ASUN draws attention to itself
by tackling explosive issues
Strdhger
Presence
by Veronica Daehn
For better or worse, Andy Schuerman said his adminis
tration made students more aware of student government.
Schuerman, former Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska president, urged the senate to pass a
j>ill that would have the Government Liaison Committee
fobby against a Legislative bill that would have banned
aborted fetal tissue research in state institutions and intro
duced legislation making the ASUN office an Allies safe
space last spring.
While Schuerman had support for these measures, he
also had opposition.
Looking back, the former president said he knows his
administration^ actions had) a positive effect, but it’s unfor
throughout the year to underrepresented or oppressed
groups.”
Schuerman also made strides with domestic partner
benefits. This year has seen one of the most comprehensive
efforts in bringing equal benefits to gay and lesbian partners
ofUNL employees, Schuerman said.
Another program Schuerman’s administration helped
keep going was NU on Wheels, a safe-ride-home program.
NU on Wheels was started by two UNL students who
attended the 1998 LeaderShape program.
The safe-ride-home program began Oct. 14 and had
enough donations to operate the full academic year.
Schuerman said finding a way to make the program
uuiaie some siuuenis oecame aisen
chanted with ASUN.
“I think about the fetal tissue
debate over and over again,”
Schuerman said. “I regret people felt
so turned off by ASUN because of it I
hope now they see we need to stay
involved.”
A controversy erupted in
November when the Omaha World
Herald reported that the University of
Nebraska Medical Center was using
aborted fetal tissue for research on the
neurodegenerative diseases including
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
” Even though I
didn’t agree with the
answers, at least the
issues educated a lot
of the students.”
Trisha Meuret
former ASUN second vice president
permanent was a yearlong eltort.
In November, ASUN senators
voted unanimously to change bylaws
and make NU on Wheels one of the
programs they use student fees to fond.
Had senators not voted to adopt the
program, it would have run out of
money in May.
Rachelle Winkle, former ASUN
first vice president, said she hoped her
administration was remembered for
giving a voice to more students.
“We tried to get underrepresented
students to be better represented,” she
said.
in response to a bill in the Legislature that would have
banned aborted fetal tissue research in state institutions,
Schuerman drafted a bill that said the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln student government supported the
research.
ASUN senators voted to pass the bill at two separate
meetings. About 100 students, faculty and community
members showed up at the first meeting to voice their views
on the bill.
Those opppsed to ASUjN lobbying the Legislature in
support of the research said the group was not representing
their interests.
But the fetal tissue debate was not what Schuerman says
is his administration’s legacy.
The former president said making die ASUN office an
Allies safe space last spring was important
“It’s an important issue,” he said. “By no means did we
believe that passing this legislation automatically made our
office a safe space. But I hope it showed a commitment
•___
People who lived off campus recognized ASUN, and
people who lived on campus were forced to see that student
government has an impact, Schuerman said.
Former ASUN Second Vice President Trisha Meuret
said she disagreed with about 90 percent of what her admin
istration did. But the issues senators discussed made stu
dents more aware, she said.
“Even though I didn’t agree with the answers, at least
the issues educated a lot of the students,” Meuret said.
Meuret disagreed with the fetal tissue legislation and
ASUN’s stance on domestic partner benefits.
While satisfied with what he did in office, Schuerman
said he wishes there could have been more tangible results.
But he knows students felt comfortable in ASUN while
he was there. Several underrepresented students told
Schuerman they were sad to see him go.
• -- c' “That made me feel good,” he said. “It showed the com
mitment we had to all people. By no means do I presume we
had a lasting impact, but for one year it was better.”
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-ELECTION 2000
Senate race has
kept state on toes
by Brian Carlson
FREMONT - In their final debate
before the May 9 primary, the four
Republican Senate candidates
rehashed their differences on the budg
et surplus and school vouchers, while
offering contrasting views on the role
of the GOP in their decision making.
Only about 45 people showed up
on Friday evening to watch Attorney
General Don Stenberg, Secretary of
State Scott Moore, Scottsbluff
agribusinessman Dave Hergert and
former state Sen. John DeCamp debate
on the campus of Midland Lutheran
College.
Despite the apparent lack of inter
est among Dodge County Republicans,
the 2000 Senate race has been anything
but dull.
When Nebraska rang in the year
2000, the Senate race seemed pre
dictable. Two-term U.S. Sen. Bob
Kerrey, a Democrat, would run for re
election and make it difficult for the
Republican Party to capture the final
statewide office that has eluded it.
Meanwhile, Stenbeig would mount
an uphill challenge to defeat Kerrey,
assuming he could defeat his only GOP
challenger, Lincoln dermatologist
Elliott Rustad, for the party’s nomina
tion.
