Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1968)
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN Editorials Commentary Friday, February 2, 1968' Page 2 Helping to make a home a house The Housing Office recently handed down three ' new regulations governing dormitory open houses, one of which is particularly distasteful. The ruling requires that the dormitories or ganize a procedure for registering a student's ab sence during open houses. Although this procedure - will not work exactly like the notorious AWS sign ... out sheets, it is basically the same idea. Not only does this sign-out system appear to 1 .'.be' completely unnecessary when considering the strict regulations which already insure a puritani : cal atmosphere, but the system will most likely ; be as faulty as the AWS system. These three rulings reinforce the set of six re- - quirements for open houses drawn up last Decem ber by a faculty sub-committee on social affairs and activities. The subcommittee's requirements were not greeted with roaring enthusiasm by the Inter-dormitory Association. The IDA retaliated by sub mitting two strongly worded resolutions demand- - ..ing clarification and reconsideration of three of the requirements, including the "open door policy." " This regulation demands that the doors ? all rooms be open during open houses even those of students who are not participating in the affair. The resolutions have not yet been considered by the subcommittee, so the IDA now has another item to add to their growing list of complaints. ....... Perhaps the subcommittee and the Housing Office assume that if the process of obtaining open houses is a trying ordeal, the dormitories will soon tire cf the program and open houses will be discon- - tinued. Then maybe the IDA would abandon its " coed visitation project, too much to the delight of the Board of Regents. The IDA postponed action on these three regu lations but decided they could follow these courses accept, reject or modify. It is doubtful that IDA ; will find it in its best interests to reject the rules . but the association should attempt to modify them. Their success or failure with this issue and the open door policy will determine the outcome of Co ed Visitation, if and when IDA decides to present it again to the Regents. Cheryl Tritt Dan Looker ... The beagleman faces the CD's Outlook en Demos Das Looker In the last off-year elections the Democrats were trounced. The situation had been rarely worse both on the national and local scenes. The nation al election efforts were a sham. LBJ did bis best to help his party by holing up in the White House with his beagles and his bird while Democratic of fice seekers tried to keep bis name out of the cam paign. Republicans got elected in places where such a thing never should have happened and after a group of Democratic governors publicly criticized Johnson for hurting his party. In Nebraska the Democratic party was almost washed out of existence by the Republican tide. Even Frank Morrison, the Republican's Democrat, and Clair Callan, a very able man with few ene mies, were defeated by candidates who could hard lv be called inspiring even by members of the COP. - That was almost two years ago. Now, every one wonders if things have changed. Yes, they have. Nationally, the party has never been is better shape. ' It has more presidential contenders than the Republicans. And the Democrats have something for everyone. They have Wallace, the working man's bigot; they have good ol' LBJ; and they have a painfully frank liberal, Senator Eugene McCar thy. - in Nebraska, also, the party is gaining strength. It is true that there is no such thing as a democratic candidate for office, not even a ru mored candidate in the state. Nevertheless, you have probably noticed that occasionally this or that partv official will take a vocal potshot at the GOP. Seriously, though, the Democrats' position is not as bad as many believe. On the national scene, Johnson still has considerable political power and no one underestimates his chances of getting back in the White House including Republicans and re bellious Democrats. Meanwhile, back in Nebraska, it may seem as If only a few party officials admit they are Demo crats, but a great deal of organizational work is go ing on within the party which will pay off in upcom ing elections. Also, capable men like Callan are re turning to the state. This is a political column and although some political columnists make predictions like who is going to win elections, this author will not do any ting that rash, especially when there are so many presidential candidates afield in both parties and when third, fourth, and maybe fifth parties