SPORTS
Recruiting hijinks
Frank Solich speaks, the experts speak, and so
does Josh Davis in the Daily Nebraskan’s 1999
football recruiting special. PAGE 6
] « & E
I Eclectic boogaloo
I From dodging police to teaching kids at commu
1 nity centers, breakdancer and graffiti artist
i Houston Alexander is making changes. PAGE 12
THURS AY
February 4, 1999
On the Upside
Mostly sunny, high 45. Cloudy tonight, low 31.
VOL. 98 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 94
Students are the focus
of newest ASUN party
ByIevaAugstums
Senior staff writer
A room full of students focused on
potential student government leaders
Wednesday at a rally celebrating their
candidacy.
Concentrating on the urgency that
the university “clearly focus on stu
dent-body needs,” Focus party mem
bers officially announced their candi
dacy for the March 3 ASUN student
i government elections.
* Paul Schreier, Focus party presi
dential candidate, said instead of
iff!
^forming a party platform, his party
went directly to students and asked
them what issues the Focus party
should concentrate on.
“Our goal is to refocus the univer
sity on the students - the very' reason
for its existence,” Schreier said. “Our
platform brings the university’s focus
back to students.”
Focus campaign manager Andy
Faltin said Focus candidates were
ready to respond to student needs.
For coverage of this week’s
ASUN meeting, please see
story on page 3.
“From diversity to campus beauty,
this campaign is focused on making
this university a better place for every
one,” Faltin said.
Jon England, Focus party first vice
presidential candidate, said one of his
goals was to make sure the NU athlet
ic department was responsive to stu
Please see FOCUS on 3
U—mi , ft ^mrWT.I I i_
Sandy Summers/DN
TRISHA MEURET, Focus party second vice president candidate, takes down
her party’s banner Wednesday afternoon in the Nebraska Union. The Focus
party announced its candidacy for student government executive positions
in the Crib.
Daniel Luedert/DN
NEBRASKA SEN. RAY JANSSEN listens to Sen. Ardyce Bohlke while she discusses LB149, a bill concerning the state aid for schools, on
the Legislature floor Wednesday.
Legislators debate school aid
By Shane Anthony
Staff writer
State senators looked backward and for
ward Wednesday before passing a state school
aid bill to the next round.
While debating LB 149, veteran senators
explained legislation that led to a $22 million
miscalculation in state aid last year. Not every
one was convinced LB 149 would bring stabil
ity to the complex state aid formula, but most
senators spoke in favor of the bill, which
passed on a 42-0 vote.
“An error isn’t a mistake until you refuse to
correct it,” said Hastings Sen. Ardyce Bohlke
as she opened debate.
The error, she said, was the result of sever
al bills during the past decade. On Dec. 1,
1997, she said, schools received certification
of state aid for 1998. Schools planned their
budgets - including staffing and course offer
ing decisions - on those numbers, she said.
It was the first time state aid was calculat
ed using a three-year estimate under LB806.
On Dec. 1, Bohlke said, 1998 state aid was
recalculated, called a “re-spin,” based on actu
al numbers. The re-spin showed schools would
have to pay back $22 million in cuts to this
year’s state aid if the Legislature did not act.
The re-spin occurs every year, and some
fluctuations are common, she said, but not $22
million.
“By and large it is our mess, not the mess
of children sitting in our classrooms,” she said.
Speaker Doug Kristensen spoke about
bills dating back 10 years.
“State aid has been a fight in this state
since the day it was designed,” he said.
LB 1059, a bill passed in 1989, created a
pot for school funding, he said. Schools
received per-pupil money and equalization
money.
Then, in 1996, the Legislature passed
LB 1114, limiting property tax levies, he said.
Harrison Sen. Bob Wickersham said that
LB806, passed in 1997, framed a means for
calculating state aid to make up funding
schools lost under LB 1114.
The formula, he said, is needs minus
Please see SCHOOL on 2
Bill targeting
alcohol use by
minors passes
in committee
By Jessica Fargen
Senior staff writer
A bill that would stiffen penalties for minors
who consume or possess alcohol and boost fines for
liquor retailers who continually sell to minors was
advanced by the General Affairs Committee on
Tuesday.
The bill picked up several amendments
Wednesday, said Ken Winston, legal counsel for
Stanton Sen. Stan Schellpeper. If adopted, LB 126,
would make Nebraska one of 33 states with drivers
license suspension for a minor in possession of
alcohol offense.
Under LB 126, sponsored by Schellpeper,
minors caught drinking alcohol would be slapped
with a mandatory $250 fine and an automatic six
month drivers-license suspension on their first
offense. Fines and suspension periods increase as a
minor racks up more MIP tickets.
Under an MIP probation, minors would lose
their licenses for 90 days for a first offense.
Martin Costello, Alcohol and Tobacco
Enforcement Coordinator for the Nebraska State
Patrol, said the amended bill cleared up some gray
areas in MIP law.
“It does plug a couple of loopholes,” Costello
said. “I think there’s some questions that need to be
answered before we know exactly how it would be
interpreted.”
Under the amended bill, minors could be cited
for MIP for consumption if a police officer sees
them drinking or if they appear drunk. Evidence of
intoxication or breath that smells like alcohol would
be indicators of consumption.
The bill would adopt a zero tolerance policy,
which would mean .01 percent of alcohol in a
minor’s blood would constitute consumption. The
minor would have the right to request a chemical
Please see ALCOHOL on 2
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