The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 14, 1977, Image 1

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Greg Johnson of the Students for Uni
versity Need (SUN) party is the apparent
winner in the ASUN presidential race,
tentative vote totals released about 1:45
this morning indicate.
Election commission member Jackie
Learned said the preliminary count,
showed Johnson had 1,004 votes, Eric
Carstcnson had 729 and Randy Musselman
had 116.
Charles Fellingham end Ken Christoffer
son, SUN party first and second vice pre
sidential candidates, also appeared to be
the winners, Learned said.
The apparent vote count for first vice
president showed Fellingham with 1,324
votes, independent candidate Michael Stein
with 373 votes and High People's Coalition
(THC) party candidate Donald Thompson
with 101.
In the second vice presidential race,
Christofferson had 1,323 votes, follow
ed by independent Harlan Milder with
228 votes and THC candidate D. Marcus
Armstrong received 206 votes.
The tentative returns of Johnson,
Fellingham and Christofferson victories
wer& greeted with loud cheers and app
lause from the other SUN party candidates.
Division on cuspes
'This campaign showed a lot of division
on campus and 1 think we are going to have
to strive for unity. We have a lot of prob
lems on campus-tuition, student fees,
football tickets and parking tickets are
going up.
"The students have to unify and realize
that they have common goals that over
comes petty geographical differences,"
Johnson said.
"There have been a lot of rumors about
( Theta Nu Epsilon) TNE, MECA, and the
Faction. These pjmors originate with a few
people and sen only to divide the stu
dents, when they are . just rumors in
reality," he added.
A computer foul-up delayed the release
of results of the election.
Scott Buckley, ASUN Electoral Com
mission spokesman, said the foul-up
occurred when the computer rejected
about 37 cards and those votes had to be
hand counted.
Hie votes were .tabulated early Thurs'-"
day in the Nebraska Hall computing
facility. I
A preliminary count showed that 2,127
students or about 10 per cent of the stu-
ami imurw kSuOVuJ
dents voted in the election, Buckley said.
That turnout means the proposed consti
tutional amendments did not pass, because
IS per cent of the UNL student body did
not vote for approval, he said.
Turn out less
The preliminary figures indicate that
this year's turnout is slightly less than
the turnout last year, Buckley said.
The delay displeased the remaining
presidential candidates Eric Carstenson and
Randy Musselman. Kirk Hemphill
withdrew from the race last Friday.
Contacted before the results came in,
Carstcnson echoed the thoughts of other
candidates and election workers at 1 a.m.,
when he said "those darn machines never
work when you need them."
Because computer malfunction caused
a delay in election results, Carstcnson said
it was too early to outline his plans if he
is elected president.
Not enough known
Contacted about 1:35 a.m. with tenta
tive results in, Carstenson said "We don't
know enough. We don't know what per-
centals is in, and it's too early to call it
(the election)."
He said he plans to stay up all night to
monitor the election returns, and he said,
"I wouldn't begin to make a judgment on
those figures."
Carstenson sdd if he lost, he would
work in close cooperation with the victor.
"I have basic talents and abilities I
would contribute to ASUN," he said.
The independent candidate said he
heard Wednesday's voter turnout was
great.
"I heard a lot of people were getting
out to vote," he said.
A phone call to Randy . Musselman at
12:45 a.m. found the ASUN presidential
candidate pursuing a nonnal night at
home.
Musselman said he did nothing unusual
while awaiting presidential election results.
"This is what I usually do on Wednes
day night," he said, explaining that he had
been watching television and working on
his novel.
He said it was not a shock to him that
the ASUN Electoral Commission hti run
into problems processing election results.
Musselman said he would not wait for
election results.
"Unless it's God or somebody who owes
me money, I won't get up," he said of the
possibility of having election results re
leased as late as 8 a.m.
Fhlshins third
Musselman predicted he would fare bet
ter than expected in election outcomes,
adding, "I feel I have a much better chance
at finishing third now that Hemphill's
withdrawn.
Johnson advocated ASUN Senate re
structuring and specialization in his cam
paign. The Senate should be broken into a
committtee structure like the Nebraska
Legislature, Johnson said.
He said he will also form an ASUN
appointed task force to study every UNL
student governing body. -
ASUN should have total control of stu
dent fees by making the Fees Allocation
Board a subcommittee of the Senate, he
said.
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I L ; i I -v - -- I I 1
Daily Nebraskan photos
Wednesday's apparent victors: President Greg Johnson, First Vice President Charlie Fellingham and Second Vice President Ken
CMstofferscm. -
thursday, epril 14, 1977 vol. 100 no. 104 lincoln, nebrsska
ylaw
s discrepancy places obstacle in ASUN oath
By Pstila Dit trick
The UNL Student Court met in executive session after
the Fees Allocation Board (FAB) hearing Tuesday night
and voted 6-0 to refer a decision about the validity of the
ASUN constitution to Richard Armstrong, vice chancellor
for student affairs, the ASUN president and possibly to
the NU Board of Regents. . -
Chief, Justice, Fritz Stchlik. and Associate Justice Don
Wesely will meet with Armstrong this afternoon to decide
what must be done to resolve the questions raised.
Graduate student Carolyn Gricc and Susan Reitz, a
journalism and pre-med major, asked the court for a de
claratory statement or clarification about an apparent
discrepancy between the ASUN constitution and .the
regents bylawsJ
A clause in the ASUN constitution states the constitu
tion may be amended if 15 per cent of the students vote
in favor of the amendment.
However, section 2.14 of the regents bylaws demands
a "majority vote of the students" to amend the consti
tution. The regents bylaws take precedence over the UNL
bylaws which in turn preside over the ASUN constitution.
UNL bylaws make ASUN the official representative of
the student body.
Wesely said the court could not make a decision about
the discrepancy because it does not have the power to
invalidate the ASUN constitution.
'- Student vote
If the constitution is ruled invalid, students must vote
cither to approve the old constitution with the needed
amendments or to completely reorganize student govern
ment and write another constitution, Wesely said.
He said the Student Court will attempt to prevent
m
C .Iff
News: UNL students are more lonely, more conservative
and more Teligious than their counterparts' across the
nation P- 8
Entertainment: En'and Prime Minister Winston Churc
hill nearly was kidnapped p. 1 2
f-crts: The quarterback race is on in I lusher . foot
ball. . P-14
the regents from handing down a decision which stu
dents must comply with concerning student government.
Noting 1t's surprising that the matter hasn't been
raised before," Wesely said he considers this the most
important case to come before the court during his two
year tenure.
Although he said nothing may come of the situation
and the constitution may not be challenged, he added, "I
don't see how the constitution can be declared valid."
Difference known
Wesely said he has been told by James Lake, NU law
professor, that the discrepancy was known when the UNL
bylaws were written authorizing ASUN.
" The discrepancy was ignored because when the UNL
bylaws were rewritten in January 1976, both CSL and
ASUN were clamoring for recognition as the official
representative of the UNL student body, Wesely said.
According to Wesely, Lake approved the bylaws
authorizing" ASUN and its 1967 constitution to keep
the Council on Student life (CSL) from' becoming the
authorized representative.
Lake, who helped write both the regents and the UNL
bylaws, was not available Wednesday for. comment.
The current ASUN constitution took effect in 1967,
and few amendments have been approved since, Wesely
said. : - K- "
Wesely said the constitution stifles change in student
government, which in turn has led to student dissatis
faction, apathy with the student goverrimenf and low
voter turnouts in ASUN elections.
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