Chambers’ fight to pay athletes not unique
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Sen. Ernie Chambers’ eight-year fight for
LB 1226, a bill that would make Comhusker
football players employees of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, isn’t unique to Nebraska.
Earlier this year, California and Indiana
proposed similar legislation and state Sen.
Thomas Mann of Iowa proposed a similar plan
for athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa
State University, as well as other state institu
tions.
The amendment to LB 1226, requiring ap
proval from at least four other Big Eight Con
ference states before the bill is enacted, is one
reason several key figures in Nebraska think the
bill won’t become law.
At least one university athletic director in
Iowa thinks so, too.
Max Urick, athletic director at Iowa State,
said he opposes the bill.
“I think that just because some athletes are
playing sports just to make money, it doesn’t
justify their getting more money than average
students,” Urick said. ‘‘And it certainly isn’t
fair to the athletes in the sports that don’t
generate the kind of revenue that football
does.”
The other six Big Eight athletic directors
were unavailable for comment.
Urick said he first heard of Chambers’ pro
posal several years ago. But despite the grow
ing support for the idea, he said, football play
ers can make money in other ways.
“Mostathletes that have legitimate financial
needs have other avenues, such as the Pell
Grant funds,” Urick said.
Last January at the NCAA Convention in
Nashville, Tenn., members voted to raise the
Pell Grant allowance from $900 to $1,400 a
year, and the priorities of athletes would be
placed above those of non-athlete students.
Urick said he doesn’t think the bill has a
chance to pass.
“I haven’t seen enough evidence that it
would work the way they want it to,” he said.
Urick said the first-round approval given by
the Nebraska Legislature last Monday didn’t
change his view.
“I think it would be a big mistake for anyone
to pay athletes above their normal expenses of
an education.”
Debate over athlete pay bill continues
CHAMBERS from Page 1
the emphasis on making money at the
expense of a schools’ academic stan
dards.
Columbia University, he said,
recently asked to lower its academic
admission standards to accommo
date more adequate recruiting to end
its losing streak in football.
Columbia currently holds a 41
gamc football losing streak, the long
est of any college team in history.
Chambers said the rest of the Ivy
League of which Columbia is a
member agreed to reduce academic
entrance standards because an im
proved football program would bene
fit the entire conference.
The rest of the conference readily
complied, Chambers said, because it
and ESPN had recently completed an
agreement for a three-year contract to
televise Ivy L.eaguc football games.
“The lure of money for the lootbal I
program has caused (the Ivy L.caguc)
— the bastion of national academic
standards— to lower their priorities,”
Chambers said.
Masscngale said support for the
bill would create similar problems for
UNL’s image.
it this bill revolves around the
professionalization of amateur ath
letes, our supporting it would send out
the wrong signal,” he said. “It would
give the appearance that we’re em
phasizing athletics more than we
should.”
Chambers said he understands that
UNL’s athletic department is con
cerned with eligibility of its football
program.
“But with the amendment that at
least four other Big Eight schools
have to pass the same type of legisla
tion, itwouldaccomplishanumbcrof
things,” he said.
“It will save Nebraska’s eligibility
and it puts on record to people that
we’re dealing with a high-octane,
multi-million dollar form of enter
tainment in which the young men
playing the game aren’t being treated
fairly ” he said.
The most important thing to ac
complish, Chambers said, would be
to alert the NCAA of the fast-growing
problems in college athletics.
“The NCAA doesn’t see fit to alter
its rules,” Chambers said, “so maybe
this will send a message to them that
more and more people are ready to
deal with the problem at hand.”
Harris: Parking could generate business
- ... .• *_r_._:i _ rr:_a_*_- • _
DOWNTOWN from Page 1
ness to the downtown area.
NebHELP, the Nebraska Higher
Educational Loan Program, bought
the J.C.Penney building at 13th and 0
streets. Harris said the parking project
is incentive for businesses to locate
downtown.
Harris said the parking spaces re
served for University Towers resi
dents should make downtown living
more attractive and possibly bring in
more apartments in the area.
This would generate business be
cause people arc more likely to shop
near their home, he said. Also, the
voi iv^iy ui iuxui,v;i i ici/aauu uuuium
mcnt in the downtown area will make
Lincoln more attractive, Harris said.
Doug Farrar, manager of the Post
and Nickel, 144 N. 14th St., said the
Cenlcrpointc project should bring in
customers who haven’t frequented
the clothing store.
Farrar said customers have com
plained about the limited parking in
the past and the project is a needed
solution.
Harris said the project must be
approved by the planning depart
ment, and construction and financing
for the Cenlcrpointc project must be
determined before any action is
taken.
JOSTENS I
GOLD RING SALE!
560 OFF 18KB
$A0 OFF 14K fl
Don’t order your ring until you see Jostens selection of ring designs " *” ^
See your Jostens representative for more details.
JOSTENS
AMERICA S COLLEGE RING™
Open Monday f fiday 8 5 30 Satuiday 9 b 30
More than ever,
™^more than a Bookstore.
QBXw *( )ffer good thru
"SHr Sat., April 9, 1988. 1300QStreet (402)476-0111
Campfire blamed for flame
A Lincoln firefighter extingiushes a fire at the northeast end of a University of Nebraska
Lincoln field on East Campus Saturday. The fire damaged 350-square-feet of grass
according to the UNL police department. No one was injured. Officials said a campfire
probably caused the fire.
WELCOME BACK
BEACH BUMS!
MONDAY
ALL IMPORTS
$1.25 ®
Featuring
Bass Ale, Heineken, Corona, Harp,
Fosters, St. Pauli Girl
NEW—Carls Berg Elephant Malt Beer
AND MORE!
(Stop by and say HI to the TWINS!)
Then,
GET BACK TO THE BEACH
WITH A MAUI WEEKEND
and
LIE AWAKE
Friday & Saturday
with
MAUI
TROPICAL SCHNAPPS SPECIALS
ssllfl
Gunny’s Bldg. 13th & Que
---.-.-.-----.