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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 1989)
WEATHER: INDEX Tuesday, mostly cloudy, 30 percent chanoe of snow, becoming partly sunny Editorial — 4 in afternoon, high 40-43 Tuesday night, Arts & Entertainment 5 partly cloudy and colder, low 20. • •-. , Wednesday, partly sunny, high 35. c a88,,ieds. March 14,1989_ University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 88 No. 120 Legislature votes against education bill By Jerry Guenther Staff Reporter The Nebraska Legislature Monday voted 17*19 against a bill that wouid have provided tax credits for Nebraska resi dents who place money in a savings account used to pay for a student’s college education. LB 140, sponsored by Sens. Jerry Chizek of Omaha and Gerald Conway of Wayne, would have established the Nebraska College Savings Plan Act to allow families to save up to $2,000 annually in a tax-exempt account if the student attended a Nebraska college or technical school full-time. The vote to advance the bill was originally 18-18, but Chizek switched his vote to the prevailing side so that, according to parliamen tary procedure, he later can move to have the bill reconsidered. During discussion, Chizek said the bill would help address the problem of rising col lege education costs. At least eight other states have passed simi lar legislation, he said. The bill was amended by Chizek to limit the number of people who could qualify under the acf. Under the amendment, married couples with an annual income of $60,000 or less could save up to $2,000 per year for a student’s education, while married couples with an an nual income between $60,000 and $70,000 could save up to $1,000 per year. Single-parent families with an annual in come of $40,000 or less could save the maxi mum $2,000 per year, while single parent families earning between $40,000 and $55,000 per year could save up to $1,000 annually. Chizek said he offered the amendment be cause of concern that the bill was designed to help only the wealthy who already could afford to pay for their children’s college education. The amendment passed unanimously. Sen. Arlene Nelson of Grand Island said the amendment made the bill more “palatable,” but questioned whether the bill would reach the families who couldn’t afford to save $2,000 for their children’s education. Chizek said the $2,000 was a maximum that could be saved under the act, and families could put away whatever they could afford. Another option for people saving for a stu dent’s college education, Nelson said, would be to purchase zero-coupon bonds. Nelson said the bonds would allow parents to defer up to $ 1,000 of the income from the interest on those bonds as long as their child was under 14 years of age. Sen. Roger Wehrbein of Plattsmouth of fered an amendment that would have added LB535 and LB629 to the bill. The amendment mandates that Nebraska residents who purchased tax-exempt bonds from other states would not be charged state income tax on the bonds. Sen. Tim Hall of Omaha criticized the amendment, saying it would encourage people to buy bonds outside of Nebraska. Hall said 46 stales have laws that charge a state income tax on the interest of tax-exempt bonds from outside of their own state. “For Nebraska logo back and say we’re not going to tax them would be a mistake,’’ Hall said. Sen. Elroy Hefner of Coleridge then asked the Speaker of the Legislature, William Barrett of Lexington, to dismiss the amendment be cause it was not “germane to the issue at hand.’’ Barrett declared the issue non-germane and Wchrbein moved for an override that failed. During debate on the bill, Chiz.ck blasted an editorial in a Lincoln paper which opposed LB 140. Chizek said the editorial claimed mechanical short-comings and loopholes in the bill that were “unfounded.” t Candidates tout more on-campus involvement By Roger Price Staff Reporter The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska needs to involve more of the nearly 16,000 students who live off campus, said ASUN candidates for the PRIDE and SLUM3R parties in an open discussion Monday night. Dan Rock, presidential candidate for PRIDE, said the current ASUN administration and the IMPACT party don’t look at the needs of stu dents outside their own social groups. Regents approve dean’s nomination for ag college By Sara Baudcr Staff Reporter With the NU Board of Regents approving his nomination Saturday to become dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Donald Edwards said his main goal for the college will be strategic plan ning. Edwards, who currently is the chairman and a professor of the De partment of Agricultural Engineering at Michigan Stale University and director of the MSU/Michigan De partment of Agriculture Meteoro logical Program, will assume the duties of dean July 1. “We’ll try to get some vision of where we are going,” Edwards said. “I plan to work with the students and faculty to see what kind of programs we should be developing. 4 ‘Farming is a sophisticated, com petitive business, and only those with appropriate education will survive,” he said. Edwards said he will make changes in the College of Agricul ture, but isn’t certain what those changes will be. “We’ll need to see what the needs will be and then move accordingly.” ~ he said. Edwards received his bachelors and masters degrees from South Dakota State University and his Ph.D. from Purdue University. Be fore taking his position at MSU in 1980, Edwards had been employed by UNL since 1966. While at UNL, he was the director and associate dean of the Engineering Research Center and director of the Energy Research and Development Center, which was operated from the Chancellor’s office. He was also an assistant dean and professor with the See EDWARDS on2 Trevor McArthur, SLUMBR’s presidential candidate, said, “Greeks foster their own. The greek system could be so good, but it’s so close minded.” Monika Jegcris, first vice-presi dential candidate for PRIDE and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, said, “It is really important to be balanced in ASUN representa tion.” The main problem with greek members, Jegeris said, is that “they need to think about the university, not the greek system.” I-9 McArthur also encouraged minor ity involvement in ASUN. He said even though the Culture Center, 333 N. 14th, is less than two blocks from the ASUN offices, most people in ASUN do not realize that it even exists. McArthur said he would like to call SLUMBR “the party of minori ties.’’ “Minorities should get together and fight each other’s battles,’’ McArthur said. PRIDE candidates said they feel ASUN should make an effort to in volve all students. “We have to go to the students. They shouldn’t have to come to us,’’ Rock said. Jegeris said it is important to keep all UNL students informed. She said it is important to go to new places to reach these students, such as the Culture Center, laundromats, bars and anywhere else off campus stu dents “hang out.’’ Rock said by involving more stu dents in ASIJN and reducing apathy among students, ASUPT would gain more credibility on campus. An official vote for the student regents also would increase AS UN’s credibility, Rock said. A constitutional amendment might be necessary for student re gents to gain an official vote, but, Rock said, he thinks “the voters of Nebraska would back us up on this.’’ Rock said the people of Nebraska already show an overwhelming sup port for the football team. Because of this, Rock said, Nebraskans also would support other quality aspects See DEBATE on 7 ' ' ' ' ! I Judge: Courts shouldn’t have to make laws By Victoria Ayotte Senior Editor Law-making should be done by legislators and not left to the courts, said Daniel Manion, an appel late judge on the 7th U.S. Cir cuit Court of Appeals. Manion, speaking to stu dents Monday at the law col lege, said legislators often write unclear laws, leaving them to be interpreted by the courts. Courts have “unlimited lee way’ ’ in interpreting such laws, he said. Judges are supposed to determine legislative intent, which is the lawmakers in tended goal, litis is often found in legislators’ speeches and statements about the law, he said. Umi/Ai'Ar Manmn catrl Iaiv islators’ words will support “almost any position” the court wants to take because the intent of legislators is unclear. The Supreme Court often in terprets laws widely, he said, as with freedom of speech cases and school integration. 1 Judicial restraint, a narrow interpretation of the law, versus judicial activism, a broad inter pretation of the law. is a main determinant of how a court will act, Manion said. A fear of court activism has brought the courts into the pub lic eye, he said. Since the 1950s, the Supreme Court has been brought' ‘more and more to the forefront of political issues,” because of its activism, he said. sieTSiioi^7 ..’.— . ■'.gflg •' yi
