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FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1970
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
VOL 93, NO. 66
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Col. W. W. Gist
Redja:
Nebraska is hungry, too
by BILL SMITHERMAN
Nebraskan Staff Writtr
"Sometimes we feed
livestock in Nebraska better
than people," declared Univers
ity Economics Professor
George E. Redja.
Redja is one of the organizers
of a March 17 Governor's con
ference designed to find the
hungry people in Nebraska and
feed them.
"The conference will try to
make people aware that there
is a hunger problem in the
state," he said. "We have
found cases in Omaha of
children scrounging through
garbage cans to find food."
"There are places in the
state where a school child may
be fed Friday and not eat again
until Monday."
The conference was called by
several concerned citizens
calling themselves Project 93
It will involve people from all
93 counties in the state in
A ii ti-drah rally Friday
The Vietnam Moratorium Committee is planning 'a
massive anti-draft rally for Friday, March 13, according
to Mike Richardson, coordinator of the rally.
"We plan to have several professors speaking at the
outdoor event which will be held on the north side of
the Nebraska Union," Richardson said.
He also said the committee is planning a symbolic
burning of guns during the rally.
The Pelican Peace Band will provide music for the
affair, Richardson added. In case of rain, the rally will
be held in the Nebraska Union.
Richardson also said that the Vietnam Moratorium Com
mittee will hold its weekly meeting at 8 p.m. Monday,
March 9, at UMIIE.
"The meeting is for discussion of future plans and
structure of the committee," Richardson said.
Capt. Herschel Pahl
cluding county officials and
representatives of the poor.
The conference is being held
at no cost, using facilities of the
National Guard Armory on
North 10th street.
Redja said that Nebraska has
the fifth ranked agricultural
production in the nation, yet
only 10 per cent of its eligible
poor participate in food
assistance programs.
Existing programs could take
care of much of the hunger
problem, he said. However, the
programs are not used in many
cases because they are not
understood.
He added that six Nebraska
counties do not participate in
the Federal Food stamp pro
gram because county officials
do not realize the magnitude of
the hunger problem in their
counties.
"We want to start looking at
the hunger problem much the
same way we looked at educa
tion several years ago," said
Enrollment in University of
Nebraska ROTC classes has
shrunk considerably second
semester.
The number of Army ROTC
freshmen dropped a third from
150 in September of 1968 to last
fall. Some 25 students then quit
at the recent semester break.
Enrollment has also dropped
slightly in the upper classes.
Nationally, the number of
ROTC students is down about
30 per cent, according to Col.
William W. Gist, Army ROTC.
Bert M. Evans, assistant pro
fessor of agricultural
economics. "Everyone should
have the opportunity for good
nutrition with no stigma of a
dole attached."
Jerry Andersen, a student
conference organizer, said it is
difficult to raise opposition to
the idea of feeding the hungry.
However, many people might
fear programs involved would
raise their taxes, he said.
"Nebraska has been granted
about $100,000 by Congress to
use in school food programs,"
Andersen added. "If this
money isn't used soon it will
have to be returned."
There are several other ex
isting programs such as this
one that can be used without
costing the taxpayer more
money, he said.
Brad Kollars, another student
organizer, pointed out that the
food stamp program is good for
the economy of the county.
People who don't have to spend
what little money they have to
buy food can use it to buy
clothes, pay doctor bills and
improve their standard of liv
ing, he said. .
"We want to make a special
appeal for hungry students to
come forward," Redja said.
"Many may be eligible for th
food stamp program in Lincoln
and not know it."
He added that the conference
members would also like the
names of any hungry families
students know. If students have
any information they think
would be useful they should
contact Radja or Evans.
He attributed the loss mostly to
national opinion against the
Vietnam war.
But the percentage of cadets
leaving at the semester break
is less than in past years, he
pointed out.
Thirty-seven freshmen were
enrolled in Navy ROTC last
fall, according to Capt.
Herschel A. Pahl, Navy ROTC.
Seven left at the semester
break.
In September of 1968, there
were 40 contract freshmen, he
added. More than 30 have quit
during the last three semesters.
Last fall he had 132
midshipmen in the program.
This semester he has 118.
"Those who leave the pro
gram generally do not have to
say why they are leaving,"
Fourteenth Street
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Pahl said. "But among those
who did, the primary reasons
were financial, academic or
physical difficulties."
The number of freshmen in
Air Force ROTC is down about
50 per cent from first
semester's 95 students to 50,
according to Maj. James M.
West, Air Force ROTC. At the
beginning of the 1968 school
year, freshmen cadets totaled
150.
He also noted that in 1966, the
Air Force program at NU had
470 freshmen. About 50 of them
are now ' seniors in the pro
gram. "I guess the boys were ex
pecting a change in the
system," West said. Talk of a
volunteer army and the general
anti-war feeling have con
tributed to the enrollment
decline, he said.
Photo by Howard Roaanoarg
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