Daily Nebraskan poll:
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Students don't rate
-NU academics No.l
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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
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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.
