ir
daily
Wednesday, april 19, 1978 lincoln, nebraska vol. 101 no. 101
(7.5. Senate ratifies second Panama Canal treaty
By L. Kent Wolgamott
The United States Senate ratified the
second Panama Canal treaty by a 68-32
vote late Tuesday afternoon.
Nebraska Senators Carl Curtis and Ed
ward Zorinsky voted against the ratifica
tion of both treaties.
The treaty establishes the process for
turning the canal over to Panama.
The first treat, ratified March 16 by an
identical vote, dealt with canal neutrality
following the year 2000 when the canal
would come under Panamanian control.
A reservation to the first treaty by Sen.
Dennis DeConcini (D.-Ariz presented the
greatest difficulty for ratification of the
final treaty.
The DeConcini reservation, which defi
nitely stated the right of the United States
to keep the canal open in the future, was
opposed as a policy by the Panamanian
government and some Senate liberals.
However, a compromise clarification of
the DeConcini reservation was passed by
the Senate Monday.
The compromise reaffirmed the U.S.
policy of non-intervention, satisfying the
liberals, while stating the U.S. could keep
the canal open in the future, satisfying De
Concini. The compromise also was cleared with
the Panamanian government through its
Washington embassy, according to Senate
Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D.-W.Va.)
The outcome of the vote was in doubt
until the roll was called.
Three Senators, James Abourezk (D.
S.C.), Howard Cannon (D.-Nev.) and S.I.
Hayakawa (R.-Calif.) were undecided on
their votes on the treaty, although only
Cannon had reservations on the merits of
the treaty.
Cannon was concerned about the eco
nomic aspects of the treaty but a reserva
tion to the treaty was passed which
allowed him to support the treaty.
Abourezk based his vote on current
negotiations on the price and possible de
regulation of natural gas.
Hayakawa had concerns about the
policy of the Carter administration toward
communism and in Southern Africa.
Both Abourezk and Hayakawa visited
the White House to speak with President
Carter about their votes. Abourezk visited
Carter early Tuesday.
Following a meeting Tuesday afternoon
with Energy Secretary James Schlesinger,
Abourezk announced his intention to sup
port the treaty.
Hayakawa also voted for the treaty,
telling a National Public Radio reporter
there were better ways for him to express
dissatisfaction with Carter's policy than
voting against the treaty.
The ratification to the treaties is seen as
a major victory for President Carter by
most Washington observers.
It is also being seen as a victory of sorts
for Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker
(R.-Tenn.) whose support for the treaties
was instrumental in their passage.
The lengthy debate on the treaties was
broadcast on National Public Radio and
portions were used by national radio and
television networks, for the first time in
Senate history.
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The past called out to me
but I didn't forsake those
burned bridges,
leaving the peaceful gray ashes to lie.
I could have rebuilt yesterday
but I don't trust treading
solidified carbon,
tunneling me back through time.
Instead I turned and blew away the
smouldering debris
and forgot about mining archaelogical
treasures.
By Debbie Johnson
freshman business major from Harrisburg
Photo by Ted Kirk
ASUN group reviews YAF practices, requests senate action
The UNL chapter of the Young Ameri
cans for Freedom may not have complied
with student organization banking regula
tions and has a constitution inconsistent
with established guidelines, according to an
ASUN committee report.
The report, submitted Monday by the
Special Topics Committee to the ASUN
Senate, recommends that the senate,
through legislation, take "appropriate ac
tion" concerning YAF inconsistencies with
monetary and constitutional guidelines.
The report also recommends that a code
of ehtics for student organizations be es
tablished by ASUN.
The Special Topics Committee report is
a result of that committee's inquiry into
the constitutions and operations of YAF
and the Nebraska University Public In
terest Research Group.
The committee found that NUPIRG
has met all of its constitutional require
ments and has followed proper procedure
in its actions, including its application for
space in the student union.
University bylaws require that student
organizations use a central university bank
for deposits and that vouchers authorized
by the organization be used for payment
from the bank.
Based on information from the Office
of Student Activities, which showed "no
activity" in the YAF account for the 1977-
c year, the committee report states
that "more than reasonable doubt has been
raised" about YAF's compliance with the
regulation.
The YAF constitution was found to be
"clearly inconsistent" with the General
Model of Constitution Form, (guidelines
for student organization constitutions) be
cause of YAF constitutional references to
"non students" within the student organ
ization. The recommendation for development
of an ethics code for student organizations
is based on the committee's investigation
of a UNL YAF letter mailed last fall.
The report charges that the letter may
have conflicted with the ethics code of the
Student Tribunal Handbook concerning
"Honesty and Morality."
The Student Tribunal was the prede
cessor to the ASUN Student Court.
The Special Topics Committee report
will be discussed at tonight's ASUN
meeting.
inside
Wednesday
Love is the pits: Physical plant tears
up Love Library for sewer pro
ject page 2
UNL professor sinks teeth into re
search: Shark study hasn't run
aground in Nebraska page 1 1
Feast your eyes, Rembrandt: UNL
students use pencils for more crea
tive endeavors than term papers . .
page 1 2