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March 30, 1933
Vol. 82, No. 130
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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(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.
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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
