PAGE 2
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
THURSDAY, DttMbcR 11, 1969
- Faculty evaWiien:
cooperation needed
Comments on the Faculty Evaluation Book and
- the related ques'ionnaire to be filled ouf in classes
Monday and Tuesday have ranged from "it's a very
- good thing" to "unattractive, not useful" or
iT "worthless".
k,; Although there are drawbacks in the questionnaire.
the committee effort, on the whole, is commendable
," and faculty members are urged to cooperate in having
-. their classes fill out the forms.
Nearly everyone agrees that there should be some
2 method to evaluate teaching performance and attain
the best possible faculty. University administrators
state in the booklet Expectations for University
Students that "students can contribute significantly
to the evaluation of instruction. The faculty has the
obligation to solicit student evaluation of their educa
tional efforts . . . students should express their reac
tions and opinions about the character and relevancy
of the instruction . . ."
There have been some valid criticisms of the
; ; questionnaire. One is that there is no opportunity
for open-ended or discussion questions. There should
be such questions to give students a chance to express
views not covered in the questions and to convey
a general attitude.
" Others have said the best way to improve teaching
is to allow only the faculty member involved and
his department chairman to see the results. But
possibly a more effective method to better teaching
. Js to publish the results.
Still others have raised doubts about the question
naire, saying it forces opinions and is not all-inclusive.
But committee members counter with the statement
.that the questionaire is patterned after one used
successfully at Princeton University for several years.
No doubt there are problems with the evaluation.
- - And, what makes it especially acute is, as Professor
Peter J. Worth puts it, the published material can
theoretically "do material damage to a person's pro
fessional life.'
But there is also no doubt that this effort represents
the best attempt at a University-wide faculty evaluation
ever tried on this campus.
It deserves repeating that professors should be
.J-urged to cooperate to make this a success. And then,
if they have suggestions to create a more efficient
." . and workable system, they should let their views
; be known to the committee.
Education bills Zag
Committee starts
without Nixon
Washington (CPS) During the 1968 campaign.
President Nixon said, "When we talk about cutting
the expense of government either federal, state
or local the one area we can't short-change is
education. Education is the one area in which we
must keep doing everything that is necessary to help
achieve the American Dream."
Nine months alter assuming office, Nixon has
yet to send his educution proposals to Congress or
indicate where education stands on his list of priorities,
and some legislators and educators are getting impa
tient. "Nary a word about education" was contained
in the administration's message to Congress last month
on its legislative priorities, observed Rep. Ogden Reid
(R-N.Y. ). Reid urged the President to "promptly
forward to Congress a comprehensive program dealing
with the educational needs of the country."
George Fischer, president of the National Educa
tion Association (NEA), which acts as a lobby group
for federal aid to education, commented before the
House General Education Subcommittee: "The Nixon
rhetoric on education is the same as his promise
to end the Vietnam war. I don't blame the President
for either problem he inherited both but 1
am startled and chagrined by his lack of convincing
proposals to solve these problems.
The administration is reportedly preparing an
education message to be forwarded to Congress soon,
but expectations are that it will focus on elementary
and secondary education rather than higher education.
The reason for this is said to be that the White
House, wishing to win the battle against inflation,
Is unwilling to expand its aid to education in general,
and post-secondary education considered less vital
than education in grades 1-12 must therefore receive
less financial emphasis.
In the absence of any proposals from the ad
ministration, however. Rep. Edith Green (D-Ore.),
chairman of the House Special Subcommittee on
Educution, has announced her committee will not wait
for Nixon's message, but will open hearings this month
on the wide range of recommendations that have
heed made to solve higher education's (lnunciul pro
blems. Bills Introduced this session include the following:
A comprehensive community college bill, which
would authorize grants to the states for planning,
construction and operation of community colleges.
A bill that would reimburse working college
deuts for tax payments.
1
"Ah am the ghot of Vietnam past . .
Nebraskan editorial
Heroes
in the seaweed
by Jim Evinger
'TIs the season of many things movements,
promotions, sales and commercial activity. The
Moratorium people herald a season of peace as an
essential part of Christmas. And covertly and overtly,
political candidates bring to the season the potentials
and possibilities of themselves to hold elective office.
