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Malone mess
Malone.
The word signifies more than just an area.
It represents an attitude, a way of life. But
more than anything it is an image.
For some time, the Malone area has been
supposed to be the "poor',' section of town-if
not a ghetto, something close to it.
Disproportionately black, its residents have
been consistently looked down on, denied
overall improvements and generally ignored.
Until now. Suddenly the Malone area has
become the center of attention. The
neighboring University, crammed to its limit,
must find room to expand.
Hemmed in on the west and north by the
Interstate and the State Fair Grounds, UNL is
forced to expand either south or east. To the
south lies downtown, only a few blocks away.
So expansion in that direction is limited.
Which leaves the east-and the Malone area.
But what would University expansion in
the Malone area mean?
Already, much of Malone's low-income
housing has been endangered by the proposed
Northeast Radial highway to run, naturally,
through the center of Malone. This will place
a definite strain on the housing market.
University expansion will only make the
situation worse. If the University rips out
large quantities of middle-to-low income
dwellings, hundreds of residents will be
thrown into the housing market. Real estate
prices will rise. And many will be unable to
find housing of the same quality at the same
price elsewhere. And that is unjust.
Malone's ghetto image has led Lincoln to
believe it will be ridding itself of a problem by
expanding the University in that direction.
This ghetto image is a sham, however.
Most of the houses in Malone, while old,
are well-preserved. Well-kept and clean
low-to-middle-income houses abound in the
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area. The worst of the area does not even
approach the squalor of true slums.
Pretending the city would be better off if
Malone were razed is unrer 'stic.
The University has an obligation to Malone
residents and the entire city to see that
alternative housing at a just price for
displaced residents is obtained through some
means-federal, state or city.
UNL must have a moral conscience in
expansion matters. As an educational
endeavor, the University must recognize the
consequences of its actions.
ASUN-ine
It looks like ASUN has hit the doldrums a
little early this year. Generally it takes until
' .. J-Lt?-1:'
early spring for ASUN senators to lose
interest and stop attending weekly meetings.
This year it's happening in early fall.
ASUN's inability to conduct business
Wednesday because of lack of a quorum is
ridiculous. There is really little or no excuse
possible for neglecting the responsibilities of
an office actively solicited less than six
months ago. If interest is so lacking, those
consistently absent (whether excused or not)
should resign their posts and allow others who
are concerned with student needs to take
them over.
Student government has no room for
apathy.
Jim Gray
Pedestrians
jeopardize
environment
miche e
coye
Rumor has it that in the interest of
motor vehicle safety, the Lincoln City
Council is considering a ban on all
pedestrian traffic. The ban, sponsored by
a group of concerned automobile dealers,
proposes that an area roughly
corresponding to downtown Lincoln be
declared off-limits to all pedestrians.
As everyone is aware, pedestrians are
particularly apt to congregate in the
downtown area. This inevitably leads to
congestion of traffic and dangerous
starting and stopping which wears on
both vehicles' motors and drivers' nerves.
'If it were not for the established link
between pedestrian traffic and crime,
such a proposal would not be necessary,"
an unidentified spokesman for the auto
dealers said.
"Just imagine the irreparable damage
to our environment," commented one
auto manufacturer. 'These irresponsible
Uh, sarge ... I think we're gonna hcvo soma problems today!" vTltfEfyp
and malicious offenders ought not to be
merely ticketed, but imprisoned," stated
one man who wished to remain
anonymous.
Strangely enough, this same survey
indicated that more individuals dressed in
red were involved in accidents than
persons dressed in white, black or green.
An, investigating committee has been
established to look into this strange
phenomenon, and is expected to propose
some sort of restriction on the use and
wearing of this color.
Admittedly, if this proposal is enacted,
there may be widespread repercussions.
Downtown area businesses may
experience a slight decrease in their
number of patrons. They may also incur a
slight increase in building
expenditures-construction of moving
sidewalks to accommodate vehicle
occupants so they may avoid regular
sidewalks and the label 'pedestrian.'
A former hitch-hiker, now a confirmed
pedestrian, was quoted as saying she was
a University student and had difficulty
getting to campus. Due to .monetary
problems, she could not afford to ride a
bus and had no desire to buy a noisy,
contaminating car. "I guess I'll have to
scrapa together the money to buy a
bike," she said.
'That's not a very good idea, either,"
a woman standing behind her
commented. "At next week's meeting,
the Council is going to seriously consider
dissolving all bike routes and reordering
them through Waverly."
The University student hesitated a
moment and then muttered, "I finally
understand why there'll soon be as many
horses as people in this state." J
page 4
daily nebraskan
thursday, September 21, 1972
