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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1969)
PAGE 2 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1969 Mffif South Conjugation education Somewhere in Burnett Hall's language labs, secure behind the drone of verb conjugation, lurks the classical tradition of a foreign language requirement. And somewhere In Nebraska Hall, incased in rows of typewriters, too many journalism students are learning a trade and not earning an education. And somewhere is Oldfather Hall, along with the new fixtues and chairs, an upperclassman Is marking time due to an unchallenging prerequisite course. . THERE ARE other flaws in the general curriculum of the University of Nebraska, all with one thing In common: the faculty, the students and the administration are failing to deal with them. Far too many teachers have fallen into educational cliches, and far too many students have gone along riding for the semester, and gunning for the grade. And both groups are guilty of failing to question the methods and value of the way things have always been done. In the College of Arts and Science, for instance, there remains the vestiges of medieval education, in which all scholars studied Greek and Latin. Today, each student, no matter what his ambition and purpose, is required to take a foreign language. THOSE 16 hours could be spent in couses which excite and seem relevant to the student. If language study is signifi cant to the student, and if it will help him in graduate studies, then fine. But why should another A&S student, who will immediately unlearn the language after his last German final, be required to suffer through four semesters? Another example. Too many departments offer training and not education. In the School of Journalism, grades can depend on typing speed and accuracy. In some business courses a balance sheet outweighs contemplation and ex pression. In Physical Education, a football course gives academic credit for cracking heads, not books. THE FINAL example. Prerequisites and sequences, though often serving as guides in planning, can put a student in a course which impedes and bores him. Although typing, money balancing and football playing are forms of education, they cannot be considered the type of learning that deserve academic credit at a university. And these are just excerpts from a long list of curriculum problems at the University. There has been progress in curriculuim at NU (the Negro history course and the Centennial College, for instance). But improvements for the bulk of courses, long overdue from College advisory boards, has come too little, too late. If the University can not move ahead in this vital area with the present structure, the entire community should seek new ways in which to force improvement DAILY NEBRASKAN Second class postal paid at Lincoln, Neb. Telephones; Editor, 472-2588, News 472-2589, Btuinen 472-2590. Subscription rates are $4 per semester or $6 per academic year. Published Monday. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the school sear except during vacations Editorial Staff Editor Ed lcenogle: Managing Editor Lynn Gottschalk: News Editor Jim Evtagers Night News Editor Kent Cocksnn; Editorial Page Editor Jane Wagoner; Assistant News Editor Andy Wood; Sports Editor Mark Gordon; Nebraskan Staff Writers John Dvorak, Jim Periersen, Connie Winkler, Susan Jenkins, Bill Smltherman, Sue SchUchtemeter, Sue Pettey, Ron Talcott, Joanclle Ackerman, Bachittar Singh; Photographers Dan Ladely, Linda Kennedy, Mike Hayman; Reporter-Photographers Ed Anson, John Noliendorfs; Copy Editors J. L. Schmidt, Joan Wagoner, Phyllis AdUason, Dave Filipi, Sara Schweider. Business Staff Business Manager Roger Boye; Local Ad Manager Joel Davie; Production Manager Randy Irey; Bookkeeper Ron Bowlin: Secretary Janet Boatman; Classified Ads Jean Basri Subscription Manager Linda Ulrich; Circulation Managers Ron Pavelka, Rick Do ran, James Stelzer; Advertising Representatives Meg Brown, Gary Grahnquist, Linda Robinson, J. L. Schmidt, Frits Shoemaker, Charlotte Walker, The Daily Nebraskan is solely a student publication, independent of the University of Nebraska's administration, faculty and student government. Opinion expressed on the editorial page is that only of the Nebraskan's editorial mm sS8B9ESS staff. by Rowland Evans and Robert Novak Washington No one could have been more surprised than Galo Plaza, the shrewd secretary, general of the Organization of American States (OAS), when Vice President-elect Spiro Agnew