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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1996)
Daily Nebraskan Voters’ Guide ^ _IN NEBRASKA„„ Two battle for NU regents seat By Erin Schulte Senior Reporter Six years ago, NU Regent Nancy O’Brien won her seat on the board in a race where her opponent outspent her five to one. This year, Andrew Sigerson, an Omaha attorney and former president of the ASUN, hopes he can have the same luck in his race against O’Brien for the District 2 regent position. Sigerson has said he’s got a better perspective of what students want be cause of his age and experience as president of the Association of Stu dents of the University of Nebraska - from 1992-93. But O’Brien, of Waterloo, said she’s made changes during her term as regent that directly change life — foi the better — for nearly every student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln O’Brien pointed out accomplish ments she felt made life better for ev ery student: getting N-Roll and online registration for classes going. The same old drop-add lines tha she had while in school at UNL were unacceptable, she said, and new tech nology meant the university didn’t hav< to have that problem anymore. O’Brien also said she pushed to ge more transfer classes among NU cam puses. When she started her term a: regent, only 250 courses would trans fer. More than 800 classes are nov easily transferable, she said. Regents meetings have also beei made more open to die public since sh began her term, O’Brien said. Regent 66 UNL is a campus on solid ground and we must maintain the momentum ...” Nancy O’Brien « The only thing students... are going to be able to worry about is how to pay their debt ” Andrew Sigerson : are more credible to students because of open discussion at meetings. Stu dents can attend the meetings if they ‘ wish, she said. O’Brien lives in Waterloo and has s a doctorate in education administration from UNL. She served as chairwoman l of the Board of Regents last year. Sigerson said O’Brien abused her 5 position as a regent, and that the board - is virtual “royalty.” Last year, O’Brien 1 took more than 40 tickets for the Fi esta Bowl to distribute to people who i had contributed money to the univer ; sity. O’Brien said it was her job to fos s ter good relationships with those who contributed money to the university. Regents should spend less time tak ing things from the university, Sigerson said, and instead spend time figuring out how to lower costs for college stu dents, which is something he said he wanted to do if elected as a regent. Recent budget increases of around 6 percent each year are way too high, he said. Students often end up paying for it. “At the rate we’re going, the only thing students who graduate are going to be able to wary about is how to pay their debt,” Sigerson said. Sigerson said, if he was elected, he would vote to hold tuition increases over the next five years at the rate of inflation. One thing that should go up at NU is faculty salaries, he said. “We will never have as strong an academic university as we do an ath letic university if we do not reward our good faculty members,” Sigerson said. Teaching faculty should also be encouraged to get out and work in the real world, Sigerson said. Regents should support faculty who want to work, so they can teach real-world skills to their students. Sigerson said he’s heard complaints that college does not fully prepare students for the work ing world. O’Brien said her goals, if elected, would be to take care of deferred main tenance problems and create excel lence in UNL’s academic programs. Another area UNL has done well in, but needs to keep improving, is with using information technology and in teractive technology in the classroom, she said. “UNL is a campus on solid ground and we must maintain the momentum that has developed,” O’Brien said. NEA donates $100,000 for initiatives From The Associated Press The National Education As sociation has contributed $100,000 to support Nebraska initiatives 411 and 412, which deal with quality education and property tax relief Word of the donation from the two-million member national teacher’s union was included in a financial disclosure released ' Monday by Citizens for 411 and 412. Co-chairmen of the group, Bryce Neidig of the Nebraska Farm Bureau and Craig Christiansen of the Nebraska State Education Association said the group has raised $577,073 to * work for passage of the two bal lot questions. The measures seek to make education a fundamental right and state aid to education a para mount duty of the state and to ' cap property taxes. 26 seats open in Legislature races From The Associated Press Two appointed state senators hop>e to win their legislative seats in their own right, while two other incumbents face serious challenges. The four races are among 26 legis lative seats on ballots across Nebraska for the Nov. 5 election. At least one new state senator is guaranteed when the next session be gins in January. Three people are run ning for the Omaha area District 9 seat from which attorney John Lindsay re tired. Shelley Kiel and Robert Sivick were thought to be running a dead heat before John N. Klaus Becker also got on the ballot through petitions. The 25 odd-numbered districts in the 49-member officially nonpartisan, one-house Nebraska Legislature are up for election. In the only race in an even-num bered district, newly appointed Sen. Don Pederson of North Platte faces John Margritz for the two years remain ing in the District 42 seat that was va cated by Sen. David Bemard-Stevens of North Platte. Sens. Kate Witek of Omaha and Jim Jones of Eddyville re cently attended a fund-raiser in North Platte for Margritz. Both are Republi cans as are Margritz and Pederson. Another legislator appointed by Democratic Gov. Ben Nelson to fill a vacant seat, Democrat Lee Klein of ' Battle Creek, faces Norfolk Republi can Gene Tyson in the heavily Repub lican Madison County District 19. Klein filled a vacancy created when Sen. Connie Day of Norfolk resigned for health reasons. Day, who also was a Democrat, was elected in the after math of a redistricting struggle in 1992. She ran against four Republican chal lengers who petitioned onto the ballot and split the vote.* Incumbents appear to have the edge in most legislative races, but two face tight races. In District 3, state Sen. Mike Avery of Gretna faces a tough battle with Jon C. Bruning. hi District 35, Sen. Dan Fisher is locked in a tight race with Chris Peterson. Both Fisher and Peterson are pro life, pro-business Republicans. They live in the same neighboriiood in Grand Island and attend the same church. Fisher has saved on the Banking and Judiciary committees during his first four-year tom. Peterson is a member of the state Postsecondary Commission for Higher Education.