Tax help available at UNL
By Lesley Owusu
Staff writer
Filing tax forms can be a stressful
time for students, faculty and staff.
The tax season is just around the
corner, and problems with filing
income tax returns could be plentiful.
But there are many places and alter
natives available for those who need
assistance in filing income tax forms.
The Volunteers Income Tax
Assistance, established in 1982, is a
program that was organized by NU’s
College of Law.
Young trainee lawyers and graduate
students are available to help students
and the community with filing their
income tax returns.
The students are available to
answer questions, provide information
and give advice to students and the peo
ple of Lincoln to help them complete
their income tax returns successfully.
Professor William Lyons, of the
law college, said the students’ goal is to
make tax season a little easier on every
one.
“The main objective of the
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance pro
gram is to relieve and avoid stress for
the taxpayer,” he said. “Filing taxes can
be a very daunting task, and it is our
duty to help make the process easier.”
Law students can help reduce anxi
eties and assist with other services,
such as helping low-income families
who are entitled to earned income cred
it, where access credit is refunded by
U The great advantage of the Nebraska
TeleFile system is that it is a quick and
speedy process.”
the government
Nancy Addae, a first-year law stu
dent, thinks VITA is a fantastic pro
gram.
“The program is convenient and
service-free, and it also allows law stu
dents to gain valuable work experience
in their field,” she said.
As the tax season approaches, vari
ous sites on City and East campuses
will be set up.
From Feb. 3 to March 30, the VITA
program will be available every
Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. for all stu
dents requesting assistance in filing
their tax returns.
Other locations include Gateway
Mall, People’s City Mission, communi
ty centers and local elementary
schools.
Other alternative tax filing meth
ods include Nebraska TeleFile, which
has been available since 1995. The pro
gram allows Nebraska residents to file
their state income tax returns by tele
phone.
All necessary tax return informa
tion is entered on a telephone touch
tone keypad.
Eligible taxpayers will receive a
Mary Jane Egr
state tax commisioner
Nebraska TeleFile booklet in the mail,
said Mary Jane Egr, state tax commis
sioner.
“The great advantage of the
Nebraska TeleFile system is that it is a
quick and speedy process,” Egr said.
“Tax-payers can receive their tax
returns in less than a few days by direct
deposit.”
Electronic filing is another pro
gram that allows both federal and state
tax returns in one transmission to the
Internal Revenue Service using IRS
and state-approved software.
Software companies are donating
Web-based federal and state tax prepa
ration and e-file services.
For more information on tax
returns there is a Web page,
www.nol.org/revenue.
Electronic filing and TeleFile are
both free services for families or indi
viduals who earn less than $20,000
annually.
Students at the law college recom
mend that students and staff file their
income tax returns early, before the
April 15 deadline, to take advantage of
all the services that are available.
UNL celebrates century of research
RESEARCH from page 1
ic community.
She said she was asked to be on
the panel of speakers to talk about art
_ in terms of research.
“I think it’s very important that it’s
seen in the same realm with other
methods of intellectual activity,” she
said.
“I’m representing the visual arts
because that’s my field, but consider
ing die creative arts, that covers music
and theater and dance, as well.”
The planning for the events this
semester began about one year ago,
Massengale said, when bemor Vice
Chancellor Richard Edwards appoint
ed a committee to examine the possi
bility of celebrating 100 years of grad
uate education.
After all the speakers have fin
ished, there will be a question-and
answer session, Massengale said.
A free recital featuring alumni and
faculty members will continue the cel
ebration from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in
Kimball Hall.
Future programs to honor the 100
year anniversary include a research
fair on March 25 from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. in the Nebraska Union and a
symposium on April 13. Speakers for
the April 13 symposium have not been
selected yet.
Individual departments and col
leges will also be holding various con
ferences, exhibits and lectures
throughout the semester.
The celebration should help peo
ple consider research and creativity in
its historical context, Kune said.
Graduate education and research have
helped explore how to create and what
that means for our culture, she said.
“All of this creative activity has
really enhanced our quality of life
here,” she said.
-ELECTION 2000
Maurstad announces
candidacy for Senate
■ He said Sen. Bob
Kerrey’s decision not to run
will help his campaign.
By Jill Zeman
Staff writer
The race for Bob Kerrey’s soon
to-be vacant seat in the U.S. Senate
got a little more interesting
Wednesday.
Lt. Gov. Dave Maurstad
announced he is seeking the
Republican nomination for Kerrey’s
seat in the U.S. Senate.
Maurstad joins Republican candi
dates Attorney General Don Stenberg
and Lincoln dermatologist Elliot
Rustad in the race, said Chuck
Sigerson, Nebraska Republican Party
chairman.
Maurstad said he decided to enter
the race so he could work alongside
Sen. Chuck Hagel to help return
power back to the states and the peo
ple.
Maurstad’s campaign has been
positively affected by Kerrey’s deci
sion not to run for reelection,
Maurstad s&id.
“Kerrey’s decision changed the
whole dynamics of the race,”
Maurstad said.
Maurstad said he was dedicated to
providing tax cuts for the middle class
and preserving Social Security and
Medicaid, as well as decreasing the
national debt.
Maurstad also stressed the impor
tance of rebuilding the armed forces
because they “preserve the prosperity
of the nation,” he said.
He said he wants to focus on
issues that affect the everyday
Nebraskan.
“It’s very important we have a
strong voice for agriculture,”
Maurstad said.
His experience as a business
owner, Beatrice mayor, state senator
and lieutenant governor makes him
qualified for the role of senator,
Maurstad said.
“I understand what is important to
Nebraska,” Maurstad said.
The Republican Party does not
actively recruit candidates after indi
viduals announce their candidacy, but
the door is always open to new candi
dates, Sigerson said.
Sigerson said candidates for such
a high office cannot be preoccupied
with who else is running.
“If someone thinks they can win,
they’ll run,” he said.
The Republican Party will hold its
election the second Tuesday in May to
determine who its candidate will be.
Maurstad said if he is elected in
November, Gov. Mike Johanns will
need to appoint a new lieutenant gov
ernor to replace him.
Shovel fight ends in death
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - An
argument over snow shoveling ended
with a man shot to death Wednesday.
Police said Michael Kirkpatrick
apparently became angry after seeing
a man, who was digging a woman’s
car out of the snow, tossing the snow
toward his pickup truck.
Kirkpatrick and his father began
arguing with the man, and the
younger Kirkpatrick was shot, police
said.
He later died at a hospital.
Kirkpatrick had a gun on him at
the time he was shot, and the suspect, —
who was in custody Wednesday, knew
he carried a gun, police said. Police
did not release the suspect’s identity.
Neighbors said Kirkpatrick was a
soccer and football coach for fifth
and sixth-grade boys at a nearby
school.
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