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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1998)
£ Candidates show accord By Brian Carlson Senior Reporter FREMONT - The hottest sparks that flew at Sunday night’s Republican gubernatorial debate in Fremont were in the grill John Breslow’s supporters used to cook some pre-debate hamburgers. GOP gubernatorial candidates Breslow, Jon Christensen, and Mike Johanns showed broad agreement on conservative principles, often using similar language as they spoke of the need for tax breaks, greater government efficiency, family values and programs for retaining Nebraska’s brightest stu dents during the debate, sponsored by the Dodge County Republican Party. Although the proceedings were amicable, candidates disagreed about plans to limit government spending and provide tax relief. Breslow, die state auditor, promised to reduce spending by 5 percent during each year of his term by improving effi ciency. He also would slash property taxes by 25 percent, he said Christensen, the 2nd congressional district’s member of the US. House of Representatives, favors tax breaks cemented by a constitutional amend ment limiting the growth of state spend ing to 1 to 2 percent per year. Johanns, the mayor of Lincoln, sup ports a constitutional amendment to cap state spending and efforts to lower the tax burden. He emphasized the impor tance of limiting state mandates that local governments have difficulty car rying out because of local spending lids. Breslow compared state govern ment to a gas-guzzling car. By eliminat ing wasteful spending in state entities, Breslow said, state government can save enough to provide property tax relief. “I’m in favor of very strong lids on state and local government spending,” he said “Right now the loopholes in lid laws are huge.” Johanns said he has proven his abil ity to lower taxes. He also transformed a $1 million deficit at the time he took office in 1991 to an $18 million surplus today, he said Johanns said his proposal for tax relief would address the state’s labor shortage and student “brain drain” by providing economic incentives for employment in Nebraska. The debate lacked fireworks or harsh words, but in interviews after the debate, candidates were more critical. Christensen said Breslow’s property tax relief proposal would be a tough sell in the State Capitol. “Every commercial should have a little disclaimer saying, ‘Subject to approval of 49 legislators,”’ he said Breslow defended his plan, noting it had the support of former GOP gover nors Charley Thone and Kay Orr and Omaha tax watchdog Ed Jaksha. Breslow, who handed out press releases claiming he led in the polls with 33 percent to Christensen’s 23 per cent and Johanns’ 20 percent, said he would run a positive campaign, and Johanns reiterated his pledge to make no attacks on his opponents. Store owner says closing forced by UNL By Brad Davis Senior Reporter The owner of downtown Lincoln’s Nebraska Spirit store said he’s being forced to close his store because of unfair competition from UNL. Brent White, owner of Nebraska Spirit, which also houses the Greek Shop, said it was no longer prof itable to design and sell Nebraska athletic wear because two govern ment-run competitors were less than a half-mile away from his shop. The University ofNebraska Lincoln’s University Bookstore, along-With UNL’s newly opened Htrsk^rs-Authentit; store, have proved to be too much competition for his store, he said. And when a government agency competes against you, White said, it has considerable advantages as a tax-exempt entity. But Gary Fouraker, UNL’s Associate Athletic Director for Business Affairs, said White had been “singing this song” for some time, and if other stores could com pete, so could White’s. “It’s funny that there seem to be a lot of other stores that carry Nebraska merchandise that don’t seem to be having the same prob lem,” Fouraker said. In any event, Fouraker said, Huskers Authentic carries different merchandise than White’s store. Huskers Authentic bills itself as carrying some merchandise not available anywhere else - most of which is worn by NU athletic teams. White said Huskers Authentic’s original plan was to carry merchan dise that could not be found at other stores. But now, White said, about 75 percent of the store’s inventory could be found somewhere else. "It’s a competition for revenue,” White said, “no matter what they sell. “That $150 for a jacket could have been spent at any private busi ness. A jacket is still a jacket.” Nebraska Spirit, White said, designs and produces its own appar el, which eliminates the “middle man” between factories and stores. At the beginning of the year, White said, he put his Nebraska Spirit and Team Spirit screen print ing businesses up for sale, but with the increased competition Huskers Authentic posed, he was unable to sell the store. White is requesting the universi ty close Huskers Authentic’s doors and move its inventory to the University Bookstore. If closed, White said, the exist ing Authentic store could become