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Josh Wolfe/DN
Don Stenberg, Republican attorney general and senatorial candidate, is trailing
Democratic candidate Ben Nelson 53 percent to 33 percent.
Nuclear-waste
issue spurs clash
■ Ben Nelson and Don
Stenberg debate atthe second
forum before the November
election.
BY BRIAN CARLSON
OMAHA - Ben Nelson and
Don Stenberg disagreed sharply
on several issues Thursday night
in their second Senate forum,
with their harshest exchange
coming on the state’s nuclear
waste disposal controversy.
Stenberg, the Republican
attorney general, and Nelson, a
Democrat who served as gover
nor from 1991-99, were political
rivals while serving together in
the Statehouse. One ongoing
controversy was a proposal to
build a five-state nuclear waste
facility in Nebraska.
In response to a question
about what he considered
Nelson’s greatest mistake as gov
ernor, Stenberg blamed Nelson
for a federal appeals court’s ruling
in April that the state mishandled
low-level waste disposal licens
ing, potentially costing the state’s
taxpayers $70 million to $100 mil
lion.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled the state’s executive
branch used improper political
influence to block plans to build
the radioactive waste-storage site
in Nebraska.
"So, in terms of dollars, I think
that was his greatest mistake,”
Stenbergsaid.
Nelson said Stenberg could
not escape his own responsibility
for the judgment. During the
eight years they served together,
Nelson said Stenberg never
advised the executive branch that
the matter was being handled
improperly.
“I can't believe that we’re not
very close to violating the code of
ethics with that kind of a com
ment from the counsel on behalf
of the state of Nebraska,” Nelson
said. “It was never about legal
arguments; it was about political
arguments. It was never about
taking positions to represent the
state of Nebraska; it was to
advance a political career.”
Stenberg said he deferred to
Nelson on the matter, appointing
the lawyers Nelson wanted.
“The reason we’re facing a
$70- to $ 100-million penalty is
not from the litigation,” Stenberg
said. “It’s from the administrative
handling of that by Gov. Nelson’s
Department of Environmental
Quality and Department of
Health. That’s where the deci
sions were made that the federal
judge found to be improper.”
Nelson said Stenberg was
being hypocritical.
“It's not clear why he aban
doned the state and the people of
Nebraska to be in a position to say
this tonight,” he said.
Please see DEBATE on 3
JoshWolfe/DN
Former Democratic Nebraska governor Ben Nelson answers questions at a press conference Thursday night follow
ing a debate with Don Stenberg at KETV studios. The two senatorial candidates butted heads over many issues.
Election draws students
BY GEORGE GREEN
Most college-aged people don’t partici
pate in politics.
In fact, the Federal Election
Commission reports 18- to 24- year-olds
accounted for only 7.62 percent of the votes
placed in 1996 federal elections.
But some UNL students and groups are
bucking the national trend toward political
apathy.
The UNL Young Democrats are gunning
for Democratic candidates in an unusually
important election, said Jake Wobig, a sen
ior political science and international affairs
major. The State Democratic Party pools
resources and distributes them to several
candidates, so the Young Democrats volun
teer for more than just one person, Wobig
said.
Young Democrats have distributed can
didate literature, marched in parades and
participated in Get-Out-The-Vote phone
drives, he said.
“Sometimes it’s not that fun, but it’s
worth it,’’ Wobig said.
Wobig said this year’s election could be
the most important since 1968 because
control of the House, Senate and presidency
could fall into the hands of either party.
In addition to volunteering, the group
brings guest speakers to its meetings, he
said. Alan Jacobsen, the Democratic candi
date for the first congressional district,
spoke at the group’s meeting last week.
The UNL College Republicans also
brings guest speakers to its meetings, said
Jeff Kratz, a sophomore political science
major and secretary of the group.
Lt. Gov. Dave Maurstad spoke at a
College Republicans meeting recently and
Don Stenberg, the state attorney general
and Republican Senate candidate, will
speak at the group’s Oct 11 meeting, he said
“I believe in the Republican platform
and want to help Republican candidates,”
Kratz said.
