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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 1972)
ft"-:. arthur hoppe 1 iVWI i In bus "x;XXv!xxxx! X'X'XXcX'X'X'X'XwCvlX'Xv '",X,I,!!,!,Nvv..XX!!!',v.v tyV.V.',V, Vi'.V.V.vIvX !! v.vl Hp 9 o3S5 AarA h'nenhach is vice president of the Inter fraternity Council by Mark Enenbach Fraternity. What is it? What is its connotation? Where is it now? Where is it going? Questions of this nature are arising in conversations in both the University and local community. Fraternities stand on the firing line. I don't believe it is to their advantage to be defensive in responding to these questions. However, I do believe that it is the responsibility of the fraternity, as a social institution, to give a clear and concise explanation of what a fraternity is. On this campus a social fraternity offers a unique living situation. This is not to say a fraternity offers the best type living for the University student. The cooperative. University housing and apartment living all offer the student certain advantages, just as the fraternity does. It is unfair to start making subjective comparisons. Cause and effect generalizations, with regard to living styles, are simply ridiculous and should not be brought into any discussions. The fraternity no more causes a student to flunk out of college than it causes a student to become a Phi Beta Kappa. Success and failure rests with the individual. And this is where the fraternity system stands today. The fraternity system at UNL offers a style of living which stresses individuality, but at the same time gives the student an identiy. The physical structure of the fraternity is ideal for the student searching out his identity. The age of the stereotyped fraternity man is gone. The emphasis has been put on the individual. It is the hope of the fraternity system that this style of living will aid the student in completing a successful college career. It will provide opportunities for success in all aspects of University life, from the social to the scholastic. The fraternity is a human institution. Like any other human insitution it has its problems and faults. However, I believe it is a sign of strength that it has admitted those problems and faults and has made efforts to overcome them. Getting back to my earlier statement, the fraternity system must look at the finger which points to its faults and must answer the charges in a positive manner. It is my opinion that displaying strong emotion in discussing problems reveals one's ignorance, and the problem is not solved. The fraternity system must be on guard and control their emotions. University life is changing. Along with it, all segments of the University community change too. The fraternity system is included in these changes. Social awareness and concern can be seen in the programs of nearly all fraternities. Concern for the individual has developed. As a result, the younger fraternity members have been able to participate more and have received all the benefits of the fraternity. This has been denied them in the past. A note of caution must be directed towards the system. It must continue to change to meet the needs of the community if it plans on offering the same formula for a unique living style. In terms of forecasting for the future, I can only hope that the fraternity system will continue to be strong. It has a strong foundation. I perceive it having an important function in the community. The pessimism evident in some circles must be answered with positive action. Optimism must become the underlying theme. Individuality must be stressed one more time. I stress this in the closing paragraph because I want people to be aware that the fraternity system is not closed. Young men looking for this style of living are urged to ask questions. Misconceptions about the stereotyped fraternity man must be cleared up. Young men who claim to be individuals owe it to themselves to search out the answers to questions they have about the fraternity system. y?M fe- Jfffe-- - 33g ..j v The Los Angeles County Road Department is landscaping a milc-and-a-half stretch of Jefferson boulevard with hundreds of plastic flowers, shrubs and trees. The bogus plants include lilies, laurel, Chinese evergreens and palm trees. - news item. Scene: The Heavenly Real Fstate Office. The Landlord is happily humming to himself as he scatters Stardust and rainbows across the firmament to create still another galaxy. His business agent, Mr. Gabriel, strides in, papers in one hand, golden trumpet in the other. There is a scowl of righteous anger on his brow. Gabriel: Now they've done it! This time they've gone too far! The Landlord with a sigh): Who's done what now? Gabriel: The tenants on that little planet you like so much, Fartb. By you, sir, they blaspheme. The Landlord (frowning): My children? Blaspheme? Now. Gabriel? Gabriel: Look down there, sir. See? They're planting flowers, shrubs and trees along Ihal si reel. The landlord (pleased! I love I" see I hem spruce up the place a bit. Gabriel (Triumphantly): But the plants are fakes, sir! They made them out of plastic. They have the infernal presumption to attempt to duplicate your handiwork. If that isn't blasphemy. . . The Landlord: And none of the other complain? Gabriel: Oh. the intellectuals do. They loathe plastic flowers. See? There's one now. sitting in his Naugahyde chair. . . The Landlord (puzzled): I don't recall creating an animal called a Nauga. Gabriel: No, it's imitation, too. Now see him, he sips an artificially-colored, artificially-sweetened soft drink from his plastic glass. , . The Landlord: Is it plastic or glass? Make up your mind, Gabriel. Gabriel: Plastic, sir. . . and he takes a bite of his sandwich, which is made of bread with artificial preservatives and texturizers and complains to his wife in her fake fur about the plastic plants in Los Angeles. The Landlord: But with all the other artificialities about, why complain of these? Gabriel: Because they're being planted iv your great outdoors, sir. Really, it's getting so you can't loll u hat's plastic ami what's real down there. (Raising his trumpet). Shall I sound the cxicluMi notice, sir? The Landlord: A moment. Gyhiicl. on say you can't tell the plastic tron: 'In . real? Gabriel: Well, maybe not from a distance, sir. The Landlord: And the plastic is piooi against insects, rot, mildew, diond;! and frost? Gabriel: But it isn't real. sir. The Landlord: They make Hie plastic from petroleum, as I recall, Gabriel. And petroleum is the remains of giant lems that bowcrcd the dinosaurs 100 million years ago. Am I correct? Gabriel (grudgingly): Well. yes. but. . . The Landlord (beaming): To think, im children have taken the oily remains of my long-dead ferns and created new flowers of lasting, maintenance-free beauty. (He chuckles with fatherly pride) It just shows you what 1 could do. Gabriel, if I had the technology. Copyright Chronicle I'libllshinn Co. 107 2. h k ii - n ! P - 4 ' If . r MONDAY, FEBRUARY THE DAILY NEBRASKAN PAGE E