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Brevity in letters is requested and the
Daily Nebraskan reserves the right to
condense letters. All letters must be
accompanied by writer's true name but
may be submitted for publication under a
pen name or initials. However, letters will
be printed under a pen name or initials at
the editor's discretion.
Note: The following letter was written to
President Varner by ASUN executives in
response to the Poorhouse Coalition's
requests published in Wednesday's Daily
Nebraskan.
On Aug. 9, 1971, low income citizens
from the Lincoln community occupied
University property to dramatize the
critical housing needs that have been
aggravated and perpetuated by University
policies. At that time, students once again
expressed their concern with University
inaction and failure to accept its
responsibility to students and the Lincoln
community.
As the University is well aware, the
tight housing market in the city has been
furthered by University expansion,
student dissatisfaction with dormitory
regulations and the grossly inadequate
number of married -student housing units
it provides. Although this problem has
been recognized for many years and has
been studied by many committees, no
action has been taken. In September of
1971, another committee was established
by the Regents to try to deal with this
problem. This committee has never met.
On Dec. 8, 1971, a coalition of
citizens occupied the Housing Office to
once more ask to meet with you and ask
for a committment from you as President
of the University. We think it deplorable
that you have been unwilling to meet
with these people and have waited so long
in meeting their request to discuss
Lincoln's critical housing shortage. We
feel that signing the Poorhouse's
proposed Declaration of Responsibility is
a sound and sensible first step for the
University to take. We urge all
appropriate University officials to sign
this document. A University should not
ignore the needs of the community it is
to serve.
Steve Fowler
Michelle Coyle
Rod Hernandez
Dear editor:
Many misconceptions are masked by
the terms political pragmatism and
political realism.. One example is the
editorial written by Barry Pilger (Daily
Nebraskan, editor-in-chief) in the Jan. 24
issue of the paper.
Political pragmatism and academic
freedom present themselves as the two
central issues concerning the World in
Revolution Conference. I interpret
Pilger's editorial as a statement that
academic freedom is not policially
feasible at this time. This statement may
be true, in fact I don't know whether
academic freedom is ever politically
feasible.
However, a more important question
arises from the discussion. Should
political pragmatism limit or restrict
academic freedom?
In some recent decisions students,
faculty members and administrators at
the University of Nebraska have followed
the road of political expediency. Michael
Davis, Steve Rozman and the "Birth
Control Handbook" exemplify cases of
political pragmatism and feasibility.
In these instances the proverbial inch
was given in order to gain a foot at a later
date. We've now lost a yard or maybe
even two or three due to our' political
pragmatism.
I would like to ask the editor of the
Daily Nebraskan if he would discontinue
publication of the Daily Nebraskan if a
legislator or an administrator told him
that it would be politically feasible to do
so? I hope that Pilger would reply that
the request would be a restriction upon
the freedom of the press. Pilger's
statement concerning the World in
Revolution Conference is a similar
request. I believe that academic freedom
may terminate if we continue to
postpone it for reasons of political
pragmatism. .
Chris Harper.
Bart Becker is a junior, slowly
majoring in journalism and English. He is
currently the news editor of the Daily
Nebraskan.
In addition, he is actively a Rocket,
when they exist, and the author of this
clever little blurb about himself.
First off, let me jump briefly into the
World in Revolutionuse of feesfreedom
of speech hassle. It seems to me that
exercising our rights is like taking candy
from a baby in this instance. Candy that
belongs to us.
But more prudent politicians than
myself seem to be advocating that we jerk
the baby's diapers down around its knees
and plant a kiss everytime we want the
candy. And that kind of hors d'oeuvre
takes a lot of the sweet out of the sugar.
Another timely topic is the visitation
poll recently sent to parents and students.
The problem is that students have been
polled before and overwhelmingly favor a
relaxation of the visitation policy.
But a statement by NU President D.B.
Varner at the November Regents meeting
indicated that the students' opinions
would not be a consideration in
development of a new policy. Varner said
that if SO per cent of the parents approve
the modification, "it would be my hope
that the Regents would adopt a new
plan."
