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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2000)
Opinion Nearing the finish line NU close to achieving goal for minority hiring State Sen. Deb Suttle is concerned the university won’t be in the top 50 percent of its peers in the employment of women and minorities by 2002. We’re not. The chairwoman of the Legislature’s Select Committee on Gender and Minority Equity said last week she questions whether the university can meet a 1997 mandate that requires the university to be in the top 50 percent of peer institutions by August of2002. If it fails to meet that goal, the state Legislature could penalize the university by cutting its budget by $3 million a year. But based on reports, the university is already in the top 50 percent of similar institutions in employing women. The percent of women faculty rose from 27 percent in 1997 to 28.6 percent in 1999. The area where NU is still catching up is in the hiring of minorities. The University of Nebraska is still behind the average of its peers. Minority faculty make up about 10 percent of the faculty. In 1997, its peers’ average was 11.4 percent. But the university is making progress. Three of the four campuses increased the number of minority faculty last year. Minority faculty at UNL increased by two faculty members, and the Medical Center had a net increase of eight. Eleven new minority faculty members joined the NU system last year. It only missed the annual benchmark of 12 by one facul ty member. We think the university is in a great position to meet the Legislature’s goal by next August. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, just one of the sys tem’s four campuses, is engaged in numerous national search es for faculty and administrative positions. We hope the university will seek out qualified minority and women administrators and faculty members as they progress in their national searches. We hope the university will work hard to keep women and minority members in Nebraska once they come. By mandating that the University of Nebraska stay in the top 50 percent compared to its peers, the state Legislature is seeking diversity in a real way. It is not promoting quotas or trying to seek diversity through other restrictive affirmative action measures. Instead, the Legislature is leaving it open for each campus to hire the person'most qualified for the job, while encourag ing minority and women hires. We have confidence that the university will meet its goal. We hope it continues to maintain it in the future. Editorial Board Josh Funk (editor) • J.J. Harder • Cliff Hicks • Samuel McKewon • Dane Stickney • Kimberly Sweet • Lindsay' Young Letter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any submissions.Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous mate rial will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448 or e-mail to: let ters@unl.edu Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the spring 2000 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents acts as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The UNL Publications Board, established by the regents, super vises the publication of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. The Daily Nebraskan strives to print fair and accurate cover age; any corrections or clarifications will be printed on page three. Obertneyer’s VIEW /JU5T LIKE 9 VOLT BfflTERlES, \ AND YOU CAN USE THEM THE EMWER PARTY CAN IN YOUR ALARM OocK V BE VERY USEFUL! : .—L—- TO PROTECT IT FPm \ THjy KEEP iouR ■ , ^-/ OBSOLETE AM RAD/O \ ~>m>E5! ( WORKING- So You DON’T WRSE, TO REPLACE i T ) V wimsofflgrHiNG- better!/ it Keeps going AND GOING-.,. \J0TB Today' But plbasehme tub sarcasm Mm., _'___gMftLjgon Letters to the EDITOR Resident endorsement In comparing the two presidential candidates, I say that my vote is with Empower. As much as I appreciate A-Team’s views on the current ASUN senate, I cannot give my support to a ticket that I believe has isolated itself from fel low senate members. Also, I believe that any president who cannot focus the senate’s energy will be ineffective. This position requires experience as well as a devo tion to student service. I believe Heath Mello and Cecily Rometo show more of these qualities, and I am confident that students’ issues will be dealt with in a manner that will make a difference to the student body. These are my personal feelings, and I am presenting them only to answer any questions as to my feel ings about the current election. Jadd Stevens president Resident Hall Association Duff power As presidential candidate for the Duff party, I learned a lot about the various issues, candidates and parties involved in this year’s student govern ment elections. After having talked to and heard from all the candidates, I am support ing Amy Ellis from Impact as second vice president and the duo of Heath Mello and Cecily Rometo from Empower as president and first vice president, respectively. After developing a close relation ship with Amy, I feel her passion and commitment would be a strong asset forASUN. Her desire to implement Impact’s platform and eagerness to work with others elected will benefit all stu dents of this university. Mello wou]d be a great president for this university, and I have no doubt he would do an excellent job. However, I feel his strongest asset is having Rometo as a running mate. Her ideas and knowledge were by far the greatest of all the vice presiden tial candidates. I encourage all students to vote today and cast their ballots not for someone who says he or she will make a change, but for someone who has the knowledge and desire to make this university a better place. Cast your ballot for Amy Ellis, Heath Mello and Cecily Rometo. Jason Kidd senior accounting Duff presidential candidate Endocrine bias Yesterday’s story on Theo Colbom is yet another example of the Daily Nebraskan’s complete neglect of balanced reporting. Colborn’s “endocrine disruption” hypothesis is (to be kind) highly con troversial. The American Council on Science and Health, which has seven UNL faculty members on its board of advisers, recently concluded that “typical exposures to synthetic chem icals in the environment are not linked, in humans, to alleged endocrine-related health problems, such as reductions in sperm counts and cancers of reproductive organs.” You can find and download this report in five minutes on the Web. Yet the only faculty members your reporter interviewed were two who agreed with Colborn! Is it just that you can’t be bothered to cover a story properly or are you deliberately biased? Gerry Harbison professor of chemistry Ethanol schmethanol You’re a bit off base when you say ethanol is “something that those ’70s and ’80s cars don’t seem to digest that well” (Our View, Tuesday). My family has been using ethanol-blended gasoline exclusively for many years on our farm, in vehi cles ranging in age from 1967 to 1993, with absolutely no fuel-related problems. This is one of the biggest obsta cles ethanol has had to overcome in becoming an accepted alternative fuel source. You also state that you “don’t want to pay prices any higher than the out-of-control ones we cringe at cur rently.” Doesn’t it occur to you that as petroleum prices continue to increase, ethanol likely will become more price competitive and actually may reduce the price you pay at the pump? Tim Hindman graduate student biological systems engineering P.5. Write V>ack Send letters to: Daily Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 “R” St., Lincoln, NE 68588, or fax to (402) 472-1761, or e-mail letters@unl.edu. Letters must be signed and include a phone number for verification.