Wednesday, april 11, 1979
vol. 102 no. 108 lincoln, nebraska
Election is not Gf eek4ndependeiit race candidates
by Shelley Smith
Accusations labeling the ASUN presi
dential runoff race as a Greek vs. indepen
dent contest have not done anything to im
prove the senate's credibility, candidates
Bud Cuca and Joe Nigro told about 150
students Monday afternoon.
The presidential debate, sponsored by
by the University Program Council Talks
and Topics committee, allowed the two
candidates to give a five-minute introduc
tory speech and then field questions from
a three-member panel and the audience.
Both candidates said they strongly
believe that the election held today is not:
a contest between the Greeks and the in
dependents. "Issues the senate faces are not Greek
independent issues,' Nigro, an off-campus
student, said.
"The issues that face us are education
where our dollars are going. We have to
represent all the students," he said.
Cuca, a member of Alpha Tau Omega
fraternity, agreed and added that neither
party was made up totally of people from
one living area.
Credibility vital
"But, these allegations haven't done
anything for the credibility of ASUN.
That's why I tried to stay above them (the
allegations)," he said.
Cuca said student credibility also is vital
to the function of ASUN, and added find
ing out and giving the students what they
want will earn more respect for the senate.
However, Nigro argued that ASUN is
not a program council.
"We have a program council," he said.
"Our job is to represent the students on
political issues-this is our most important
job," he said.
Controversy also arose on the question
of whether a senate-experienced candidate
is more qualified to step Into the role as
president.
Nigro, an ASUN senator, contended
that he is.
Distant observer
However, Cuca said that by staying out
of the senate and just being a "distant ob
server" he would have a rounded approach
to governing the senate.
Nigro argued that the more Information
a person has about an organization, the
better he is able to make rational decisions.
"After one of us is elected, in three days
the regents will meet to discuss student
fees. We need someone in there who knows
what went on in the past year," he said.
Also, Nigro said because over two-thirds
of the new senate and the other two execu
tives arc from his party (SOAR), he Is more
qualified to make the transition.
However, Cuca argued that because of
his ability to work with people, he could
also make the transition.
"I don't see our roles as president; first
vice and second vice as a hierarchai struc
ture. It's more of a horizontal structure.
We come from three diverse backgrounds
and have skills that wduld complement
each other," he said.
ASUN runoff
election today
The runoff election for ASUN pres
ident will take place today.
Candidates are Bud Cuca with the
Students of the University of Nebraska
(SliN) party, and Joe Nigro with the
Students Organized for Active Rep
resentation (SOAR) party,
piling locations are:
-Love Library, both Nebraska
Unions from 8 am. to 8 pjn.,
-College of Business Administration
and Andrews Hall from 8 aaiu to 4
put.,
-Neihardt Hall, AbelSandoz, and
HarperSchrammSmith from 5 p.m. to
8 pjn.,
-Beta Theta Pi fraternity, 1515 R
St., Gamma Phi Beta sorority. 415 N.
16th St., Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity,
601 N. 16th St., from noon to 1 p.m.,
-The three above Greek houses and
the Sigma Chi fraternity house, 1510
Vine St., from 5 pjn. to 7 pjn.
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
On a recent rainy afternoon, these Theta Xi fraternity members discovered a recipe for fun: Mudball. Mudball requires
several students, a muddy field and a football. The finished product was several head colds, assorted bruises, and piles of
dirty laundry.
Court overrules bargaining, harassment decisions
By Val Swinton
The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled
that the , University Police may not
establish a bargaining unit separate from
other university employees and that Dir
ector of Police Gail Gade did not threaten
or harass police officers who were trying to
unionize the department.
The opinion, written by Chief Justice
Norman Krivosha, was handed down Tues
day. Local 567 of the International Brother
hood of Police Officers went before the
Nebraska Court of Industrial Relations in
1977 claiming certain officers on the force
had been harassed by Gade. It also asked
that all officers except Gade and his three
immediate subordinates be allowed to join
the union.
