The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, March 28, 2000, Page 9, Image 9
HEATH MELLO COMFORTS nerve-wrecked Cecily Rometo with Mike Butterfield before their campaign the announcement, but also the party’s debates and public appearances that were to follow. Heather Glenboski/DN announcement. A lot of preparation went into not only Empower party begins, ends with details EMPOWER from page 1 People were looking tired. Mello, Rometo and Butterfield sat on the couch in the sorority’s base ment, and everyone circled around them. Mello led the charge. Campaign manager Sarah Kippenbrock, who had lost her voice, sat opposite him eating chips and cheese with some of the supporters. They shot out ideas, such as improving the use and facilities of the Culture Center, including ES/IS requirements on the ASUN Web site and what hours NU on W&eeiskshould be run. Mello, Rom^p.and Butterfield took notes. * A topic that brought considerable mulling was making teaching evalua tions universal and keeping them on file in the ASUN office for students to peruse. It was a hot spot for Rometo, who sat on the couch listening to com ments supporting the idea, itching to explain why such a proposal is “dan gerous.” Rometo, whose father, Albert Rometo, is a UNL music professor, said the file could turn into a “hate file.” The idea is eventually knocked off Empower’s platform. Other ideas, such as improving parking or changing the distribution of ASUN senate seats, are also knocked down, mostly because they were unpopular. Or in some cases, you’d hear: “If we put that on our plat form, we’d lose.” Without fail, Empower had two gen eral meet ings a week: one on Sunday to update its party mem bers and one on Thursday nights they called a work it You’re talking to students, not faculty. Iln mill ■«-« rroam Mono Empower presidential candidate party, where they would do busy work, such as paint posters for greek houses or highlight names in phone books. But the three executive candidates and who they deemed their cabinet - freshman coordinators, a treasurer, a graphic designer and others - had more. They would meet before the 3 p.m. Sunday meetings. On Fridays they met at 5 in the union. And it wouldn’t be strange if just Mello, Rometo and Butterfield met one, two or even more extra times dur ing the week. After their platform meeting that Saturday afternoon, they visited for about 30 minutes at the sorority house. The three then met at Butterfield’s residence hall room in Neihardt Residence Center. They stayed there until close to or after midnight - mak ing it about a 10-hour day. At this meeting, the three put on new faces - less business, more fun. They planned to hammer out their platform - make it official and have it done, so Mello can take it to a meeting the next day around noon. But there’s a lot of sidetracking. Among the tangents, a discussion arose about whether the group should report a keg of beer Mello would receive as a gift at the Empower Meet the Candidates party at Mainstreet Cafe that next Wednesday. Donations to student election groups have to be reported to the elec toral commission. But Mello insists the keg is a personal gift and that they shouldn’t have to worry about telling the commission. Only problem: can’t legally drink it. It takes time, but Rometo ancP Butterfield convince him otherwise. They don’t want to get into trouble later. “The electoral commission won’t see it that way,” Rometo said. Butterfield nods his head and kind of reit erates her thought. Besides, they said, having alcohol at the party is perfect ly legal. The event will be in a bar, and the people drinking tne oeer will De at least zi. iney shouldn’t worry about the image hav ing beer at the party brings. What to wear at the event? Reflect our attitudes, Mello said. They don’t want to look unapproachable, too pro fessional. But they don’t want to wear jeans and a T-shirt, either. Then, it’s agreed: khakis and a but ton-down shirt for the guys and casual business for Rometo. Next, they prepare for their party announce it Interface is not a power word.” Empower perty member at debate preparation meeting ment to oe neia tne same day as tneir Meet the Candidates night. How to do their speeches? Rometo said she’ll have hers typed out, point, bullet, bul let. She can’t write it out. She’ll get lost in the content. Butterfield said he’ll do the same. Mello, though, libbing it. At the end of three agree platform ideas them on for Mello the next There’s little the other parti