In late January, a proposed constitutional amendment provided the common ground a handful of students needed to unite.

The proposal, known as LR233CA, sought to ban the use of affirmative action programs in public education, public employment and public contracting.

But on Wednesday, Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial, the Nebraska legislator who proposed the amendment, filed to withdraw the proposal two days before it was scheduled for a public hearing.

This proposed amendment caused quite a stir among some student groups at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, resulting in the birth of a new organization on campus.

Students United for Nebraska, or SUN, held a press conference to oppose the bill Monday morning in the Nebraska Union. SUN was formed in late January by the combination of student activist groups on campus geared towards equality and civil liberties. SUN includes members from the Afrikan People’s Union, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, the Mexican American Student Association and Nebraskans for Peace, along with other student groups.

The press conference featured three SUN officers voicing their concerns on the bill in regards to the University and our state as a whole. Students voiced their opinions and objections in front of a crowd made up mostly of students and members of activists organizations from around the area.

“We will fight to remain an inclusive and accepting campus,” said Nic Swiercek, a history graduate student and the vice president of SUN.