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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1996)
THURSDAY WEATHER: Today - Partly sunny & mild. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Tonight - Partly cloudy. Low 30 to 35. February 8, 1996 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA SINCE 1901 VOL. 95 NO. 101 Students game seats may change By Kasey Kerber Staff Reporter Student seating at football games won’t get better next year, and it may get worse, accord ing to two officials from the NU Athletic De partment. At Wednesday night’s ASUN meeting, Cindy Bell, manager of the ticket office, and Heidi Cuca, marketing director, fielded questions from sena tors about student seating at University of Nebraska football eames. The issue arose more than two weeks ago, when the Athletic Department re leased a proposal to replace student seating section 15 with an equal-sized block I — I Ot seats behind sections 12 and 13, in the southeast cor ner of the stadium. Changes were proposed because of increased complaints from fans sitting behind the student section. Non-student fans said the view was obstructed when student fans stood on the seats. Fearing fist fights between angry non-stu dents and students, the Athletic Department proposed the seating change.as a safety precau tion. “To say that you’re going to get all the bad seats and gain no good ones is not something the student body will be happy with,” said Jon Scheve, chairman of the academic committee. Senators asked whether a compromise could be reached by reorganizing other sections of the stadium. “That is not a possibility,” Bell said. “Every other section has seats that have been sold on a permanent basis and can’t be shifted around.” Bell said one of two things would happen: either section 15 would be eliminated with an equitable block of seats opening-farther back as initially proposed, or everything would stay as is. “It’s going to be either one or the other, nothing else,” he said, but a final decision has not yet been made. Athletic Director Bill Byrne will ultimately decide if the Athletic Department will recom mend the change. “If it were decided to make the seating changes, the issue would have to be taken to the chancellor and approved by him,” Bell said. Questions also surfaced about the Athletic Department’s devotion to the student body as compared to their possible devotion to money. “I think that over the past few years, when you raised costs for tickets and took away a section, you lost part of our trust,” said ASUN President Shawntell Hurtgen. “Yes, that comment has been made before,” Bell said. “It’s not new.” Tanna Kinnaman/DN Eric Marintzer announces the ACTION party’s candidacy for ASUN elections next month. Marintzer said he wanted to make university officials aware of student issues. ACTION launches ASUN bid By Erin Schulte Staff Reporter The time has come for university official s to be made aware of student issues too long ignored, one candidate for ASUN president said Wednesday. Eric Marintzer, the ACTION party’s presi dential candidate in this year’s Association of Students of the Univer ASUN Campaign sity ofNebraska election, outlined his plans to about 60 students Wednesday in the Ne braska Union. UNL administrators sometimes torget tneir purpose is to serve students, Marintzer said. He said issues such as the snow day policy, athletic ticket prices and tuition and student fee increases needed to be addressed. Students also are left out of the decision making process for the union expansion, he said. Only a limited number of students have seen expansion ideas at ASUN meetings, h.e said, and the pianning committees should keep students up-to-date with any new de velopments. More University Program Council events and better equipment in the Activities Build ing are needed on East Campus, Marintzer said, and he would address those issues if elected. He said he would take action by getting East Campus students to tell administrators about these problems. The ACTION party is talking to student organizations to find out what changes they want to see on campus, Marintzer said. Marintzer cited his experience as Gov ernment Liaison Committee chairman and ASUN senator and said he would perform well as ASUN president and student regent. Jason Bynum, Uie ACTION candidate for first vice president, said he wanted to let new students know they would not be “just a number” at the university. Bynum, who was a New Student Enroll ment leader last summer, said that issue “They won’t feel like a number because they have a friend in AS UN. ” JASON BYNUM 1st vice president candidate especially concerned freshmen. “They won’t feel like a number because they have a friend in ASUNhe said. Kara Marshall, ACTION’S candidate for second vice president, said protecting stu dents from bureaucracy was another impor tant issue. Marintzer called for a clean campaign leading up to the March 6 election. “There has been some mudslinging in past years,” Marintzer said. “We will be dealing with issues, and there’s no need for personal insults. “I call for the same courtesy from our opponents.” Senator wants state-brewed beer in stores By Ted Taylor Senior Reporter Although quality micro-breweries exist in Nebraska, you won’t find any of their products liquor store Legislature ’96 ✓ A & on shelves. At the same ume, uiose siores carry beer from more than 50 mi cro-breweries across the nation. But a proposed bill by Sen. Dave Landis of Lincoln could change that and put some Nebraska-brewed beer on tne racks and in the bars, next to brands like Great Divide, Black Dog and Boulevard. LB 1088 would allow Nebraska brewpub owners to not only manufac ture and package their beer, but to sell it through wholesalers to various re tail outlets across the state. “There are no major breweries in Nebraska any longer,” Landis said. “We import all our beer. These brewpubs and micro-breweries are home-grown industries employing Nebraskans and making money for Nebraskans.” Landis said Wednesday that since Monday’s General Affairs Commit tee hearing, he had taken out the word “distribute” in the bill to avoid a fight between the pubs and distributors. “Now the bill focuses on increased, expanded business opportunities,”he said. The bill also would increase the production limit for the breweries from 5,000 barrels to 15,000 barrels per year. Linda Vescio, owner of Lincoln’s Crane River Brewpub, which produces more than 1,000 barrels a year, said her beer was in great demand — a demand that goes unheeded. “Lots of our customers would like to get our beer at other places,” she said. “We would like to be able to put our excess product in other retail out lets.” But beer distributors and whole salers want to keep things the way they are within the industry’s three-tiered system — manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer. Vescio said the bill could create more brewpub or micro-brewery busi ness in the state. “If you make the business a little more profitable, you will attract more people,” she said. Dean Dobmeier, the brewmaster for The Jones Street Brewery in Omaha, said Nebraska was a state where small businesses such as brewpubs could thrive. “If this law is passed, it will result in new entities coming here.” Meanwhile, today the Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor committee will look at taking away brewpub and micro-brewery distribu tion privileges. Brewpubs and micro-breweries in that state have been able to distribute beer freely since 1989. Scott Smith, president of Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing Com pany in Fort Collins, said the House was targeting three specific Colorado brewers: Breckenridge, Broadway and the Rocky Brewing Co. Smith said the three started out small, just as his establishment, but had gone nationwide. “These big guys are distributing products all across the country, but still trying to say they are a small brewpub by throwing a restaurant in the comer ”