telephoned him to ask for a long interview on Latin American affairs. The date was just before Agnew and Plaza made a joint Dec. 9 appearance at the New Orleans meeting of the National League of Cities, Agnew's proposal: would Plaza ride back to Washington in Agnew's plane so they could talk about Latin America? That was the first word that Plaza or anybody else had heard that President-elect Nixon has assigned important responsibilities in Latin American policy, long a stepchild of U.S. policy makers, to his Vice President. But that is precisely what Mr. Nixon now intends. The two-and-a-half hour airplane ride back to Washington that day was Agnew's first serious exposure ever to what is going on south of the border. The second exposure, also with Plaza, came last week when Agnew returned with more ques tions. Intimates of Plaza report that the secretary. ern SpiroiZi general, a veteran Ecuadorean diplomat and politi cian, was Impressed both with Agnew's qualities as a listener and the caliber of his questions. Also impressive to Plaza was Agnew's repeated insistence that Mr. Nixon intends to give Latin American affairs a high billing in his Administra tion. Nevertheless, Latin American diplomats here are shocked by Mr. Nixon's private designation of Agnew as one of his Latin American specialists tiid are skeptical on two counts whether the Vice President really will devote all that time ai;d effort to hemispheric affairs and whether he really is capaDle of handling the job. This skep ticism stems partly from Agnew's extraordinarily bad public relations during and since the Presiden tial campaign and partly from the fact that he is an utter novice in both Latin politics and U.S. foreign policy. Agnew's only known visit south of the con tinental U.S.A. came just after the election when he took a vacation at Doradi Bay in Puerto Rico. Asked on arrival for his opinion about statehood for Puerto Rico, Agnew spoke right up: he was for it, he said. atwn Only five years ago Editor's Note: The folio wins is a reprint of an editorial by Frank Landis which appeared on the '63-64 Nebraskan. What I'd like to know is what kind of an administration do we have? If I remember right, President Kennedy did a lot of griping about Ike's prestige and foreign policies in the 1960 elction. Since that elec tf&i, when the Kennedy dynasty and his theory-minded Harvard boys took over, we have crawled, I f czeamwm. aw ml r miltcm SWJT- backed and stumbled into the most ridiculous posture this country has ever assumed. The United States, the strongest country in tine world, is now being mocked and intimidated by an ar rogant, boastful communist dic tator in Cuba. e WHY DO we put up with Fidel's ranting? Why don't we pluck this thorn from our thigh, this threat to our security? One reason the administration is THAT IM HAIR. XL) gives, is that the United States would be acting as an aggressor nation. Evidently they have forgotten the Monroe Doctrine. Perhaps JFK should take a lesson in foreign policy from the Russians. When Hungary revolted, Nikita knew how to handle the problem, and forcibly. He moved in with tanks and infantry to brutally crush the revolt. Countries of the world cried "aggressor." And where is Hungary now? IN THE communist camp. Needless to say, when you're boxing, you don't wear kid gloves. What is our policy toward Cuba? Do we have a positive one, or is it just a matter of waiting for them to make the first move? Economic boycotts, and navaJ blockades have been brought up, but to what avail? It would seem that we are afraid of losine "friends" among our foreign neighbors. Maybe this notion that we have to be everyone's friend is costing us more than it's worth, both in taxes and in prestige. We pour millions of dollars in foreign aid into India every year, and yet who was the first country to slap our hand when we resumed nuclear testing? ALSO, trying to be buddies with "the great neutralist," Nehru, might possible have caused a small loss of prestige in Portugal. If I were Salazar. I would probably think twice before letting the United States renew their lease for military bases on the Azores. Wnile Fidel is waving a red flag at us, we are straddling a barrel afraid to move either way. Perhaps our troops belong in Cuba instead of Mississippi. Well, it's a thought anyhow. This response flew in the face of the traditional attitude by mainland American politicians lo kee i hands off the most disruptive issue in Puerto Rico, Although newly-elected Gov. Luis Ferre favors ultimate statehood for the Caribbean island, the