tudent Court's indecision puis olecii
ons sn
r
By Janet Fix
ASUN elections were postponed indefinitely by the
Student Court early Wednesday morning because the
court could not come to a decision on a petition to
abolish ASUN, chief justice Fritz Stehlik said Wednesday.
The court issued the restraining order after a lengthy
hearing with a vote of 4-0-2 .
Justices voting for the restraining order were Don
Wesely, Mike Moore, Jackie Learned and Susan Ugal.
Stehlik and Rich Moderow abstained, according to Wes
ely. The Court postponed final action on petitions heard
until March 29. The Court then will rehear the cases
before msking a decision or rescheduling the election.
- The two petitions tested the constitutional validity of
ASUN actions taken during the past three months.
In the first petition, the High People's Coalition
(THCLSD) party questioned the disqualifications of nine
party candidates.
The candidates were disqualified by the ASUN Elec
toral Commission last week because petitions filed lacked
the 35 signatures from the candidates' college required
for filing.
The second petition, filed by Britt Miller and Randall
Murphy, sought to abolish ASUN.
Stehlik said final action on the THCLSD petition hin
ges on the argument bwic to both issues.
The argument, raised by Miller and Murphy, question
ed the Senate's appointment of four senators Dec. IS.
The petition contends that ASUN lacked a quorum and
had only 20 of the required 24 senators present.
ASUN president Bill Mueller Wednesday, said ASUN
did not violate the quorum constitutional rule.
"The Senate action of Dec. 15 is questioned because
ASUN lacked a quorum," he said, "but the action that
day did not require a quorum."
Mueller said only a main motion requires a quorum.
A main motion would be introduction or passage of a
resolution, he said.
"An incidental main motion does not require a
quorum," MueEer said. "This motion only reaffirms pre
vious actions."
The Dec. 15 ASUN vote was a reaffirmation of pre
vious committee action recommending appointing the
senators, he said.
thursday, march 17, 1977 vol.100 no. 93 lincoln, nebreska
. . ""' ilium, 24
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Voting booths in the Nebraska Union remained empty Wednesday due to a Student Court decision postponing ASUN elections.
Daily Nebraskan photo
ources say long prepara
Hon behind Greek slate
By Mary Jo Pitzl
A Greek slate has been drawn, up for the now
postponed ASUN election, the Daily Nebraskan learned
Wednesday. However, some key fraternity and sorority
members contacted would not confirm the slate's
existence. .
Earlier' this week a list of Greek candidates running in .
this year's elections was distributed. It was supposed to
include all Greeks running for office, according to
organizers, but at least 16 Greek candidates were left off
the list.
The slate, however, was to include only selected Greek
candidates. It was to be passed out Wednesday morning to
house presidents.
Kappa Sigma fraternity president Gary Abel allegedly
said meetings to organize a Greek slate have been held
weekly over the past year. Abel said these meetings have
been public. Abel's comments were made at his
fraternity's chapter meeting Monday, according to Kappa
Sigma member Ken Havelka.
Havelka said when he protested Abel's statement that
the meetings had been public and argued with Abel on
several points, Abel threatened to remove Havelka from
the meeting.
Abel said he was unaware of any list resembling a
Greek slate.
"The cpjy thing I know about is' the one that you
talked to me about," he said, referring to the information
list of Greek ASUN candidates printed in Wednesday's
Daily Nebraskan.
Sources said a meeting to compose a Greek slate was
held around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night at the Kappa Sigma
house. Abel denied knowledge of such a meeting.
"That's cute. That's cool," Abel said. "If there was (a
meeting), I wasnt even here."
Abel interrupted his telephone interview with the Daily
Nebraskan and could not be reached for further comment.
Havelka said Kappa Sigma member Rick Joseph ad
mitted that he was a member of a faction backing the
Greek slate, but withdrew so he could run in the ASUN
elections.
Joseph is an independent senate candidate in the
College of Business Administration.
According to Hrvelka, Joseph said the faction was
thurcdaij'' .
