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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2000)
Wednesday October 4,2000 Volume 100 Issue 33 dailyneb.com Since 1901 Tefl-a-Fiiend program encourages women to chat on the phone about getting a mammogram % In News/5 />///)Nebraskan The Huskers proved their depth in their easy win over the Bluejays In SportsWednesday/12 Play gives delicate touch to year’s first Theatrix production In Arts/8 Students call Green Party exclusion from debate unfair ■The anti-corporate platform gives the party funding and publicity disadvantages. BY GEORGE GREEN As the presidential debate season opens and the roar of the campaigns increases, some political activists say an important voice is being drowned out Ralph Nader, die Green Party’s nominee, will not participate in any of die three presidential debates. The Democrats and Republicans control the Committee on Presidential Debates, which is the group that establishes the debate rules, said Stacy Malkan, assistant press secretary for the Nader cam paign. The rules keep third-party candidates from get ting a chance to talk to the public, she said. Malkan said a candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the vote in five major polls to participate in the debates, which is hard for third-party candidates to do, she said. “It is arbitrary and unfair,” she said. Election 2000 Elizabeth Goodbrake, a senior international affairs major, said corporate America controls the debates, too. Ross Perot, the Reform Party’s nominee in 1992 and 1996, participated in the debates during both elections because he had ties to the business commu nity, she said. Though he wouldn’t be on stage arguing his points, Nader was going to vie for a precious seat in the audience so he can be as close as possible to the debate’s spotlight, Malkan said. Nader was able to get a ticket from a college stu dent to an alternate site to watch the debate but upon arrival was asked to leave by a Commission on Presidential Debates official. "We need all the media coverage we can get,” she said. Please see GREEN on 5 David Gasen/DN Senior Elizabeth Goodbrake displays a sign promoting Ralph Nader while senior Karen Brown hands senior Scott Addison a Green Party but-, ton Tuesday. Brown and Goodbrake were trying to raise money for Green Ride 2000, a tour around the state promoting the Green Party. Election 2000 JoshWolfe/DN Sophomore Greg Gifford was the only one to wear his political party shirt to watch the first presidential debate with Pi Sigma Alpha, a student political science club,Tuesday night in the Nebraska Union.The group of UNI, students were divided in their support of Democratic candidate Al Gore and Republican candidate George W. Bush. Students split on support BY B?UAN CARLSON After George W. Bush and A1 Gore completed their debate Tuesday night, the arguments were just begin ning for a couple of dozen UNL stu dents. Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science club at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, gathered in the Nebraska Union to watch and discuss the first presidential debate. They watched a clash between Bush, who said his proposals would offer greater freedom for voters and less government bureaucracy, and Gore, who said his programs would help poor and middle-class citizens rather than providing a large tax cut for the wealthy. According to a survey the students filled out before the debate, the group - like voters across the country, according to polls - was closely divid ed between supporters of Texas Gov. Bush, the Republican nominee, and Vice President Gore, the Democratic nominee. On a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the most favorable, thestudents gave Bush an average approval rating of 62.2, and Gore a 61.6. Nine students said they planned to vote for Bush, seven said they would vote for Gore, and one pledged to vote for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. CBS-New7ork i imes of 963 likely voters, take Sunday, Sept. 27 showe Al Gore leading George Bush. 6ore ^Dem George Bush (Rep Ralph Nader (Green Pat Buchanan (Reform Margin of error: +/- 3 percentage pts. Deian Lonowski/DN As expected from such a divided group, students drew different conclu sions from the debate. Eric Martin, a sophomore political science major and Bush supporter, said Bush came across as more relaxed. “To me, Gore seemed very robot ic,” he said. “I think he just kept repeat jpg things over and over again, and he seemed like he was programmed.” Bush managed to “get a few zings off on Gore,” Martin said, as when Bush chided Gore for claiming he invented the Internet. But Health Mello, a senior political science and communications studies major and Gore supporter, said Gore maintained a cool demeanor and pro jected confidence. “He kept trying to ride the coattails of the (Clinton) administration, but then at the end, he said, Tm my own man.’ You need to decide - are you going to praise the administration or distance yourself from it?" Michael Johnson Bush supporter “I think he was very calm,” he said. "Every time he saw Bush attack him, he stayed calm and laughed it off.” Michael Johnson, a freshman advertising major and Bush support er, said Gore stumbled when he tried to walk the fine line between taking credit for the economic prosperity of the Clinton years and disassociating himself from Clinton’s personal fail ings. “He kept trying to ride the coattails of the (Clinton) administration, but then at the end, he said, ‘I’m my own man,’ ” Johnson said. “You need to decide - are you going to praise the administration or distance yourself from it? “I think Bush did a nice job of put ting the crowbar in there and wound ing Gore a little deeper.” Jessica Lopez, a sophomore busi ness management major and Gore supporter, said Clinton's private behavior should not reflect poorly on Gore. “He’s saying he supports the administration, but on character issues he is his own man and doesn’t want to be blamed for the behavior of Clinton,” she said. Throughout the debate, Gore criti cized Bush for proposing a tax cut that he said would benefit mostly wealthy voters while neglecting needs such as education and health care. Bush returned fire. He accused Gore of using “phony numbers" and “fuzzy math” in attacking Bush’s pro posals for Social Security and tax cuts, criticized him for taking campaign contributions at a Buddhist temple and said Gore supported the largest government expansion since Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. Although Bush may have scored some points with those barbs, it allowed Gore to come across as the more serious candidate, Lopez said. Please see DEBATE on 3 Contest shows state's spirit in an eggshell Sharon Kolbet/DN The gift shop in-the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery has 14 eggs on display as part of a statewide egg artistry contest. The pub lic can vote for the egg that best represents Nebraska in an event sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The winning egg will be displayed at the White House during the Easter 2001 season. ■The Nebraska egg with the most votes in the seventh annual egg artistry contest will be displayed in Washington, D.C. BY SHARON KOLBET It takes a very steady hand. With more than a dozen decorated eggs on dis play in the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery gift shop, Amy Policky a gift shop employee adjusts the grade A chicken eggs - carefully. The eggs are part of the seventh annual egg artistry contest held at the Sheldon sponsored by the Poultry and Egg Division of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The public is invited to view the eggs and to vote for the one they feel best represents Nebraska. Mary Torell, the Public Information Officer for the Nebraska Poultry and Egg Division of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, said the contest is a unique way to promote egg products. After the voting is com plete, the winning egg entry will be taken by the American Egg Board to Washington, D.C., for a special display during Easter 2001. The White House Easter Egg display will have an entry from every state as part of a special event organ ized by Hillary Clinton in conjunction with the annu al White House Easter egg hunt, Torell said. “The Nebraska contest is its seventh year and keeps growing,” Torell said, “We have a record num ber of entries this year.” Unlike other states that hire a professional artist to design the state egg, Torell said she is proud of Nebraska’s contest because it is open to citizens across the state with a public vote deciding the win ner. “When I read that they wanted the eggs to reflect a Nebraska theme I immediately thought of football." Rebecca Dutcher egg artist Entries in this year's contest range from an intri cately beaded football egg to a piece painted to resemble an ear of com. Some eggs contain finely detailed rural scenes while others depict miniatur ized state landmarks. “When I read that they wanted the eggs to reflect a Nebraska theme I immediately thought of football,” said Rebecca Dutcher of Culbertson. Like all of the egg artists, Dutcher had to work carefully. In order to create her football styled egg, more than 1500 beads had to be applied by hand. The football egg and others will be on display in the Sheldon gift shop until Oct. 11.