e o it a s k o
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1970
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
VOL. 93, NO. 55
.Dorm coed lounges little nisedl
aoDy
by CAROL ANDERSON
Nebraskan Staff Writer
Experimental coed lounges,
approved for use in three
dormitories since last
November, haven't been used
much by students and no one is
sure way.
IDA President Theresa
Sledge said that although "not
an overwhelming number of
people have participated, we
aren't counting numbers as
success."
She sees the open lounges
implemented in Sandoz,
Schramm and Abel-South halls
as "a step to provide more op
portunities to hall residents to
take advantage of this type of
visitation."
IDA's open lounge proposal
was okayed last summer by the
Regents. Each floor in the
three dorms voted on whether
they wanted their floor lounges
open to the opposite sex during
specified times under
sponsorship by dorm staff and
student floor officers. Floors
approving the proposal set
their own open lounge times
within IDA guidelines.
Eight of Schramm's nine
floors voted to participate in
the experiment; six out of 12
Abel-South floors and most
floors in Sandoz although the
vote was close in the girls'
dorm.
Panel disclaims black status
By MARY PAT FOWLER
Nebraskan Staff Writer
A handful of students listened Friday as a minority student
panel discussed the "disease" of racism in the final event
of Black History Week.
About 100 students heard several of the five-member panel
disclaim their second class citizenship status, condemn the
Vietnam war and proclaim violence as practically the only means
to attain their goal of equality.
Jerome Drakeford, a sophomore majoring in Physics com
mented at the meeting in the Union Lounge that he didn't feel like
an American "except when it comes time to go to Vietnam
or pay taxes."
Al Lewis agreed with him and added that "until the
time comes when I have equal rights and am judged fairly,
I'll just live here. I'm not really a citizen."
The Mexican-American on the panel replied to this question
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by saying that Chicanos on the whole are so oppressed that
they don't even think about being American citizens. "They
spend all their time in the fields under terrible working condi
tions." When asked about the Vietnam War, Lewis answered,
"First of all, we have no good reason to be there, and secondly
it just isn't my war."
Drakeford responded to the subject of Vietnam when he
said, "The government propaganda says that the U.S. is
there to issure the South Vietnamese the right of self
determination. I'm not foolish enough to believe it."
"If we are there to protect that right, why aren't we
in South Africa, Rhodesia, and an even bigger question is
'Why aren't we in the South or the Northern ghettoes?' "
He added that in his opinion, the "U.S. doesn't do anything
unless there's a buck in it," and then asked the question,
"How can the U.S. help other countries if they're not doing
anything here?"
George Anyatonwu, graduate student in economics and
a former Biafran now Nigerian, pointed out that from even
an economic point of view the Vietnam war is damaging
to the U.S.
Lynetta Harrold, panel moderator then turned the discussion
to the subject of how the members of the panel as minority
leaders could return power to the people and also what mean
they would use to do it.
"Society doesn't deal with Individuals, so we must develop
a political social and economic organization to guarantee our
human rights," said Miss Harrold.
"Our only means seems to be violence. You have to rap
with people on their own level; you have to rap with white
people through violence."
"Violence is even necessary to effect basic changes in
the university," she said. "The fat cats in administration didn't
listen to us last year because our demonstration was peaceful-."
When asked to describe exactly what "any means
necessary" entails, Drakeford said, "It means I'll go to Dean
Ross's office and sweet talk him. It means I'll teach black
kids how to add so that they won't get gyped at the store."
"I can teach people how to shoot. I learned that in high
school ROTC. In chemistry I learned how to make napalm.
In Physics they explained to us how missile systems are put
together. In economics, we'll deceive them at their own game.
I can do anything but be a fool."
Charlotte
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Smith Hall which was
originally included as one of
the experimental dorms turned
it down for fear of invasion of
privacy, Miss Sledge said.
Barry Pilger, IDA vice
president, has a different opin
ion on the open lounges. Pilger
opposes open lounges calling
the experiment the Regents'
way of appeasing students
about the coed visitation issue.
Open lounges are "not
popular kids are not using
them," Pilger said. Open
lounges were gotten "on our
hands and knees begging the
Regents," according to Pilger
who said the goal of student
self-determination was set back
by open lounges.
"Control of the students'
social and non-academic life
should be in the hands of the
individual dorms," he stressed.
Before approving the open
lounge proposal, the Regents
toured the dorms to see if the
physical facilities were suited
to the experiment.
"The Regents admitted that
the dorm lounge facilities are
inadequate," Pilger continued,
when they asked the floors to
submit improvement plans to
the Housing Office.
Abel President Brad Brooks
said the submitted plans call
for additional furniture,
carpeting and wall paneling.
Women's dorms already have
some of these facilities, Brooks
said. Improvements will take
time, he continued, and as yet
no money has been allocated.
Open lounges "are working
out pretty well," but
participation is greater on
floors that voted to have it
more often, Brooks said.
Housing Director Ely
Meyerson said that although
the experimental lounges are
"getting limited use, those
participating enjoy it and use it
responsibly. We've had no prob
lems with student behavior."
Open lounges were originally
a one-semester experiment,
Meyerson said, and plans for
expanding it have not been
made. "No one has asked for
it."
Schramm Hall President Rod
Patent admits that "at times
the lounges aren't used." More
activities such as bridge
parties would make the girls
less inhibited about "coming
up," Patent said.
Miss Sledge said the Regents
would not approve Pound and
Cather Halls for the experiment
because the floor lounges in
these dorms are not enclosed.
The question of sponsorship
is another hang-up in the
Cather-Pound proposal that was
passed by IDA. That proposal
called for sponsorship by floor
officers Instead of parents and
faculty as is the case with
sponsorship of IDA hours.
"It's hard to get parents and
faculty as sponsors," Miss
Sledge said. According to the
IDA President, Dean of Student
Affairs, G. Robert Ross told
her that the Pound-Cather pro
posal could be implemented if
student sponsorship were
deleted or the Issue could be
taken to the Regents. -