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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1973)
editorial Accountability No. 2 Thursday's debate among the top two executive candidates from each of the three party slates in the spring ASUN election opened a new realm of concern for UNL student voters. Although being unaccountable seems to be the preoccupation of members of the Surrealist Light People's party, unjustified proposals, positions or charges should not be tolerated when they originate from members of the two major political parties in this election. Statements of this nature were heard yesterday from both the Get Off Your Apathy (GOYA) party and the Unity and Progress (UP) party. In her opening statement, GOYA presidential candidate Ann Henry spoke about the recent report of the Student Fees Administration Task Force. The report is not mentioned in the published GOYA platform. However, Henry said she now has some personal reservations about the recommendations made by the task force. She says the recommended fees allocation board should have a majority student membership and no faculty representation; that the Council of Student Life does not have the power of appointment as stated by the task force; and that the appeals board should be a standing organization reporting directly to the chancellor, instead of the ad hoc body reporting back to the allocations board recommended in the task force report. But, in spite of these criticisms, Henry still refuses to allow her GOYA party to take a stand on the student fees task force question. She said she feels such a statement would be inappropriate at this time since ASUN has established an ad hoc committee charged to investigate the Student Fees Administration Task Jcirci" report. Henry ,'chairs that committee. Perhaps a more appropriate response would have been for Henry to have resigned from the committee when she became a political candidate. Students have a right to expect both GOYA and UP to take stand on the issues raised in the camDaian. The student lawyer, proposed in the GOYA platform received the most attention during the debate. GOYA first vice presidential candidate Mark Hoeger continues to insist that the program would be workable at UNL. Bill Freudenburg, whose UP party has dismissed the idea as unfeasible, was just as adamant in his insistence" 6t the student lawyer proposal is "illegal; if it's not illegal, it's unethical; if it's not unethical, it's impractical." , . However, Freudenburg seems to be giving up too easily on this potentially valuable student service. As Hoeger correctly pointed out, free legal service programs are currently in operation at more than 100 universities and colleges across the nation, and similar programs are currently used by some non-student Nebraska organizations. Perhaps the idea need more research before any attempt at implementation. 3ut students should continue to question Freudenburg's and UP's opposition to the student lawyer proposal. The Associate Student Koop (ASK) was also considered during Thursday's candidate disussion. When questioned about what GOYA plans to do about the ASK membership problems, Hoeger was unable to offer any positive plan which might save ASK. He correctly identified the "Catch-22" position in which the coop finds itself. Local merchants have taken the position that they will join ASK if its student membership increases, and UNL students have evidently taken the position that they will join if more merchants do likewise. "It's a matter of getting more people to join," Hoeger said. An unfortunate dilemma--and Hoeger's or GOYA's response did not include any ideas aimed at aettiricf one of the two hesitant. groups to take the first step to improve ASK. r a The ethics of some of the candidates commitments to various programs and positions was also questioned at the debate. The UP platform statement proposes an "Open Channels" speakers program under which ASUN representatives would go to student residences and solicit opinions and concerns about ASUN. UP first vice presidential candidate Karen Richardson was asked why she did not work to implement such a rpogram this year in her position as chairperson of ASUN's Communication Committee. Richardson was unable to satisfactorily answer the question. Although he was not a primary debate participant, GOYA second vice presidential candidate Todd McDaniel was asked about the development of his rather recently acquired interest in the Program of Active Commitment to Education (PACE). McDaniel couldn't quite explain his relationship to PACE and he failed to dispell the distinct appearance that his adrupt rise as chief PACE advocate in ASUN senate is very much tied to his political ambitions. It wasn't such a sudden interest, according to McDaniel. No one in the student boady was interested in PACE, he said, so he decided to get involved himself. But he didn't say why he waited until the eve of the campaign to get off his apathy. And McDaniel claims to be working with Ann Pedersen, who is a student intern in the UNL Office of Financial Aids. Pedersen said she attended yesterday's debate because she had heard she was currently working on PACE with McDaniel and she "wanted to find out what McDaniel looked like." Thursday's debate has clearly presented some new concerns which deserve the consideration of UNL student voters. The ASUN candidates, whatever their party affiliation, should continue to be held accountable for their positions, statements and proposals to the student body they seek to serve. . . Tom Lansworth . orthur hoppe New generation discovers alcohol Ah, the young! Always seeking new thrills to the horrow of their parents. And now Newsweek magazine reports that the rage among our youth these days is still another chemical turn-on they've discovered-alcohol. You can imagine what this has done to their poor parents. And if you can't, simply take the case of young Irwin Wasp. Now Irwin had been drifting through college for years, majoring in love, brick throwing, macrobiotics, peace and pot smoking. His parents hadn't spoken to mm in momns. So it looked like another family scene when Irwin staggered in the door, looked at his parents glassy-eyed and announced, "God bless President Nixon." "Oh, Irwin," said Mrs. Wasp, wringing her hands, "you've been smoking that dreadful merryawanna again." "Nope," said Irwin with dignity. "I just consumed a half gallon of Ripple." And with that he fell flat on his face. Mr. Wasp looked down at the body of his unconscious son and for the first time in years his eyes gleamed with pride. "The kid's not stoned, mother," he said to Mrs. Wasp happily. "He's drunk!" ID i v - Ml he VUlttlTG 17 THE ON" YOVX MIS ? tvdum tme mvrnt flowr kBQQ"K r wnvtuD... umiwzT MiWiva When Irwin stumbled into the kitchen the next morning, Mr. Wasp was waiting for him. "Well, I guess you really tied one on last night, eh, son?" he said. "Yeah," said Irwin. "Mind if I smoke?" "Smoke what?" asked Mr. Wasp suspiciously. "Just a cigarette. It's the in thing now." "Sure, sure, son. Have one of mine. Now about this sweet wine you've been swilling. A gentleman really ought to drink properly." So Mr. Wasp turned his son on to the hard stuff. And in no time, Irwin could belt down a couple of martinis before dinner just as well as his parents. Of course, alcohol, unlike pot, often made Irwin aggressive and beligerent. Two weeks later, he was arrested with a couple of chums for tossing a brick through a window while on a spree. "Well, kids will be kids, ha, ha," said Mr. Wasp, bailing him out of jail. "To tell the truth I got into the same kind of escapades myself when I was your ess." By now, Irwin had developed a $10-a-day barroom habit. To support it, he went to work for an insurance company, cut his hair and married the girl he'd been living with in sin. Mr. Wasp happily spent a fortune on the wedding. "It's worth it," he said proudly, knowing Irwin will make good." And Irwin did. By the time he was 30, he'd reached the three-martini-lunch-level. At 40 he bought only the best brandies and ciqars. True, he smoked too much, drank too much and ate too much, but there's no telling what heights he would have reached, if he hadn't dropped dead at 42. His passing was attributed to acute coreopsis of the liver, chronic delphinium of the lungs and tertiary aspidistra of the brain. "Well," said Mr. Wasp consolingly at the funeral, "at least he didn't waste his life as a long-haired, pot-smoking, peacenik, health food nut." "Yes, dear," said Mrs. Wasp, dabbing at her eyes, "I always had faith he'd turn out all right as long as he had our loving parental guidance." "You bet," said Mr. Wasp squaring his shoulders. "He was a chip off the old block." (Copyright Chronicle Publishing Co. 1973) page 4 daily nebraskan friday, march 9, 1973