Route may be shortened Western Nebraska air service threatened By Adeana Leftin Staff Reporter UNL students who use Essential Air Service to travel to and from school will have to find another mode of transportation if a route is cut from the program, Rep. Virginia Smith said. The U.S. Department of Transpor tation is considering shortening the route originating in North Platte Scottsbluff which goes to Lincoln and Omaha. The route would end in Grand Island. If the service is cut, western Ne braska will be isolated, Smith said. Smith, a Republican, represents Dis trict 3, which is made up of western Nebraska. A flight to Scottsbluff from Lin coln is SI32 each way or $264 round trip. Flights run Monday through Thursday and must be ordered seven days in advance. EAS operates nationwide to pro vide govemment-subsidi/ed air trans portation for people living in rural areas to urban areas. It has been in operation for 10 years and has been extended for another 10 years. “Although EAS has been extended, it doesn’t mean that it will be avail able to all the cities who want it,” Smith said. EAS is only required to operate to one hub airport. The current route originating in North Platte-Scottsbluff has service both to Lincoln and Omaha airports and to Denver. The route to Denver would remain intact. “Service to Denver runs without subsidies and has five to six times more riders,” said Bill Bingham, chief of the service compensation division at the Office of Aviation Analysis in Washington. Smith argued that EAS serves special needs for western Nebraskans. “There won’t be a service to the universities, the stale government, or the state offices. They need a connec tion to Lincoln,” Smith said. “I’m sure the degree (of isolation) will be taken into consideration,” Bingham said. U.S. Sens. Bob Kerrey and Jim Exon argued Nebraska’s case before DOT officials Thursday. Exon, D-Ncb, called the flights important to Nebraska’s development efforts. As author of the EAS law, Exon said he intended to keep pres sure on DOT to continue the flights. Kerrey, D-Neb., agreed. The east-west air service helps keep the state together, Kerrey said. Con tinuation of the route is essential to economic equality, he said. Assistant Secretary of Transporta tion Jeffrey Shane said the service usually is not canceled if more than 10 people use it. According to DOT figures, fewer than seven passengers per day board flights that originate in Scottsbluff and North Platte and land in Lincoln or Omaha. The Lincoln Municipal Airport, however, reports that nine people a day use the flight. Smith said she would remind DOT that EAS serves not only the cities but also the surrounding rural areas. Bingham said that although the program is being re-examined, no changes may be made to the route. DOT enters into agreements with aireamers usually for a two-year period and reviews the programs when the agreements come to term. The contract with GP Express has just come to term and is being exam ined. The main purpose of the review is to compare the added cost to the Japan Continued from Page 3 atmosphere American students find much earlier, Rapkin said. During his teaching, Rapkin found Japanese students more literate than American students. Fewer Japanese students, however, stand out as ex ceptionally bright, he said. Japanese students, Rapkin said, are reluctant to assert their views. In Japan, it is considered rude to speak out in class, which makes discussion courses tough, he said. The grading system at Tsukuba University also makes college less stressful. An A is 80-100, a B is 70 79, a C is 60-69, and anything below 59 is a D. This avoids the stigma of F for failure, Rapkin said. The university does not place D’s on students’ records. If Japanese stu dents have a class that is too demand ing or they fall behind, they simply quit going to the class. Because D’s don’t appear on the students’ record, there is no penalty, Rapkin said. Aside from his position atTsukuba University, Rapkin taught international relations and international political economy part time at the Interna tional University of Japan. He also was involved in a research project with a Japanese forum study ing international relations, wrote for Japan esc journals and magazines, and published an English work concern ing Japan’s world role and prospects for Japanese world leadership. In Rapkin’s research, he saw first hand the threat to the American econ omy that Japan’s growing industry and technology poses. ‘‘The fact that Japan is a threat is only because of our own failure to take care of American business,” he said. “Japan is surpassing the U.S. in many areas of technology and indus trial production. It’s America’s fault for not moving faster.” Rapkin found that Japan has many cultural as well as economic differ ences, but he said he was pleased with his reception in Japan and adjusted fairly easily to the changes. Rapkin said, for example, that snee/ing in public is bad form and blowing your nose draws stares and disdain. Yet men commonly spit in public and sometimes urinate in pub lie, Rapkin said. Rapkin has been at UNL since 1977 and served as chairman of the political science department from 1985 to 1988. He resumed his position upon his return from Japan. “I accomplished a lot in terms of research, publishing work about Ja pan’s world role, and establishing some very good professional relationships with Japanese scholars,” Rapkin said. Rapkin docs not teach a Japanese political science course but is finding ways to incorporate the knowledge he gained from his experiences in Japan into his classes. His experiences in Japan proved to be valuable for himself and his pro fession, he said. “It’s valuable and necessary to leave the protection of the heartland to observe other nations and their cultures,” he said. Trading Continued from Page 1 The next part of Lee’s agenda was to talk to Sen. Dianna Schimek of Lincoln. “First of all. I’m honored to have the governor in my office, because she’s never been here before,’ Schimek joked. Since she had been state Demo cratic Party chairwoman, Schimek said, she thought she was a good contrast to Orr, a Republican. The next leg of Lee’s capital visit took him to Nebraska Stale Treasurer Frank Marsh’s office. Marsh told Lee that part of his job was to know exactly how much money Nebraska had at any time. On Mon day, Nebraska had S270.050.436.78 in the stale’s general fund and S40,037,042.74 in its cash reserves, he said. Lee said lhal he thought the Stu dent Foundation’s goals had been accomplished, but he said there were things he would have changed. “I probably would have had her (Orr) dress as a regular student so we weren’t so conspicuous,” Lee said. Source:Rep Virginia Smith's Office. Brian Shellito/Daily Nebraskan benefits provided by the flight, Bing- utilized is worth the money federal ham said. taxpayers arc paying for it,” Bing ‘‘Wc review whether the service ham said. FUNNY BONE * AMERICA’S No.! COMEDY NITE CLUB _ From Atlanta TRIP WINFIELD Winner of the "Great Southeast Laugh-off’ Finalist in "Funny Man in the South". Also: TED LYDE from Chicago RICK ZAP from Omaha | TuM^wecL/niur., Tuesday nights Sun. 0:30; Fri. A Sai. 7:30 A 9:30 §2 College night. 808 “P” Street PERM SALE! *10°° Off Perm, Haircut, Style Cprtf 14*10 Mol valid nthftr oW»r» o* promotions ^ ^ ® Partial po«mi. not included long t«an by i w .uiUhor , .. _ . 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