ASUN continues rei
By Kim Sweet
Staff writer
Lengthy debate ensued for the
second week in a row at Wednesday’s
ASUN meeting, as two senators
endorsed changes of a controversial
proposed constitutional amendment
After flip-flopping numerous
times, the Association of Students of
the University of Nebraska voted
down both amendments.
At issue in the senate composition
debate were five at-laige seats intend
ed to be allocated to groups that his
' torically have been underrepresented.
Also included in the proposed
amendment, which will be voted on
by students March 3, is a group of 10
representatives voted in based on then
place of residence.
Human Rights Chairman Andy
Schuerman proposed an amendment
to precede any possible legal ramifi
cations that could stem from designat
ing seats for underrepresented
groups.
The amendment required candi
dates to sign that they were represent
ing an underrepresented group on
campus.
Schuerman said legally, the senate
could not verify whether a candidate
actually represented a minority group.
He also said they would not be
able to define which groups have been
underrepresented.
66
This is not what I
wanted to do with
this issue.”
Andy Schuerman
human rights chairman
While Schuerman said he was
personally in favor of setting aside at
large seats based on specific cate
gories, he also said ASUN was limited
in what it could do.
“This is not what I wanted to do
with this issue,” Schuerman said.
“Unfortunately, we are all bound by
democratic and constitutional bound
aries that we have to stay in.”
While the first amendment gained
a majority of the senators’ support, it
failed to get the two-thirds vote it
needed to pass.
Immediately after the defeat of
Schuerman’s amendment, Graduate
Studies Senator Jeff Woodford
brought an amendment forward to get
rid of the five at-large seats.
After handing out a large packet
of documents detailing laws and cases
in the United States that have dealt
ASUN hopefuls make their Voices heard
VOICE from page 1
Shannon said the candidates will
use their experience, dedication and
desire to ensure that every student’s
input is heard.
Miller said one method of guar
anteeing this would be passage of an
amendment approvingsfive special
ly assigned seats in the senate.
Supporters of the seats have said
the seats would be allocated to
underrepresented groups on cam
pus, such as certain minority
groups.
The senate recently voted to
place the amendment on the March
3 ballot. Students have the final say
in whether the amendment will pass.
“The'Voice party is for at-large
seats in the Senate,” Miller said.
“That will allow all students to be
represented.”
In her four years at UNL,
Winkle said, many students’ voices
have not been heard.
“I want to touch the people that
haven’t been touched,” she said.
Winkle postponed graduation
and tabled a study abroad program
to run for vice president, she said.
Though her decision caused a major
change in plans, she said it was
worth it.
“This is the last chance I have to
make a deference on this campus,”
Winkle said. “I’m committed 100
percent”
In addition to promoting student
involvement in ASUN, the Voice
party also wants to develop a safe
ride home program and a communi
ty networking program, Winkle said.
Schuerman said change is need
ed in student government.
He said the Voice party planned
to collaborate with various campus
media to keep students informed
and also intended to hold periodic
roundtable discussions for students
to attend.
“We will do all we can to bring
together the collective power of the
university - the students.”
with discrimination and affirmative
action, Woodford said the amendment
discriminated.
ASUN is considered a private
body, he said. If it were a state body,
Woodford said, five seats allocated to
special groups would be illegal.
While ASUN isn’t held to the
same laws as other state bodies,
Woodford said, the senate has obliga
tions as a legislative body.
“In many ways we here in the sen
ate are like a jury, ” Woodford said.
Woodford’s amendment failed to
pass, though some senators supported
it.
Arts and Sciences Senator Kara
Slaughter supported the amendment
and criticized die special seats, saying
the representation on the senate would
be appreciated more if it was earned.
She said reaching out to the cam
pus would solve the problem at its
roots andliring more respect to the
senate. Working to reach underrepre
sented groups, Slaughter said, would
bring a more long-lasting solution to
the problem of underrepresentation.
Graduate Studies Senator Jason
Boykin disagreed. He said the amend
ment wouldn’t give seats away, but
instead would give underrepresented
groups the chance to earn a voice in
student government.
“I think we’re creating an opportu
nity to earn that spot. In creating an
opportunity to earn that spot, we’re
saying there’s a seat there that you are
qualified for, and you can run for it.”
Man attempted to enter
Capitol with explosives
■ The man, who had
tickets to the impeachment
trial, wascarrying a bag
with a knife in it that he
said was for protection.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A
Maryland man with tickets to the
Senate impeachment trial was
arrested last week when he tried to
bring a bag containing an 18-inch
knife and two Explosives into the
Capitol, The Washington Post
reported in its editions today.
Walter Wilson Johnson, 36, of
Capitol Heights, Md., was stopped
by Capitol Police at 2 p.m. Jan. 20
when they checked the bag on an
X-ray machine. At the time,
President Clinton’s lawyers, led by
special counsel Gregory B. Craig,
were presenting their second day of
opening arguments before a crowd
ed Senate chamber. Johnson told
police he kept the knife for “protec
tion,” authorities said.
Capitol Police said a search of
Johnson’s bag also turned up two
M-60 explosive devices, a “terror
ist handbook,” weapons price lists,
an article on the Oklahoma City
bombing, survivalist materials and
a Soldier of Fortune magazine. One
law enforcement source likened the
M-60 devices to bottle rockets and
said Johnson had no match or
lighter that day to ignite them.
Johnson was jailed without
bond on charges of carrying a dan
gerous weapon and illegal explo
sives. On Monday, a federal judge
ordered he be held pending a psy
chiatric evaluation and set a follow
up hearing for March 17 after cit
ing reports that Johnson has a bipo
lar disorder.
Authorities said Johnson’s
arrest marked the first such inci
dent during the impeachment trial.
He was stopped at the entrance to
the Capitol’s law library, the area
being used for admission to the
Senate gallery. If he had gotten past
that entrance, police said, he would
have faced another search before
gaining entrance to the Senate
gallery overlooking the Senate
floor. There, all bags must be
checked.
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