Daily Nebraskan

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Matt Buxton

The students running to be the next ASUN showed they are college kids first and elected officials second in the second of four debates Thursday night.

The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska debate was sponsored by the Dailyer Nebraskan, Mortar Board and the Peer Education Network. Attendees delivered a mix of humorous and serious questions to the executive candidates of the BRIGHT, Ignite and All'N parties, in front of students who filled every seat and lined the walls of the Wick Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Maika Bauerle, a senior broadcast journalism major and member of Mortar Board, set the tone of the debate during her introduction and by asking the parties to create on-the-spot interpretive dances.

Carson Vaughan, a sophomore news-editorial major and editor in chief of the Dailyer Nebraskan, helped Bauerle keep the mood light by displaying wittiness from a newspaper that reported on scuffles between Jesus and Muhammad.

"Immigration is a serious issue," Vaughan asked all three of the parties, "In the last several years, UNL has seen a dramatic influx in illegal immigration by feral cats. What does your party suggest we, as a university, do about this situation?"

"Quit being such a pussy," Trevor Nieveen, a senior Spanish major and internal vice presidential candidate for the BRIGHT party said, "We'll bring in some stray dogs."

Courtney Hejny, a junior advertising major and internal vice presidential candidate for Ignite, said she loved having cats on campus and didn't see why UNL students don't bring them into classrooms. Jared Tidemann, a junior presidential candidate and external vice presidential candidate for All'N said the question was stopping students from focusing on the real problems at UNL, such as the opossum problem.

But the candidates did spend time debating serious issues. The parties crafted their own questions that the hosts asked during the debate. Most of the questions the candidates submitted targeted the reality of the opposing party's platforms being accomplished.

Eric Thorson, a senior psychology major and presidential candidate for the All'N party, asked the BRIGHT party how their platforms are "fee-neutral," which BRIGHT executive candidates say can be accomplished by prioritizing student needs.

One of Ignite's platforms is to create a university sponsored tailgate that would serve alcohol and fund UNL programs such as NU directions and 475-RIDE. Emily Zimmer, a junior political science major and presidential candidate for the BRIGHT party, said she has worked with NU directions and confirmed that if Ignite creates this tailgate, NU directions would not be able to accept money from it.

Adam Morfeld, a senior political science major and presidential candidate for the Ignite party, said regardless of whether the money can go to NU directions, the idea of a university-sponsored tailgate can still be a reality.

"The tailgate will be fenced in and watched over by the University Police and will have a three of four drink limit," he said. "For people to say that this is a dry campus on game day would be saying a lie."

RYANBOETEL@DAILYNERBASKAN.COM

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