News
Bill Avery Elected to Nebraska Legislature
After 32 years at UNL, Bill Avery has made a career change. He now represents the 28th district in Nebraska’s Unicameral. Elected in 2006 with 57% of the vote, he was sworn in on January 3rd, with his 87-year-old mother looking on.
Bill says, “With my first legislative session in full swing, I can report that serving as a state senator is challenging and hard work, but also very rewarding.”
Shortly after the election, Bill announced his retirement effective December 31. Bill then had to balance his final semester teaching at UNL with the demands of a newly elected legislator. There was an intensive monthlong orientation program that began one week after the election for all new senators.
He says he is enjoying learning about the Unicameral and getting to know his new colleagues. Term limits, which brought more than 20 new senators to the Legislature, comprising nearly half of Nebraska’s 49 legislative districts, produced an interesting and diverse group in the 100th legislature which convened January 3rd.
Bill serves on the Education and the Government, Military and Veteran Affairs Committees. Thirty-odd years in the classroom and advising UNL students should serve him well as he takes on major issues in education.
He is sponsoring twelve bills this session on a broad range of topics. Some are technical in nature, such as adjusting fees or fines. Others are more complex, such as a sales tax holiday for backto- school shopping and property tax relief. He also introduced a constitutional amendment to make violations of campaign laws while seeking political office an impeachable offense.
His new role allows him to combine his knowledge and background in political science with a long-standing interest in political activity. Those of you who had Bill in class know he likes meeting new people, and there is a great deal of that as a state senator.
A typical day for state senators may start with an early breakfast meeting, followed by floor debate and committee hearings throughout the day, and ending with evening receptions and dinners well into the evening. Bill says he is having a great time, that he especially enjoys debating and resolving issues facing the state. He says he is honored by the opportunity to serve. “Walking into the historic George Norris Chamber at the State Capitol inspires me every day. Still, I miss regular contact with students and faculty.”
If you are ever at the Capitol, he asks that you stop in to say hello. His office is Room 1016, and phone number 471-2633. You can also wish him well with an email to: .
New Advisor
Marcia White currently serves as the undergraduate adviser in the Department of Political Science. Prior to joining the department, Marcia was an adjunct instructor in the Media Communications Department of Webster University Thailand. Her career includes work in rural development, grant writing, community outreach and communications for nonprofit and government organizations in Nebraska. Teaching experience includes a post as adjunct professor at Doane College-Lincoln where she taught public relations.
From 2002–2004, Marcia served as a volunteer in the United States Peace Corps advising small businesses and community-based tourism development projects in northern Ghana.
Marcia is active in Rotary International and in her professional association, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). She is a native of Bridgeport, Nebraska and a two-time graduate of UNL with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture and master of arts degree in adult education.
At UNL, Marcia divides her time between the Political Science Department and the Office of Undergraduate Studies where she serves as the Coordinator for the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. She will also teach a course in the University Honors program.
New Faculty
Ari Kohen (Ph.D., Duke University) specializes in contemporary political theory; human rights; ethnic conflict; and restorative justice. His first book, In Defense of Human Rights, is forthcoming in Spring 2007 with Routledge. His most recent publications include two articles, which appear in the Human Rights Review (2005) and the Journal of Human Rights (2006). In addition, Kohen was awarded the 2006 Irmgard Coninx Foundation Research Fellowship; as a result he spent three months in Germany, where he had an office at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung. Currently, he is at work on a new book-length project, entitled The Moral Hero and the Mortal Hero, as well as articles on both restorative justice and the death penalty. Ari will also be the new Schlesinger Professor of Social Justice and involved with the Harris Center for Judaic Studies.
A native of Detroit, Kohen spends his free time jogging, watching the Detroit Pistons and the Michigan State University Spartans basketball team, listening to indie rock, and grading students papers. He is a fan of grammatical accuracy, wireless internet access, and single-malt Scotch.
Graduate Student Research
Substance or Symbolism: States' Willingness to Adopt Minimum Wage Laws
By Eric Whitacker and Mitchel Herian
Most research on the minimum wage has dealt with actions and legislation at the federal level. However, in recent years, it has been the states that have been most active in passing minimum wage legislation. States through their state legislatures have passed laws that are more generous than the federal law. The involvement of the states provides an opportunity to explore factors important in the adoption of increases in the minimum wage.
In spite of the political nature of decisions to raise the minimum wage, it has been economists rather than political scientists who have studied minimum wage laws. Their interest has been on the effects of minimum wage laws, comparing the benefits of such laws against their costs. While such evidence is important in the argument of whether or not to increase the minimum wage, it is our contention that such decisions are more apt to turn on political rather than economic factors.
To test this notion, we examined the adoption of minimum wage laws in the states. Our hypothesis is that states where the Democratic party controls state government are more likely to adopt increases in the minimum wage than states where the party is not in control. Using event history analysis and logistic regression, we tested this thesis. Our findings support the contention that Democratic control, particularly of the legislature, is correlated with increases in the minimum wage.
However, Democratic strength is not the only factor that drives increases in the minimum wage. Citizen liberalism, the degree to which citizens in the state are liberal in their political outlook, is also a factor. Two economic variables are also important to the adoption of increases in the minimum wage, per capita state domestic product (SDP), a measure of state wealth, and foreign direct investment (FDI), a measure of foreign investment in a state, but the relatively small size of the coefficients lead us to conclude that political factors are more important predictors of increases in the minimum wage that economic ones.
The results of our analysis comport more or less with conventional wisdom regarding the relationship between Democratic party strength and support for increases in the minimum wage. At the same time, it is significant and unexpected that we have found political variables to be more important in driving increases in the minimum wage than economic ones. It is also important from the standpoint of democratic theory that the orientations of citizens are reflected in public policies. Our hope is to add to the study by examining states that have adopted minimum wage increases via the initiative process.
Recruitment of High School Seniors
Big Red Road Show, Spring 2007
Political Science was again represented at the Big Red Road Show at the Qwest Center in Omaha in March. Organized by Undergraduate Adviser Marcia White, the event gave the department the opportunity to showcase itself to Omaha area high school juniors and seniors. The Roadshow has become a major recruitment effort since its creation just a few short years ago.
Undergraduate Andrew Donica and graduate students Tina Mueller, Mitch Herian, and Tyler White represented the department.
Our display booth featured a video presentation of presidential speeches. Those passing by also had an opportunity to voice their opinion on the upcoming 2008 elections by filling out a survey. Just like all good political scientists, our team totaled up responses and updated them as the event went on. More than 200 prospective students stopped by to hear what the department has to offer.
Undergrad News
Shawna Liegl, a third-year political science major, was chosen as one of 24 undergraduate students to be a part of the inaugural class of Husker 24 by the Nebraska Student Alumni Association. The award recognizes students who embody the values of leadership, service, integrity and spirit. Symbolic of the 24 columns that stand adjacent to Memorial Stadium, as a member of Husker 24, Liegl received the official ring of the University and a commendation for her leadership and service to UNL and the City of Lincoln.
With a grant from the national political science honorary, Pi Sigma Alpha, six undergraduate majors were able to attend the Midwest Political Science Association meeting in April. Sarah Dyer, one of the participants, enjoyed seeing first hand the professional/research side of what it is political scientists do. The experience, she notes, brought her closer to making a decision on graduate school. She adds that research can be fun, but “now I know that it takes dedication and hard work.”
