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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1988)
ASUN votes against joining the NSIC By Lee Rood Staff Reporter After much debate Wednesday night, sena tors in the Association of Students of the Uni versity of Nebraska voted against joining the recently renamed organization, the Nebraska Student Interest Coalition. Senators argued for more than an hour on legislation that would have approved the NSIC constitution and allowed four representatives from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to attend its monthly meetings. The legislation fell two votes short with a vote of 16-9 with two abstentions. Eighteen votes were needed to pass the bylaw. NSIC, a group designed to open up commu nication between the state colleges and univer sitics consists of students from Wayne State, Chadron State, Kearney State colleges and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The group, once called the Nebraska State Student Association, fell apart last spring after ASUN withdrew from the organization, saying it cost too much money. UNO student Paul Hays, chairman of NSIC, said there are currently no membership fees, because the group has $20,000 left over from NSSA. Hays said the group needs ASUN to join because it represents the state’s largest univer sity and is close to the state capitol for lobbying purposes. Hays said he could offer no ways in which the organization would benefit ASUN. “What can NSIC do for you? Nothing, abso lutely nothing,” he said. “It’s what you can do for us.” But, Hays said, other schools need to hear information that comes from the capitol. Hays said he could not come to the Legisla ture every day to lobby because it wasn’t time efficient. Neither could student representatives from other schools, he said. Some senators said it sounded like NSIC wanted to use UNL students to lobby for them. Sen. Andy Jacobitz, called NSIC a bureauc racy that would take too much of ASUN’s time. That time, he said, would do nothing produc tive and would be better spent elsewhere. Jeff Petersen, chairman of the Government Liaison Committee, said the members of NSIC need UNL members to add strength to the organization. Petersen said UNLcould benefit from join ing because it would open communication and present a stronger voice to the Legislature. By not joining, Petersen said, ASUN was leading the organization on because senators have been making NSIC members “bend over backwards” all semester. Sen. Pete Castellano said ASUN senators should not join the organization now, because its constitution doesn’t make provisions for possible costs later on. Because there is money in the NSIC budget—Hays estimated $4,000 to $5,000— that originally came from UNL student fees, some senators and Petersen said ASUN should rejoin to make sure the money is spentproperly. “Right now we have no control over that money that our students put in,” Petersen said. Legislature passes helmet bill; still needs governor’s signature From Staff Reports Motorcyclists will strap on hel mets in January if Gov. Kay Orr approves a bill the Nebraska Legisla ture passed through final reading Wednesday. LB428, approved 25-20, was in troduced by Sen. Dan Lynch of Omaha in January. Sen. Scott Moore of Stromsburg made a motion to return the bill to select file for an amendment that would re-quire only motorcyclists age 19 and under to wear helmets and show proof of motorcycle safety education. The motion to return the bill failed 22-23. Sen. JaCklyn Smith of Hastings, who proposed the amendment with Moore, said the amendment would be a good compromise because mo torcyclists who oppose the bill re quiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets would support this amend ment. The amendment would save lives, Smith said, because people who are educated on motorcycle safety and have to wear helmets until they are 20 years old, will continue to wear hel mets. Sen. Chris Abboud of Omaha opposed limiting the law to motorcy clists 19 and under because all motor cyclists who do not wear helmets on the highway cause problems for motorists, he said. “I’m in favor of personal freedom as long as that freedom doesn’t in fringe upon another person’s rights,” Abboud said. Amendment posed to drop voting age By Amy Edwards Senior Reporter Teen-agers who turn 18 before the general elections in November could e given the right to vote in the pri mary elections under a proposed state constitutional amendment discussed at a legislative hearing Wednesday. The Nebraska Legislature’s Mili tary and Veterans Affairs Committee advanced the resolution that pro ‘It they don’t reg ister and don’t vote for the first time, the next time it’s easier not to.’ —Chambers posed the amendment. LR253 proposes an amendment to Article VI, Section 1, of the Nebraska Constitution. The U.S. Constitution says no state can deny anyone over the age of 18 the right to vote, but leaves the possibility of younger voters to state legislatures. Six people spoke and about 30 Omaha Central High School students attended the committee hearing in support of the resolution. Wesley Vogel, an Omaha Central senior, said it is important to let these | 17-year-olds vote in the primaries because voters choose who will repre sent their party in the general elec tions in the primaries. Vogel said it is not fair that people who pay the same taxes as those over 18 are not allowed to vote for govern ment officials. If the resolution is passed, Vogel said, more young people will get involved in govern ment issues. Richard Siteig, 70, of Lincoln, said it is only appropriate that people who have a voice in the government are allowed to vote in both primary and general elections. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said people who cannot vote in the primaries are not as likely to register for the general election. Chambers, who introduced the resolution with Sen. Carol Pirsch of Omaha, said many high school stu dents know more about government than people in other age groups. “If they don’t register and don’t vote the first time, the next time it’s easier not to,” Chambers said. Seniors from Norfolk and Auburn high schools sent petitions to the committee in support of the resolu tion. No one spoke in opposition. The committee went into execu tive session to vote on the resolution so the students could see the proposal advance. The committee advanced the reso lution to the floor of the Nebraska Legislature with a 5-1 vote. Butch ketand/Oaily Nebraskan Chambers Compensation for athletes Chambers says football players deserve monetary restitution By Any Edwards Senior Reporter_ James O’ Hanlon, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln representative to the Big Eight Conference and the NCAA, testified at a legislative hearing Wednesday against a bill that would pay Nebraska football players. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha introduced his bill before the Gov ernment Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, saying athletes should be compensated for their lime and commitment. Chambers said athletes should be paid because they are the only students who cannot get a career related job while attending college. The NCAA prevents schools from giving student-athletes com pensation beyond tuition, books, room and board. If athletes accept money from anyone besides their parents, the school’s team can be put on probation and will not be allowed to participate in NCAA sponsored events. O’Hanlon said although the bill identifies many of the problems with intercollegiate athletics, UNL would not be able to participate in the NCAA if the bill passed. Two criteria must be followed if athletes are to be paid for intercol legiate athletics, O’Hanlon said. First, he said, if the university paid all students, they would be allowed to pay student-athletes as well. Also, if there is some condition for pay, such as a certain number of years at the university, pay for ath letes would not be a breach of NCAA rules. Chambers said because Ne braska football is contracted like any big business and money is “the generating force” behind football, the athletes who generate that money should be compensated for it. “We are dealing with a highly competitive, multi-million-dollar corporation and the men are forgot ten,” Chambers said. The bill would eliminate prob lems with athletes talcing money under the table to support them selves, Chambers said. O’ Hanlon said the passage of the bill would hurt other sports pro grams. Football revenue helps sup port other sports that aren’t self sufficient, he said. If the revenue was used to pay football players, O’Hanlon said, sports dependent on football revenue would have to be eliminated. Chambers said this is “ali the more reason” for football players to be paid. He said sports that don’t bring in money could be treated as intramural activities. If passed, the bill would not go into effect until April 15, 1989. Chambers said this would give senators the opportunity to repeal the law if the NCAA decides to take action against the university.