V
bill smitherman
The memories of time
The power of hope
As Christmas draws near it is a good time to take a
look at what is happening on earth.
One's first impression is one of horror. The morning
newspaper is full of murders, crime, injustices and wars.
The constant barrage of bad news on the front page
tends to make people shrug and ask: "But what can we
do?"
Arthur Hoppe, a columnist for the San Francisco
Chronicle has a one-word answer to this question:
"Hope."
"I know it has a Pollyanna ring," Hoppe said
recently. "But, by God, there is hope! There is not only
a joy in it, but, I think, a tremendous importance."
Of course, hope alone won't radically change the
world. But hope has a special importance for this 20th
century world of ours. For a world without hope could
easily destroy itself by nuclear war, over-population or
pollution.
But is there any cause for hope in our world? The
past few months demonstrates that there is.
President Nixon, who built his career on
anti-Communism, plans to visit Peking and Moscow for
important summit talks. Communist China finally
entered the United Nations. Significant limitations on
nuclear arms appear to be in the works. And the
Vietnam war is slowly ending.
These events show that the Cold War, which has
threatened the world with nuclear annihilation, is
rapidly thawing. In this there is hope.
Domestically there is also cause for hope. Racial
troubles have ebbed since the turbulent 1960's. The
country is still troubled by pollution, crowded courts,
inhumane prison conditions, the economy and injustices
toward many minorities. But at least we're now talking
and starting to do something about these problems.
Many people have said the country's main advocates
of hope are its young people. Undoubtedly, America's
youth has made a deep impression on the country's
conscience through its protests on Vietnam and the
injustices at home.
But the country can not afford to wait for its young
people to assume positions of power before we have
hope of making the world better. America's youth needs
to pass the precious gift of hope to Amercians of all ages
now.
Lobby for visitation
A liberalized coed visitation plan for campus
residence halls, a long sought-after goal of University
students, is nearir.g reality. But there remains one more
obstacle for a new coed visitation policy.
A new coed visitation proposal, drawn up by a Board
of Regents' ad hoc committee, is scheduled to be sent
out for parental approval Jan. 1 9.
To make sure the proposed plan is adopted, students
should lobby in favor of it over the interim break. A
favorable vote by the parents would be a big victory for
the concept of student self-determination, which
received a major setback when the Regents decided
Saturday to suspend certain student-fee funded
programs.
Goodbye Bill
Bill Smitherman's by-line has appeared in The Daily
Nebraskan hundreds of times since he began writing for
the newpaper in 1968. Bill, who graduates this semester
to enter the Navy, ends his career on this newspaper
today with a page one story on married students and his
regular column on this page.
It has been quite a career. During his seven semesters
on the newspaper, Bill has demonstrated his versatile
talents by being a reporter, news editor, copy editor,
columnist and entertainment reviewer. He has seen the
newspaper grow in stature. And he has been an
important part of the newspaper's growth and success.
It is a sad day for The Daily Nebraskan because Bill
Smitherman is leaving us. But he is leaving us a good
tradition of journalism to follow.
Gary Seacrest
This will be a short column,
but today I was wondering
how many sheets of paper I've
put through this typewriter.
My last day of working here
brings up the old memories and
reflections.
There are a number of
inches in old Daily Nebraskans
with my by-line, but they
don't really tell the story. More
goes into any paper than print
can ever show.
But my typewriter has been
good and it's only broken
down a couple of times. The
staff has never quit. Even when
the paper was closed down, the
staff bounced back to cover
President Nixon last January or
the student strike in May,
1970.
Many dedicated people have
stained the keys of this
machine. The keys are faded
and ink stained now, but as
the machine shows signs of age, the
Steve Fowler is president of
ASUN.
During the recent
controversies on student fees,
the question has been raised
"Are elected student
representatives responsible
enough to allocate student
fees?" It seems time that
someone asked the question
"is the Board of Regents
responsible enough to be
trusted with student fees?" An
answer to this question might
best be found by analyzing the
actions at last Saturday's
Regents meeting.
At this meeting, the Board
debated the selection of
architects for University
buildings. The debate seemed
to center upon who was getting
more architectural contracts,
Lincoln or Omaha firms. It was
not until the Board retreated
from public view into
executive session that the
matter was resolved. Does it
make sense to have men who
are so concerned about
patronage ruling on priorities
for the student union? (One
hopeful outcome of the debate
was Regent Moylan admitting
that maybe he didn't have a
conscience.)
