j WEATHER: Monday, morning
1 clouds and drizzle east. High in the
■ upper 30s Monday night, cloudy
■ with a low in the upper 20s west to
■ mid-30s east Tuesday, partly
■ cloudy with a high in the mid 40s to
J| around 50
December 7, 1987
I Inside:
I News Digest.Page 2
I Editorial.Page 4
I Sports.Page 6
I Entertainment.Page 8
I Classified.Page 10
Vol. 86 No. 70
Lawsuits could result from unpaid loans
Students have had cars, televisions, other items repossessed
By Randy Lyons
Staff Reporter
Students who default on their student loans
and continually ignore collection attempts by
their lender and the Department of Education
may find themselves facing a lawsuit from the
U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The lawsuits are a result of the U.S. Justice
Department’s new emphasis on collecting
defaulted loans, said Christopher Hagen, U.S.
attorney and head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office
in Des Moines, Iowa.
Collecting money is left up to the federal
government after the lender is unable to collect
the balance of the loan. At that point, it’s sold
to the Department of Education, which initially
guarantees that the loan will be paid back to the
lender, he said.
“We’re trying to get all students’ debts in a
judgment status,” Hagen said.
The federal government sues for the amount
of the promissory note signed by the student
when the loan was taken out, he said, and
attempts to get a judgment from the federal
court on that amount.
Once judgment is rendered against the stu
dent, the government has several collection
options, Hagen said.
He said the student can be set up on a
payment plan, but if the student still refuses to
pay, a lien may be placed against real estate the
student owns. Hagen said if this action is taken
and the student attempts to sell the real estate,
the government will receive its money from the
sale of the property first.
Other options available to the government
are gamisheeing wages and income tax re
funds.
The government may work with employers
and have a partial amount of the student’s
earnings taken and paid toward the debt, Hagen
said. Also, income tax refunds sent back to the
student will have the name of the district Inter
nal Revenue Service official, he said, and the
amount of the payment garnisheed goes to the
government when the check is cashed.
Hagen said that if the situation can’t be
handled with these measures, the student will
be called in for a “debtor’s examination.”
In a debtor’s examination, the student must
report his possessions under oath. If the student
has many luxury items, they could be confis
cated and sold to repay the debt, Hagen said.
He said that under most state laws, a
person’s house or only car may not be taken.
But a second car, a videocassette recorder, a
color television or a Rolex watch can be confis
cated, Hagen said.
“We try to work itout, though,” he said, “and
set up a payment plan.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas R. Sem
isch said 75 percent of the civil actions his
Omaha office takes concern student loan de
faults.
Sem isch said his office handled 212 cases as
soon as the new program began in 1986 and has
handled considerably more since then. At this
time, he said, he’s getting a couple about every
other week.
Each case is looked at on an individual basis
and the individual student’s financial status is
taken into account, and there is an attempt to set
up payments, he said. Sem isch said that if the
student doesn’t respond, the other methods are
taken.
He said gamishceing bank accounts and
wages are the two biggest tools his office uses
and that confiscation is not used often.
Semisch said a suit is filed against the stu
dent as soon as the case comes to his office,
without contacting the student.
“I don ’ t screw around and don ’ t send notices
saying I’m going to file,” Semisch said. ‘‘I just
bring action in the U.S. District Court.”
He said that since all other collection notices
have been ignored, another one doesn’t make
much difference because it will probably be
ignored as well.
After the judgment has been made by the
court, the student has lOdaystocontacttheU.S.
Attorney’s Office to set up payments.
The new program has been effective, Sem
isch said.
“It gels their attention when there’s a U.S.
marshal at the door with a writ of execution,” he
said.
See LOANS on 3
A5UIN lobbyist preparing to push
senators for more faculty pay
By Lee Rood
Senior Reporter
When he was young, Shawn Ilg
wanted to be president.
Ilg has revised his goals slightly
since becoming a junior at the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln studying
finance, economics and law.
