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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1971)
Daily Nebraskan poll: 17 J V! 1 Ci J -.S&&J Mi it j Students don't rate -NU academics No.l V- ft "Fz by DAVE BRINK and GARY SEACREST Staff Writers What do undergraduates on the University of Nebraska's two Lincoln campuses think of the education they receive, the academic credentials of their school and the performance of NU's Chancellor and Board of Regents? For one thing they don't rate the University's education or elected leaders No. I . These are some of the findings of a Daily Nebraskan mail poll sent to 26 1 undergraduates students earlier this month. More than 85 percent, or 222 of the students selected randomly from the official University registration list, returned the questionnaire. RESULTS OF the poll suggest that while many students would not go as far as Gov. J. J. Exon in claiming that the University offers an outstanding education, they do feel they are receiving a "'goor education. When asked to rate the University academically, 5 per cent judged the school excellent, 48 per cent good, 39 per cent fair, 6 per cent poor and the rest were undecided. While a majority of the students rated the school excellent or good, less than a majority said they were satisfied with their education. Forty-eight per cent of the respondents said they were satisfied with their education, 27 per cent replied they were not satisfied and 2S per cent were undecided. THE QUALITY of the University has been hotly debated this year in connection with the University's budget. University officials have Exon smashes motorcycle helmet bill claimed that the school is lagging behind other Big Eight universities academically. Results of the Daily Nebraskan poll show that students think more highly of University Chancellor D. B. Varner than the Board of Regents. This is how respondents rated the performance of Varner during his term of office: 1 5 per cent excellent, 42 per cent good, 21 per cent fair, five per cent poor and 17 per cent were undecided. However, when asked to rate the performance of the Regents since last May, 6 per cent said excellent, 24 per cent good, 28 per cent fair, 35 per cent poor and 6 per cent were undecided. EVEN THOUGH the Regents placed second in popularity behind the Chancellor, they still fared well with some ; groups. Students who listed themselves as ""conservative" or "'moderately conservative," almost one-third of the sample, stood solidly behind the Regents. Only 14 per cent of those students ranked the Regents in the ""poor" category while 54 per cent judged the Board's performance since last May as good or excellent. Of the respondents labeling themselves ""moderately liberal," 44 per cent gave the Board a ""poor" rating while only 16 per cent classed the Board as "good." Respondents who termed themselves ""radical" gave the Bdard a largely poor rating. Since assuming office in February, Turn to page 3 iS fir 8 04, j- v TO ... -i ::t 0. photo by Bill Ganzel ftnhAnnnw Ea LJ bxiLILJ LJ J LJ FYl?r!npOT MONDAY, MAY 17, 1971 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA VOL.94 NO. 118 Motorcyclists across the state have a reprieve after all. The Unicameral last week approved a bill making it a misdemeanor for motorcycle riders to not wear protective helmets while operating their machines. But Gov. J. J. Exon vetoed the measure and Friday the legislature sustained his move. LB 369, sponsored by Lincoln Sen. Fern Orme, would have established a fine of from $10 to $100 for cyclists who failed to wear headgear at any time. Exon, in achieving his third success in four vetoes, said it was his understanding that the use of a helmet in city traffic may impair necessary sight and sound. Sen. John DeCamp sought to override the veto. Thirty votes were needed to enact the bill despite the governor's objections. His attempt failed 20-1 1 . Exon offered the lawmakers a compromise proposal, LB 1039, which would authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish rules and regulations governing motorcycles based on safety studies. The bill is scheduled to receive first round consideration Monday. It is sponsored by Sen. Fern Orme, who also sponsored the ill-fated LB 369. In his veto message, Exon hud said that regulations might include "requiring young persons to wear headgear who are passengers or to require headgear on highways when vehicles are operated at high rates of speed. The governor said LB 369 would have imposed a hardship on some persons because it allowed "no reasonable time for many citizens to comply with the law." CSL proposes groups to deal with discrimination The Council on Student Life's Ad -Hoc Committee on Racial Discrimination has recommended to President Joseph Soshnik that two permanent groups be established to deal with complaints of racial discrimination. The chairman of CSL, Associate Dean John Robinson, told the Council that his committee's recommendations called for a ""committee on equality" to hear and study complaints of discrimination concerning all University students and employees. Further action would be taken by a proposed "'judicial board on equality" which would be empowered to hold hearings on discrimination charges. THE BOARD'S judgment would be referred to the President of the Lincoln campuses for appropriate action. Robinson's original report on discrimination to the Regents last semester said racial prejudice is common among Nebraska' students and urged sanctions against several fraternities and sororities for alleged racial restrictions in membership. The Board of Regents did not choose to use disciplinary action against the bouses charged with discrimination, but it did request all student organizations to go on record affirming compliance with the University's official anti-discrixniantion stand. According to Dean for Student Development Russell Brown, who is also a member of CSL, all student organizations have produced statements attesting to agreement with the anti-discrimination policy. ROBINSON'S report also called for programs of education and closer contact among races on campus in hopes of reducing the racist attitudes and behavior in students. Robinson said it was his understanding that a graduate assistant would be assigned to student affairs part-time next semester to promote interracial activities on campus. According to Brown, some racial problems in the Greek system have been alleviated through the efforts of an Interfraternity Council committee and the sincere efforts of many fraternity and sorority members. IFC President Dennis Confer warned his fellow CSL members that outside force might cause a ""negative reaction" in the Greek system which could hinder efforts to achieve integration. He recommended association with minority groups and an increased awareness of the problems of minorities to solve the problem. KENWALD and Jim Pedersen, both of whom are CSL and fraternity members, disagreed sharply with Confer's suggestions. Wald said that most people would not move to integration "'unless they're forced". Pedersen concurred, adding that fraternities would accept and "'learn to live with" integration once it was pressed on them. Robinson also agreed that education was not the answer. He suggested that some system of mandatory assignment of interested Turn to page 3 Unicameral to consider peace resolution Neligh Sen. John DeCamp's controversial Vietnam peace resolution, re-introduced as LR 76 Friday morning, is scheduled for debate in the Legislature sometime Monday morning. DeCamp said the resolution could only pass after a ""lot of uphill sledding,"" But he added he was ""encouraged" by tiie fact that II other senators co-signtd the resolution with him. The Vietnam War has traditionally been a ""taboo subject" in the Unicameral, DeCamp noted. "There is a reluctance for anyone in the Legislature to make any kind of comment on the war." The resolution introduced Friday differs slightly from the one printed in Friday's Daily Nebraskan . LR 76 adds a phrase encouraging ,the President and Congress of this United States to set a date as soon as reasonably possible for total and complete withdrawal. . .". Dump - Johnson initiator talks Wednesday Allard K.. Lowenstein, former New York Congressman and the initiator of the 1968 Dump-Johnson movement, will speak in the Nebraska Union Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Lowenstein will talk on ""America At the Turning Point." His visit is sponsored by the Nebraska Coalition for Peace and Justice and other student and faculty groups. Lowenstein, who teaches at both Yale and Harvard, encourages 18 -year-olds to participate in the system. He also helped to organize the recent Providence, R. I., rally where 12,000 asked a reorientation of the Nixon Administration's priorities.