defeated Populares are adamantly against it. Thus, Agnew managed to alienate at least half the island and, erroneously, put the Nixon administration on record for statehood. But Agnew's lack of experience Isn't the onh reason for unease among Latin diplomats. What bothers them more profoundly is the lack of any sign of a Nixon plan for that vital arena. No top State Department appointee, starting with Secretary of State designate William p. Rogers, has more than a meager speaking ac quaintance with Latin America. Even at this late date, there has been nothing but gossip about the identity of the new Assistant Secretary of State for Latin Affairs. At one point early in the transition period Mr. Nixon was considered likely to name his old friend, Robert C. Mill, as an Undersecretary of State, Even though Hill was some what controversial dur ing tours as Ambassador to Mexico, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, some Latin diplomats were ecstatic at the prospect that one top official in the Statu Department at least would know how many coun tries there are in Latin America. But Hill ruled himself out of a Stale Department job. Moreover, Mr. Nixon has not yet accepted ad vice that he pay a courtesy call on Secretary. General Plaza. His only action so far has boon a private telegram to the chairman of the Inter American Committee of the Alliance for Progress, Dr. Carlos Sanz de Santa Maria on Nov. 7 promising to "strengthen relationships and build stronger bonds" between the U.S. and Latin America. In view of Washington's traditional neglect of Latin America and the fact that there have been six Assistant Secretaries of State for Inter American Affairs in the last six years, that one telegram is no more reassuring than Mr. Nixon's designation of Agnew as one of his top Latin ad. visers. (c) 1969, Publisher-Hall Syndicate Here's a little song you can all join in with It's very simple at- I hope it's new Make your own words up if you want to Any old words that you think will do Yellow, blue, what'Il I do? Maybe I'll just sit here thinking Black, white, stop the fight Does one of these colours ever bother you? A simple little verse with a very bit In message. Typical of the material contained in the new album by the group known as Traffic. You say that you have never heard of TRAK fic; Walk into the Crib right now and play B! on the jukebox. That's "Feelin' Alright" by Traffic and that's their best known cut from the album. NOW THAT you've heard the record, read on. The group is composed of Dave Mason, vocal an I accoustic guitar, Steve Winwood, piano and bass guitar, Jim Capaldi, drums and Chris Wood, tenor sax. All of these men are established musicians who have combined their individual bags for the group effort known as Traffic. Cut two of side one on the album is a short story about the Pearly Queen, a mystic Indian girl who causes the vocalist to fade out and the drummer to dominate. This is followed by Don't Be Sad, a number which is done with an almost Bee Gee vocal rendering and with the heavy organ chords reminiscent of a cathedral pipe organ. Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring has a nice title and a few good lyrics but that's it. Only two instruments are being played and it seems that the whole group is trying to get their lick at singing a word or two. The result is a jumble.I concotion. A SHORT little piece entitled Vagabond Virgin is next in line with its beautiful flute work ant nice bit of social commentary. This is followed by a deep, heavy voiced and guttural rendition of 40,000 Headmen. Once again the mood is changed to Cryin to be Heard, another heavy organ piece. Chris Wood uses the soprano sax to convex a somewhat eerie mood in No Time to Live. Woo!i makes the sax sound almost like a wolf cry : the plains. And speaking of plain, that's how the record ends with a song called Means to an End. a number that nothing can be said about, sav that it ends an otherwise good album bv a verv good, but unknown group. TRAFFIC is not necessarily an undergroun l sound. Some of the cuts would fit into any modern I'M stations programming and might even make it on some of the more or less teeny-bop station.,. Only time will tell, but don't sell this group short. In the near future I hope to be able to cover some albums from groups in most genre of music. The obscure groups with the good sounds will b my major concern since I feel that our cultural future lies somewhere in the underground move- Sn g t nCedS 211 f tte nurturinS lt it .v.- it r t y :7 '; 1 iinnr"