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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1974)
auiv successes make voting worthwhile By Ann Henry The ASUN Senate elections are only a week away, and again it is time for campaign speeches, debates and promises. In response, the question that seems to come to mind is whether or not it is worth taking the time to vote. Most students decide it isn't. Popular opinion seems to be that ASUN representatives never ducuinpiibiies any tiling, and even if ii uiu, Ui candidates are so much alike that it doesn't matter whom is elected. Before deciding if either allegation has validity, the role and functions of ASUN must be considered. While some persons give it the grand title of student government, perhaps a more realistic description is an "elected body given the responsibility of stating student opinion and working for desired changes in University practices and policies." In reality, ASUN has no power to directly change policy, but it does provide student input to almost every facet of University Sife. The University has a hierarchy of administrators, each charged with a specific responsibility end yet subject to control from above. Student opinion can easily get lost in this maze of administration unless someone or some group is present to make sure those opinions are stated and heard. Within this definition of the role of the ASUN Senate, an evaluation of acomplishment should be made. Out of $51.50 that each student pays each semester for student fees, 80 cents goes to ASUN. Students should be able to expect that their 80 cents will be well spent and will benefit them in their college life. So what has ASUN done during the last year to return dividends to students? -A free book exchange was operated each semester to help students save money both when buying and selling used books. The Association Student Ko-op was expanded from 100 members and nine participating stores to more than 600 members and 50 stores. A legal service has been established to give students free legal consultation. Procedures for procurring money for PACE, a student-run scholarship program, were changed to provide more scholarships for students. A bill was introduced in the Legislature to place iluuciiis Oil the Cuaiti of ncycmS. CffcCti'v'S lobbying resulted in its passage (this will be on the ballot in November for approval by Nebraska voters). A liaison program was instigated to better inform students of UNL activities and to ascertain student opinion. - Help was given to establish the Consumer Aid Group, which provides ' information on consumer problems. Course description booklets are being compiled. A law suit was jointly filed with RHA to protest the denial pf individual rights inherent in housing policies. A legislative bill to allow alcohol consumption and sale on campus actively is being supported. More than 150 Free Univeristy courses have been offered to provide a wider base of education. Recommendations were made for changes in such areas as the University Health Center, grading policies, the intercampus bus system, college advising systems, and many others. As these accomplishments show, much can be done within the stated role cf ASUN to improve the quality of education and life at UNL. From my obviously biased viewpoint, much mora is provided for students than can be expected for 80 cent a semester. T- rmnnA kill vf tho original rtuefSsn WAS lite ' WVW I tW . W fea.w - .. . whether it makes any difference who wins the ASUN election. Perhaps not. But consider last year's elections. The major difference between the two serious parties was that one advocated the establishment of a free legal service while the other insisted it was not legal or ethical. Last November, the Student Legal Services Center was established and has since been able to help about 500 students. If you are convinced that the Senate elections are worthless, ask one of those 500 people if it made a difference to them who was elected last year. Similar parties may. not always be so similar. The decision of whether or not to vote rests with the individual. Strong student support in the election can make a marked difference in the effectivensss of ASUN when dealing with groups other than students. When supporting candidates, consider three things. First, does the candidate advocate things that you agree with? Second, are the ideas in the platform realistic or merely emotionally appealing? Third, is the candidate honestly concerned with helping students, and does he or she have the leadership qualities necessary to do the job? The promise that is involved in a platform is not a promise to accomplish everything involved; it is a promise by the candidate to do his or her best to accomplish them. Vote for those who you thinkwill best live up to that promise, Then, during the coming year, support the winners with your ideas and comments the job cannot be done by only a few. Hon i & -m Letters appear in the Daily Nebraska n at the editor's discretion. A letter's appearance is based on its timeliness, originality, coherence and interest. All letters must be accompanied by the writer's true name, but may be submitted for publication under a pen name or initials. Use of such letters will be determined by the editor. Brevity is encouraged. All letters are subject to condensation and editing. . - Barber pole Dear editor, Though Clay Statmore sorely maligned the barberhood, I am delighted to get on his level and respond to his off-the-subject open letter to me regarding my negative attitude toward liquor on campus (Daily Nebrzskan, Feb. 28). In an effort to put me down, he quoted extensively from my letter to ASUN President Ann Henry. He is intelligent enough to recognize that I give better expression to his thoughts than he can himself. He's an apt pupil. My words sound good coming back to me from an antagonist. Statmore says I "cut up" 20,000 UNL students, then intimates that his words reflect their opinions. My remarks don't embrace all students, nor do his comments represent all students. He says he is trying to use methods he learned in various academic disciplines to have liquor legalized on campus. While mastering methods, he should have learned how to judge the worthiness of the object to be attained. How tragically pathetic to read Statmore's assessment of the liauor issue: "It is my Life!" I am curious why one as learned and sophisticated as Statmore is so paranoid about the barberhood. (He flashed a bit of cornball wit when he advised me to stick to problems outside the head and leave weightier insidethe-hejd matters to intellectual wizards like himself.) I have a query: Who demonstrates he is smarter-the genius who whines and pouts helplessly because he