ASL N puts vote to students
March vote will decide whether
senate composition will change
By Kim Sweet
Staffwriter
Four hours of emotional debate
Wednesday ended in a vote to put a
proposed constitutional amendment
that would change the face of student
government on the March student
election ballot
After many appeals by senators
and a handful of students, the
Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska voted 18-9 to
let students decide whether senate
composition should change.
Under the amendment, the compo
sition would be changed so that 25 of
the elected members would be voted
on by college? 10 by place of residence.
Five at-large members also would be
elected to seats allocated specifically
for underrepresented groups.
Speaker Matt Boyd said he was
pleased the amendment passed and
would be left up to student vote.
“I feel we made the correct deci
sion tonight,” he said. “I feel giving
more people an opportunity to have
their voices heard is great.”
If two-thirds of the student body
votes for the amendment in March,
ASUN’s constitution would be
changed, and the senate composition
would reflect the change in the 2000
2001 school year.
Graduate student senator Jeff
Woodford, who voted against putting
the proposed amendment on the ballot,
said leaving five at-large seats open to
underrepresented groups jeopardized
representation and would lead to dis
crimination
“It’s a sad day for the senate,”
Woodford said. “Tonight we voted for
state-sponsored, government-enabled
discrimination and did it under the
guise of representation.”
Arts and Sciences senator Kara
Slaughter, who also voted against the
amendment, said she was happy
despite the amendment’s success.
“Regardless of one position or
another, I think this was a really impor
tant discussion to have,” she said. “I
think it shows student government has
realty come into an era of not being
afraid to take on the most difficult
issues.”
Earlier in the night, Slaughter
expressed her discontent on changing
the constitution, something she said
was permanent.
Instead of changing the constitu
tion, Slaughter said, the senators had to
make the body more representative by
going out and working to serve all stu
dents - not by making the students
come to ASUN.
President Sara Russell, who
brought forth the amendment die has
been working on since the summer,
pleaded with the senate during the
debate to accept it.
OuesJSlftweek
If the senate were to add five
underrepresented groups, which j
groups should receive these
seats and how should they be
chosen?
«==^=^=ss=2=:»
ASUN can govern better with your responses.;
Respond to: asunl @unl.edu
Russell shared her experience as a
senator two years ago when ASUN
was dealing with the aftermath of a
cross-burning by Sigma Chi
Fraternity.
Unable to understand the impact of
the effect a cross-burning had on the
black community, the senate did not
act as effectively as it could have if it
were a more-diverse, representative
body, Russell said.
“The senate took action, but I don’t
think we represented students right.”
Russell said a more representative
senate would help deal with sensitive
issues, such as the cross-burning, more
effectively.
The next step senators will take is
to convince the student body of the
pros and cons of the amendment,
something that both sides will likely
take on as passionately as Wednesday
night’s debate, Woodford said.
“I’m sure there will be a group of
senators campaigning hard to pass it,
and a group of senators campaigning
hard to defeat it.”
Court denies Lamms’
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plea; lawyer to appeal
REEVES from page 1
been heard.
“If victims support the prose
cution, then the law supports you,”
Hutchinson said.
Brown said that Hutchinson’s
claim is not a legal issue.
“I’m not surprised that Paula
takes that position, but I don’t have
a comment on that,” Brown said. “I
am neither involved in, nor privy to
the (Pardons) Board’s decision on
those matters.”
Cheuvront cited three other
points of law in his decision:
■ The district court does not
have jurisdiction in this matter.
■ The Pardons Board decision
. whether to hold a clemency hear
ing is not subject to this kind of
court order.
- ■ There is no provision in
Nebraska’s constitution for imple
menting the provisions of the vic
tim’s bill of rights.
Many of the points in the
court’s decision came directly from
Brown’s arguments against the
motion.
Reeves was scheduled to die in
Nebraska’s electric chair Jan. 14,
but the state Supreme Court stayed
the execution Jan. 12 to allow time
to consider this motion and anoth
er appeal in Reeves’ case.
The other appeal under consid
a
If victims support
the prosecution,
then the law
supports you”
Paula Hutchinson
attorney
eration by the Nebraska Supreme
Court argues that, among other
things, Reeves was discriminated
against during the process that sen
tenced him to death.
This appeal is based upon the
equal protection clause that
Nebraskans voted into the consti
tution in November.