an NU Hall of Fame museum. He said it didn’t make any sense for UNL to operate two stores sell ing basically the same thing. Huskers Authentic’s closing would bring justice to the taxpayers of the state, White said, by closing a store that competed against its own citizens. But in a letter to the Lincoln Independent Business Association, UNL Chancellor James Moeser said shoppers would pay the same taxes at the university store as they would at any other store. “While it is the case that the uni versity is exempt from certain taxes, it is not the case that merchandise sales are exempt from any sales tax,” he said. Party seeks diversity inASUN mimm 1 irom pagei Miller said COMMIT’s proposed NU Week of campuswide activities, similar to Homecoming, and an improved environment for internation al students would make more students feel welcome at UNL and ASUN. Miller said right now he did not feel represented in ASUN. “As a student of color, I can sympa thize with international students,” Miller said. “With COMMIT we are very open and very willing to make personal visits and let them know we care.” Miller said the biggest problem at UNL was “the (racial) divide,” but an ASUN senate with all types of students could help close that divide. I uiversuy is so mucn more man ethnic and racial backgrounds,” Linder said. “It’s about different perspectives and being involved with different things.” Linda:, who is a student assistant in Schramm Hall, said COMMIT senato rial candidates such as Miller, Urrvano Gomez, a member of Latinos United in Pursuit of Academic Excellence; Paul Schreier, who works heavily with UNL Information Services; and Olusegun Okubanjo, a UNL graduate student from England all would bring different perspectives to COMMIT. COMMIT’s platform also includes updating the ASUN Web site, introduc ing an award for instructor best inte grating technology in the classroom, ana oeginning an aiconoi-awareness orientation for new students. Through continued personal visits to student organizations by Hoffschneider and Linder, Russell said COMMIT remains on a mission to hear different opinions. “People tend to appreciate personal contact,” Russell said. “You take time out of your day to come see them.” Linder said when she attends stu dent organization meetings she is always listening for student concerns to add to ho* idea page. “Our platform was developed from ideas and concerns students brought to us,” Linder said. “We did not start it until January because we wanted to find students concerns.” — Editor: Paula Lavigne Managing Editor: Chad Lorenz Associate News Editor: Erin Schulte Associate Newt Editor: Ted Taylor Assignment Editor: Erin Gibson Opinion Editor: Joshua Gillin Sports Editor: David Wilson Que*tk>ns? Comments? Ask for the appropriate section editor at A&E Editor: Jefj Randall (402) 472-2588 or e-maH dn@unlinfo.unl.edu. Copy Desk Chief: Bryce Glenn Photo Director: Ryan Soderlin Fax number: (402) 472-1761 Design Co*Chiefs: {Slf-S*1" World Wide Web: www.unl.edu/DaityNeb Art Director The Daily Nebraskan (USPS144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34, rggL 1400 R St, Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monday through Friday duming the academic year; weekly during Asst Online Editor: AmvPemberton the summer sessions.The public has access to the Publications Board. 7 Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by calfing General Manager: DanShattil (402)472-2588. Publications Board Melissa Myles, Subscriptions are $55 for one year. Chairwoman: (402)476-2446 Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln NE Professional Adviser: Don Walton, 68588-0448. Periodical postage paid at Lincoln, NE. .. w (402)473-7301 ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1998 Advertising Manager: Nick Partsch, THE DAILY NEBRASKAN . (402)472-2589 Assistant Ad Manager: Daniel Lam _ _____ _ _ _____ , Classified Ad Manager. Mami Speck Staff has final say on rigor RIGOR from page 1 devoting their time to studying, not to cashiering at a grocery store. Because the changes Bahar calls for are societal, he said many people, including university faculty, students, parents and legislators, had to be involved in working toward a solution. The solution, Bahar said, is allow ing students to attend a university without working at jobs that have nothing to do with their majors. With the extra time students will have by not working, Bahar said, they could take advantage of world-class opportunities at UNL. Bahar said students have to put in the effort to take advantage of special programs like undergraduate research, which he said was offered at UNL. “It’s very hard to make students do anything that doesn’t contribute immediately to their objective, which is just getting by,” Bahar said. To go beyond “just getting by,” Bahar said, he creates challenging courses for his students. But because UNL’s student body consists of both those at the top of their classes and the average “rank and-file student,” it is necessary for Bahar to teach at two levels. “The top students cannot