By: Rachel Albin
Posted: 10/2/08
Student leaders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln hope affirmative action is here to stay.
On Wednesday, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska passed a resolution stating its opposition to the affirmative action ban on the November ballot. The resolution also urges students to research affirmative action and vote against banning it in Nebraska.
All but one senator voted in favor of Senate Resolution #5, and one senator abstained from voting.
"I'm kind of 'Heineman' on this issue," said Katie Madsen, a senior business administration major and external vice president of ASUN. "I'm not going to say yes. I'm not going to say no. I'm just going to smile."
Madsen refused to take a stance because her position doesn't allow her to vote with the senate. But she reminded senators to think of their constituents, some of which support the affirmative action ban.
Nate Skaggs, a senior marketing major and senator for the college of business administration, said he abstained from voting because he felt he didn't know his constituents' opinions well enough to make the decision.
"Gov. Heineman said that because this is not going to come to his desk, he's not going to take a stance," said Emily Zimmer, a senior political science major and president of ASUN. "This is coming to our campus."
Zimmer and several senators pressed others to approve the resolution and oppose the ban because they said it would cripple equal-access and certain university-enriching programs.
The ban would eliminate scholarships that consider race or gender, including private scholarships the university has ties to, said Sarah Fech, a senior political science and French major and chair of the ASUN Government Liaison Committee.
Programs such as a mentor-matching for minority students and facilities including the Women's Center and the Multicultural Center could also be at risk, she said.
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