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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1970)
Vietnam dead issue? Is the Vietnam War a dead issue in Amer ican politics? It is according to many news commen tators and analyzers of national opinion. Poll sters can point to charts which show over 50 per cent of the nation supports President Nixon's Vietnam policy. News commentators can point to several moves by Nixon which have lessened public denouncement of and concern with the Vietnam War. To some degree, the lottery draft took pres sure off Nixon by dulling the argument of many young people who opposed the war and draft merely because they feared going them selves. The policy of troop withdrawals has undoubtedly appeased many Americans who are appalled at escalation but who view sched uled withdrawals as an honorable way out. Nixon unleashed Spiro Papadopoulos fol lowing his hard-line Vietnam speech in No vember, and the Vice-president so intimidated the mass media that many increasingly out spoken critics of the war were effectively toned down. The Moratorium can also be said to have failed in its blitzkrieg attack on the war. After massive demonstrations in October and No vember which brought the war into the liv . ing rooms of America via television, the pro testors turned to canvassing and more quiet means of anti-war protest. It would seem the war is no longer as unpopular as it once was. But . . . THE VIETNAM WAR IS NOT A DEAD ISSUE NOR SHOULD IT BE. All of the rea sons for the dying unpopularity of the Viet nam War are only partially valid. The lottery combined with the hodge-podge of defer ments is only serving to make no one feel safe against the draft regardless of their number. And Laird's talk of abolishing stu dent deferments is not particularly popular with America's large student population re gardless of the egalitarianism involved. Troop withdrawals are a proven farce. When withdrawals are accompanied by inputs of an equal number of troops, the policy be comes little more than" rhetoric. Although the Moratorium and news media critics may not have stopped the war altogether, there has been a significant shift in public opinion from an attitude of "let's win" or "we must protect freedom" to one of "we made a mis take; let's get out as soon as possible." It is only a matter of time before the general mood in America becomes so anti war that the government must withdraw uni laterally or make enough concessions to North Vietnam to end the fighting. Americans will simply not tolerate much longer a war which has continued for 10 years and shows no sign of ending. It is the duty of conscientious Americans to speed the end of the war using various forms of protest, the mass media and a revitalized Moratorium as vehicles. Regard less of Administrative tactics, the only thing that is dead about the Vietnam War is some 40,000 Americans and untold Vietnamese. Jim Pedersen DAILY NEBRASKAN Second class postage paid at Lincoln, Nab. Telephones: Editor 4J-2580. Business 41-2519, Newt 472 250. Subscription rotes ara $4 par semester or it par year. Published Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during lha school yaar except during vacations and exam periods. Member of Intercollegiate Press, National Educational Adver tising Service. The Dally Nebraskan It a student publication, Independent of the University of Nebraska'! administration, faculty and stu dent government. Address: Dally Nebraskan 34 Nebraska Union University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska 68501 Business Staff Business Manager I. Jane Kldwell; Local Ad Manager fid Ice. mqlej National Ad Manager Martha Todd; Bookkeeper Ron Bowlln; Business Secretary and Subscription Menic,v Janet Boatman; Circulation Managers James Stelrer, Kelly Baker. P.m Ladely; Classified Ad Manager Joe Wilson; production Managt-r Rack Johnson; Account Representative Linda Rut, Gale Peterson, Ken Sevenker, Mary Dorenbecfi, Joel Davis, Sarah Evert, Martha Todd, Joe Wiisort. PAGE 4 79 Times are changing! by Don Stenberg Last semester saw the birth of Biology 3, a change in the science group requirement, and the incorporation of a new ma jor, Integrated Studies, into the college curriculum. "So . . .?" you say to your self, "What difference does it make?" The chances are that if you ask the question the answer is probably, "None." BUT THE new semester should bring several new pro posals into the focal point of student interest (and I use the term "student interest" loose ly). One of the proposals to which I refer is currently before the Faculty Senate grading committee which, were it passed by the Faculty Senate, would effectively put the University of Nebraska back on a 4.0 grading system. The proposal is to retain the A for use on a student's record to indicate that he at tained a superb mastery of the material of a course, but to count both the A and the A-f as a 4.0 in computing grade averages. . This proposal is a com promise made in light of a stu dent initiated movement to drop the At- grade entirely. Why does anyone want the A-f dropped? Is it in the best in terest of Nebraska students to do so? THERE ARE currently many objections by students, particularly the top students, to the 4.5 grading scale. A few of the more important and valid of them are given below: (1) Some teachers give A-r's liberally and others refuse to give any at all (on philosophical grounds no doubt). Besides that, this tendency seems to run by department so that the top student in one major may have a 4.3, while the top stu dent in another area who Is equally as intelligent and hard working may have only a 3.8. Clearly, since scholarships, jobSj etc. are THE DAILY NEBRASKAN based on grade average or a student's rank in his college, this becomes an unwarranted handicap to some very good students, (a 3.8, by the way, is not enough to merit an Upperclass Regent's Scholarship if you are a senior). (2) An average student (2.3 3.0) probably receives few if any A's, but if he interviews for a job his grade average is recorded as say 2.8-4.5, that is 2.8 out of a possible 4.5. Whereas at another school a person of equal ability has say a 2.7-4.0 or 2.7 out of a possible 4.0. (3) The fact that a 4.5 is fairly rare also hurts the very good student who has say a 4.1-4.5. Under a 4.0 system this same student would have had about a 3.9 4.0. These then are some of the objections. It should be em phasized that the D, C, and B would be retained and would count as 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 respectively. The last time a change was made in the grading system students were not consulted and given the chance to voice their opinions. This should not, and will not, happen again. The proposed change was Initiated by the ASUN Educa tion Committee and I personally feel that it would benefit the students of the University of Nebraska. If you have any feelings about the change, pro or con, please call the ASUN office (472-2581) or write a note to me (Don Stenberg, ASUN office, Student Union) or to Emil Heermann (021 Teacher's Col lege) and express your opinion. Fast catches on fast; dinner to he protested While Spiro fans are feeding at Governor Tlemann's testimonial dinner, a group of Moratorium supporters will be fasting to protest warped values. "The purpose of the fast is to demonstrate the warped sense of values shown by the fact that people will contribute $50 toward a political campaign at a fundraising dinner when there are people in America without food, homes, or proper medical aid." said Bill Kohlhaase, a Moratorium Committee member who heads the fast. "Considering that there hasn't been much publicity, I think the fast is catching on fairly fast," said Kohlhaase, a native of Elkhorn. He added that there are already at least sixty students and professors joining In the fasting. , , , . Ron Kurtenbach, one of the ; 1 1 fasters said, "The fast Is a very personal thing. It's not a group activity that a person can identify with. It springs from an inner commitment." The fasters, by their actions and signed petitions, hope to encourage people attending the dinner to donate their cam paign money or additional money to a local charity that works with the needy. Funds to help the needy are also welcome from those not con nected with the dinner, Kohlhaase said. "We will forego solid food on Monday, Feb. 9. This symbolic, non-violent act will serve to remind people of the priorities of conscience. It will also col-, lcct money for the needy and help the fasters identify with the suffering that goes on in America right now," said Alma liaerteui, a freshman student from Dallas, Texas. i i i i i FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1970