preparing for there’s talk viable he planned on ad meeting, the take the format them off This Sunday before are meeting in Sorority, home for their final Friends Jake dent join them. Here, in who the port in its al. At this poiflHHpraid the opinion wouldn’t makagilTifference in the election. He aljHbesn’t know that at this point th^ditorial board had already chosen. And it wasn’t Empower. At this meeting, Mello is helping Rometo prepare for her first debate - just the president and second vice president were invited to the previous two. rsuuerneia is not here. Rometo prac ticed her opening speech, words like “ameliora tion” and “dichotomy” scattered throughout. It draws laughs from everyone. “That’s how I talk, though, Rometosaid. It’s true, especially in a public forum. Mello said: “You’re talking to stu dents, not faculty.” And then in a sing-songy voice, its meaning not completely known, he said: “This is like Broadway, man. Broad - way,” and lifts his hand up and down, as if he’s conducting himself. And later, after Rometo reads more of her speech, Mello mocks her in a high voice: “I’m Cecily Rometo, and I’m nervous. My hand looks like it’s swimming, but don’t wornLigaaft still talk with this othsaid, _ . Rometo the kinks in on using a power word.” speech, a supporter from his economics se the word “empower” down debates that Mello attended by anyone parties’ circles. election, ally claimed his behind past elections, done. to the continu lagging got T-shirts were ordered. A banner for outside the Nebraska Union was purchased. Booths were reserved. Greek house banners were painted. And many, many meetings were held. But, according to Mello, what really mattered was the week of the actual election. And more importantly, the day of. Low-key outlook defines A-Team By Lindsay Young Senior editor Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t have predicted when an A Team meeting would be held. Every once in awhile, by chance, I’d run into presidential candidate Joel Schafer. “When are you meet ing next?” I’d say, wanting to get a peek into the makings of his party. We don’t know, he’d reply. Maybe Sunday. “Hey Hal! When are we meeting again?” Schafer asked his campaign manager Hal Hansen, who in reality did more of the busy work, such as designing A-Team’s infamous newspaper ads, while Schafer ran the party. “Sunday,” Hansen would reply. The place was always question able. finally, I was able to pinpoint one. I arrived a little after 7 p.m., when the meeting was scheduled to start, at Joel Webber’s house, which he shared with two roommates. Webber lets me in, and instead of seeing everyone ready to meet as I am used to following Empower, I see his roommate sitting on the couch playing a video game. No one else is there. I sit down and wait. Fifteen min utes later, Schafer shows. About five minutes after that, Hansen shows. And nobody knows for sure when Riley Peterson, first vice pres idential candidate, would be com ing. But they knew he was supposed to be late. No one seems too concerned. The party seemed to have its own way of getting things done. Amid all this waiting, talk ensued about how the campaign was going. Was the letter to the editor against the A-Team’s plan to fight credit-card solicitation planted by another party? Hansen asks. The Daily Nebraskan isn’t pick ing up on our attacks on the other parties, Schafer says. We have to look to other means to distinguish ourselves. acnarer says tne party isn t too far behind the other groups in plan ning. Hansen responds: “I don’t know about that.” A brief discussion of who their target audience is follows: It’s not the greeks, though in the end, a few greek houses supported A-Team. Christina Riesselman, Schafer’s girlfriend and the party’s treasurer, arrived, and the party went over its finances. Doing fine, especially with much of the A-Team’s costs covered by Schafer’s father. Discussion jumps back to Daily Nebraskan and the ads to come. Hansen is nearly done with the one that will run the coming Friday. There’s not an agenda, but typi cal campaign strategies are dis cussed: handing out T-shirts, stuff ing residence hall mailboxes with A-Team fliers - complete with Schafer’s phone number and address - and making announce ments during Monday night greek house dinners. President’s Day is also that week, and they talk about dressing up as Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and having a booth in the Nebraska Union to draw atten tion to themselves. The idea never materializes.