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Due to the magnitude of the decision, the
following editorial represents the opinions of
interested Daily Nebraskan staff members. While not
representing the opinions of each individual involved,
it is a consensus of staff opinion.
H. L Mencken once said: that democracy is the
theory that the common people know what they
want and deserve to get it-good and hard.
The nature of student democracy is an issue once
again as ASUN elections will be held this Wednesday.
A number of interesting and not-so-interesting
questions have faced candidates debating in pursuit of
student government office.
The most talked about issue is the fate of the
proposed new ASUN constitution. A lot of thought
has gone into efforts to replace the current document
of UNL student government. The old constitution has
proved unworkable in several ways. However, there
are some objections to the new constitution.
Three portions of the new constitution have
created the most controversy: The new document
will reduce the size of the senate to 1 5 members; the
ASUN president will be chosen by the members of
the Senate; a section in the proposal established a
secret-vote recall procedure whereby any ASUN
appointee can be recalled by a plurality of 10 votes of
the council.
The concept of the new senate itself choosing its
chairperson is another enigma. Doubts raised about
this method speak to the undesirability of a student
government leader indirectly elected by the students.
The secret recall procedure would enable the
student government council, with a vote of 10
members, to remove any appointee from a
position-CSL, Faculty Senate committees, and
committee ' chairmanships. Fears have been voiced
that this is a great political tool which could be used
to pressure groups to conform to opinions compatible
to the members of the student government council.
In summary, the new constitution does represent a
good deal of thinking and a wide variety of input.
Despite some reservations that members of the Daily
Nebraskan staff have about particulars of the
proposed document, its adoption is urged. Students
should vote in favor of the new constitution simply
because it represents a marked improvement over the
outmoded document with which ASUN has been
operating since 1 966.
For second vice president, the-nearly
unanimous selection of the Nebraskan staff is Chris
Harper. Harper's fine work in the Nebraska Free
University and the Center for Educational Change
mark him as an excellent candidate for UNL student
government's number three position.
There appeared a strong division of opinion
concerning who would make the best ASUN first vice
president. The primary duty of the first vice president
is to lead the Senate and the candidates were
considered with that in mind.
Sam -Brower, former IFC treasurer and active
member of the ASUN legislative liaison committee
and Paul Ochsner, Cather nan president anu
Residence Hall Association member are the two
major candidates for this position. Although Brower
has had more direct experience with the workings of
ASUN, Ochsner has had more experience in student
leadership positions. Either would make a good first
vice president, though Ochsner holds a slight margin
over Brower. ' '
The thankless job of ASUN president is being
sought by two serious candidates who surpass other
candidates by quite a distance in qualifications for
that office. Bruce Beecher, manager of the ASUN
Record Store and Gift Shop and ASUN Senator, and
Roy Baldwin, two-year ASUN Senator and chairman
of the ASUN economic development committee are
leading the field for the top ASUN spot.
Baldwin has more direct experience with the inner
workings of UNL student government, having had a
very successful term as chairman of the economic
development committee.
Beecher has been in charge of the ASUN Record
Store for one year. The Record Store is on its feet for
good now. This speaks well for the abilities
demonstrated by Beecher.
One of the major differences the. staff found
between Baldwin and Beecher was the nature of their
abilties. It appears that Beecher is best at following
through on a project or an idea and assuring its
completion, whereas Baldwin is more often seen
initiating new ideas and generating proposals for new
programs.
In the final analysis, Beecher conies up ahead of
Baldwin by a narrow margin.
Editorial opinion
The following editorial represents the opinion of
Daily Nebraskan Editor-in-Chief Barry Pilger.
Campaigns for ASUN office this year have been
less than blistering and controversial.
Bruce Beecher is the person who will most
likely produce the best results in student government
in the coming year as president. His maturity is a
factor in his past success, and will be his greatest asset
as president.
Sam Brower gets the nod for first vice president.
Brower's abilities are not few and he would work well
as presiding officer of the ASUN Senate.
For second vice president, Chris Harper is deemed
most likely to succeed. His chief qualification, above
and beyond his level headed approach to student
government, is his success in educational reform.
The proposed constitution is deserving of a yes
vote. It has drawbacks. However, it is extremely
workable in its own right.
Above all, students are urged to vote. The
University of Nebraska will be a better one if
students finally decide that they want to make use of
the only voice they have in its operation.
Barry Pilger
Once again the airlines completely
mishandled the recent wave of bombings,
hi-jackings and extortion plots. They
never think positively.
I speak from experience. For I was one
of the hardy little band of courageous
adventurers in Washington last week who
boarded TWA's Flight 63 during the
height of the bomb scares.
. "Go with God," urged a friend who'd
come out to Dulles Airport to see me off,
"instead."
I said I wasn't afraid.
"No reason to be," he said. "I just saw
one of those police dogs they use to sniff ,
out explosives coming off your airplane.
Of course, its eyes were watering, it was
wearing a muffler and it just couldn't
seem to stop sneezing."
Well, I said, it was no worse than a bad
cold.
'-There goes your pilot," he said,
pointing out a grizzled, wrinkled captain
with snow-white hair. -
I said I was glad he was obviously
an experienced veteran. -
"Yes," said my friend, nodding. "He's
27."
I said I had to go. He threw his arms
upward and outward. "Up, up and away
with TWA!" he cried cheerfully,
other six passengers who couldn't wait to
board the giant 747. We were
outnumbered by the guards.
- An attractive lady guard who was
inspecting hand luggage looked up and
asked sweetly in a coffee-tea-or-milk
tone: "Are you carrying any dangerous
weapons this evening, $jr? "
Not this evening, I said jauntily. They
ushered me between the twin poles of an
electronic metal detector. That was
reassuring until I remembered the last
time one of those things approved me I
was carrying a portable typewriter.
Once on the giant plane, I had my
choice of at least 250 unused seats
attended by a dozen or so unused
stewardesses. "1 wish I'd brought my
bowling ball," said another passenger
looking down the deserted aisles.
In no time at all, the plane was at 30,000
feet and I was at the bar. No waiting, no
delay. I was on my second when the
Captain came back to shake each of our
hands-personally. I wasn't sure whether
he planned to give us a medal or a
farewell. But he said he just wanted to
reassure that "they'd ripped off
everything but the wallpaper" in
searching the aircraft and that police dogs
had been aboard it all night.
So we had a relaxed dinner, watched
the movie "Sacco & Vanzetti" (which
was a better choice than "Airport") and
actually landed IS minutes ahead of
schedule, not being heavily burdened
down by passengers.
In fact, it was the best
transcontinental trip I ever had-exciting,
friendly, funny and uncrowded.
So the travel tip for today is always
choose the airline that's the current target
ot the extortionists. Its guards are twice
as careful and its planes are half as fulL
You d think TWA would be out there
advertising the fact.
Of course, there's no absolute
guarantee you won't get bombed. But in
my experience, that's the only way to
fly.
Copyright Chronicle Publishing Co. 1971
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
MONDAY; MARCH- 20,1972
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