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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1975)
a Wednesday, february 26, 1975 lincoln, nebraska vol. 98, no. 83 doily n( I I ft c SORHr FOLKS, ILL TICKETS IRE ALICTTEO FOR. I , 'C Complimentary tickets Number may be reduced By Susie Reitz Chancellor James Zumberge said Monday he is considering reducing the number of complimentary football tickets given to government and news media organizations because they are paid for by tax dollars. "Basically I believe it is legitimate to offer some complimentary tickets. The university does it to all university functions-Kimball concerts, performances at the theater. There is no question about it being reasonable," Zumberge said, "however, a question arises when they are paid for by tax dollars or general university funds." The practice began before tickets were at a premium, Zumberge said, and has become a "tradition." Tickets are made availalbe tor the chancellor's office at a cost of $1.50 each, regardless, of location. These are paid for from the university general fund, which consists of tax dollars, ; according to Fleming. The $1.50 charge was set because of an arbitrary Big 8 conference rule stating that visiting teams should get half the value of game tickets sold. Complimentary tickets are valued at $1.50 by the rule, James Pittenger, UNL athletic ticket manager, said, meaning a visiting team gets 75 cents for each complimentary ticket. NU decided that the Husker Athletic Dept. should also get 75 cents from each ticket and the $1 .50 charge was set, Pittenger explained. 3,583 complimentary tickets The - chancellor's office purchased and distributed 3,583 complimentary tickets in 1974, Fleming said. These included 226 season stadium tickets and 20 season press box tickets given to federal, state and city officials and 1,428 single game tickets to radio, television and newspaper executives. Those given to media were in addition to the press passes made available through the Sports Information Office to sports writers and broadcasters covering the game, Fleming stated. The question of free tickets and conflicts of interest arose earlier this month when several Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) members admitted receiving complimentary tickets from Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph and Northwestern Bell, along with other favors. Continued on p. 11 State leader race 'healthy' for GOP By Rex Seline The battle for the chairmanship of the Nebraska Republican party will be settled at Saturday's meeting of the State Central Committee. The leading contenders for the job consider the competition healthy for the party. Chairman William Barrett of Lexington announced Feb. 15 that he is resigning to pursue "business and family interests." Long-time Republican party leaders Anne Batchelder of Omaha and E.L (Jack) Schuetz of Lincoln, have announced their candidacies foi the unpaid post. The 102 members of the state central committee and the seven members of the state executive committee will select the new chairman Saturday, at the Lincoln Holiday Inn. Conservative wing "Both candidates represent the more conservative wing of the party," Barrett said. "We like each other," Batchelder said. "We're not competing against each other, we're competing for the office." "A vote for either one of us is not a repudiation of the other's service to the party," according to Schuetz. "I've worked with Anne for many years, in fact I recruited her for the vice chairmanship in 1959." Schuetz is now the Nebraska representative for U.S. Sen. Roman Hruska, but he has said he will step down from that position if he is elected. Batchelder was the party's unsuccessful 1974 lieutenant governor candidate and publishes the Douglas County Gazette, a weekly newspaper. Big job . "It's a big job for a volunteer chairman," Barrett said. "I wanted to step down because of the taxing of my time and finances and the physical and mental strain. The lack of pay does tend to limit the tenure of chairmen as well as who can run." According to Barrett, the Democratic Party in Nebraska has a full-time, paid state chairman. All three leaders called for an effort to appeal to younger voters and an attempt to register more Republicans. They foresee the party's problems, caused by Watergate, subsiding. Barrett wants the party to identify more with conservatism. "The Democrats are usually identified as being more liberal. I'm not sure that we have been identified at the opposite end of the spectrum," Barrett said. "We've got to broaden our base a little," he added. "Eighteen per cent of Americans call themselves Republicans, according to one survey. But 53 per cent identify themselves as being conservative. Somewhere we've got to draw the two ends of that spectrum together." "We should give Young Republicans and the Womens Federation a more specific place in the picture," Batchelder said. Schuetz said the party might establish fellowships and scholarships for high school students interested in getting political experience by working for the party. Speakers may also be sent to schools "so students get a better picture of the Republican party," Schuetz said. Organization on a grass roots level and restaffing the state headquarters after the departure of some staff members will be required of the new chairman, according to both candidates. They agreed that fund raising will be necessary. Bill would consider alcoholism as illness Editor's note: This is the second of two articles examining the establishment and future of Detoxification Centers in Nebraska. By Lori Demo Five proponents, five opponents and five "neutrals" testified Tuesday afternoon at the Unicameral's Judiciary Committee public hearing on LB237, the Treatment .and Rehabilitation of Alcohol-Dependent People Act. The committee postponed action on the bill, but Lincoln Sen. Wally Barnett, who introduced it, proposed that five amendments be added to it. The bill would decriminalize public intoxication, treat alcoholism as a disease instead of a crime and provide for taking persons picked up for public intoxication to detoxification centers instead of to jail. Among Barnett's proposed amendments are: -if a court determines a person who needs rehabilitation is financially able to pay for the treatment, the court may direct him to do so. -if, within six hours after a person is taken into custody for detoxification, all records and reports show he has not been involved in any previous offenses which may indicate an alcohol-related problem, he will be released "as soon as possible" after detoxification. Those testifying were concerned with financing the detoxification centers and with the section requiring coverage in all insurance policies for treatment in .detoxification centers. Ted Fraizer, representing Health Insurance Association of America, and John Humpal, representing Nebraska Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said they were concerned with the proposed mandatory insurance coverage. Fraizer said the bill is "not the proper vehicle" for stipulating insurance coverage of this type. "You'd be having a judge instead of a doctor admit you to a hospital," he said. "This is opening a new type of admission and duration of treatment." The subject should be considered separately, he said. Humpal said to add a benefit with unknown cost would provide his company with a problem it is not now ready to handle. However, Keith H. Tobias, favoring the bill, said the required coverage should not cause any problems. "All insurance policies contain heart and cancer insurance thul not everyone uses," he said. "I don't think this would hurt insurance costs as much as they (the opponents) think." Douglas Curry, representing the Nebraska Sheriff and Peace Officer Association, said his organization "applauds the attempt and concept of the bill." However, he said, his organization is concerned with the location of the detoxification centers. He said he would like an amendment to be attached to the bill, giving police officers up to 24 hour to keep the person jailed, until the person could be safely moved to a detoxification center. This would particularly pertain to western Nebraska, where a detoxification center may be miles away, he said. Ted Kessner, representing the Police Officer Association of Nebraska, opposed the bill because he said it set no guidelines to help police decide if rehabilitation is needed for a person. "If yc" make the decision that alcoholism is an illness, you should take law enforcement out of it, or at least give them guidelines to follow," he said. Fred W. Patzel, a masonry contractor in Lincoln, and Emma Meyer, of Lincoln, both called for the committee to consider prohibition. "You will not cure a disease as long as you have the problem of the disease before you," Patzel said. "The solution is prohibition." He did say, however, that he would support the bill if the liquor industry were taxed for paying for the detoxification centers. Carlin Whitesell, of Omaha, disagreed. "I have no objection to financing it from liquor," he said. "But it is poor legislation to tie a certain bill to a certain revenue. There is no flexibility." He said if the money weje put into the general fund and then drawn out for financing, he would approve. Flora Shimkle, of the League of Women Voters, said the League supports the bill and its "humanitarian ideal of decriminalization."