In other action, the Board
authorized salary increases for
the football coaches that
ranged from 5.5 per cent to 14
per cent. Not only do these
seem inequitable when
compared to the other pay
raises for state employee? but
these raises appear to be in
direct contradiction to
President Nixon's program of
economic restraint. Should
men who would act against the
wishes of the President of the
United States be trusted with
appropriations for the campus
newspaper?
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
newspaper gets younger. It's
one of the paradoxes of time
that static things grow old and
dynamic ones stay young.
But ifs not bad to look
back. It sometimes helps to put
the time in perspective and give
a person a sense of where he is
going.
Seven semesters ago, when I
was a green staff member, the
paper was well written, but it
was radical. The Daily
Nebraskan contained more
opinion than fact and everyone
knew it.
But years of fingers across
these keys have seen the words
change. The paper has moved
from radical opinion to real
news and it has been a fine
metamorphosis to see.
Now we are in a time when
student activities of all kinds
are continually under fire. And
there is at least one example to
counter the attacks.
stove fower
Can we trust the
Regents with fees?
Finally, there is the matter
of Regent Koefoot's anti-fee
resolution. It appears ' that
Koefoot's goal is to remove
controversy from the
University because it can
sometimes prove embarrassing
for the Board of Regents.
Koefoot does not seem to
understand that controversy is
essential to the academic
community as well as a
necessary element in any free
society.
It is significant that the
opposition to the Time-Out
Conference on Human
Sexuality and the Birth
Control Handbook was almost
totally from outside the
University community. This is
most obvious in the case of the
handbook.
Over 8,000 copies of the
book have been distributed on
campus since last spring. Many
University administrators and
the distributors of the books
.rcBWI1IMllB8iMittlBMBaiMWfflSMIIMi
Editor: Gary Seacrest. Managing Editor: Laura Willers. News
Editor: Steve Strasser. Advertising Manager: Barry Pilgw.
Publications Committee Chairman: James Horner.
Staff writers: Bill Smitherman, Carol Strasser, Bart Becker, Linda
Larson, Roxann Rogers, H.J. Cummins, Randy Beam, Duane
Leibhart, Steve Arvanette, Cheryl Westcott. Sporti editor: Jim
Johnston. Photographers: Bill Ganzel, Gail Folda. Entertainment
editor: Larry Kubert. Literary editors: Alan Boye, Lucy
Kerchberger. East Campus writer: Terri Bedient Artist: Ai Chan.
Copy editors: Tom Lansworth, Jim Clemons, Sara Trask, Jim Grey.
Night editor: Leo Schleicher. News assistant: Carolyn Hull.
Coordinator: Jeri Hautsler. Ad staff: Greg Scott, Beth
Malashock, Jane K (dwell, Mick Moriarty, Jeff Adon, Stave Yates,
?. -J-kelson, Suzi Goebel, Phil Merryweather, Larry Swanson, Laurel
Marsh, Kris Collins, Secretary: Kathy Cook.
-7nrM: di,or; 472 2&aa. nmi: 472 2589, advertising:
i J s"eond cl" Pottage rate paid at Lincoln, Nebraska.
subscription rates ar $5 per semester or $9 per year. Published
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the school year
except during vacation and exam periods. Member of the
Intercolleg.ate Press, National Educational Advertising Service.
Trie Daily Nebraskan is a student publication, editorially
independent of the Univeristy of Nebraska's administration, faculty
and student government.
Address: The Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, University of
Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508.
The growth and change of
The Daily Nebraskan has
shown that students can
control their own affairs and
do a good job of it. There are
bound to be a few failures, but
the successes outweigh them.
I've been proud to be able
to see the Nebraskan
transformation from close up.
' There have been many
people involved and memories
to last a lifetime. I have learned
and grown from almost every
staff member and friend I have
known. A list of names would
be pointless. The people know
who they are.
Perhaps it's fitting to end a
valedictory with a benediction.
So, I will wish change for
the better to the university of
the seventies. And, the best of
luck to all those with whom I
have shared this typewriter.
stated that they had not heard
of any complaints about the
book until the matter was
brought before the Regents at
the November meeting. A
survey in Cather Hall, where
books had been distributed to
all residents, indicated that
only five percent of the
students objected to the
distribution of the booklets.
The Regents seem to be
establishing themselves and
out state opinion as the judges
of what is appropriate to be
discussed at the University. The
Board seems all too willing to
sacrifice academic freedoms for
political ambitions. Could one
allow men such as these to
decide which speakers should
be allowed on campus?
If last Saturday's meeting is
any indication, it seems a
student would be a fool to
trust the Board of Regents
with his student fees.
PAGE 4
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1971