may spring up, la Nebraska, it is too early to make such predictions, since there are so few democrat ic contenders. Instead, this column will look at such key Dem ocrats as Fulbrisht, Robert Kennedy, McCarthy, and, of course, LBJ. It will also look at the nation al party where It is going, what its strength is, and how it can accommodate the liberals. We will not forget the local Democrats, cither, including those on campus. This column, I hope, will not be the usual gung ho cm key propaganda. Eves though I admit I re spect men like Fuibrigbt and McCarthy, I will not push any particular condidate. Instead. I will try to help you to understand those strange creatures called Democrats as the semester progresses. 0 m mo A mf amp w. UN ffiSW TO ON W 1VI i ins v iv,cxm - i ton ns iga - WJir IDE. KVVm WW Joseph Alsop . The Saigon troubles9 meaning WASHINGTON We are, no doubt due for another spate of warnings that all is hopeless in Vietnam because of the attack on the U.S. Em bassy and the other Viet Cong efforts in Saigon and other cities. In reality, how ever, this flurry of guerrilla activity in urban centers al most certainly has just the opposite meaning. According to Hanoi's doc trine, the war always has been supposed to culminate in a "general uprising," en gulfing towns as well as coun tryside. In prudent prepara tion for this "general upris ing," the enemy's high com mand long ago began to ac cumulate hidden assets, in the form of inen and weapons, within or on the fringes of the various urban centers where their writ has never run. Everyone has known that such hidden assets existed. Occasionally, this or that bit of the Viet Cong network in Saigon or some other town has been discovered and re moved. Most of the network always has remained in place, largely inactive and there fore difficult to locate, but ready fr use on the work of command from Hanoi. That work was evidently given some weeks of months ago. The numerous attacks in Saigon, in HUE, in Da Nang and at other points were obvi ously long-planned. The execution, in most showing very careful co-ordination as well as great dar ing. But the obvious fact re mains that most of the Viet Cong's assets in and around the urban centers have now been abruptly and wasteful ly expended, without produc ing anything dimly resembl ing the general uprising Ha noi has always dreamed of. It is as if a college boy, who had been saving up for a new sports car, suddenly put all his savings into a useless rattletrap. The question is, why? Quite certainly, the right answer is not that Hanoi thought the time had really come for the general upris ing and therefore moved pre maturely. The kind of Viet Cong planning and preparation revealed in the recent attacks is almost never wasted on false assumptions. Quite certainly, therefore, the decision was consciously taken to settle for the rattle trap instead of the longed-for sports car. Pretty certainly, there were two aims behind this decision. One was the obvious propagandists aim to weaken American and South Vietnamese resolution by conveying the impression of hopelessness. The other aim was military. Everything indicates that the big show in Vietnam this winter is to be the battle at Khe Sanh. The North Viet namese preparations strongly suggest, by their mere un precedented scale, that this battle is intended to be cli matic. And it will obviously help the enemy at Khe Sanh if there is acute worry about security throughout the rest of South Vietnam. But from all this, a single, central point rather emerges. What has happened in the cities, what is happening at Khe Sanh, cannot possibly be made to fit, into Hanoi's fa miliar and classic blueprint for "protected war." The student expenditure of the hidden urban assets, like . the preparations at Khe Sanh. in truth makes no sense at all unless the Hanoi leaders are instead basing all their cur rent hopes on a short, con vulsive, final or semifinal ef fort. Their adoption of the system of win-lose-or draw is the only rational reading of facts, including the fact that many recent captured docu ments show the Hanoi lead ers promising their troops in the field peace-by-coalition "in 1968." That means, on the one hand, that the stakes at the Khe Sanh are almost unbear ably high. But that means, on the other hand, that the Hanoi war-planners have been driven to conclude that "pro tracted war" is not a s a f e strategy to adopt. This should surprise no one. Quite aside from the heavy pressure of the bomb ing of the North, countless captured documents reveal that "fear of protected war" is the central "weakness" the work is regularly used of the North Vietnamese troops and Viet Cong cadres and troops in South