But Kerrey, an unpredictable politi
cian ever since his election as governor
in 1982, announced in early January
that he was considering leaving the
Senate. After a few weeks of public
rumination, he decided not to seek re
election.
That opened the floodgates.
On the Republican side, former
Nebraska Football Coach Tom
Osborne considered a run for the
Senate before settling for a bid for the
3rd Congressional District seat in
Central and Western Nebraska.
U.S. Rep. Doug Bereuter also con
sidered a Senate run before deciding to
seek re-election to his 1st District seat.
Lt Gov. Dave Maurstad joined the
GOP race, only to drop out after less
than two weeks. Omaha businessman
George Grogan, who had already
entered and dropped out of the race
v once, re-entered. Moore, who had pre
viously pledged his support to
Stenbeig, also joined the fray.
On the Democratic side, Kerrey’s
retirement from the Senate opened die
door for former Gov. Ben Nelson’s
return to politics.
Just days before the March 1 filing
deadline, Nelson announced he would
run. This will be the second Senate race
for Nelson, who lost to Chuck Hagel in
1996.
But the political landscape still was
not settled.
In April, Grogan dropped out of the
race again, saying he wanted to protect
his family from media scrutiny and
“personal attacks.”
An Omaha World-Herald article
had detailed Grogan’s three previous
failed marriages, a bankruptcy and
what several former business col
leagues described as his unfair treat
ment of employees and business part
ners.
A week later, Rustad dropped out,
saying he did not want to run a negative
race that would divide the Republican
Party.
Then Grogan announced he had
never officially left the race but had
merely suspended his campaign. He
still welcomed votes, he said, although
he would no longer actively campaign.
Meanwhile, Stenbeig was still the
GOP front-runner, but his opponents
were frustrated because they believed
he was unwilling to participate in
debates.
Moore, struggling to gain the foot
ing to suige past Stenbeig, accused the
attorney general of “entering a four
comers offense and stalling.”
But Stenbeig had a ready explana
tion. In what could come to be regarded
as a landmark abortion case, he was
But the political
landscape still
was not settled.
In April, Grogan
dropped out of
the race again.
preparing to defend Nebraska’s ban on
“partial-birth” abortions.
On Apr. 25, Stenbeig stood before
the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington,
D.C., for oral arguments in Stenberg vs.
Carhart. The court’s ruling on the con
stitutionality of Nebraska’s law is
expected by late June.
To those who questioned the appro
priateness of a US. Senate candidate
arguing such a case, Stenberg said it
was his job.
With the oral arguments said and
done, Stenberg was ready to give the
Senate race his primary attention. The
four candidates debated farm policy on
Thursday night in Lincoln, then went to
Fremont for a debate sponsored by the
Dodge County Republicans.
The candidates offered differing
views on the importance of party loyal
ty
Moore said he, like Hagel, would
occasionally “buck the party” when he
believed it was the right thing to do. He
said he was “an American first, a
Nebraskan second and Republican
third.”
“Nebraskans expect someone who
will do what’s right,” he said.
“I will reach across party lines and
do what’s right for Nebraska.
Americans seem fed up with bitter par
tisanship.”
Moore noted that Nelson has been
successful in earning Republican votes
in the past. In order to win in
November, Moore said, Republicans
will have to reach out to “Kerrey
Republicans, (former U.S. Sen. James)
Exon Republicans and Nelson
Republicans”
But Stenberg said he would be a
loyal Republican. As he explained it,
Nebraskans are tired of “big-govern
ment” politicians like President Bill
Clinton, who favored a large tax hike
and nationalized health care while
neglecting the national defense. He
said Nebraskans support politicians
with the philosophy of former
President Ronald Reagan.
“The basic test for anyone going to
Washington is whether that person will
represent Nebraska values,” he said.
“The people of Nebraska generally are
of the Republican view.”
Heigert, who has focused his cam
paign on the need to address the strug
gling agricultural economy, agreed
with Stenberg that party unity was
important.
“If you want to get your goals
accomplished, you have to abide by the
rules of the Republican Party,” he said.
DeCamp touted his record as “the
great compromiser” during his 16
years in the Legislature.
“In the Congress of the United
States, you have to reach compromise,”
he said. This applies to all members, he
said, “be they a Benny Nelson or a
Donny Stenbeig.”
DeCamp, a controversial political
figure, has acknowledged his “one-in
a-trillion” chance of victory. But he
could play an important spoiler role in
the primary by siphoning votes from
one of the other candidates.
He also has provided levity to the
campaign trail, whether by referring to
the other Senate cahdidates as “Scotty,”
“Donny,” or “Benny,” or by joking that
Moore was the best coffee-server dur
ing his time as a page at die Legislature.