cannot have his way-or the barber who becomes the lawmaker to whom the genius must appeal? Student Statmore thinks he trumped me because he's a nondrinker. I couldn't care less about his personal habits. His Ire teems to have hetui tweaked bv ir.v reference to students who feared the draft. Why did he personalize my words? I don't even know him. If a rock is tossed among jackasses, the one which brays is the one hit. Statmore patronizes me for being familiar with the Jackson Five, whom he says, no one over age 14 listens to. Obviously that's incorrect. I'm well over 14 and I listen to them. He could learn from them more about life and living then he apparently knows presently. I have another query: If I were to J jvaBopt. ,a., rule ,,,of not,-listening o t children, how- could I He8n ''to Statmore? . He alluded to a campus survey which, he said, showed students think academic excellence is the most pressing problem on campus. How, then, does the genius explain the ho-hum attitude toward that momentous disclosure-contrasted with the nearly apoplectic reaction to the liquor question? Actions obliterate sterile surveys. My heart is not broken nor my feelings wounded because Statmore does not take me seriously. But I'm amused that he has the arrogance (conceding his self-proclaimed heavy mental artillery) to think he carries the feelings and opinions of 20,000 UNL students on the fragile point of his pen. Query No. 3: Why does Statmore limit his protective shield to UNL students? While condemning me for not "assuming my responsibility" (as he sees it) and yippity-yapping about' his profound dedication to "human rights" (drinking on campus), he disregards thousands of his co-sufferers around the state and restricts his saving grace to the narrow confines of the UNL campus. Isn't he concerned SbC'Jt th? ht"T,a?l finht ff hi co-sufferers? I suppose geniuses can care for only 20,000 helpless souls at a time, (Even Chrsit, according to legend, fed only 5,000.) Statmore and his ilk should bestir themselves and do something besides bellyache. They should organize politically, register in droves and show their contempt for and repudiation of me and my be'iefs at the polls when t run for governor. But their attention span is too short. Their hearts are too faint to undertake and sustain such an effort. However, even if they follow my advice, I'll have the last laugh. When they trot down to the polls, they'll discover (to their dismay) there is no one to vote for except me. State Stsn. Ernie Chambers Bluebottle Dear editor, Re "Blues belongs in a bottle" (Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 27). Who wrote it? It waspn accuratereyiew and seemed to warrant a DylirleV"' What was not mentioned, however, was another aspect of the concert that was unfortunate. This aspect involved 4ha1fcMfliaws Hual ttsfcrrbier jiv FreddhrHifg teft thelirte lfid small" i' but enthusiastic crowd 'screamed for more, but were denied satisfaction. Unfortunately, Pershing has a curfew and so King could not come out to appease the multitudes. Anyhow, it was amazing to see many of the wild eyed blues freaks turn into a pack of frothing beasts when they realized the show was over. This could have been avoided, I believe, had F.K. left the stage 10 minutes before the curfew deadline and then returned for an encore up to the limit. The set would have been of the same duration but it would have contained the crowd aprc-isiic encore. It was very frustrating to watch a crowd nf people beg tor more music and receive nothing for their efforts but sore throats and a bushel of bad vibes. D. "Eddie" Ashmun Editor's note: The column was written by Keith Lancigre.n. Both Landgren's name and the nam of his coumn"Desperate Remedies"-were inadvertantly omitted. Out of line Dear editor, I feel a story in your newspaper made several accusations regarding a certain Ogallala police officer that are quite unfair. (Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 28). To state that he is illegally stopping vans and campers on the Interstate, especially those whose drivers have long hair, is completely out of line. You just might be surprised at the amount of positive evidence (or "suspicion") he may have to do just that. As you printed, but by no means stressed, "Patrolmen have areas of special interest like anyone else," according to Lt. Wayne Rowe of the State Patrol Division of Drug Control. "One guy may make more stolen car arrests, not because he stops more people, but because he s an expert in detecting stolen cars. It's the same with drug arrests," Rowe said. Since it is evident this particular officer is experienced with drug traffickers it is quite possible there is at least one particular characteristic about the drug traffickers which is quite detectable. One particularly questionable paragraph (which the Nebraskan even bothered to stress in heavy print) is this: "He'll puli a car over on some flimsy excuse," He (Buchard) said. "If he finds drugs he may manage to spill some on the floor, then claim it wai thefe all alon,gsf d that it prompted the search." Why, if he has already found some drugs, should he need to spill more on the floor? It seems to me the evidence is already there. Burchard also is quoted as having said, "If one man is responsible for most of this, then he's got to be stopped." This statement was tacked on a paragraph following a comment made about people from other parts of the country being afraid to move to Ogallala because they think there is a drug problem there. In context with the article and how it was written, you should have thrown the above quoted passage in somewhere else. Besides, if people honestly fee! there is a drug problem in Ogallala just because ' several arrests have been made, then they had better take a long look everywhere at everything, because drugs are everywhere. One final question: why is Burchard so concerned (if he is) about whether or not people move to Ogallala, and why or why not they do? He doesn't even live there, and it doesn't seem to indicate in the article that he would care to. K.N. Editor's note: The Daily Nebraskan did not draw any conclusions about the reported means of enforcing the law in Ogallala. The story In question merely reported what sources had said. Additionally, "stressing paragraphs in heavy print," commonly known as boldfacing, is not used to emphasize "important" paragraphs. It merely is a typographical device Intended to make a column look less gray. Stunkel toucho Dear editor, Thank you for the attention you gave fencing (Daily Nebrsskan, Feb. 27). I appreciate Larry Stunkel giving us his time and attention and the good reporting techniques he displayed. Martin Taylor Wednesday, march 6, 1974 daily nebraskan 23ge B