Tax credits help fight tuition costs
By Andrew Broer
Staff writer
Students this year will be able to take advan
tage of two tax credits that could allow them to be
credited up to $1,500.
The Hope and Lifetime tax credits are designed
to help students and families meet the cost of post
secondary education, including the cost for a bach
elor’s degree, graduate study and vocational and
job-related training.
William Lyons, an NU law professor, said fam
ilies should be familiar with the credits.
“These credits are an opportunity that should
be taken advantage of, but are nonrefundable,”
Lyons said.
He said the returns would not be as great for
low-income tax payers.
These tax credits - created under the Taxpayers
Relief Act of 1997 - are being offered for the first
time this year.
Taxpayers can claim the Hope tax credit if they
are at least half-time students - those taking six
hours at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The claim can be up to $1,500 for each student
in a family, including the taxpayer, spouses and
dependent children. Students must be within their
first two years of education, and it is good for qual
ified expenses paid on or after Jan. 1, 1998.The
Lifetime Learning credit is available for vocation
al, undergraduate and graduate students and those
who want to upgrade their job skills.
Students only have to take one course that is
job-related in order to be eligible, said Suzanne
Correnti, a third-year law student.
The Lifetime Learning credit is good for
expenses after July 1, 1998, and is good for up to
20 percent of the first $5,000 paid in qualified
tuition.
Qualified expenses include tuition and
required fees, minus any grants and scholarships
that are tax-free. Expenses do not cover books or
room and board.
A local accountant said people should take
advantage of the credits.
“This is an excellent opportunity that rewards
people who obtain a higher education,” said Ben
Mayeux, from the accounting firm of Hanigan
Bjorkman and Ecklund LLP.
The 8863 form for claiming the tax credits can
be downloaded at www.irs.com.
For more information, contact the IRS help line
at (800) 829-1040 or consult a tax adviser.
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New Teams:
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Muslims set off on
journey to Mecca
Pilgrims voyage by foot or bus
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) -
About 2 million Muslim pilgrims
swathed in white made their way
Thursday toward holy Mount
Arafat, traveling on foot or aboard
packed buses for the annual hajj
journey to Mecca.
Despite the huge traffic jams
caused by the influx of the faithful,
Saudi officials said the number of
hajj pilgrims was down this year
because of economic troubles in
Southeast Asia and oil producing
countries.
This year, 1.065 million foreign
Muslims have made the annual
journey to the holy city of Mecca,
according to a Saudi official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity.
That’s 135,000 fewer than last
year’s final figure, and last-minute
arrivals were expected to add only a
few thousand more.
Another 1.2 million Saudis also
were participating, bringing the
total number of pilgrims to about
2.3 million.
Economic and political turmoil
has reduced the number of pilgrims
from Indonesia, the most populous
Muslim country in the world, from
230,000 last year to 70,000, the
Saudi official said.
Indonesia has been hardest hit
by the Asian economic meltdown,
which has devalued currencies and
caused widespread unemployment.
The crisis led to political turbu
lence and riots in many parts of the
country.
Pilgrims from neighboring
wealthy Persian Gulf states also
were staying home because of
slumping international oil prices,
the official said, although he had no
precise figures.
Citizens of the United Arab
Emirates, used to luxurious facili
ties, spend an average $6,850 dur
ing the hajj, the pilgrimage to
Mecca that able-bodied Muslims
are required to perform at least
once, if they can afford it.
There were, however, more
than enough pilgrims to create
incredible traffic jams all over
Mecca, where a 15-minute trip eas
ily could take 1 Vi hours this week.
A key part of the pilgrimage is
standing on Mount Arafat in Mina,
outside Mecca, where Prophet
Mohammed, Islam’s founder, gave
his last sermon 14 centuries ago.
That ritual this year will be per
formed on Friday, Islam’s holy day,
giving it the status of “greater pil
grimage.”
About 2 million pilgrims made
their way Thursday to the plain of
Mina, six miles north of Mecca.
Some walked, others held tightly to
the roofs of packed buses. The hajj
chant of “Here I am, oh Almighty,
here I am” reverberated across
Mecca.
More than 45,000 personnel
have been mobilized to deal with
the pilgrims, including security
troops, caterers and medical teams.
A million prepared meals will
be sold at 1,500 centers, and 35
bakeries will prepare about 5 mil
lion loaves of bread daily, said
Mohammed Hussein Qaroub, a
Trade Ministry official. Ice facto
ries will churn out 1.5 million
blocks of ice each day.
The Saudis also have prepared
for disasters. More than 27,000
fireproof tents have been set up,
part of a $640 million project that
will be completed by next year.
In 1997, fire tore through a
sprawling, overcrowded tent city at
Mina, trapping and killing more
than 340 pilgrims and injuring
1,500. A stampede last year killed
180 pilgrims.
Legislature debates bill on
residence-hall smoking
SMOKING from page 1
start smoking.”
With or without the governor’s
signature, UNL housing director
Doug Zatechka said more students
may have to step outside for a drag
next year, as the university plans to
decrease the number of smoking
floors by about 10 percent for next
fall.
This year Zatechka estimated
about 50 percent of the residence hall
floors - about 55 floors - allowed
smoking, but next year that number
will be below 40 percent, he said.
The bill targets the actual number
of smoking rooms, but the university
does not designate smoking and non
smoking rooms, he said; only floors
are earmarked.
Although the amount of available
indoor smoking space has dwindled,
Zatechka said he couldn’t envision a
time when the residence halls would
be smoke-free.
Linda Schwartzkopf, director of
Greek Affairs, and Zatechka were
uncertain how the bill would affect
greek houses, particularly Phi Mu,
Triangle and Chi Phi. Those three
houses are leased from the university,
while the remaining houses are pri
vately owned, Schwartzkopf said.
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MARCH 26
FRI. 12-8
MARCH 27
SAT. 10-6
1 MARCH 28
SUN. 11-5
MARCH 29 ,
MON. 10-8
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