Hutchinson argued that the
wording of the state’s equal protec
tion clause would allow the use of
overall statistics to prove discrimi
nation in the death penalty - some
thing the U.S. Supreme Court has
not allowed.
Brown said last week that the
provision should not be retroac
tive.
The equal protection appeal
also argues that the electric chair
constitutes cruel and unusual pun
ishment.
UNL student races to biking victories
BMXfrom page 16
California with Fellin and perfect
their craft.
Now he’s back in school and has to
carefully plan his schedule around
racing.
That means no Friday classes, he
said, and coping with unsympathetic
professors, who can’t understand why
somebody would go to California just
for a bicycle race.
As for staying caught up with his
studies, Richard said, “I try to get all
my homework done on the plane. I’d
get too much crap if I’d try to do it at
the track.”
Bringing out the troops
On the national circuit, Richard is
known by his nickname, “The
Ripper,” and he and Fellin have devel
oped a reputation for both their racing
abilities and their knack for having an
entourage of strippers cheer them on
at all the big races. At every major
race, at least five strippers show up.
Richard calls the arrival of this
quirky fan base “bringing out the
I—
troops.”
“We just know a lot of strippers,”
he said. “People get bummed that we
do it, but we’re just out to have a good
time” • -
“I just want to make
a dent in the sport
During the 1998 season, Richard’s
win at the World Cup in June put him
in contention to reach his ultimate
goal - a national championship.
Two months later, he suffered an
Evel Knievel-style injury - a torn
anterior cruciate ligament and a fibu
la that was cracked in 10 different
places. One bad jump had obliterated
his goal and knocked him out for the
rest of the racing season, which runs
January through Thanksgiving each
year.
Now, after surgery to repair the
torn ligament and months of intense
physical therapy, Richard can com
pete again. So far, he has spent the off
season regaining strength in his
injured leg.
When he makes his professional
debut this year, strippers and other
distractions aside, Richard’s focus in
BMX will be to increase the sport’s
exposure. He wants to see Nebraska
known for more than corn and foot
ball among racers nationwide.
He also has a message for parents:
“Don’t let your kids grow up to play
lame sports like football or baseball.
Let them do something that’s cool and
be extreme athletes.”
When he graduates next
December, Richard plans to move out
to California, a state that’s more his
style and one in which he’s a known
celebrity, and race until his body says
no.
After that, he plans on putting his
business knowledge to use by starting
a clothing company.
As for his chances of being the
first pro BMX racer to come from
Nebraska since 1982, gOrk, editor of
BMXer Magazine said, “If Robbie’s
serious about doing the time and
putting in the effort, he could be up
there. He’s definitely proven he’s got
the determination.”
And yes, according to gOrk,
Richard and Fellin are indeed
“famous for having the rad blondes in
the pits.”
u—
Don’t let your kids grow up to play lame
sports like football or baseball. Let them
do something thats cool and be
extreme athletes.”
Robbie Richards
bicycle racing champion
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Stenberg announces
2000 Senate candidacy
STENBERG from page 1
motivation for running
“I wasn’t expecting it this early,”
Boyle said. “I thought he would at
least get the ink dry on his oath of
office before he decided to run for
U.S. Senate.”
Boyle said Stenberg has not
shown a real commitment to his cur
rent office of attorney general, into
which 68 percent of voters elected
him in November.
“After barely being sworn in two
weeks ago, now he’s announcing he
will run for another office,” Boyle
said. “He doesn’t seem to want to
stay where he is.
“I don’t know why he ran for re
election.”
This is not Stenberg’s first
attempt at the Senate. He lost the
Republican Senate primary in 1996
to Chuck Hagel, who eventually
defeated then-Gov. Ben Nelson, a
Democrat
Hagel said hq, was pleased with
Stenbeig’s announcement.
“I’m glad Don’s going to do it,”
he said. “He’s going to make a very
credible and strong candidate.
Nebraska knows him; there’s no
guessing about Don. He’s smart and
tough.”
Nelson’s name is another that
has been tossed around as a possible
Senate contender, but Boyle did not
think Nelson would run.
Boyle said Nelson, who now
works for an Omaha law firm,
recently told her he was enjoying pri
vate life. She said Nelson, rumored
to be considering a switch to the
Republican Party, is not interested in
running against Kerrey in the
Democratic primary.
We’ve
moved.
(Stop by and
check out the
new pad.)
Daily
Nebraskan
Online
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