ILK
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Wednesday, April 14, 1982
Vol. 109 No. 62
Lincoln, Nebraska
Copyright 1982 Daily Nebraskan
Legislature to consider resultion
condemning federal aid reductions
liy Melitula Norris
Ronald Reagan's reductions in federal
aid to students arc condemned in a resolu
tion pending in the Nebraska Legislature.
The Legislature will be asked today or
Friday to approve LR266 urging Reagan to
reconsider bis "massive financial aid reduc
tions." The resolution also asks Congress to
"reaffirm its commitment to education
by at least retaining the current level of
spending for higher education assistance
programs."
Copies of the resolution will be sent to
the president and members of the Nebras
ka congressional delegation.
The resolution, which originated in the
office of Sen. Steve Fowler of Lincoln, was
introduced to the Legislature by six state
senators March 23.
"Steve felt it was important for the Leg
islature to make a statement about the
cuts," said Barb Richardson, legislative aide
to Fowler.
According to, the resolution, by 1984
Nebraska students could lose more than
$11 million in educational assistance.
Reagan has proposed eliminating guar
anteed student loans for graduate students,
Student Court requests rehearing
By betsy Miller
The UNL Student Court Tuesday order
ed a rehearing to hear Electoral Commis
sion Director Jennifer Fager's response to
charges that she gave misleading testimony
to the court during February and March.
Chief Justice Joe Nigro said Fager has
four days to file an answer to the court's
charges and then a hearing date will be set.
The misleading testimony stems from an
answer the Electoral Commission filed Feb.
17, which stated that no candidates or par
ties for the ASUN Senate elections were in
formed about when they could post elec
tion signs.
Earlier, UNL students Mike Frost and
Kathy Mach filed a complaint against the
commission that said the Real Party had
been told by the commission that they
could post signs earlier than the other parties.
Forum speakers say financial aid funding vital
By Betsy Miller
Hal Daub, Nebraska 2nd District con
gressman, said changes in the current fi
nancial aid program must be made, but
Reagan's proposals to eliminate some
grants and reduce others are not accept
able. Daub spoke at a student financial aid
forum Monday night at the NU Medical
Center in Omaha.
The forum, organized by the medical
' f "
Photo by Dave Bentz
With spring weather coming to Lincoln at last, these tennis players, along with hun
dreds of other Lincoln residents can finally get out of the house for some fresh air
and exercise.
supplemental educational opportunity
grants, state student incentive grants and
the national direct student loan program.
Reagan has also proposed a 40 percent re
duction in the Pell Grant Program and a 30
percent reduction in the college work
study programs, the resolution said.
In 1980-81, more than 18,000 students
used Pell Grants to attend Nebraska uni
versities and colleges. More than 22,000
students from Nebraska universities, col
leges and technical colleges used guaran
teed student loans to pay for their educa
tion, the resolution said.
The resolution recognizes that the pro
posed cuts would "penalize Nebraska stu
dents who default on less than 5 percent of
their loans" and that "access to education
will become more difficult to obtain for
Nebraska's lower and middle income stu
dents." Information for the resolution came
from Nebraska universities' and colleges'
financial aid departments, the Nebraska
Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary
Education, Reagan's proposed budget,
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Stu
dent Aid News and The New York Times,
Richardson said.
The court's statement says that at a
court hearing Feb. 18, Mach charged that
on Feb. 9 Fager informed all candidates
except Frost, presidential candidate for the
STUPID II Party, that posters could be put
up before Feb. 10.
Fager heard Mach's Feb. 9 testimony
but didn't try to clarify the contradiction
between her remarks to Mach and the com
mission's earlier answer, the court's state
ment says.
Also, the court points out that on
March 1 , Fager told the court she informed
Brian Stonecipher, an independent candi
date, and the Working Coalition Party that
they could post signs before Feb. 10. This
further contradicts a written concession by
the commission that it informed only the
Real Party about the poster rule.
Fager said she would not comment un
til she files a statement with the court.
center s'tudent senate, featured Daub,
State Sen. Gerald Koch of Ralston and
Neal Vanselow, medical center chancellor.
Among the approximately 75 people at
tending the forum were students and stu
dent representatives from UNL, Creighton
University and the medical center.
Daub said he has contributed to the
fight to save financial aid programs from
being cut.
He co-sponsored a resolution to conti
nue funding in 1983 for Pell Grants, award -
Photo by Dave Bentz
Burlington Northern wildcat strikers Bill Stull, Penny Heusel and Pat Slade picket in
front of the Burlington Northern office Tuesday. The strike concerns a dispute about
employees' contract rules.
ed to students with financial need, at the
same level as in 1982, he said.
That resolution has been amended to in
clude protection for Guaranteed Student
Loans and the Work Study program, he
said.
Daub said the federal government prob
ably will propose three alternatives to the
current GSL program. They include:
- reducing GSLs arid keeping the same
low interest rate.
- increasing the interest rate on GSLs
while keeping the same funding.
- tightening eligibility requirements for
the loans.
The federal government has proposed
that graduate and professional students be
exempted from receiving GSLs, that stu
dents pay 10 percent of the loan at the
time it is issued (up from 5 percent), that
the 9 percent interest rate be increased to
the full market rate two years after stu
dents begin repayment and that students
show documented proof of financial need
to receive GSLs.
"The needs test will probably end up
being part of the compromise," Daub said.
It will be difficult to achieve a compro
mise because students affected by the
changes start practicing "turf protection,'
as do other groups when their programs are
threatened.
'e're all in this boat together; we all
have to give a little, Daub said.
Koch said he is "absolutely and pro
foundly frightened' that the government is
ils v'
eliminating financial aid funding and that
the number of people with college educa
tions may decline.
He said defense spending is being in
creased at the expense of educational fund
ing. Koch is chairman of the Nebraska Leg
islature's Education Committee.
"It will be a great day when education
has all the money it needs and the Air
Force has to have a bake sale to buy a B-l
bomber," he said.
Koch said he benefited from the G.I.
Bill of Rights, which helped pay for col
lege, and that other students need financial
aid to help them through.
Chuck Mulry, president of the medical
center student senate, said 72.1 percent of
medical center students receive GSLs.
If some of the Reagan prosposals to
raise the interest rate of loan repayment
pass, a medical center graduate taking out
the maximum amount of loans at a 14 per
cent interest rate could face a $109,000
debt after graduation, Mulry said.
UNL students will be hit heavily by any
restrictions on loans, ASUN Second Vice
President Bob Fitzgerald said. .
Next year, 435 grants might be elimina
ted, he said, for a total loss of $245,953.
"This would be a crippling, if not fatal
blow,' to some students, Fitzgerald said.
At Creighton, 75 percent of the stu
dents receive financial aid, which pays for
83 percent of all tuition assessed there,
Mike Halier, president of the Student Bar
Association, said.