editorial
Greeks, Part 2
Daily Nebraskan editorial policy is the
product of an editorial board consisting of
Editor-in-chief Jim Gray, Managing Editor
Tom Lansworth and News Editor Randy
Beam. Individual editorials represent the
views of the writer but not necessarily those
of all editorial board members.
Less than two years ago the UNL Greek
system was hit by a bombshell. That
bombshell came in the form of a report on
discrimination prepared by an associate dean
of the College of Arts and Sciences, which
charged the Greek system with overt and
covert racism.
At the time, reaction varied from panic to
mild surprise. Some feared that the report
would spark a witch hunt, purging the
fraternities and sororities. Others hoped the
report would encourage them to initiate
programs to encourage minority participation.
Two years later, neither has happened.
At this time, there are no black fraternity
or sorority members. No blacks went through
sorority rush this fall. One black went
through fraternity rush week, but did not
pledge.
On the other hand, minority
representation in other areas has increased.
Several fraternities and sororities now have
members of Chicano or American Indian
origin. Even so, the numbers are below what
could be expected.
The numbers, however, don't tell the
whole story. Currently, no fratenity or
sorority has constitutional or bylaw
provisions which would deny membership to
any minority person.
According to fraternity and sorority
advisor Jane Anderson, all UNL fraternities
and sororities have cleared away paper
obstacles from the minority path to
membership. A number of the Greek houses
cited in the report have altered membership
voting requirements as well, making it more
difficult to blackball any potential member.
Formerly, most sororities required alumni
recommendation of a student before pledging,
which made it difficult for unknown minority
students to pledge. This according to
Anderson is no longer the case, as only four
of the 16 UNL sororities retain such
requirements.
Evidently, no formal bars to minority
entrance exist.
What does exist, however, are the elements
of de facto segregation which were also here
two years ago.
The segregation exi,ts i;s an extension ot
the conservative credo "What never was, never
will be." This reactionary attitude is fostered
by the No. 1 student ailment-total apathy.
While no roadblocks to minority Greek
membership exist, there has been little effort
on the part of the Greeks to change the
situation.
The sororities on one hand, recruit no
one-WASP or minority. Only those gills who
decide on their own to go through rush are
included in membership consideration. This,
of course, keeps the situation fairly
stable and fairly closed.
Fraternities, on the other hand, actively
recruit the entire summer. While some few
fraternities did make an effort to recruit
minorities, the predominant attitude
remained much the same as in the past.
So the situation can be partly blamed on
the Greeks.
But not entirely. The road to minority
participation is a two-way street.
The minorities themselves, which have at
times been noncooperative and racist, have
responsibilities no less than those of the
Greeks. It is their responsibility to participate
in the fraternity and sorority selection
processes to force the Greeks into a decision
situation.
Minorities cannot rightfully claim
discrimination unless they prove their interest
in the Greek houses.
Solving the Greek-minority problem is the
responsibility of not one but both sides.
Jim Gray
Joe Sikspak,
American,
loves a fight
i orthur
hoppe
bustendef
Dear President: I, Joe Sikspak,
American, take pen in hand to get it off
my chest. Congratulations to you and the
Mrs. And Spiro, too.
I stopped by down at Paddy's Place
Labor Day night. "Give me a Seven High,
Paddy," I says, "and tell me what you
think about the upcoming campaign."
"It's going to be a close one, Joe," he
says. "But I think Spiro can cop the
nomination from Senator Percy and go
on to lick Teddy Kennedy."
"I didn't know Teddy was running,"
says I.
"I'm speaking of 1976, Joe," says
Paddy. 'That's what all the experts are
talking about these days."
"But what about the 72 campaign,
Paddy?" says I. "Don't it start on Labor
Day?"
"Haven't you been reading the papers,
Joe?" says Paddy. "It's all over. The
experts have declared Nixon the winner
in a landslide. So there's no sense talking
about that."
"I'm sorry to hear it's done with,
Paddy," says I. "I was looking forward to
watching a good fight."
"It would've been a dilly, Joe," says
Paddy. "But all in all, I figure we're
better off without it."
"How do you figure that, Paddy?"
says I. "Don't you think old George
would've put up a battle?"
"Sure he would, Joe," says Paddy.
"He'd of come out swinging. First thing,
he'd accuse Nixon of selling favors to hit
bloated capitalist friends while heartlessly
grinding the poor and downtrodden
under his iron heel."
"Hit him again, George!" says I.
"He would," says Paddy. "He'd take
him on about bugging Democratic
headquarters. He'd lay it to him about
wire tapping and the no-knock laws. By
October, Joe, you couldn't call Bernie the
Bookie without wondering whether Trish
was listening in. And you'd lie there
sweating in bed at night, waiting for the
storm troopers to bust down your door
and haul you off to the concentration
camp for saying Mrs. Nixon dyed her
hair."
"I never said that, Paddy," says I
nervously. "But I sure would've voted for
old George."
BISI err. .fi-T
Wis
III
Mill J i
I"-". g ;
4m
m
"I didn't know you were soft on
Communism, Joe," cays Paddy, arching
an eyebrow. "Now if there'i one thing
Nixon would've made perfectly clear it'i
that wishy-washy, spineless old George
wanted to wreck the economy, tap our
moral fiber with his welfare schemes and
cut the Pentagon budget to leave ut
defenseless. By October, you'd be
wondering which day the Viet Cong was
going to march down Main Street, looting
our houses, raping our women folk and
butchering our beloved dogs and cats."
"Jeez, Paddy," says I. "What about
the issues?"
'That's always the issue, Joe," says
Paddy. "After every campaign you got to
S
go into the voting booth and exercise
your inalienable right to decide whether
you want to live the next four years
under a Fascist or Communist
dictatorship. That's the very heart of our
democratic way of life."
So, like I say, President, I'm real glad
the campaign's over and you won the
election. Seeing as how you already won,
I won't have to vote for you. Or him,
neither. And that's sure a load off my
back.
Truly Yours,
Joe Sikspak, American
P.S. And I never did say your Mrs.
dyed her hair. Honest.
Copyright Chronlclfl Publishing Co. 1972