So you see, kids, you cant always get
what you want you need good oF mom
and dad on your side. Remember, they
pay the taxes, you just live here.
Personally, considering the way the
rules governing visitation read, I dont
know why anybody's complaining. The
rules include that the door to a dorm
must be open during visitation hours and
that a faculty sponsor be present during
open hours.
Ideal. Dorm residents need to find
enough horny faculty io allow uae
faculty member for each dorm floor on
campus. It's easy action from there on
out as long as all the doors are kept
open.
And it solves another problem. The
controversial birth control handbooks can
be tossed into the rooms-not slid under
the door or tuck into a mailbox. And the
books are gonna be needed.
The decision by Dr. Samuel L
Fuenning, director of the Student Health
Center to prescribe contraceptives only to
coeds who are married or are "to be
married" has provoked some
consternation among campus folks.
Although the Student Health Center
will continue to dispense contraceptives
to women already receiving them, they
will not allow them to be distributed to
any "new applicants."
The move seems remarkably
irresponsible but, as Fuenning noted, "we
can't remove ourselves from the public
eye."
At any rate, if you're a young woman
needing contraceptives and cant bring
yourself to fib to the Student Health
Center about your upcoming marriage, let
me add a touch of responsibility to the
discussion.
Contraceptives and birth control
information can be obtained from Family
Planning Service, 3830 Adams, with no
rings attached.
When you get all those problems
straightened out and get back to work,
keep this in mind. Unit, an art and
architecture supply store has opened at
1031 Q" to provide students with
supplies at the lowest prices in town. End
of plug.
And lastly, I ran across this last wiek
and present it as proof positive the Dally
Nebraskan isn't just fun, it's educational,
too.
"In Western Europe, geese are
force-fed noodles to enlarge their livers
from which the delicacy, pate de foie
gras, is produced.
Football and Freud.
Now what possible connection could
football and Freud have? As you know,
Sigmund Freud is the great psychologist
who discovered that we aren't what we
are and that we don't even know what we
aren't. Football is, of course, the
American version of the Christians vs. the
Lions; the American version being, of
course, more civilized. Not as many
people get killed.
This brings us to the great paradox. If
one agrees with Freud in the assumption
that nearly all of life's energy is sexual,
that all productive efforts of society
(including football) are the result of
rechanneled sexual energy, therefore
football is sexual in a serendipity way.
But why do Nebraskans seem to love
football and hate sex?
I need not go into Nebraska's love of
football. After seeing the Unicameral and
Gov. I. lames Exon make fools of
themselves (Exon didn't have to try
harder, he was already No. 1) praising
Coach Bob Devaney, Nebraskans' love for
football is only too evident.
Now I assume that most adults in the
State of Nebraska have indulged in some
sort of sexual activity. At any rate, those
Nebraskans with children at the
University have obviously made some
effort. Why, then, the horror when their
children are exposed to something sexual.
Perhaps I should document this horror.
Uproar followed the Time-Out
Conference on Human Sexuality and the
distribution of the birth control book in
the dormitories. Co-ed visitation has
always been controversial.
Parents seem concerned that their
children would catch some sexual
perversion daring the Time-Out
Conference, as if sex were
contagious God forbid. Parents seemed
to think that their children-who can vote
get drafted, and commit sex (as some
parents might put it), might find out
something about birth control from those
booklets. Instead of looking at the
booklets from this point of view, I think
parents should censor grade schools for
teaching then children how to read.
Interim Executive President
Chancellor Magrath even instructed the
University's legal counsel to determine if
certain pictures in the booklet were
legally pornographic. All I have to say is
that I've seen myself nude and don't
consider myself pornographic And yes,
I've seen some nude females also, and
they didn't strike me as being,
pornographic.
Co-ed visitation in dormitories is when
members of the opposite sex can be in
the same room unchaperoned. I guess
parents, after having been in the same
room together unchaperoned fcr many
years, dont want their children to go
through that same experience.
I must confess I am stumped. I can't
see why football and sex can't be No. 1 .
Oh Freud, where are you when we need
you? Coach Devaney can only do so
much.
t
i
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1972
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
PAGE 5