Vietnam. There is considerable evi dence, indeed, that at some time last summer the Hanoi leaders seriously contemplat ed retreat into the patient strategy of classical "pro . traded war," only to rebound into the patient strategy of a climactic effort. And the chances are that the reason for the rebound was the ef fect on the troops and cadres in the South of the calls from Hanoi for "protracted war ... up to 20 years." God knows, none can pre dict exactly what Hanoi will ' do, if the preparation at Khe Sanh fail to produce the de sired result. But it is certain ly idiotic to go on talking about war "with no end in sight," as so many do in this country, when the other side so obviously thinks or fears that a rather early end is in sight. Professors speak . . . Policeman or counselor Editor's Note: This fol lowing article is the first appearance ef a weekly col nine which wfH be written by University faculty mem bers. "Policeman er Coun selor" is Contributed by Dr. Lawrence Peston, assistant professor el English. Dr. Peston is also aa active member ef tbe local chap ter of the American Associ ation of University Profes sors (AAUP). By Dr. Lawrence Pestoa One day on the campus of a large university, a student was summoned before the dean of students on a morals charge. He was told that he was not in a court of law, and that this was only a friendly, exploratory chat The dean pointed to a police report and said, "I'm not concerned with establishing your guilt or in nocence. I only want some idea of your own motives." Encouraged by the informal atmosphere, the student talked. There was no lawyer or stenographer present since, as the dean pointed out, this would inhibit both parties. A few days later, the student learned that the result of the friendly chat was an "inde finite suspension." . This fictional episode offers a not unfair picture of the workings of the new liberal ism in the more enlightened student offices. The personnel of these offices tend to de claim a parental role in their dealings with students, and emphasize their roles as coun selors rather than as police men. Unfortunately, this new liberalism frequently places the student in a more ambig uous position than be held un der the old paternalism. Maxhaim flexibility Dean of students and their staffs argue for maximum flexibility in their dealings with undergraduates. Each case, they point out, must be examined in its own terms and not forced into a reproslvely legalistic mold. Like most of us, administrators do not en- oy being judges. Their focus on helping the student solve his problems. Unfortunately, a dean of stu dents still retains his police powers. As long as he does, he can never function as a priest or psychiatrist By the nature of his job he is respon sive to pressures for law en forcement or for the mainte nance of a particular moral norm. He is both counselor and Judge-policeman, and this puts the student on an uncer tain footing. At what point in an interview does a counselor leave off counselling and be gin to function in a quasi-legal capacity? There are seldom any witnesses present to make a guess. By and large student af fairs personnel are sincere and dedicated people who are concerned that no injustices be done. But the premise gov erning their work is a con fused one, for it fails to allow for this basic contradiction in their roles. Contradictory relation The standard rejoinder of student affairs officers is that faculty are in precisely the same contradictory relation to a student Faculty members advise and counsel, but they also give grades; and what are grades but a kind of judge ment even on occasion a po lice action? Personally, I suspected my self of committing mlsjudg ments every time I sent grades in, (the more so since in the study of literature it is difficult to find an objective means of testing a student). And certainly a teacher may in a fit of pique give an F to a student. There is no doubt that some of us on the faculty have to put our own house in order. Suspensions results The analogy begins to break down, however, when one talks about suspensions. For a disciplinary suspension, on some occasions, at some uni versities, may be a hasty re sponse to community pres sure. By contrast, an acad emic suspension results from a convergence of many poor grades in many courses. In other words, there is a buiH-in guarantee against the student's being suspended as the result of a single, Isolated, arbitrary action. Then, too, the student knows from the beginning that he will be graded. He also knows that a transcript will not say whether his "F" was given for cheating or for academic irresponsibility or even for. sheer inability. But he has no assurance