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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2000)
r Daily Nebraskan TheComhuskers, Artist creates ceramics from The Nebraska volleyball ^ longer, weren't even do her experiences with the team has no trouble remaining this weekend against th cycle of life undefeated and No. 1 newNo.1 Sooners In Arts/10 In SportsMonday/12 In Sports/6,7 Debate focuses on farm problems BY LINDSEY BAKER Sunday evening’s televised debate between 1st Congressional District candi dates Doug Bereuter and Alan Jacobsen pivoted on agricultur al affairs. The debate, broadcast on Nebraska ETV Network, was the first in a series of three debates, all run by a moderator and fea turing questions from a panel of journalists and videotaped local residents. Jacobsen expressed nis campaign focus on agricultural issues, particularly in the areas of ethanol production and indi vidual farmer profits as opposed to big business gains. "We need to put together a policy that would allow every one (involved) in the produc tion of agriculture to profit,” Jacobsen said. "It’s wrong to ask the people who feed the world to get a part-time job so they can feed their families.” His solution to low agricul tural prices is to increase the domestic use of agricultural surplus by expanding the ethanol production market, which relies heavily on grain. "Where there’s an ethanol plant, grain (prices are) higher Please see DEBATE on 5 Scott McGurg/DN An Oklahoma fan dings to the south goal post after fans beat back law enforcement officers who used pepper spray to try to keep it from being brought down.The Sooners defeated the Huskers 31 -14 at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Saturday. g;.| BY JOSH FUNK The economic benefits of the city’s proposed Antelope Valley project bank on some big university construction, but UNUs former vice chancellor for research said the study relies on some funding that may not be feasible. Over the planned 30-year period, though, the goal of building six new research labs, similar to the Beadle Center, may be doable, said former vice chancel lor Marsha Torr. The university must raise more than $110 million and convince the state to contribute at leSst $10.5 million over the next 30 years if the economic benefits pre dicted for the Antelope Valley project are to be realized. A study released last week predicts that $302 million of the estimated $745 million will come from the University of Nebraska-Iincoln constructing four of six planned research labs. “The assumption here is that most of the money would come from outside grants,” UNL Director of Institutional Research and Planning John Benson said. “Our long-range commitment is to build research activity, and we’ll need facilities to do that” But the assumptions used in that study may oversimplify the fundraising challenges the university faces, said Torr, who left UNL this fall to be vice president for research at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. “You can’t use research grants and (research) funding to build buildings,” Torr said, highlighting a need for state and private contributions. “Thming that cor ner of campus into a major research lab is exactly what the university needs to do.” A study released last week predicted $745 million of economic benefit to follow over 50 years after the completion of the $175 million first phase of the Antelope Valley project, which would redirect flood water and traffic in the heart of Lincoln. The Antelope Valley project will remove a large section of City Campus from within the flood plain, which will free the area between Vine, R, 17th and 19th streets for new construction. The City Council will hold a public hearing tonight at 5:30 at the County/City building on die first phase of the plan. The drafters of the economic study assumed that the federal government would pay for 85 percent of the construc tion costs, and the state would cover the other 15 percent They based that model on the con struction of the Beadle Center where fed eral money covered 85 percent, though the state paid only 7 percent Torr said it would not be possible to get the govern ment to cover that much of the cost “It’s now possible to maybe get one third from the federal government if you have the support of your representatives in Washington,” Torr said. For salaries, it was assumed that 70 percent would be paid for by research grants, and the state would cover the other 30 percent. Torr said this sounded like a good model to follow for salaries, but Benson acknowledged that the university has not been able to hold to this model at the Beadle Center. The construction of these buildings, as well as other improvements on cam pus, all hinges on UNL’s ability to boost “It’s now possible to maybe get one-third from the federal government if you have the support of your representatives in Washington Marsha Torr former UNL vice chancellor research and secure large grants. "It’s all tied together,” Benson said of the relationship between increasing research, building facilities and improving teaching. But Benson said he doesn’t expect this to be a quick fix. “This is a 30-year plan, so it's not going to happen all at once,” he said. Alexandra Basplo,aUNL biology profes sor, stands in front of the fish tanks that line her laboratory. Basolo is an ani mal behaviorist who has researched the sexual biases of swordtail fish. Sharon Kolbet/DN Biologist finds size does matter ■ A UNL professor is studying the effects of changes in size and color of swordfish tail fins. BY SHARON KOLBET And they call it guppy love. More specifically, it is the mating habits of the green swordtail fish. For Alexandra Basolo, a pro fessor of biology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the swordtail is at the center of her pioneering research. “The work is at the interface of biology and computer sci ence,” Basolo said. The species that Basolo studies is a small live-bearing fish related to the guppy found in most pet stores. This freshwa ter fish is characterized by the male’s extended tail fin, known as a sword, which develops at sexual maturity. It is this sword that is the focus of Basolo’s specially creat ed fish films. One area of Basolo’s lab has been converted into a special video observation room. Here, the female fish is released into a Please see FISH on 5 A heated political baptism 23-year-old is embroiled in battle for district's seat BY BRIAN CARLSON Just five months after gradu ating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Phil Erdman is receiving his political baptism by fire. Erdman, 23, is challenging incumbent Sen. Gerald Matzke of Sidney for the 47th District seat in the Nebraska Legislature. With just over a week left until the Nov. 7 election, the two can didates are embroiled in a hotly contested battle. MatzKe, by, aereatea Erdman by a count of 4,424 to 3,643 in the May primary. Both are Republicans, but their race for a seat in the officially nonpar tisan Legislature has been intense. “We’re going to win,” said Erdman, who graduated with a degree in agriculture education. Matzke, a lawyer, said he could not predict the outcome because no polls have been taken. “We have a very spirited, energetic campaign going,” he said. The 47th District covers roughly the southern half of the Panhandle, an area that has been ravaged by a depressed agricultural economy. Erdman said the district’s next representative should do more for the agricultural econo my. He said “value-added agri culture” - making commodities into more specialized, valuable products - and rural economic development have been under funded. “I have knowledge about the farm economy, and it’s a skill area of mine,” said Erdman, who works on his parents’ family farm in Bayard. Matzke acknowledged that “considerable anger and anguish” in his district’s rural population has caused voter dis content. But he said the U.S. Congress, not the Legislature, has control over most agricul tural policy, including the Freedom to Farm Act, crop insurance and loan deficiency payments. “It’s misleading to the voters to say the Nebraska Legislature is going to solve the financial problems of agriculture,” Matzke said. The Legislature deals with some farm issues, and Matzke defended his efforts. He said he was one of eight senators in the 49-member body to receive a 100 percent rating from the Nebraska Farm Bureau, and he received that organization’s endorsement. He sponsored Gov. Mike Johanns’ rural economic devel opment bill, which provides tax incentives to new businesses that create a set number of new jobs in rural counties. He co sponsored a bill to boost value added agriculture, and he spon sored an unsuccessful bill to lower the taxable value of agri cultural land. But Erdman said he is better Please see ERDMAN on 5