In the multi-faceted Christmas season, perhaps
the local Moratorium movement and the upcoming
state political campuigns are closely related.
The focus of the December Moratorium here seems
to be directed toward expressions of concern and
public displays of commitment. The Tuesday press
conference outlined plans for leufletting, canvassing,
a vigil and a candlelight procession.
These activities are all fine and well, and consistent
with the November and October events. But the ef
ficacy and long-lasting significance of the December
plans seems doubtful.
Realize that Regent Ed Schwartzkopf is considering
filing for Lieutenant Governor on the Republican ticket,
that Lieutenant Governor John Everroad is thinking
of running for the newly created Regents seat in
Omaha, that University Professor Wallace Peterson
is considering running for the indomitable Roman
Hruska's U.S. Senate seat, that one of the few quulified
state senators, Stan Matzke, considered running against
the insignificant Robert Dcnney's Congressional seat,
ultimately deciding not to file.
The national Moratorium conceot emerged from
the McCarthy campaign, based on the principle of
organizing a lot of people around one political issue.
Locally the Moratorium seems blunted and only one
of the cumpus's gray activities. (Wish that it were
even a gray portion of the Lincoln community. )
Perhaps the nioNt effective way to work for peace
In this season and In the months uheud would be
actively to campaign for candidates committed to
the principle of peuce and reordering our oationul
priorities. The possible Regents vacancies offer another
opportunity to work for reully significant improvement
of the quulity of the University.
True, it was grassroots organization that worked
for Bruce Hamilton and the New Party in the Fall
of 1968 and never got too far, but it was also grassroots
groups that came close to securing passage of the
lowered voting age amendment.
Lack of funds was a primary reason for Matzke
declining to run for the Democratic nomination for
the seat held by Denney. And this is exactly where
significant numbers of students could make a dif
ference. Numbers of volunteer workers to staff an office
and man a campaign go a long way in helping
overcome a lack of funds. Student workers are the
resources to contact people in the community, speak
before small groups and generally be available for
campaign work.
This is the stuff of which campuigns are made,
the stuff which the local Moratorium has not developed.
If this state is not offering the candidates lliut
will support a shift In government spending for military
programs to domestic needs, student activitism at
the Moratorium level is lurgely misspent.
Active support for and close communications with
a candidate who'll curry the banners of nonmilitary
priorities would be a tremendous vehicle to cupture
Moratorium bodies. As more and more candidates'
names come to the fore in the press, student scrutiny
of those candidates and their positions becomes more
necessary.
Stand up and be counted for peace through the
Moratorium, but realize that our best efforts could
now very well be expended through a continuing entity
like the Nebraska Democratic Coalition to elect
Congressional and Senatorial candidates who'll
represent the beliefs and goals of the Moratorium
people.
Evaluating food meet: will it feed hungry?
by John Reynolds
College Press Service
Washington What is a White House Conference?
It is a Washington Magical Mystery Tour, a
politician's Disneyland. It is a carnival of scientists
and citizens, bureaucrats and businessmen.
The most recent White House conference, and
the first held by the Nixon Administration, was The
White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health.
The conference officially began with a keynote
address from lYesident Nixon, in which he said.
"This meeting marks an historic milestone. It
sets the seal of urgency on our national commitment
to put an end to hunger and malnutrition due to
poverty in America."
Many at. the conference were disappointed with
the President's speech. They hud expected some new
announcements about Administration efforts to end
hunger, to dramatize the urgency of the conference
Itself.
Ruth Friend of the American Friends Service
Committee, one of the conference participants, said
Nixon should have "called for a national emergency
In the area of hunger, and stated clearly some money
figures on a guaranteed adequate income.
Instead, the President said nothing new to some
3.000 participants gathered for the conference. He
said he would tisfen to their recommendations with
care and he asked them to support "three landmark
pieces of legislation:
the family assistance plan, which would provide
every American family with a guaranteed Income
of f 1.800.
--reform and expansion of the food stamp program,
the Commission on Population Growth and the
American Future.
