Republicans criticize Nelson
Nebraska GOP leaders defend Hagel after governor’s accusations
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
Nebraska’s Republican leaders
criticized Gov. Ben Nelson
Wednesday, saying accusations of
shady dealings on the part of Chuck
Hagel’s former company crossed
boundari&o of ethical politics.
In a press conference at the State
Capitol building, seven of the
state’s top elected Republicans de
nounced Nelson for turning the
campaign to the negative side.
Speakers, including Hagel’s
former senatorial rival Don
Stenberg, said Nelson’s attacks
were “blatant lies.”
The flap came after the Nelson
campaign said Friday that Hagel
had, among other things, rigged a
Federal Communications Commis
sion lottery for rights to cellular
phone markets and struck a deal to
avoid investigation.
Hagel’s response to the accusa
tions against his former cellular
company Vanguard has been heated
at times, calling them “straight-out
lies” and the governor “a liar.”
On Wednesday, Hagel was more
somber, saying an attack on
someone’s reputation is one of the
worst attacks.
“The only thing a person takes
to their grave is their reputation,”
Hagel said. “You’re dam right I’ll
fight it hard.”
The Republican candidate for
the U.S. Senate hinted at possible
legal action against the Nelson cam
paign, saying, “When we make a
decision, we’ll let you know.”
Adam Branting, Nelson’s
spokesman, said Hagel was the only
one hurt by the accusations.
“He was the guy who thumbed
his nose at the system and rigged a
lottery,” he said. “And when he gets
caught he turns red like a 5-year old
and says he’s sorry.”
But Wednesday it was
Nebraska’s top Republicans doing
most of the talking.
U.S. Rep. Doug Bereuter, State
Auditor John Breslow, State Trea
surer Dave Heineman, Lincoln
Mayor Mike Johanns and Stenberg
ii
The only thing a
person takes to
: ■ j '
their grave is their
reputation. You’re
darn right I’ll
fight it hard.”
Chuck Hagel
Republican candidate for Senate
all condemned Nelson.
Breslow said Nelson was avoid
ing talk about his record, which he
said was about broken property tax
pledges and finishing his term.
“When that is your record, you
do what Ben Nelson is doing—you
smear your opponent,” he said.
Branting scoffed at the list of
speakers, saying most had political
ambitions as motives for speaking.
ASUN approves Big 12 student alliance
By Tasha E. Kelter
Staff Reporter
Senators at Wednesday’s ASUN
meeting on East Campus unanimously
approved a bill that unified the stance
of student governments of the Big 12
schools.
The alliance was formed to give the
schools a stronger voice with which
to lobby the federal government on
higher gxfri&ftion issues.'"- ’• - r
Eric Marihtzef, president of the
Association of the Students of the Uni
versity of Nebraska, said the creation
of the alliance will not eliminate
ASUN’s and UNL’s autonomy.
“We want to make sure we have
our own decision-making capabili
ties.”
In other ASUN news, Marintzer
said he was pleased with the turnout
of Tuesday’s mock election, especially
the results of Initiatives 411 and 412,
which were defeated by about 75 per
cent.
Marintzer encouraged the senators
DDHIKL»
to tell their families and friends about
the initiatives.
“You might not be able to influence
them, but it’s worth a try.”
Also at the meeting, appointments
were approved for the Publications
Board and the College of Law posi
tions. Travis Brandt was appointed to
Publications Board, and Jayson
Nelson, ASUN’s new law senator, will
be sworn in at next week’s meeting.
Pumpkinfest showcases
spooky Halloween art
By Tasha E. Kelter
Staff Reporter
Spooky, elaborate and Husker
themedjack-o’-lanterns lit up the Ne
braska Union’s food court at Wednes
day night’s Pumpkinfest.
The third-annual homage to the
orange squash was organized by Chi
Omega sorority to benefit the Ne
braska Stroke Foundation.
About 80 pumpkins were entered
in the contest, earning more than
$3,000 for the foundation. Last year’s
Pumpkinfest earned $2,600, said Tami
Feit, junior math major and Chi Omega
philanthropy chairwoman.
James Griesen, vice chancellor for
student affairs, qras one of the
Pumpkinfest’sjudges.Nancy Osborne,
was also a judge.
Griesen said he wasmtpressed with
some of the pumpkins' intricacy.
“All the prizewinners rea% did a
remarkable job,” he said. ^There’s a
lot of cleverness reflected.”
Grand prize went to a Lincoln Gen
eral Hospital employee, whose entry
was a blue-painted glittered pumpkin
with stars and moons carved into it.
Jan Eden-Neal, who carved the
Great Pumpkin, said she was trying for
a “celestial theme” with her pumpkin.
She said she would display the pump
kin at the hospital.
“I’m sure eventually it will end up
in our home,” she said, laughing.
First prize for the most difficult
pumpkin went to Jim Buchanan, fresh
man electrical engineering major, who
brought a pumpkin with an intricately
carved spiderweb.
It took Buchanan six hours to carve
the pumpkin, using small saws and
paring knives.
“I don’t use any huge steak knives
or anything like that,” he said,
Buchanan won an 86-pound pump
kin, which organizers said was the
largest grown in Nebraska. He said he
plans to immortalize two greek houses
in gourd by carving Phi Kappa Psi and
Chi Omega on the pumpkin and dis
playing it in front of his house.
“It took a lot of sweat and a lot of
hard work,” he said.
Kathleen Arends, 11, a fifth-grader
at Calvert Elementary, won first prize
in the youth division with her election
inspired elephant pumpkin.
Arends used one pumpkin for the
elephant’s face and cut up another one
for the ears and trunk. As a finishing
touch, she stuck two American flags
out the top of the elephant’s head.
“I wanted to just use one, but my
mom said, ‘No, it would look better
with two,”’ she said.
Other awards were given for the
best Husker-themed and spookiest
pumpkins.
Scott Wright, a senior general stud
ies major, won the “Husker Spirit”
award. Barb Feit, a substitute elemen
tary teacher, won first prize for the
spookiest pumpkin.
Pumpkinfest was supposed to be
outside the Chi Omega house on 16th
and R streets, but was moved into the
union because of the weather.
“I think the atmosphere would have
been more fun outside with the crisp
fall feeling,” Feit said.
Organizers said that last year there
were so many people looking at the
pumpkins when they were lined up
outside the Chi Omega house that the
pumpkins couldn’t be seen from the
street.
The first Pumpkinfest was about
one-third the size of Wednesday’s, said
Karyl Newman, Chi Omega alumna
and founder of the Stroke Foundation.
Feit said her goal was to get so
many pumpkins they’d need “some
where like the steps of the Capitol” to
display them all.
“Give us 10 years.”
I