that his disciplinary record will not become known at a school to which he wishes to transfer. He has no assurance that damaging information will not be forwarded to the police as the result of a friend ly counselling session. Given the present ambigui ty of his position, a student would be well advised to re member the following things Daily Nebraskan rb. a, 1MI i V It. M. M ImM)m MM Said at f Junta. Kak. 4t-BM. 7MS, 4H-&W. tahMiUMi rate, ar. U par wamr ar U tat Ox ar4Ttl ymmt. rHfcM Matter. Wwhuaday. TMnttr aad Friday la acfcaat T Mr wht th-7 nM to aa arlnud. aural ami tMajaj aad rum pwttxto, fey 0 riaMtt W Ow Uamratty ml NaArMM HM IM Jvrtodtcttiia ft IM raniHr kaOoutnmlttM a fttad-fil ylilinnu, PaMMattMM) ghaU b trim Iran eeamnp by ih gvbrommituv r mmy r mi m muio taa tuinnttr. Hrniinn al laa oraka ar fumm iar what tfc7 nraaK. a rUtal. Kmbar aiaarnd Crfuita Pnaa, K.ttoaal A4arB4e Sarvfea, lnmmy La. tot Ckani Imii Itauimi Rditor J" T0M1 Hrwt JhUor S4 baaoflat YiMTOHlAI. TT tailor CWryl Trttti Haaafia ILantt J-k Toldi Dm Editor H tataotlai JWM W.in Editor J. L. Iccmfctt; tVMIariai Pun Aaalrtaal Jun, Dumri AaatiriaM MM km Editor WiitMr Ootrr Srj Editor Oaaraa Kautiuat Aitotan tort Editor Boant BeaaaMt: Hrmm Aaruttai Lyna Piaoiu ua mm: Jim Fvmner, Cart fcUrtin, Kara Gordaa. Jaa Parka. Joaa 12:taa4ft, imam Mam4J. Aaa? Cwmmtfrnm. Jtm Padanra. Madca Mni, rantta Adatona. tmH (Vk, Kraal Bfciancr, Nanry Waad, im Drank. Kali WUbamas Saaiar toy) Editor Umm ttvuaeaaiki Csay Kdttoni Bcay wl mar.. 11 tvtm. Jaa. Kaya. Molly afurrtn, lam Mary lainUi PkatoaV raakdia Jfla Xayiaaa mmS X J-a3ir. BcaskM mjArr lartam Maaaaar Ctaaa FrtowH: Prodartwa Manaaw Chart, tartar: a Canal Ad kUaaaar Laato Bartcki tvAMmtv and rtawinad aito manaaar Oary JRautofaawrtai Haataaaa laerrtary Jaa itoatmaa; SutwnpOaa Mmiir Jana few SataaoMa Vn Croak. Daa Laaaay, fcaxay UraUa. 7 add Waatktar, Patau kUldMO. Joa) Dan. Lraa Wvoiacqua. if he faces possible disciplin ary action for misconduct: Guidelines for the student 1. The student before going unaccompanied to his first in terview at the office of stu dent affairs, should establish clearly whether any informa tion he gives in that interview will be used against him, in forming the vtce of his re quest. 2. If the student is arrested by the local police for a viola tion of law on or off campus, he should remember his con stitutional rights not to give self incriminating evidence before securing counsel. Many student affairs offices have a working relationship with tbe local police, and (quite apart from what may happen In a court of law) the student's evidence may be forwarded from downtown to the campus. 3. It is frequently in the in terest of an office of student affairs to press for an early disposition of a case on cam pus. If the case also involves court action downtown, the student should under no cir cumstances consent to any informal discussion of his case on campus without an attor ney present. 4. The student whose case is not yet adjudicated has the right to attend classes and pursue his academic studies unimpeded, unless he presents a clear and present danger to the health and safety of him self or others. A student should never re gard a dean er counselor as an enemy to be outwitted. And the above rules-of-thumb are not intended as an incitement to non-cooperation with the authorities; (I'd be very un happy if they were interpreted in that way. But no student should be unaware of his rights In a potentially explo sive disciplinary situation. The real change in student affairs offices will come when counselors recognize that in such a disciplinary situation, a rigid adherence to due proc ess is as much in their interest as it is in the student's. DN Goes to the movies The bundle in "The Biggest Bundle of Them All" is supposed to be $5,000,000 worth of platinum. It isn't. The biggest bundle of them all is Raquel Welch Raquel, whose amply physical qualifications are known to most persons, co-stars with Vittono de Sica Edward G. Robinson, Godfrey Cambridge, and Robert Wagner. As Wagner's mini-skirted moll, she helps kidnap de Sica who portrays Ceasare Celli. a once-notorious Mafia leader of the 1920 s. Instead of getting a ransom for Celli, Wagner and his gang are corned into helping the extrava gant, aging gangster make his comeback. They plan to heist an Italian shipment of platinum worth $5,000,000 under the guidance of The Professor, Edward G. Robinson. Wagner and his crew bungle the caper as they do the whole picture. His acting is so impoverished that Raquel Welch, who is not famous for her drama talent, appears to be an actress with prom ising ability. De Sica gives a good performance as Celli and is equaled by Robinson