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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1983)
Wednesday Ti II mt M I iO U . J I March 30, 1933 Vol. 82, No. 130 University of Nebraska-Lincoln c a n n n u motju(qj sen on r sracsoa fi 1) (5111 LL By Mona Koppclman Tliirty yearly loans of a maximum of $2,000 each may become available to prospective math and science teachers if LB585 gets legislative approval. The bill was drafted by the state Board of Education and submitted to the Legislature's Education Committee. The measure will be debated on the floor of the Legislature later this week. "It would begin in the 1983-84 fiscal year and end in five years, unless the Legislature decides to continue it," Sen. Tom Vickers of Farnam, chairman of the committee, said. "The loan is also open to teachers who are retraining into math or science areas," Vickers said. The purpose of LB585 is to establish a loan program for students or teachers desiring training and who agree to teach math or science in Nebraska following graduation or securing the necessary endorsements. For each year a participant receives a loan, he or she must teach one year in Nebraska. An education committee amendment would allow contracts to be fulfilled by teachers in private, denominational or parochial, as well as public schools. The bill is designed to "help alleviate the problem of a shortage of math and science teachers in Nebraska." LB585 permits a maximum loan amount of $8,000. The loans would be funded from state general funds. Money would be provided for administrative costs as well. The general fund fiscal impact would be $60,000 per year in loans and an estimated $1 ,580 for administrative costs incurred by the department of education. After the first year, these costs are expected to be about S500. If there are no defaults, the state would recover funds loaned plus interest within a maximum of 12 years. "For every year a loan is received, a student has tliree years to pay the amount back," Larry Scherer, education committee counsel, said. "If a student borrows $2,000 every year for four years, he has 12 years to pay that amount back." Scherer said that the money would be paid directly to the student. "It's a fairly simple concept," Scherer said. "Eventually, the program would form a pool of money, after people start paying their loans back." Students must begin paying back the loan six months after either receiving a degree or discontinuing the course of study the loan was funding. The amount of interest paid varies depending on the provisions of the bill that a student qualifies under and the amount of funds borrowed. There would be no interest on funds borrowed while the student is engaged in studies leading to a bachelor of education degree with endorsements for teaching math and science, or wliile the borrower is engaged in an approved retraining program. One percent interest would be charged after attaining a degree or completing a retraining program. A student who discontinues study or fails to teach in Nebraska for the contracted period of time must pay the state on demand all principal and the highest legal rate of interest allowed in Nebraska on the loan or unpaid balance. Failure to meet a scheduled payment would result in the entire balance becoming immediately due and payable to the state. The bill allows the attorney general to bring action against borrowers to enforce the terms of the loan. The overall fiscal input may be an increase in revenue to the state if interest payments amount to more than administrative costs. Conaof to decide off Aroairky fable to sfiy debts' clrMirges ASUN President Dan Wedekind has ask ed the UNL Student Court to make a de claratory judgment on whether UNL stu dents have the right to press charges against the Anarky Party for allegedly dying an American flag purple. Wedekind said the judgment will be made Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Nebras ka Union. It will not determine whether or not there was a violation of ASUN election rules, which state that candidates running for office cannot violate the UNL Code of Student Conduct. The judgment will clarify whether or not the student court can hear the case to see if there was a violation, he said. Wedekind said that if the student court can rule on the case, it will be up to stu dents to press charges. ASUN has received mostly verbal complaints, but he knew of at least one written complaint at the UNL police department, he said. If the court rules that it can hear the case, Wedekind said the next step will be to file a complaint with the electoral com mission or probably the student court. If found guilty, Wedekind said, there would be grounds for the electoral com mission to petition the administration. The administration would have a variety of punishments, but probably would be lim ited to probation since that is stated in the election commission rules. If UNL can act on the matter, Wedekind said it would not affect civil proceedings that are in process against Anarky. ASUN President WedeEdncf: Senate hm beep swccessfal By Vicki Ruhga If ASUN President Dan Wedekind had a second term, he said he probably would concentrate more on com munication and take time to explain and discuss his actions with students and the Daily Nebraskan, rather ;: than forging ahead to accomplish all his goals. "There is a trade off you have to make," Wedekind said. "This is a volunteer position and, realistically, you an only justify a certain amount of time," Wedekind reflected on his presidency Tuesday morning during a press conference in the ASUN office. In his campaign a year ago, Wedekind said ASUN has two basic functions: providing services and representing students. "Too often we fall into the trap of thinking of ASUN as a governmental body," he said. "On the contrary , it is an association of students for the purpose of representing student perspective or lobbying governmental bodies." Wedekind said the senate has been very successful, especially considering it was a new group of people , with only one senator returning from the previous senate. "This has been a very cohesive, hardworking and dedicated senate," he said. "We can look back and point to specific accomplishments." ASUN was involved in reducing last fall's tuition surcharge, Wedekind said . It sponsored a public hearing on the university budget to allow students and members of the community to add their input. Wedekind said 80 to 100 students gave testimony on how they believed the university should deal with budget cuts. ASUN then summarized the testimony, and the Government Liaison Committee presented it at a meeting of the Nil Board of Regents. The only testimony given was from GLC and, after the testimony, the regents reduced a 1 2 percent surcharge by 2 percent, which Wedekind said saved an average full-time student about $10. ASUN also was able to keep the increase in 1983-84 tuition as low as possible. In previous years, the increase was 10 percent, but tf; iir's increase will be 7 percent. Bob Fitzgerald, AM N second vice president , said ASUN achieved library hour extensions for Love Library and C.Y. Thompson Library. In the fall of 1982, the hours were extended to 1 am. for both libraries. - I J v ' '', f ' ' ' t Fitzgerald said ASUN worked with UNL Chancellor Martin Massengale to find funds for the extended hours. The plan was implemented before the school year began, winch gave students about 300 extra hours in the library, he said. UNL's library hours are now comparable with those of other Big Eiglu. schools, he added. ASUN senators worked tor the reopening of the Nebraska Hall library for all-night studying,' ASUN first vice president Greg Krieser, said. The hall was closed before first semester for safety reasons. Krieser said administrators told ASUN senators the hall could not be re-opened until the end of the semester because of funding and security problems. ASUN senators worked with administrators to solve security problems by leaving only one entrance and a portion of the buiJding open at night with one security guard, Krieser said. The library was opened by dead week, he said. "Students now have a safe environment and a study area near the computers," Krieser said. In the state Legislature, Fitzgerald said , the GLC has done a tremendous job of providing information about the needs and concerns of university students. ASUN executives and senators also have talked to state legislators, he said a Wedekind said ASUN had hearings and testified in favor of a state scholarship program proposed by the Legislature. With $4,000 in private funding from the Nebraska Bar Association and the Lane Foundation, ASUN has published a student legal handbook, which soon will be available to students free of charge, Krieser said. ASUN established the Student Foundation in the spring of 1982. The Student Foundation worked with the NU Foundation to raise $20,000 for the library system. Currently, the Student Foundation is working to encourage graduating seniors to make donations to the university that would be used to finance typewriters for student use, Wedekind said. Krieser said ASUN has spent much time researching the university budget , providing testimony, talking with legislators and encouraging students and their parents to voice suppoi t tor the university. Continued on Pa 7