Now, Ilg said, he wants to be a
wealthy businessman, Nebraska gov
ernor — and then president.
Ilg said he has his hands full prepar
ing to be the only registered lobbyist
for the Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska’s Govern
ment Liaison Committee when the
Nebraska Legislature convenes in
January.
Ilg said he has been working 10 to
20 hours a week organizing and work
ing for the lobbying group. In January,
Ilg said he will probably work 20 to 30
hours a week fighting for the univer
sity.
His future aside, Ilg said his biggest
job will be getting money from the
Legislature for faculty salaries.
Like many regents, administrators
and student-government senators, Ilg
has made faculty salary increases his
main objective, and he remains opti
mistic that the money can be found.
“I do believe there will be a signifi
cant increase in faculty pay,” Ilg said.
Financial aid, student debts and the
possibility of a student regent vote are
other things Ilg said he is considering
lobbying for in January.
Ilg was chosen to be student lobby
ist by Andy Pollock, ASUN president.
Pollock said he chose Ilg over four
other applicants because he knows
legislative procedures and processes
well and has good experience.
Last summer, Ilg worked as an
intern for Rep. Hal Daub in Washing
ton, D.C. Before that, he interned for
state Sen. Roger Wehrbcin of
Plattsmouth.
From those experiences, Ilg said,
he learned to be patient because legis
lation and government take time.
Ilg said he also learned to know all
the facts and to prepare himself.
“You have tocover all your bases,”
he said, “... and always listen to both
sides of every issue.”
Whether he is working as a student
lobbyist, governor or president, Ilg
said, he believes he can make a differ
ence because he has always had a great
interest in politics and he is dedicated
to Nebraska.
Ilg said the difference between him
and the 324 other registered lobbyists
facing the Legislature in January is
that he is an unpaid student represent
ing other students.
That should make senators take
him seriously, he said.
Yearbook may be back
By (Iretchen Boehr
Staff Reporter
A handful of University of Nc
braska-Lincoln students are organiz
ing, campaigning and trying to gel
financial support for restarting the
university yearbook.
Last week, nine members of the
Cornhusker Yearbook committee met
to discuss strategies for reviving the
all-university yearbook, discontinued
in 1972.
The publicity committee started its
student awareness campaign Monday
night with announcements to 30
Greek houses.
The committee will meet Jan. 13 to
make plans to reach die residence hall
governments about the yearbook.
They will also set the agenda for a
three-hour retreat scheduled for Jan.
17.
“We have a lot of ideas, but we
don’t know how to get to them,” said
Patrick Wyatt, a junior education
major.
The committee elected a new
chairman, Beth Schafer, a sophomore
news-editorial major.
On Wednesday, three members of
the committee will meet with James
Griesen, vice chancellor for student
affairs.
A publicity blitz is scheduled for
the first two weeks of the spring se
mester.
This campaign will entail setting
up information booths in both campus
unions. Students also plan to hand out
yearbook posters, flyers and stickers
although the group doesn’t have fi
nancing for the publicity campaign
yet.
'v *, _ V; - |
! Radio North Pole
Top: Paige Hoffart, 12,
and Roy Burgess, 3045
S. 44th St., radio volun
teers in cars to pick up
toys pledged to KLIN’s
19th Annual Toy-A
Thon. Both are mem
bers of Lincoln s Ama
teur Radio Club, which
co-sponsored the event
Sunday with the Salva
tion Army. About 40 cars
made 120 runs for toys.
Bottom: Lindsey Seev
ers, 2133 Heather Lane,
pulls a switch and gives
Santa Claus (Harland
Johnson, 6224 Hunting
ton St.) toys for KLIN7s
Toy-A-Thon. The tele
thon benefits less-ad
vantaged children at
Christmas. Charlie
Michaels, KLIN’s station
manager, said fewer
runs were made this
year than last, but cash
contributions and the
number of toys picked
up before Sunday in
creased.
Dotti Krlst/Daily Nebraskan