who delivers a "Madi son Avenue" prescription on crime and how to make it pay. This is the only witty scene in the whole movie. Excitement in "The Biggest Bundle of Them All" is completely lacking from the plot, the pho tography, and the majority of acting. Raquel makes up for this as she undulates in a variety of seduc tive garments. The outcome is a picture with the sole purpose of showing-off Raquel Welch. It does. GAF John Reiser ... Damning the Demos into Death Valley Getting the disclaimer out of the way first This column speaks for no one, save its author. I don't speak for the University Y.R.'s or for the Republican party of Nebraska, with which I some times disagree sharply. I admit to belonging to the more "liberal" wing of the Republican party and reserve the right to indulge in criticism of the party whenever I think it's merited. I have a less-than-perfect record as a predic tor of political affairs and strongly urge that no money be wagered on the basis of any predictions contained in this column. Now then Senator Everett Dirksen is apparently to be the chairman of the platform committee at the Re publican National Convention this summer. Dirksen's credentials for most of the job are in order, but there is one part of the job I wish he wouldn't be doing. The platform chairman traditionally reads the platform in its entirety to the convention and to a nation of very bored viewers. Dirksen is a molas ses slow speaker and the prospect of his spending two or three hours on the television screen is stag gering. . Why not get a professional for the job say a Hollywood movie star? If the party doesn't share my affinity for Raquel Welch for the job, they might be able to get Ronald Reagan, whom you remem ber as the host of "Death Valley Days." As long as we choose to have the platform pre sented at all, we might as well have it done in style. Miss Welch would be perfect the viewer could turn down the sound and really enjoy the show. The more logical course would be to scrap the platform altogether. Nobody reads a party plat form after the convention anyway. The platform is part of the convention because the Presidential aspirants, in earlier days, did not attend the nominating conventions. Thus, the plat form was the only public statement of the party's view of the issues. Now, of course, the acceptance speech of the Presidential nominee sets the tone of the campaign and draws the lines upon which the party will base its thrust. If the candidate chooses to ignore the platform entirely, the few who notice the discrep ancy will just have to ignore the platform too. The fight over the platform is spirited and quite often bitter, but it does little if anything to con tribute to any meaningful dialogue on the issues within the party. If the two parties want to give the voters some thing exciting and, perhaps, meaningful, why not take the time usually used for the reading of the platform for a debate among all the serious aspi. rants for the party's nomination? There's a show guaranteed to draw viewers and provoke discussion. Neitner party, however, is likely to adopt that idea, because of the tradition that candidates do not visit the convention floor and because of the fear that such a public debate might force the con ventlon to nominate the man the public really wants, Nixon supporters don't like the word "de bate" either. Dropout counseling organized by SDS " 7JhlCPS)-StuAents for a Democratic society (SDS) has set up a dropout counseling ser. vice for students "who feel college is channeling them into a mold rather than helping them become independent, dynamic human beings." JDSKew York 0ic is compiling a list of ac tivities for potential dropouts. The organizers of .at6ra'illchfle.CUrk and Jonathan Lerner. lrv. activ",e delude organizing projects and Klni.UJ?dergund.newgPllPer- The "e all K ib,iSHmrntJ nd re tended to permit those dissatisified with the system represented Za rL ""'c community to explore themselves in a dynamic and free way." i. mf?'the M vailable to any student who is considering dropping out of school. rTT nd ,MiM Clark hope to eventually have regional counselors throughout the country, much Un25in te!!0rganlzation8 now ProvWe draft ior. win H laCl: ,0n!, 0f ie coun- SSrnitKheiP dr?ft"8Me en who lose Uielr deferments by dropping out word failure" from the concept of dropping out of XElA? 1,01 afflilure 10 'S which STS y.Uv.3 irt M U 18 not coldly to re fuse to shoot a Vietnamese, It is not cowardlv to cut tte imbillcal cord which keep, you ta the un versity when you realize that the university it ere- ating you in its own lma?e; obedien bored feSsT ,iin,fmiU!ly ,n,racUbl mS1 raffi than indefinitely open like the sky."