The group planned to help at a
Stenberg-Nelson debate Thursday night by
holding signs and passing out stickers, said
Andrew Carr, president of College
Republicans.
College Republicans will try to boost
Stenberg’s showing in the polls, in which
he’s been lagging, when its members hold
Please see STUDENTS on 3
Athletic
program
sees red
■ Overestimations of construction costs pushed
the department $250,000 over budget.
BY SAMUEL MCKEWON
Unexpected cost overruns in construction
projects and less-than-stellar returns at the ticket
office helped put the Nebraska Athletic
Department budget in the same color as the
Cornhusker uniforms for the 1999-2000 fiscal
year.
NU Associate Athletic Director for Business
Affairs Gary Fouraker projected the Husker budg
et, which is nearly $39 million, was about $250,000
in the red for last fiscal year, which ended June 30,
It was the first significant budget overflow,
Fouraker estimated, in five or she years.
“We certainly didn’t anticipate this,” Fouraker
said. “We didn’t see all the pieces coming together.
It was just small things that added up.”
Among them: an estimated $1 million roof
project for the Bob Devaney Sports Center costing
about $200,000 more because of an unexpected
asbestos discovery.
The department also performed below esti
mates in ticket sales for the NU men’s basketball
team. Fouraker said expectations for ticket sale
revenue were around $1.7 million. Actual revenue
fell between $1.3 and $1.4 million.
“It was disappointing to be that far under pro
jection,” Fouraker said.
Minor overruns in travel budgets - which
Fouraker attributed to higher gas prices - along
with costs to send the Nebraska women’s gymnas
tics team to the NCAA Championships, con
tributed to the spending.
As a result of the budget glut, Fouraker said
Nebraska coaches, along with Husker staff, have
been apprised of a general tightening of the belt
throughout the department for the 2000-01 fiscal
year.
It includes the dissolution of a $100,000 term
life insurance plan, with a premium paid on a
year-by-year basis, offered to all Husker coaches
and assistants of NU’s football, volleyball and bas
ketball programs.
Twenty-seven coaches took advantage of the
plan, Fouraker said, offered mostly as a bonus
recruiting tool. Depending on age, health and sen
iority, the premiums were anywhere between
“$100 to $1,000,” Fouraker said.
Nebraska Football Coach Frank Solich was one
of the coaches covered under the plan and said the
measure was an acceptable one to cut costs.
“It’s just one of many,” said Solich, who has a
personal life insurance policy. “I think Bill (Byrne)
and the department took a measure they thought
they needed to.”
Please see RED on 6
Grant expands viral research
BY VERONICA DAEHN
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
along with the University of Nebraska
Medical Center and Creighton
University, became $10.4 million richer
Wednesday with a grant from the
National Institutes of Health.
The grant will be used to build a cen
ter of excellence in viral research at UNL
Monica Norby, co-drafter of the
grant from UNLs Office of Research, said
it was the largest competitive award ever
given to a Nebraska research institution.
“It’s really quite a big plus for us that
we got this,” Norby said. “This allows us
to build a significant nationally recog
nized research program in this area.”
The center will be a collaborative
effort between viral researchers at UNL,
UNMC and Creighton University. It will
be in the Beadle Center at UNL
The NIH research grants are award
ed so recipient institutions can increase
their research in certain areas.
Charles Wood, a biological sciences
professor at UNL and a researcher in HIV
and HIV-associated viruses, will run the
center.
Wood said the grant allowed the uni
versities to build a center not just for
them but for the entire state.
"This is an important step in linking
us up with different campuses,” Wood
said. “This enables us to use our collec
tion of strengths to build a center of
national and international reputation.”
Under the grant, UNL will receive
more than $6 million to be awarded over
five years. UNMC will receive more than
$3 million, and Creighton will get more
than $900,000. Part of that money will be
used to pay the initial salary and start-up
costs for five new researchers - four at
UNL and one at UNMC, Norby said.
