Ann Tompkins. . .was in Mainland China during the
Cultural Revolution of 1966 and taught English to the
Chinese people for four and one-half years.
YAF opposes PIRG fee subsidy
The Nebraska Young
Americans for Freedom (YAF)
have announced intentions to
oppose all attempts by the
Nebraska Public Research
Interest Group (NEBPIRG) to
obtain student fee subsidies
from Nebraska colleges -and
universities.
Young Americans for
Freesom state chairman Terrell
Cannon stated that YAF
opposes the public interest
organization because they
believe that for the universities
and colleges to grant a subsidy
to one particular lobbying
bloc, they would be required
PIRG organizes chapter,
public interest projects
The familiar phrases echoed
by many college students
concerning attitudes of "do
your own thing" and "become
involved" can now be exercised
at UNL through the Public
Interest Research Group
(PIRG), according to one
organizer.
PIRG is an organization
based on the public interest
projects advocated by Ralph
Nader, according to Deanne
Canar. However, Nader and his
organization are connected
with PIRG only in resource
and advisory capacities.
SOME 25 students are
working on organizing a PIRG
chapter at UNL. Kearney
State, UNO, Midland, Dana,
Concordia, Creighton, Wayne
State, Doane, College of St.
Mary and Wesleyan have
formed public interest research
groups.
Canar, the PIRG
coordinator at UNL, said
representatives of Nebraska
college campuses decided to
push for referendums on the
state campuses to provide
student fees to finance the
organization. If approved the
student assessment would
finance Nebraska PIRG
projects.
"PIRG IS AN organization
for all people. It is unique in
that the interested member will
have the opportunity to work
with the area he is most
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to grant subsidies to all student
groups making similar claims,
something that would be
neither practical nor desirable.
"Nebraska YAF believes
that students, as individuals,
hold varying views on public
issues, and that for any group
to claim that it does, or will,
represent student interests is to
deny the individuality of
students," commented
Cannon.
YAF feels that NEBPIRG,
like other campus political
groups, should be required to
raise money by voluntary
contributions. "If NEBPIRG
concerned with, whatever it
is," said Canar.
PIRG consists of a staff of
professionals who work on the
problems of the state and
decide on priorities. PIRG,
although student-based, works
with the community. A
number of community
organizations in Lincoln have
contacted the UNL chapter
and are interested in
participating in projects.
According to Canar the
organization is having some
trouble recruiting PIRG
members because organizers
are attempting to reach
students on a personal basis in
order to discover their specific
interests.
PIRG IS looking for people
who are willing to spend some
time and effort to work on the
projects they are interested in.
PIRG welcomes research
information on any subject
which will be used as resource
material, Canar said.
Involvement in PIRG.
according to Canar, can make
the student experience a
relevant one as well as giving
the community an input which
will directly benefit I hem as
consumers.
The group, sponsored by
ASUN, will be setting up an
office in the Nebraska Union
within the next few weeks.
PIRG meetings are every
Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the
Union.
American woman praises
spirit of Mainland Chinese
by H.J. Cummins
An American woman who
said four and a half years in
Mainland .China calmed and
liberated her, praised the spirit
and "real feeling of power to
the people" there which gets
"better and better day by
day."
Ann Tompkins said she
taught English during the
Chinese Cultural Proletarian
Revolution in 1966 in the
country she does not call
"Mainland China."
"IT'S ALL one China," she
said, adding she thought, and
the Chinese did too, that
Taiwan and so-called Red
China would unite if the US
7th Fleet stopped "interfering
in the internal affairs of
China."
She said travel in Red China
would convince the
Nationalists, as well as
Americans, that the socialist
country has cured racism,
unemployment and hunger
problems.
Americans are given a false
impression of the country
thrdugh newspapers, Tompkins
said.
"YOU HAVE TO have an
truly represents student
interests they should have no
difficulty in obtaining
contributions," said Cannon.
"A subsidy granted by out
universities and colleges to any
student group over which these
institutions have little effective
control would serve to bind the
prestige and reputation of
higher education in Nebraska
to the conduct of student
groups who may then
antagonize public opinion
against education in general,"
said Cannon.
YAF is in the process of
preparing literature for use
against the subsidy program
proposed by NEBPIRG.
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awful lot of money to own a
newspaper in the country," she
explained, adding the people in
that socio-economic level
probably don't want working
class people in America to see
the really good level of living
their counterparts have in
China.
Tompkins explained the
Cultural Revolution she was
part of was the second step in
true socialism in China. It
"protects and defends" the
original socialist revolution of
1949, she said, and is necessary
to keep captialism from
"creeping back in."
"There are some who don't
like the new society," she said,
and who seek to re-introduce
exploitation into China.
SHE SAID although all
private ownership was ended in
China in 1957, "there were and
are still ideas in peoples' minds
that exploit others."
One way China insures the
peoples' desires are obeyed, she
said, is electing leaders who
"work right along with all
other laborers."
"Leaders don't suddenly
disappear," but their leadership
duties are "extra tasks," she
said.
IT IS ALL part of what the
Chinese call "Serve the People"
orientation by which,
Tompkins said, the "society of
workers" is concerned about
others before itself.
Decisions are made on the
commune level, she explained,
adding the average commune
has about 10,000 people.
The commune is subdivided
into a brigade level, then a
ASUN. . .
Continued from page 1.
said Sen. Patti Kaminski.
Sen. Roy Baldwin said
ASUN must assert the power
given to it by Board of
Regents, however, some
senators suggested that other
committees in the University
have usurped that power.
MAIL ORDERS ACCEPTED
AUrtu All Mail OrdVt t CWU Art.
lox Offic, lh 4 Colt'l Art.,
Omjt, Nkr. 41102. art InaltM
production team level (the one
she was a part of was about
140 people) and it is at the
lowest level leaders are elected,
she said.
THE PEOPLE vote in "all
fields" from education to
health aid to industrial
production to agricultural
production, she said. They also
run their own schools, and
their own militia, she said.
Tompkins said the trip to
China came after she had
worked in the slums of
Manhattan.
"I got alienated from my
job," she said. "The very rich
from 5th Avenue paid me and
made the policies. I realized
that if the rich wanted it, it
must be bad for the poor."
SHE SAID A summer tour
of Europe led her to a World
Peace Conference in Helsinki,
Finland, where she was very
excited by the Peking
delegation.
"I asked them if I would be
useful to them in China,"
Tompkins said. She was
amazed, she said, when she was .
allowed to go.
Tompkins said she came
back to America to work here
in what Mao Tse Tung
predicted would be a world
revolution.
MAO'S 1969 statement said
there are two possibilities for
the world's future, she said,
that "world war will bring on
revolution or revolution will
prevent world war."
Tompkins is 'touring the
country, speaking on her
experiences in China. She plans
to write a book on the trip this
winter, she said.
The restructuring
committee may .find that
ASUN has no real function at
all, said Kaminski.
The bill which would enable
ASUN to provide loans for
students who can't afford the
medical and transportation
costs of an abortion was tabled
until next week.
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1971
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
PAGE 3
