—ASUN—
In runoff, senate
picks new speaker
By Sara Salkeld
Staff writer
The Association of Students of
th^ University of Nebraska elected its
speaker of the senate for the 2000
2001 term at its Wednesday meeting.
Arts and Sciences Sen. Jason
Mashek was elected after a runoff
with fellow Arts and Sciences Sen.
Nathan Fuerst
The other senators nominated at
last week’s meeting along with
Mashek and Fuerst included
Graduate Sen. Vicki Geiser and Arts
and Sciences Sen. Urrvano Gamez.
Each nominee was given five
minutes for a presentation, followed
by five minutes for the senators to ask
them questions. Then, without the
nominees present, the senate had 30
minutes to discuss the candidates and
cast a secret-ballot vote.
During the initial, discussion,
Mashek and Fuerst were the only
nominees specifically mentioned by
the senators.
Senators speaking on behalf of
Mashek mentioned his professional
persona as an asset.
“He has professionalism and
experience,” said College of Business
Sen. David Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh said Mashek also bal
ances old and new ideas.
“He has new ideas and brings new
thoughts,” Kavanaugh said. “He will
bring a lot of new and original ideas
while keeping the old ones intact.”
Fuerst said even though he was
the only nominee who had not served
as an ASUN senator before, he had
unofficial experience with ASUN.
Arts and Sciences Sen. Angela
Clements spoke of Fuerst’s devotion
to his job and ASUN.
“He loves that office; he eats
lunch in there every day,” Clements
said. “I know he plans to spend more
than tke required hour and a half a
week in that office.”
A candidate for speaker needs at
least 51 percent of die votes to win.
No senator received this majority,
so a run-off was held between
Mashek and Fuerst. Mashek won by a
simple majority.
“I won against a wry good candi
date,” Mashek said.
“I look forward to working with
the execs, and I am really looking for
ward to next year.”
Bike thert rises in spring
By MicheDe Starr
Staff writer
As the mercury starts to rise, so do
the number of bicycles stolen on cam
pus. ' v
According to Ugiyersity Police
records, 88 bicycle^havfc been stolen
over the last three years during the
months of March, April, May and June.
At least one-third of the total bicy
cles stolen each year were stolen in the
spring.
Bicycles are also vulnerable to theft
in the fall, especially atSepterober,
according to 1997 and 1998 statistics.
University Police Assistant Chief
Mylo Bushing said up-to-date informa
tion on 1999 and 2000 has not yet been
compiled.
Andrew Wright, a sophomore
architecture major, sad his bicycle was
stolen March 20 outside his room at
Harper Residence Hall. His bike was
locked up at the time it was stolen, he
said.
“I love riding my bike,” Wright
said. “That’s what I do. This was a
$1,000 bike, and I’m really upset that
someone stole it”
Bushing said it is important to lock
bikes up, and it can help to use two
locks, one for the front tire and the other
for the bicycle’s body.
Wright, though he has a car, usually
rode his bicycle to Architecture Hall
and around town; he said having
bite stolen wasanmccmvensencer
He said he would have kept the
bicycle in his room, but he dkbrtkave
the space.
Also, Wright said he only paid
$600 for die bicycle valued at $1,000,
but he had to pay a $500 deductible to
his insurance company.
So, he said, he would only get $100,
because when he bought the bicycle, it
was on sale.
Bushing said as long as die bicycle
is registered and is Jeperted stolen,
If tfaebicycle doesn’t show up in the
pawnshops.the’bicycle probably has
been sold or kept, Bushing said.
Wright did not know what the
police were doing about his stolen bicy
cle, but he didn’t think he would get it,
or the money it cost, back. >,
“Pretty much, whoever stole my
bike got away with it,” Wright said.
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9
Court upholds 1998 decision
■ By not allowing
nuclear site construction,
state could face lawsuits.
By Michelle Starr
Staff writer
A ruling by the 8th Circuit
Court of Appeals on Wednesday
could leave Nebraska vulnerable to
lawsuits for skirting around plans
to build a radioactive waste storage
site in the state.
The court said, because of a
pact signed in 1986, Nebraska
could be sued for not allowing the
construction of a nuclear site in
Boyd County.
. Nebraska tried to argue that it
would be protected against lawsuits
under the 11th Amendment, which
protects states’ sovereign immunity
from most lawsuits seeking money.
“Our objective remains one of
raising legal defenses in an effort to
limit the potential legal liability for
Nebraska taxpayers,” Assistant
Attorney General Steve Grasz said
i-rr:
in a statement.
“For that purpose, we have
employed expert, outside legal
counsel to assist us in the defense of
this lawsuit.”
But, because of the agreement,
the court did not agree that
Nebraska was protected under the
amendment
Wednesday’s decision upheld a
U.S. District Court ruling on a 1998
case. Several utility companies and
four members of the Central
Interstate low-level Radioactive
Waste Compact filed against
Nebraska. No one from the plain
tiff’s side was available for com
ment.
Members of the group, who
each signed an agreement in 1986,
include Arkansas, Kansas,
Louisiana, Oklahoma and
Nebraska.
Through the agreement, the
states said they would develop dis
posal facilities for low-level
nuclear waste generated within
their borders; three years later the
group selected Nebraska for the
waste site.
The District Court ruled that
when Nebraska would not allow the
commission to build a waste site
through avoiding its construction
with policies, tests and land licens
ing, it was not acting in good faith
because the agreement was signed.
The opinion also implicated
that the court thought Gov, Ben
Nelson’s administration was partly
responsible for interfering in
licensing of the proposed site.
The court said before Nelson
became governor he promised
Boyd County residents that .. it is
not likely that there will be a
nuclear dump in Boyd County or in
Nebraska.”
Grasz said the court’s opinion
showed that political factors tainted
the licensing process during the
Nelson administration.
“The Attorney General’s office
cannot undo what was done by the
Nelson Administration or change
the facts in this case.”
Marcia Cady, Nelson’s spokes
woman at his campaign office, said
Nelson does not comment on pend
ing litigation.
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