Nixoa criticized the nation's food programs as "shot
through with Inequities," explaining that many counties
did not participate and thai nianv peoule were too
poor to buy the food stamps. He added that his
administration is "pressing hard to bring every county
into one or other of the food distribution programs,
and the new food stump bill (pending In the House
of Representatives) would provide stamps free to those
most in need. "
In his speech, the President mentioned a $3 billion
figure for new or expanded programs that "would
go a long way toward bringing the problem under
control"
However, munv of the conference participants,
including the National Welfare Rights Organization
and the National Council on Hunger and Nutrition,
feel "a long way" is not enough.
At the first meeting of the panel that deals with
income maintenance and food distribution programs,
an almost unanimous vote by the some 600 conferees
overturned the panel's own recommendations and
adopted measures of their own.
The panel reported that a federal program In
1971 could guarantee $2,400 In Income fur every
American family, and that this income could be sup
plemented up to S4.SUQ. The cost ef such a program
would he $7 billion, and would not require cutting
back en other federal programs. According to the
panel, the program could be increased la stages so
that by 1973 poverty would be completely eliminated.
Instead of accepting these proposals the conferees
adopted a proposal from the floor to recommend
a $3,500 guaranteed annual Income be enacted Im
mediately. The cost of such a program. If Instituted
in fiscal 1971, would run anywhere from $30 to $70
billion.
Most of the conferees that spoke for the proposal
reflected a feeling that too much time had been
spent just talking, and now it was time for action:
James Primeau, a farmer from southwest
Louisiana pointed out tersely, "by 1971, 1972, 1973,
a lot of us poor people will be dead."
Elliot Mormon, a Princeton student, noted that
Nixon's income support level was not adequate, and
thut the panel's goal of 1973 seemed very remote
in solving the problem of hunger Immediately.
Walter Reuther of the tailed Auto Worker's Union
explained that "what we need Is national commit
ment to end hunger' like the commitment America
hud to go to the moon.
Many of the conference participants expressed their
feeling thut the conference was stacked In favor of
education. scientists, and agriculture-industry
representatives.
Over 1500 of the conference participants were
educators, scientists, medical and health professionals,
agriculture and industry representatives. About 1000
were consumer-spokesmen for civic, business, pro
fessional, women's student, religious, and community
action groups, including the poor.
Jean Mayer, Harvard nutritionist and special con
sultant to the president In charge of planning and
organizing the conference, cluimed, "the conference
has not been designed for any biases . . .
However, Chairman of the National Welfare Rights
Organization, Mrs. Johnnie Tillman, said efforts to
get a greater number of poor people Invited to the
conference was rebuffed by Mayer.
One Black participant suggested In an afternoon
meeting, "the whole conference has one of those hidden
kind of agendas."
Conference participants, especially those represen
ting the poor, are afraid this conference will go
down as just another exercise in rhetoric, and many
conferees keep asking the question, "When does the
talking stop and the action start?"
Ya gotta
have a gimmick
. . . Kelly Baker
I sometimes wish I could teach a class about
movies. If I did, one required show would be "Medium
Cool".
Hsell Wexler. a ci"emfln,nhpr who wn an
on an Academy Award for photography In "Who's
Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" conceived the story Idea, di
rected, photographed and co-produced "Medium Cool."
The theme of violence as a finely woven part
of American life is begun in the opening . scene
when John, a TV cameraman, and Gus, his soundman,
are filming an early morning auto accident.
Calloused to the pain and horror of the wreck,
the newsmen film and record the accident before
reporting to the station and having them call an
ambulance for the injured woman.
Another theme, that of the role of the reporter
and cameraman and their responsibility to their
readers and viewers, is entwined with the motif of
violence. A question is raised about the cause-effect
relationship of the two does the emphasis on
brutality in the news beget even more brutality
sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy, or, is the newsman
only doing his job, providing the sort of news that
readers and viewers want?
The movie also assesses the reporter's
responsibility to the public and to the subjects of
his reports
John and rth, his r.ate, spend an evening at
a roller derbv where the game's brutalitv is reflected
in the audience. Old ladies in the crowd urge on
two fighting players with shouts of "kill her, kill
her" and "kick her in the groin". E"en though John
and Ruth are horrified, they also are sexually aroused.
