The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska senate debated whether to support a national bill affecting student loans at its meeting on Wednesday.
The senate decided not to pass Government Bill No. 5 with a vote of six in favor, 14 against and two members abstaining.
This bill would have shown ASUN's support of The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, which has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and hopes to eliminate the "middlemen" lenders between government loans and students.
"The bill fails," said ASUN senate Speaker Jared Tidemann, a senior political science major, who stood in for internal vice president Brian Coburn, a senior biochemistry major. Coburn had wanted to debate the bill.
President Megan Collins, a senior business administration major, said she wasn't surprised that the bill failed to pass because she knew how close the vote was before being placed on the senate floor.
"I wasn't sure how it was going to end up," she said.
The potential loss of jobs and wanting students to have other financial loan options was why the bill failed, Collins said.
There was debate on whether direct lending was more helpful for students than borrowing from the private sector.
"You really saw people's passion for helping students come out," Collins said, adding there were differences in opinions in what was the best way to help those students.
There are many students who are affected by loans and will be affected by the bill, she said.
"I saw the senators getting really interested in the subject and not afraid to talk it out," Collins said.
Also at the last meeting, the senate tabled Senate Bill No. 11, which was ASUN's diversity plan, so the senators could look at the bill more carefully.
"It basically is a framework the committee can work from," said Justin Shilhanek, chairman of the ASUN diversity strategic development committee and a junior psychology and Spanish major.
The bill outlines which issues the senate hopes to address and some of its goals. Shilhanek said the document recognizes there are issues with diversity.
"What we hope to do with this plan is to facilitate and find a place to discuss them," he said.
The bill passed with a roll-call vote of 23 for and three against.
The senate also adopted a bill by a voice vote in support of Freedom Week, which will be Nov. 9 through Nov. 13. The bill also recognized Nov. 9 as World Freedom Day.
kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com
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