowd.
I'm sure OSU's even male to female ratio helped
them greatly, because they could do many energetic
routines together. , ' -
Will the NU yell squad continue to ba second- or even
third-rate, or will it dispense with the silly gimmicks
and increase the size of its male squad? The situation is
that simple. . . ,
' -.. ' Sandy
s
xon criticized; cnange in aam
Editor's note: John Vihstadt is a junior in
tha College of Law.
Cliched as it may sound, voters this
Tuesday once again will determine this
state's destiny for the next four years by
electing their choice for governor.
They can signal their approval of an
incumbent administration that won election
in 1970 at least partially by campaigning
against students and the University.
Or they can vote for a change.
Four years ago, when the campuses were
fermenting with student activism, J.J. Exon,
catching the political winds from the Right,
ran against the University and higher
education. His actions since show he hasn't
changed.
After months of opportunistic silence,
Exon at last was quoted in early October as
saying he supported the student regent
amendment, introduced and sponsored by
State Sen. Richard Marvel, his Republican
opponent. Certainly the Governor's endorse
ment greatly would enhance Amendment No.
1's chances for passage.
Yet, at a meeting with Hastings reporters,
Exon labeled Amendment No. 1 a "Marvel
campaign gimmick" which is costing the
ivnavor mnnpy and "could have been done
by 1 he Board of Regents." (Hastings Daily
Tribune, Oct. 19, 1974)
Well, Governor, both you and I know that
leaving student participation in the affairs of
the Board of Regents up to the Regents
Decause
so may
nrnirt a $fi million nhvsical education and
health facility at UNO, a $300,000 cardio
vascular research program at the NU Medical
Center and an $815,000 center at Cozad for
training persons to work with mentally
retarded children.
Moreover, in the face of solid opposition
from such educational groups as the
Nebraska State Education Association, the
Nebraska PTA and the Nebraska State School
Boards Assoc., Exon vetoed LB772, a bill
designed to give increased state support to
hard-pressed public schools and to remedy
an inequitable tax burden.
. . . $
J5
u
i i 1
II' IIO LI GLtmlKJl I LJI L wU
give
themselves is. of course, absurd,
lust as thev may admit students
exclude them.
Tho amendment Is the only way to
students the direct consumers of educa
tion a constitutional right to total and
permanent representation.
In another effort to reduce what the
Governor likes to call "wildstending" by tho
Legislature, Exon In April of this year vetoed
LSI 054 and 1055 education appropriation
measures designed to increase. University
support above subsistence levels. Fortun
ately, the Unicameral, along with Sen.
Marvel, managed to override Exon's veto
sparing students tuition increase, according
to UNL Chancellor James Zuroberge.
Items thus saved from Exon's axe includa a
$700,000 UNL food and nutrition building
november 4, 1974
Marvel, on the other hand, was the
vanguard of those leading the successful
legislative override of the Governor's veto.
The GOP candidate Is tho only gubernatorial
candidate who supports ballot Measure No.
300 to retain LB772 and augmented state aid.
In contrast to Exon's constant downgrad
ing of education, Marvel told an audience at
tho Harpcr-Schramm-Smith dormitory com
plex on Oct. 20 that education would be the
5,no. 1 priority of a new administration. After
all, Marvel, longtime chairman of Nebraska
Wesleyan's Political Science Dept., is an
educator by profession.
Candor and fair play are not the
Watchwords of the Exon administration. That
Is demonstated by events surrounding the
examination of two controversial state
contracts. The State Labor Dept.'s lease of an
office building with the JADQ Investment
Corp. of Omaha has the earmarks of a costly
boondoggle. The prime beneficiary of the
deal happens to be JADO owner Michael
Jackson, a top operator of Exon's 1970
campaign and a Democratic candidate on the
Democratic for the Douglas County Board.
Tho stats agreed to pay more than $2 million
dollars ever a 15-ycar period on the building
which Jsckson admitted cost less than
daily nebraskan
$600,000 to build resulting In a $1,400,000
profit for Jackson, 5 " .
On top of that, tho state must pay for all
utilities, janitorial service, groundskeepers,
and every other operating expense except
insurance. And as Sen. Ernest Chambers
pointed out, the building Is poorly located
and already oossesssa numerous structural
defects.
Another "sweetheart" deal is the $1,635-a-month
contract between Thomas Doyle's
Department of Roads (which, according to a
recent legislative study, operating 40
inefficiently) and the Sun Ray Lighting Co. of
Omaha for lights maintenance of the Roads
Dept. complex. Interestingly enough, the
president of Sun Ray is veteran Democrat
and close Doyle chum Robert Fltzpatrick.
While Doyle piously asserts the contract is
ndt based on friendship, there seems to be
little else it could b based on, because, by
common admission, the state would have
paid far less had competitive bids been
allowed. -
Exon condemned the contract investiga
tions as "a new low in political maneuver
ing," a rather lame yet quite fashionable
disclaimer by politicians these days. Grant
ed, the contracts are technically legal. At the
same time, they appear to bo unethical and
financially unsound payoffs by an administra
tion more interested in favoring political
cronies at the taxpayer's expense.
Exon also has soma explaining to do on the
issue of taxes. In his campaign literature, the
Governor proclaims ho has "held tho lino on
state tax rates," indeed, that they "have
been lowered" during his tenure.
While it la true that the state Income tax
rate has been reduced from a high of 15 to
the current 1 1 while Exon has occupied the
mansion this reduction .was In spits of
Exon not becausa of him.' '
Last November Exon. fought against the
successful move by the Republican majority
on the Board of Equalization to cut tho tho
rate to
a
I I 70
-the ,rt9 that f-.e now takes
credit for accomplishing! if I hiay borrow one
'of J.J. s favorite phrases, euch deception
hardly amounts to "tolling It like it is."
This a g I imps at tha man who wants
another term in tho statehousa. And these
are some cf tho reason why It win bo Exon
who gets vetoed Nov. S, ; ,
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