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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1988)
Nebraskan ASUN kills bill to lower student fees Senate to survey UNL about smoking policy By Lee Rood Senior Reporter AS UN voted Wednesday to survey students and faculty members about a University of Nebraska-Lincoln smoking policy with no discussion, but debate caught fire after the introduction of a bill that would lower student fees. John Goebel, vice chancellor for business and finance, is wailing for campus input on the policy that would prohibit smoking in many university buildings including classrooms and laboratories. -a • * !—»■ Surveys are available this afternoon through March 9 at the Student Information Center in the Nebraska Union. But most discussion at Wednesday night’s meeting was on a bill that would have lowered student fees 10 percent. After about two hours of debate, ASUN members voted against Sen. Steve Henning’s bill that would have reduced the budgets of all Fund A and Fund B fee 10 percent Fund A fee users are the Daily Nebraskan, the University Programs Council and ASUN. Fund B includes the Nebraska unions, the University Health Center and the Office of Campus Recreation. Henning, a law student, said he introduced the bill because student fees have increased about 44 percent in the past four years. Henning said fees should be reduced next year because tuition is likely to go up to pay for part of a faculty salary increase. Students also will face higher book prices and decreased financial aid. Dan Wolf, chairman of the Committee for Fees Allocation, said the decrease would have been “a sweet way” to end students’ paying more next year, but it’s not “the best way.” Wolf said he thinks CFA did its job when it recommended fees be increased from $111 this year to $ 115.05 next year because services have also increased. Fees could still increase if the Legislature approves a salary hike for univer sity staff members. John Bergmeyer, 2nd vice president of ASUN, said if ASUN voted to decrease fees .”.MME-;-j—.m m after just approving an increase, students might think senators are “running scared and that is a bunch of crap.” Bergmeyer told senators to remember why they made the decision in the first place and relay that to their constituents. James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs, said while he did not want to influence senators’ votes, he thought the decrease would be a “knee jerk” reaction. Griesen encouraged senators to “act with great care, study and reflection.” Fee recommendations must also be ap proved by Griesen and UNL Chancellor Martin Massengale. Griesen is currently reviewing AS UN’s previous fee recommendations. eanaiaates voice plans for action ASUN elections stirs debate on commitment, qualifications By Amy Edwards Senior Reporter ACTION and VOICE candidates poked, tested and questioned each other’s commitment and qualifica tions Wednesday for the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska. Presidential and first vice presi dential candidates from both parties joined in the debate, sponsored by the University Program Council’s Talks and Topics Committee. Jeff Petersen, ACTION presiden tial candidate, said the executive candidates for his party are in promi nent AST IN nmifinne anH ran ncr their experience to benefit the stu dent body. Christopher Stream, VOICE presidential candidate, said past experience and “resume-padding” arc not as important as a willingness to change ASUN. Stream said the party is striving for fair representation of the student body with students who have the desire and commitment to serve on ASUN. Petersen said the party would create a liaison program between ASUN and residential halls and Butch Ireland Daily Nebraskan ACTION first vice presidential candidate Nate Geisert speaks while (from left) Jeff Petersen, ACTION presidential candidate; Chris Stream, VOICE presidential candidate; and Andrew J. Wupper, VOICE first vice presidential candidate listen during an ASUN debate Wednesday afternoon in the Nebraska Union. Greek houses to get student input. First vice presidential candidate Nate Geisert said every residence hall floor would select a delegate to relate concerns to ASUN. Geisert said the party would give a “state of the university address” each semester to hear concerns from off-campus students. Petersen said ASUN senators would be required to meet with stu dents from their college to discuss ASUN problems and keep the stu dents involved with ASUN. Stream said UNL students would not be apathetic about student gov ernment if they were given a chance to express their views. The VOICE party has a slate that is 55 percent Greek and 45 percent non-Greek, which Stream said shows they are willing to get fair represen tation already. Stream said too many ASUN members belong to the same house as the president or arc in the little-sister program of that house. “ASUN has become a country club with the execs as the gate keep ers,” Stream said. “We must tear down the walls of the ASUN country club.” Petersen said the VOICE execu tives are all members of the same fraternity. Stream said he and fellow execu tive candidates Andrew Wuppcr and Steven Showaltcr were asked to take over the VOICE party after its origi nal organizers decided not to run. The candidates also differed on what issues ASUN needs to lobby for at the Nebraska Legislature. Geiscrt said Petersen worked with ASUN to help raise faculty salaries. He said that when the administration was willing to “let faculty salaries die,” ASUN continued the fight at the Legislature with Petersen’s help. Geisert said ACTION would con tinue to push for higher faculty sala ries to keep quality education at UNL. Stream said that for the past few years, ASUN has not been dealing with the issues that students face. Stream said the VOICE party would address more than one issue and work to give students something back for what they pay into the system. Both parties said ASUN needs to improve its image with students. Wuppcr, VOICE’silrstvicc presi dential candidate, said students from the Afrikan People’s Union ex pressed concerns that they do not sec ASUN senators once they arc elected. Wuppcr said VOICE would as sign ASUN senators to attend minor ity student meetings to keep ASUN aware of their concerns. Gcisert said ACTION is propos ing a New Student Orientation pro gram designed specifically to ad dress the problems of foreign stu dents and make them feel like they arc part of the student body. Candidates were asked to com ment on the process for allocating student fees. Stream said that with a new lead ership the Committee for Fees Allo cation can be run more efficiently and with better representation. Petersen said the current process does a thorough job of allocating the “necessary evil” of student fees. Improvements in communication between senators and students were among both parties’ priorities. Stream said student faith in ASUN must be restored and relations be tween East and City campuses im proved. Petersen said ACTION priorities are to direct representation from stu dents, to make ASUN senators ac countable to their constituents and to create an information hot line to clar ify confusing student services. I I ' I ' I. i U l 'i ' i i II Resolution for UNMC health-care project OK’d By Amy Edwards and Mary Nell Westbrook Senior Reporter* Nebraska legislators argued for about two hours Wednesday before passing a resolution by a 30-3 vote that would approve the Univer sity of Nebraska Medical Center 1988 Health Care project. The project is designed to address the needs of the center’s instruction, ambulatory care, in patient room renovation and off-street parking. UNMC wants to enter a cooperative pro gram with Bishop Clarkson Memorial Hospital to share the expensive equipment needed by both. The proposal includes $29 million to fi nance the project. LR266, introduced by Sen. Bemice Labedz of Omaha, supports the project and commends the university and the University of Nebraska Board of Regents for their efforts to develop cooperative relations with Bishop Clarkson Memorial Hospital. Labedz said the regents do not need the Legislature’s consent to start the project, but Chancellor Martin Massengale and UNMC officials thought it would be right to get ap proval. Sen. Marge Higgins of Omaha made a motion to indefinitely postpone the resolution because she did not know the proposal included the $29 million for financing. Higgins later withdrew her motion and asked to have her name withdrawn from the resolution. Sen. Tim Hall of Omaha urged senators to adopt LR266 because the proposal gives stu dents at UNMC the opportunity to practice with equipment they might use in their careers. Hall said the $29 million just “gives them a place to park while they’re learning.” Another university-related bill that was advanced would eliminate the university’s associate degree of nursing program. LB890, introduced by Sen. Arlene Nelson of Grand island, passed on a 26-0 vote, but not before an amendment the Education Commit tee added was declared unconstitutional. In the 1977 Supreme Court case, Board of Regents v. Exon, the board was granted the “power to operate the board as free from politi cal influence as possible.” The proposed amendment would have dele gated some of the regents’ power to the Ne braska Coordinating Commission, which would have violated the court’s ruling.
