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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 1990)
Tik nr fl C i It y J weather index 8 IB gf* - §m fill « ,-r ^ I Today, mostly cloudy and cooler with a 20 per- News Digest.2 ■ ^0^ Bra nBA jjT' '■<*! ®| , ?•"' ^BLd^BKk cent chance of late afternoon showers and a high Editorial. 4 B Wf rel ' HI jSE_ " jSB nB of65-70 Tonight a 60 percent chance of ram with Sports 10 ^HkJ| ■ 0 H I ""•*» ^ni||Bll|fc. ■ H a low around 40 Saturday, cloudy and colder with Arts & Entertainment 13 i Bcuia ^ JVct j. 11—— -1 November 2, 1990__University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol.~90 No. 48 Regent candidates’ campaigns total $87,040 oy ocira oauaer ^cnon Senior Reporter Nebraska’s four candidates for the NU Board of Regents have spent an average of $21,760 each during the general election. Lee Sapp, a candidate for the Dis trict 2 seat, has spent the most. As of Oct. 25, he had spent $38,640. His opponent, Nancy O’Brien, had spent $7,146 through Monday. Sapp said his campaign money was spent on television, newspaper and radio advertisements, mailings and ads on buses. O’ Bricn said media advertising made up the bulk of her campaign costs. • Chuck Wilson, who is running for the District 1 seat, had spent $23,347 by Oct. 22. Wilson’s opponent, Dick Powell, had spent $17,907 by Mon day. Wilson said he used newspapers, radio and mailings in his campaign. roweu said he used a mixed-media campaign, but no television. Wilson said he also did not use television ads because they would “escalate the cost of a campaign out of sight.” So far, the candidates have spent a total of $87,040. One expensive method of cam paigning is yard signs, Wilson said. The average lifespan of a sign is only about one week because people “trash them,” he said. The signs cost about $2.50 in materials. At least 1,000 signs would be needed to blanket Lancaster County, Wilson said. O’Brien said the amountof money spent in the race for a regent seat, a non-paid position, is ridiculous. “I resent the implication that you can buy a seat” without meeting people and talking about the issues, she said. Dick Powell said spending in all elections is out of control. If a person is a political unknown, he said, $10,000 to 520,000 is needed just to get voters to know the candidate. Spending beyond those figures becomes “non sensical,” he said. Powell said he would favor some system of limits on campaign spend ing. Sapp agreed, saying that campaign spending is “crazy” and that he never thought he would have to spend so much. Spending limits should be in place for every election “from presi dent on down,” he said. “If we’d take half of what’s spent and apply it toward the deficit, it would be wonderful,” Sapp said. Wilson said that while spending limits might be a good reflexive ac tion, they might not always be fair. If an incumbent, who would have good name recognition with voters, were running against a political unknown, ( the unknown would have to spend much more to have a good chance to win the election, he said. jjMi HsBl Irian S9v«IIHo/D«lly Nabnalun Budget’s provisions may cost university By roaa Neeley Staff Reporter K ^ udget provisions approved this week by ■ m Congress could mean the university, employees and contributors to the Uni versity of Nebraska Foundation will have to make financial adjustments. The budget provisions are for the govern ment’s fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. One provision that increases the salaries affected by a 1.45 percent Medicare tax could mean a “fairly significant’1 cost to the univer sity, said Jim Knisely, UNL comptroller. The Medicare tax was changed to tax sala ries up to $125,000. Before, salaries were taxed only up to a $51,300 limit. Portions of salaries more than $125,000 are not taxed. The university has always been required to provide matching funds for the tax, but Knisely said the new lid will require the university to pay more because some faculty members make more than $51,300. Knisely said he is unsure what the cost will be. Gregory Clayton, director of UNL Insur ance and Benefits, said university faculty and staff also will have to pay more due to the tax change. In the long run, Knisely said, UNL may have to raise tuition, acquire more funds or reallocate funds within the university budget. A second budget change will give full-time faculty and staff a tax break. Clayton said the change will allow