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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1971)
United Appeal drive- $11 ,000 short of goal The Lincoln-Lancaster United Appeal at UNL is about $11,000 short of its projected goal for this year, Dean Henry Grether, campaign co-chairman said in a recent interview. "I'm still hopeful that we'll top our goal," he said. "But the campaign will close sometime in the next couple of weeks so if we're going to reach it we're going to have to do it now." Before a last appeal letter went out to UNL faculty and staff last week contributions totalled $37,039, Grether daid. Last year $44,364 was contributed. Helen Glover, who is taking the contributions, said $37,900 has been collected, counting contributions that have come in from the last appeal letter. "It is slowly climbing but I'm afraid it's not climbing fast enough," she said. Asked why the campaign is having touble this year, Grether said the wage-price UNL's port-time students get campus activities OK The motion passed by the Council of Student Life recom mending that all regulary enrolled students shall be allowed to take part in extra-curricular actvities is now official University policy. Former policy required that a student be registered for 12 or more credit hours in order to participate in extra-curricular activities. Interim Chancellor C. Peter Magrath informed CSL chairman, Franklin Eldridge, that he has accepted CSL's recommendations with one modification. Agribusiness plows under small family farms by Bart Becker UNL student, John K. Hansen has the cards stacked against him. The game hasn't been going very much in his favor for quite a while now. And he's slowly turning over a hand that looks like aces and eights under the barrel of an economic pistol held by a fellow named Agribusiness. And all he wants to do when he's finished with college is move back to the Newman Grove farming community in which he grew up, to work the land his father and grandfather worked before him. That doesn't seem as if it would present any problems. BUT THE ODDS are against him. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture Statistics showed the number of farms in the state dropped from 73,000 to 71,000 between the 1970 and 1971 surveys. According to the statistics, an average of 2,000 farms in Nebraska have succumbed to the economic pincers of corporation farming yearly since 1961. The problem of the small farm has been emphasized recently with the appointment of Earl Butz, who some people feel represents agribusiness, as secretary of agriculture. Although some agricultural interest groups, including the powerful Farm Bureau, expressed support for Butz, many other groups and individuals voiced emphatic opposition to his appointment. After several weeks of debate, the Senate Thursday confirmed the appointment of Butz by a vote of 5 1 -44. University of Nebraska economics professor Wallace Peterson ticked off several reasons why it is nearly impossible for a small family farm to continue in operation today. "SINCE 1947 the prices in the grocery stores have risen about 60 per cent, Peterson said. "But the price the farmer gets for his product has remained the same. The only thing that has kept the small farmer alive at all is an increase in efficiency and that can't last forever. "This seems unjust, with a sector of the economy isn't rewarded for its efficiency. The trend to larger, corporate farms needs to be checked, halted and reversed. Peterson said eight corporations control most of the food processing in the U.S. and the 200 largest corporations in the country control 60 per cent of all the economy. freeze might have had an impact. "That's just speculation, but none of the faculty have yet received a pay raise although inflation has continued," he said. Competition with other drives also might be a factor, according to Grether. He said the PACE drive is going on at the same time as the United Appeal drive but that he doesn't see why people wouldn't contribute to both. "I really don't see why there should be much competition between these two drives," he said. "Maybe I just haven't .beat the drums hard enough." "I'm optimistic that the goal will be reached," Grether said. "The price freeze is now off so maybe some people who felt they couldn't contribute before will do so now." Contributions should be sent to Helen Glover at the Administration Building, room 404. The Chancellor could have sent the CSL action to the Board of Regents for review. Since the vote on the motion was close, 8-6, and CSL recommended that the policy change be reviewed in one year, Magrath said he wants to have the policy reviewed by the Chancellor within two years. According to Magrath's letter, "This review should deal with the impact and effects of allowing part-time student to participate in government -activites." The review would Turn to page 10 0 2) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, CSL sets special open meeting to discuss birth control book by Carol Strasser The Council on Student Life will hold a special meeting Monday to discuss whether student fees should have been spent to purchase the birth control handbook distributed in dormitories last month. After discussing the background of the incident in executive session Thursday, the Council decided the issue should be discussed further at a public meeting Monday at 8 p.m. in the Nebraska Union. The Board of Regents requested that a report on the distribution of the handbook be prepared for their December meeting after Paul O'Hara, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Council, complained