be short changed,” Bahar said, “but we can’t say (to the average students), ‘We’re going to put up die post, and if you can’t jump over it, you’re done.’” Sean Courtney, professor of voca tional and adult education, said facul ty members should strive to use innov ative ways of teaching. By implementing “learner-based” teaching, Courtney said, the concern with academic rigor would take care of itself. “(New research) is forcing us to rethink what classrooms are about and what the role of the teacher is in stu dent learning,” Courtney said. He said traditional classrooms in which the teacher was the center of learning were outdated. Instead, rigorous classrooms are those where students and teachers have a dialogue with each other, and a teacher is more of a “facilitator” than a lecturer, Courtney said. The assessment x>f learning, Courtney said, was something under consideration by many faculty mem bers. Research shows, Courtney said, that students learn better when they set class goals and assess their comple tion of those goals along with teach ers., “You do have to give grades,” Courtney said, “but grades become less important than the fact that the students themselves are sensing what they’re learning, along with die teach ers.” The focus of academic rigor dis cussions, Courtney said, should be on teaching. Ford said continuing discussions will help “academic rigor” become a reality in all UNL classes. “I want to say that we shcfuldjust tend to our garden - just worry about students when they get here - and we should do that,” Ford said. “But we also, as universities, need to try to influence society.” Alleged murderer arrested Lincoln’s SWAT Team was called into action Thursday afternoon to apprehend a man wanted for murder in Omaha. James Bradley was arrested at a home in the 1600 block of Southwest 10th Street after he fled, nude, out the back door of his house. Bradley didn’t get far before SWAT Team members made the arrest, Lincoln Police Sgt. Terry Sherrill said. Bradley was wanted for the September 1997 murder of Victor McFarlane, Omaha Police Sgt. Bill Kingston said. McFarlane had just arrived at his veterinarian Is office with his dog when Bradley burst in the door, shot the dog and McFarlane. Bradley was positively identified by a witness at the scene of the murder, and police have been looking for him since September. Bradley was transferred back to Omaha Friday, where he will be tried for murder. Men arrested for possession Police arrested two men for posses sion of crack cocaine around 10 p.m. Thursday after the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant at a home in the 1600 block ofWhittier Street Mickey Williams, 33, and Terrion Atkins, 18, were arrested at their home after police found nearly 40 grams of crack cocaine and $1,600 cash, Lincoln Police Narcotics Capt Duane Bullock said. Both men were arrested for posses sion of a controlled substance, ami more charges could follow. The children found at the house were taken by social services, and the men were also cited for neglect Complaints from neighbors led police to the home, which they kept under surveillance for a couple of weeks before obtaining the warrant Chlorine found in water Firefighters* spent six hours Thursday night tracking down the source of a high concentration of chlo rine in the water systemj)n West O Street that gave some Super 8 Motel customers an unpleasant shower. Calls reporting a stinging sensation in the shower accompanied by a strong chlorine smell began coming in from the Super 8 Motel, 2635 W. O St., around 10 p.m., Lincoln Fire Department Chief Ron Kennett said. Firefighters tested the water in sur rounding businesses to find the extent of the contamination. The chlorine originated from a new water main on West A Street that had been installed recently. As a precaution, the water department always sanitizes new pipes with a high concentration of chlorine. One of the valves on the new pipe leaked, sending the chlorine into the water system. Once the source of the chlorine was pinpointed, firefighters shut off the valve and opened fire hydrants to drain tiie pipe. After the affected businesses ran their faucets for a few minutes, the chlo rine was gone. The only lingering effect of the chlorine was some additional sediment in the water system Friday that could, be eliminated by running the water for a few minutes. Don’t steal the Charmin A homeless man was arrested for stealing a package of Charmin Bath Tissue from the Region Three group home at 1405 C Street 4:30 am. Friday. An employee found Danny Edwards, 31, hiding behind the office door after tiie employee was awakened by noise in the office, Sherrill said. Edwards, holding a package of Charmin, told the employee he was just looking for a place to stay. While the employee called the police Edwards ducked out, but police caught up with him not far from the home. Edwards matched the description so police conducted a pat-down search, which revealed the missing Charmin. Edwards was arrested for burglary. Compiled by Senior Reporter Josh Funk