employ ees to be exempt from paying Social Security tax es on the tuition cost of any graduate classes they take. See BUDGET on 7 Gimme a light Jason Gomez places another spotlight on the south end of the press box roof at Memorial Stadium on Thursday. The lighting, provided by Musco Light of Oskaloosa, Iowa, will be used during the Nebraska-Colorado game Saturday. Students to show opposition to lid with march today By Jennifer O’Cilka Senior Reporter College and high school students will “show that students are dead set against the (2 percent) lid” when they march on the State Capitol today, an organizer said. Nathan Lane, a coordinator of the Students Against 2% march, said the march will let the public know what a 2 percent lid on state and local government spending could do to the University of Nebraska. Initiative 405, the 2 percent lid, is a pro posed amendment to the Nebraska Constitution which would limit state and local government spending increases to 2 percent each year. It will be on Tuesday’s ballot. i ne marcn win oegin at p.m. touay near Broyhill Fountain, Lane said. Students will march down Centennial Mall to the north steps of the Capitol. There, Lincoln Mayor Bill Hams, state Sen. Dave Landis of Lincoln and some students will speak about the lid. Shawn Burnham, chairwoman of the Gov ernment Liaison Committee, said Students Against 2% has invited students from Ne braska Wesleyan University, Southeast Com munity College, Union College and all Lincoln high schools to the march. The group hopes to have more than 200 student marchers, she said. “We arc trying to show a unified effort of students and an organized and non-violent means to protest,” Burnham said. “Wc want to send a message across the slate that wc arc upset about the 2 percent lid and wc arc willing to do something about it.” Burnham called the march“kindol arevival of the ’60s type of thing.” The march was scheduled for later in the day so more people will sec the students during rush hour, she said. Students Against 2% also is encouraging students to protest the lid by wearing blue at the Nebraska vs. Colorado football game Saturday in Memorial Stadium. I Foreign broadcasters: NU system impressive 8 By Dionne Searcey Staff Reporter A group of foreign broadcasters praised University of Nebraska ^ telecommunications systems Thursday but said that high cost would prevent the programs’ installation in their countries in the near future. After an explanation of the NEB*SAT and AG*SAT systems, Eduard Depari, director of research and development for a television sta Ition in Indonesia, said AG*SAT would benefit farmers in his country, but implementing it would be too expen sive. Neer Bikram Shah, chairman and general manager of Nepal Televi sion, agreed, saying that the cost to lease a satellite in Nepal is $3.5 mil lion a year. Jack McBride, general manager of Nebraska Educational Telecommu nications Commission, said the yearly cost for NETV to lease a satellite is $600,000. McBride told representatives from television stations worldwide that NEB*S AT is a statewide telecommu ntcauons program that broadcasts classes to schools across the state. AG*SAT, an extension of NEB*SAT, will begin operating next spring and will link by satellite the agricultural colleges of 32 land- grant universities, McBride said. McBride told the representatives that AG*SAT could be implemented internationally. Countries could pool their resources and develop a national satellite system tofurtheragricultural research, he said. “The day will come when there will be an opportunity for interna uonai exchange oi agricultural in struction,” he said. Depari said the presentation had given him a new perspective on the use of television for education. Television generally is used for entertainment purposes, he said. When education is combined with TV, he said, the result is usually boring. But NEB*SAT is impressive, Depari said. Valerie Albert, program director for a television station in the West Indies, agreed. NEB*SAT could greatly benefit Third World coun tries, sne saiu. “One hopes when the system be comes more developed, countries such astheU.S. will look beyond and think of the Third World countries,” Albert said. McBride said NEB*S AT is still in its initial stages of development and will continue to expand over the next few years. “We have done quite effective research and evaluation which indi cates it’s well worth the time and trouble,” he said.