John's interview with a Black cab driver named
Frank Baker marks the beginning of his awakening
to he humanity of the people he photographs. Baker
found an envelope containing ten thousand dollars In
tiie buck seat of his cub and turned the money
in to the police. Other Blacks contend he should
have kept it.
John goes to Baker's home in the ghetto to set
up a second interview and is confronted with Black
resentment of newspaper and television coverage as
well as the charge that cameramen are taking pictures
for the FBI and the police. At the end of this excellent
scene, Wexell has two of the Blacks address the
camera. This technique changes the effect to a direct
audience address.
A day or so later John sees a boy, Harold,
kneeling by his car and thinks he is stealing hubcaps."
In the ensuing chase the boy drops a case he was
carrying. When John returns the case he meets Eileen,
the boy's mother, and the scene is set for a later
romantic involvement.
Back at the television station, John's idea for
a human interest story on the cab driver is turned
down and John is fired, ostensibly for using
unauthorized film. Trying to ferret out the real reason
for his dismissal, he leurns that the station has been
turning over its film to the FBI and the CIA.
John goes freelance and develops a relationship
with Eileen and Harold. A series of flashbacks develop
their life in West Virginia before they moved to
Chicago. It is interesting to note that in both scenes
of Harold with his father, the father is carrying
a shotgun.
A former boxer In the Catholic Youth Organization,
John takes Harold to the gymnasium to watch a
workout. Working over the punching bag, he admits
that "reully the object is to beat the other guy's
brains out and then you win."
The night before the Democratic National Conven
tion Harold disappears and Eileen spends the night
wandering the streets of Chicago looking for him.
In the morning she is caught up with the crowds
of demonstrators and is carried along In the flow
of their march. Oblivious to what is happening, she
kneels when the demonstrators kneel, marches when
they march and is a part of their confrontations
with the police.
Meunwhile, John Is in the Amphitheatre filming
the convention. When he walks around the ground
floor he makes the comment thut he used to attend
circuses in the Amphitheatre as a child and from
the proceedings of the convention, it strikes you that
circuses are still going.
There is a beautiful scene in which Mayor Daley
is introduced to the delegutes in the Amphitheatre
and the band plays "Happy Duys Are Here Again."
The next shots (still to the sound of "Happy Days")
show demonstrators with broken heads being carried
away on stretchers. A delegate from Colorado rises
to ask "is there any rule under which Mayor Daley
can be forced to end the police state of terror around
the Conrad Hilton?"
Eileen Is flnully able to get in touch with John
and they begin to seurch for Harold. Their seurch
ends when the car they are driving smushes Into
a tree and Eileen Is killed. Another cur passes the
wreck and a small boy leuns out the reur window
and snaps a picture.
Violence has been self-serving and a man who
made his living from violence has found a violent
end. "Medium Cool" is the best film that has come
to Lincoln for some time ... 1 wonder whether tt
was given an "x" rating for sex or truth.
Open Forum
Dear Editor:
First, we of the Tri
University Project would like
to thank you for your past
articles covering our tutorial
efforts.
Our Indian tutotial program
Is well underway. More and
more students are joining us
and doing a greut job. They
sense they are learning, too,
We would now like to expand
our efforts to include Black
students in both Lincoln and
Omaha. As with the Indian
Program, we feel an orienta
tion session would be useful to
both inform us of the problem 3
and to work out the mechanics.
On Thursday at 1:30 p.m. In
the English lpartnent's
library-Lounge en the second
fleer ef Andrews Hull, an
orientation session will be held
to Insure a good sfurL Several
key people fumillur with the
education problems of Blucks
will be with us.
Included among these gues'a
will be Mr. Ernesi Chambers of
Omaha, Mrs. Althea Alston of
the Sunside School in Omaha,
Mr. Walter Strong of Studeat
Affairs here at the University,
and other community
representatives in and around
the Lincoln area. These people
know the problems and caa
provide the Information and
leadership so necessary to any
success we might have.
Anyone interested In helping
with this program should make
it point to bein by being
present Thursday tvening.
Thttok you,
The Trl-l'niv' sity Bluck
Tutorial Program
DAILY NEBRASKAN
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