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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.
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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.
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
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