The Industrial Court ruled there was evi
dence of harassment and allowed a bargain
in unit of all officers below the rank of
sergeant. The NU Board of Regents then
appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.
V " The Supreme Court overruled both
findings, ruling ?taht under Nebraska
statutes, the Industrial Court had no au
thority to maketuchruL"i2S.,.T . V " .
- ' ' - Authority ; "
" Although the Industrial Court did hive
the authority to conduct hearini and
mate finuinp, ths court said it could not '
-fcaie. orders as that was the job of the ,
courts.
According .to thr opinion, one of the
main reasons police officers gave for es
tablishing a bargaining unit separate from
the bargaining unit representing the other
UNL employees was that certain officers
were commissioned by the state and by the
city. They also are the only employees al
lowed to carry weapons.
The record does not indicate any great
need for those commissions," the justices
said in rejecting the argument. "The evi
dence indicates security personnel at UNO
and at the Medical Center are not commissioned-and
do not carry arms, yet provide
whatever! necessary secuirty is required.
fhe record is totally devoid of evidence,
as to the need for officers at UNL to be so
commissioned or to carry weapons," the
opinion said. '
; Same regulation
Therefore, the opinion read, there was
no need for a bargaining unit separate from
that of other UNL employees. All of the
employees in question are subject to the
same .rules and regulations ; as other
employees in the university. I
Besides ruling that the Industrial Court
did not A have : the authority to : make
findings of unfair labor practices, the Su
, preme Court said that, based on testimony,
Gade did not threaten -or harass ofBcers.
Two officers had testified before the
Industrial Court that they hid been
improperly reclassified, allsrsdly to punish
them for union activities. r
O fiicer Mary Fleming had sustained a
knee injury while off-duty, officer. Barb
McGill was pregnant and both were to be
temporarily reclassified as civilian clerks.
The Court said it found that the
transfers were intended to provide con
tinued employment for the two officers at
reduced salaries rather than have them
discontinue employment and use up leave
time. While the transfers were against
policy, the court said, "such action hardly
amounts to threats or harassment ."
flat discrrniination
The court also addressed itself to claims
made that female employees on the force
were discriminated against by being
required to wear cowboy type hats, rather
than the regular issue hats male officers
wear. President of Local 567, Joy Citta,
then had made the claims before the In
dustrial Court, but the Supreme Court
said evidence did not agree with the
statement.
. .the reading of the record discloses
the request for the hats came from two of
four female officers and was not Instituted
by Gade ," the opinion stated. , : ;
- Gade refused to comment on the Su
preme Court ruling saying he hadnVseen
the opinion yet. ; Butjhe Local 567 Presi-
x d:nt Paul Jacobsen, said the possibility of a
separate bargaining unit for UNL police is
cot dead yet. : ' ? ;
'Tm disappointed, yes,' Jfacobsen said.
' "But I don't think this is the end of
the union. ' a i
' Jacobsen added that many rwrtions of
the opinion were unclear and after talk
ing to the Local 567 attorney, J. Murry
ShaefFer, he felt the court may have left
the door open for ironing out problems. He
said Local 567 could go back to the Indus
trial Court or possibly work out an agree
ment with the university and bypass the
court.
The union president said he was disap
pointed about the finding of no harassment
against McGill or Fleming. -
But, Jacobsen declared "a separate
union for police would eventually become
reality.
'We ain't dead yet, he said. "Well get
there one way or the other.. It's inevitable.
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D0QSQ(o(g
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i7
Terrorism at UNLt Four die in Week-!
end Midwest Global Simulation of
International Tenor . . . .page 5
Food review jtmked: Ben Tt.Shom
shor replaces food review column
with an assortment of miscel
lany..,. ..page 8
SporfctaDc: Returning l-backjUm'
Jurth talks about injuries,recovery
and spring practice . . . .page 1 0