One new researcher will be hired
each year. Wood said a nationwide
search would be launched soon.
The viral center will be nationally
recognized, Wood said, because there
are few other similar centers. Wood said
he would look to centers at Pittsburgh
University in Pennsylvania, the
University of Wisconsin at Madison and
Washington University in St. Louis for
guidance but would not necessarily
design Nebraska’s after them.
"These are very good centers,” Wood
said. "We will learn from them, but every
one should be different.”
The grant is a direct result of work
done by former Vice Chancellor for
Research Marsha Torr, who left UNL for
Virginia Commonwealth University sev
eral weeks ago. Torr said she was delight
ed the grant came through for Nebraska.
“That’s exactly what we were hoping
for,” she said. “(Viral research) is a very
important strategic area for us."
Torr said getting the money had been
one of her goals since she came to UNL
in April 1999.
“This allows us to build a
significant nationally
recognized research
program in this area. ”
Monica Norby
grant drafter
Torr said the center’s progress is
important to the future of research in
Nebraska.
“I have high expectations for this
grant,” Torr said. “The center will be a key
place in elevating research and will be an
excellent model for other programs.”
lames Van Etten, a plant pathology
professor, will represent the UNL cam
pus at the center.
While he didn’t see problems arising,
Van Etten said, it would be interesting to
see three universities work together.
Scientists get along fine, he said, but the
politics of university administrations
sometimes conflict.
For example, if it were to be used,
fetal tissue in research could be a con
cern, Van Etten said, because Creighton
and the University of Nebraska disagree
on that. The grant applies only to viral
research and not fetal tissue.
“In terms of virology for the state, I’m
very happy this came through,” he said.
“This will do nothing but augment our
virology strength.”
i
Bioethics committee:
Find stem-cell substitute
BY JILL ZEMAN
A bioethics committee said Wednesday
NU researchers should seek alternatives to
using embryonic stem cells in research.
Harvey Perlman, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln interim chancellor, said
he supported the committee's suggestion
but thought it would be difficult to follow.
“There seems to be general agreement
that if you have a perfect substitute for
embryonic stem cells, that the substitute
ought to be used,” Perlman said. “However.
,. there is considerable doubt that there
exists a perfect substitute.”
University of Nebraska Medical Center
research is conducted on cells taken from
frozen embryos that would normally be
destroyed by fertility clinics. In the research
at UNMC, the stem cells used are from an
embryo frozen more than 20 years ago.
“We are not currently destroying
embryos to get cells for this kind of
research,” Perlman said.
The Nebraska Advisory Bioethics
Committee was formed in December after
controversy erupted over UNMC research
that used brain cells from aborted fetuses.
NU President Dennis Smith formed the
committee, which includes representatives
from the areas of biological research, law,
medical ethics, medicine, philosophy, the
ology and public relations.
Although the committee encouraged
researchers to find alternatives to embryon
ic cells, no other options have been found,
said committee member AnneVidaver,
plant pathology professor and former direct,
tor of the UNL Center for Biotechnology.
Vidaver said she supported the embry
onic stem cell research. Using the cells for
research is far more beneficial than discard
ing or destroying them, she said.
Despite political controversy that has
erupted over some research, John Janovy,
biological sciences professor and commit
tee member, said not all committee mem
bers were concerned about the politics.
Although a step has been taken in one direc
tion, Janovy said the committee probably
would not completely ban the research, or
support it, without any boundaries.
Rather, he said, he thought the commit
tee would find a compromise on the issue.
Janovy said he didn’t disapprove with
the committee because he thought
researchers should look for more alterna
tives, even if they use human subjects. But
he also deemed the committee’s goal to find
alternative research sources unrealistic.
“I have no fundamental objection
against new procurements of embryonic
stem cells, as it long as it is done ethically,
and with consent,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to
this report