that the pamphlet was forced on students. ASUN bought 10,000 copies of the book for $500 last year and gave them to the Association for Birth Control to sell. CSL-member Harry Canon, interim associate dean of student development, said it may be a "wild assumption," but the outcome of the Regents. investigations may be that they impose a reviewing board on all literature Elton Berck, president of the Nebraska Farmer's Union, cited the Tenneco Corp. as an example of a corporation which has moved into the agricultural economy. He said Tenneco owns huge amounts of farm land which it operates purposefully at a loss to cover tax burdens on "several hundred products" which the company produces. "MORE IS INVOLVED than simply farm income," he said. "Ownership of farmland resources can determine the politics of the country." "The land is a resource which will never expand in quantity. New businesses can be established but we've got all the land now," he said. Hansen, whose father, Merle, operates a farm in the Newman Grove area, agreed. "The object of any corporation is to make money. In agriculture they have a captive consumer. People have to buy food and the corporation can name their own price. When the corporations own all the land they can control he food prices. HE ALSO SAID the government contributes to the rise of the corporate farm by rewarding large plots of land more than small. The government, be said, uses food surplus to drive prices down and contribute to the dtmise of the small farmer. "The government should be responsible to the D RAW LU 1971 LINCOLN. NEBRASKA VOL 95. NO. 49 distributed on campus. The Office of Student Affairs currently is charged with reviewing any literature that is potentially inflammatory or which may incite violence or destruction of property, said Ely Meyerson, interim executive dean of student afairs. Student Affairs determines if literature or speakers on campus violate statutory standards, and he suggested that "the decision was made that (the pamphlet) isn't pornographic." Some issues dicussed by CSL were whether controversial literature should be banned from campus, whether birth control information is necessary and should be distributed to students, whether the pamphlet is sound and distributed in accordance with University policy. In other action, CSL accepted a proposed code of student disciplinary procedures which, if implemented, would revise procedures outlined in the Campus Handbook and would require a change in the Board of Regents by-laws. Before adopting the code, CSL voted to send the proposal people who produce the food," he charged. "The small farmer is more efficient. Farmers are more efficient than the rest of the economy. And efficiency isn't the single most important thing. Efficiency and quality combined are." The elimination of the small farmer may have effects that reach unsuspecting areas. Peterson cited two such possiblities. "We are forcing the farmer into early unemploy ment, early retirement and into overcrowded urban areas," he said. "This isn't good." "SECONDLY THE economy is shifting to a services-orientation. Agriculture is primarily a goods output industry. But if the people leave, no services are needed and a region like the Great Plains is left high and dry," And Hansen commented that statistics show five to seven farmers maintain one small town business. He said that with 2,000 farmers per year leaving the farm, a proportional number of small-town businesses also fail. Peterson suggested a "national public policy commitment designed for preserving family farming" to stunt the growth of the corporate farm. The most immediate way to introduce income into the farm sector would be through a price-level raise, he said. Berck agreed that a "national interest policy" should be established through legislation. He cited bills which have been introduced concurrently into the House and Senate which would prohibit conglomerates in agriculture. A bitterly realistic joke sometimes makes the rounds at a gathering of farmers. THE JOKE INVOLVES three characters: an investment broker, a factory owner and a farmer who receive a million dollars each, they're asked what they plan to do with their new-found fortunes. "I'll invest mine on the market in stock that will double in value by tomorrow," the broker answers. "I'll use my million to expand my business and add to my income," the factory owner replies. And the farmer, with a sad smile, says, "I guess 111 just keep on farming until the million's gone." Says John Hansen: "Farmers are simply asking for the right to do what they want to do and what they know how to do, and that's to grow food for other people." to the University attorneys for "review and recommend ations" to determine if due process is being served. The lawyers are expected to determine if the new procedures will be consistent with a code of student conduct which they are writing at the request of CSL. The new code would require a change in the Regents' by-laws since it takes final authority for student discipline away from the Office of Student Affairs where it was delegated by the Regents. Under the proposed procedures, the Student Tribunal would hear a student's case and any sanctions. Currently, the Student Tribunal hears a student's case and only makes recommend ations to Student-Affairs. Student Affairs has very rarely overruled the Student Tribunal in the last four years, said Ron Gierhan, assistant in the Office, but the power exists. The report provides that any student accused of misconduct which could bring a sanction of suspension must Turn to page 10