News: UNL graduate student bites down on tension head
aches. P-9
Entertainment: Filmmaker Gary Hill says he Is satisfied
with the film coop, even though there is nothing to show
for it ..p. 12
Sports: Last weekend's blizzard brings a little luck and a
lot of snow for students planning to ski over spring
break . ..p. 15
playing on the ignorance of Greeks who blindly vote to
achieve the faction's needs. Joseph reportedly said he was
interested only in finding candidates representing his per
sonal needs, and was not convinced this representation
could come from anywhere other than the Greek system.
Joseph denied Havelka's charges.
"I didn't say any of that," Joseph said. "I don't know
where Ken got that." Joseph said he was working down
town during the alleged Greek slate meeting Tuesday
night.
Another Kappa Sigma member, Scott Howlitt, denied
knowledge of the organized group Abel discussed at the
Monday chapter meeting.
"The group you've heard of is non-existant," he said,
adding his fraternity's by-laws forbid him from breaking
the privacy of house chapter meetings.
He said he was not a member of the slate group, saying,
"If I was involved, I couldn't say anything." ' ' - '
Howlitt said he did not see Havelka at the Monday
ministrators a
meeting, but later said, "He could have been, but not to
my knowledge."
Howlitt denied the meetings Abel allegedly described
were secretive and elite, as Havelka had said.
. 'They're open to anyone who wants to come "
Howlitt said, adding "they definitely concerned ASUN
politics and the political stands of certain candidates."'
Howlitt declined to say how long these meetings had
Seen going on or how many had been held because he "is
ot willing to guess." "
' He refused to comment on the extent of his
involvement in these meetings.
"If the meeting concerned the candidate and if the can
didate wanted the people there, it's up to them to inform
them," Howlitt said. .
Attendance for the informal meetings drew a cross
section of residence hall, off campus and Greek stu
dents, Howlitt said, but not necessarily the same group
attended all meetings, Howlitt said.
Continued on p.2
Ad
re disa
ppom ie
in ASUN electron turn of events
By Barbara Lutz and Betsie Amnions'
UNL administrators were disappointed early Wednes
day morning -and it wasnt just because they were called
to the phone between 1 and 3 a jn., they said.
Ron Gierhan, acting vice chancellor for student affairs,
said when ASUN President Bill Mueller called him in the
wee hours of the morning to tell him Student Court had
postponed the election, he was very disappointed.
"It is costly to run an election, and when we are
electing a student to a state office (Member of the board
of regents), we have to be more particular," Gierhan said.
Election commissioner Karen Tejcka and commission
member Joe Stavas said the election delay will cause
problems because new ballots and election announce
ments may have to be printed.
"I wil' cause severe financial problems," Stavas said.
Tho current ballot contain the election date, he said,
and the constitution states the ballots must have the
correct date on them.
Stavas said the election would have cost an estimated
$2400 if it had gone Wednesday as scheduled. However,
he said it might cost an additional 5900 if a new election
is called.
Richard Armstrong, vice chancellor for student affairs-designate,
said his initial response was to go ahead
with the election.
"I shared my thoughts with Gierhan at 1:30 ai,"
he said, "and after I rolled over I thought going against
the court would cause problems in the future."
UNL Chancellor Roy Young also was contacted bjr
Mueller Wednesday morning, but was unavailable for
comment later in the day.
The cost of another election may double the amount
to be taken out of student fees, Gierhan said. MueEer was
"very concerned that there are not enough funds for
another election, but somehow well have to make funds
available." ,
Gierhan said "well either go in debt or find another
way of funding" another election.
The present ASUN election budget would not cover
the added expense, according to Stavas. Instead, he said,
the commission would have to "seek other sources of
income.
Stavas said they would ask Armstrong for assistance in
finding money.
The Student Court "screwed us to the wall with their
decision" Stavas said because the commission spent
money advertising and planning an election which did not
occur.
Mueller wanted to use his power as ASUN president to
order the election to proceed, Gierhan said, but he advised
Mueller to check the ASUN constitution. The constitution
"has a clear statcmemMhat when Student Court makes a
decision that is not turned over by Council on Student
Life (CSL) the legislative branch (ASUN Senate) is bound
to abide by and enforce the decision of the court,"
Gierhan said.
Cosiizusd cap. 11