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lincoln, nebraska vol. 105, no. 34
friday, October 10, 1980
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Party involvement stressed as political cornerstone
My Mary Kempkes
The Nebraska legislature neuds a two
party system or it will grow harder to re
cruit good candidates for state senators,
according to Democratic and Republican
leaders.
Nonpartisan elections contribute to the
voter apathy because they, according to
DiAnna Schimek, chairperson of the state
Democratic party. Schimek and David
Heineman, executive director of the Re
publican state party, spoke to the League
of Women Voters Thursday night about
the need for political party involvement
and its contribution to the electoral pro
cess. "The two party system is the corner
stone of democracy, Heineman said. The
system gave Americans freedom of speech
and paved the way for an orderly election
process, he said.
The two-party system also provides an
outlet for party platforms and discussion
of issues, Heineman and Schimek agreed.
And voters should vote according to the
candidates stands on trie issues and not
because "He's such a nice family man or
look at that nice smile said Lincoln
Mayor Helen Boosaiis who opened the
meeting.
Some people maintain voting by ap
pearances is as good a way as any
rational method, Boosaiis said, so they
won't vote at all.
And a large percentage of voters this
year will say they don't like the choices of
fered, particularly in the presidential race,
Boosaiis said, so they won't vote at all.
"That's a cop out. Because in the
final analysis. . .one has to be better than
the other."
The solution to the problem of voter
apathy is political participation in the
party system , Boosaiis said.
But the two-party system has its dis
advantages, Heineman said. Because it is
two-party , Independant candidates such as
John Anderson find it virtually impossible
to run for office. It's hard for the Demo
crats and Republican parties to organize
support in Nebraska, Heineman said, so a
third party must find it impossible, he said.
Schimek advocated other reforms in the
Nebraska political system. Senators should
get a pay raise next year, she said, because
western and central Nebraska legislators
are plagued by a budget that doesn't cover
travel expenses or compensate for wages
lost while away from home.
Schimek said Nebraska should give some
monetary support to the political parties as
does the federal government. She proposed
that the Nebraska income tax form allow
for a $1 donation to the election system as
does the federal form.
The cost of campaigning is increasing
because, as Heineman pointed out, televis
ion advertising is a must for a candidate.
Heineman said recent polls showed 60 to
70 percent of the people said they based
their vote on television advertisements, the
most expensive form of campaigning.
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
Cirrus clouds veiled the sky Thursday , bringing with them Indian summer weather. These high-flying symbols
of fair weather seem to be doing the trick as the Nebraska climate remains mild.
ASUN Kent State bill is revised
By Patti Gallagher
Although the proposed investigation of Nu president
Ronald Roskens' role in the Kent State killings in 1970
was stopped by ASUN political flap last week" according
to one senator, the bill passed in a revised form at Wed
nesday night's senate meeting.
The bill, submitted by ASUN's Special Topics Commit
tee, specified that an ad-hoc committee be appointed to
investigate the NU Central Administration.
According to Sen. Tim Rinne, the bill that passed is
essentially the same as one killed last week in Special
Topics. The only change was the omission of Roskens
name and the Kent State incidents.
The motivation of the bill is to reveal the power struc
ture of Central Administration, Rinne said. He said the
ad-hoc committee will include the Kent State killings in
its investigation.
Rinne said that he and at least two other ASUN sen
ators will form the committee and present a report to
the Senate. He said they hope to complete the report
by Nov. 1 , Students Day.
A book by James A. Michener, author of Centennial,
has provided much information, he said.
The book, "Kent State, What Happened and Why,
details Roskens' role at Kent State at the time of the
killings, according to Rinne. Roskens' was a vice president
at the Ohio university when national guardsmen killed
four students in May of 1970.
According to Michener's book, Roskens' was not
responsible for calling the national guard. He instead
deferred all decisions to local Ohio officials.
Rinne said Roskens is guility of "sins of omission'
for not attempting to respond to the students revolt. The
lines of communication that failed to work then are
failing to work now at NU, he said.
Rinne also said the attempts made by Kent State
faculty to resolve problems ten years ago were not
answered by administrators. A parallel exists at NU
today, he said, in that a faculty resolutions presented
last year attempting to dissolve the Central Administra
tion have been ineffective.
The faculty resolutions were answered with a report
from Roskens' office, which Rinne called "an
investigation of Ronald Roskens by Ronald Roskens.
Rinne said the committee will use a second book in
compiling its report. The book, "Kent State and May
Fourth, A Social Science Perspective analyzes other
reports issued about the Kent State killings. It was
published in 1978.
Student opinions
sought on radial
By Patti Gallagher
An ad-hoc committee will be formed to determine
student opinion on the proposed building of the North
east Radial and present that stand to the Lincoln City
1 Council Oct. 27.
The committee will include members of ASUN, RHA
and possibly some Greek houses, ASUN First Vice Presi
dent Mark Hirschfeld said.
The formation of a committee was supported Wednes
day night at the ASUN Senate meeting, after an open
forum of nearly three hours. During open forum, two
speakers from the city,, one university official and several
community speakers presented their views on the radial.
City Councilman Eric Youngberg spoke supporting the
"no build" alternative for the radial.
He said the radial defies all logic and reasoning," since
it was designed nearly 30 years ago to encourage develop
ment of the northeast portion of Lincoln.
The part of the city is now called the Malone and
Clinton area and is all ready a well-developed community,
he said.
Youngberg also said that 13 years ago the city began
burning down houses to begin construction on the radial,
yet, in 1980, no construction has been completed.
Speaking for the university was UNL Business Manager
Ray Coffey. Coffey outlined the NU Board of Regents'
stand on the issue, as presented in their 1968 long-range
plan for the university.
Coffey said that if the northeast radial were built,
which is yet to be decided by the City Council, the regents
have said it should be built east of campus boundaries.
This route, called the 22nd Street Corridor, would be
gin at 16th and Q streets, and curve parrallel to the west
side of 22nd street.
This proposal is favored by the regents, Coffey said, be
cause it would not obstruct university-owned land.
Some of that land, he said, is pinpointed in the long
range plan for university expansions. Coffey could not
answer, however, when and if expansion would be neces
sary. However, according to ASUN senator Laura Burkland,
the student population will decline in coming years, so
securing university land for expansion purposes is mislead
ing. NUs need to expand will decrease with enrollment
levels, she said.
The ad-hoc committee will probably meet with both
city and university personnel next week, Hirschfeld said,
to receive more information on the alternative plans for
the radial.
They will meet a second time to formulate a unified
stand to present tq the City Council. The council has
scheduled a public hearing Oct. 27 to discuss the radial.
ASUN President Renee Wessels requested that Coffey
or another NU official, be a member of the ad-hoc com
mittee. Coffey accepted the request.
Also addressing the senate about the Northeast Radial
was Bob Snow, a representative from lincoln Public
Works Department, and two neighborhood association
leaders.
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