The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 31, 1975, Page page 4, Image 4
V editorial mMMbmi ill 1 1 1 - 1 , ' Mi- v) A jr. 4MD TO TM X WENT TO COLLEGE WMTTO GET" KIUEL? Itf IKE way Li Josh mail says less than silence of faith Well, folks, here it is: the Josh editorial to end all Josh editorials I hope. We've seen his advance publicity for months, we've listened to his advocates for weeks; some of us have even heard the man himself and now we've read-are still reading volumes of letters and editorial columns continuing the issue, days after the man's departure. We at the Daily Nebraskan office have been exposed to our share of the Great Josh Debate and, like everyone else, we've contributed our (mostly off the record) comments. Since journalists tend to be cynical by nature, many of our remarks have been wisecracks and the controversy over this Josh McDowell provided a barn-sized target for our somewhat jaded sense of humor. What many of us haven't known is that one of our staff members is active in the Campus Crusade for Christ. For several days he listened to our joking, our frequent arguments and our sometimes derogatory comments on the Josh debate-and he usually listened in silence. He didn't think it necessary to respond to our raillery-though he admits he's had to bite his tongue at times-because his faith in Christ is secure. So secure, in fact, that those of us who know of his beliefs, but lack his faith, are comfortable expressing our views to each other in his presence. Don't misunderstand-he's not a closef Christian, hiding his light under a bushel. He doesn't deny his faith when he's around us. But he is strong enough in his beliefs that he can let our comments roll off his back. My point is this. All the posters about Josh, all the newspaper ads, the messages on chalkboards, the leafleting, the boxes, the bears-all the advance publicity, ail the letters to the editor have not made a tenth of the impression that one man's silence has made. The defensive writings-and rantings-that have filled bur editorial pages for several days only reinforce myeeling that the writers are not as sure of their beliefs as they claim to be. Their endless stream of words I can dismiss. It only serves to' reinforce my disillusionment with Christianity. But I cannot ignore my fellow staff member's calm silence, for it wakes in me the uncomfortable suspicion that it may be founded in something real, that it may be a silence born of listening to a Voice my fellow cynics and I have never heard. Rebecca Brite Women's Pages -who for? Several months ago, Ms. magazine pointedly asked the question, "Women's pages: are they worth the paper they're printed on?" As the machinery goes into gear for the publication of the next issue of UNL's own Women's Pages, the question strikes home. Does a feminist newspaper fill a real need on campus? In one corner of the Women's Resource Center in the Nebraska Union lies a large stack of Women's Pages which bear the date Dec. 4, 1974. The papers are leftovers, their presence due to a series of problems which have plagued the paper since its first publication. One of the greatest of these problems is the haphazard manner in which the paper is manged. Lack of funds is a primary cause, and results in a similar off-and-on management of the Resource Center. The paper relies, as does the Center, on a few volunteers. The men and women concerned are sincere, but as students they find that work with Women 's Pages is the first thing to go when classes start getting tough. Until recently, there has been no one person in charge of the paper, so deadlines are easily overlooked, which accounts for the somewhat irregular appearance of the paper. Nor is there any consistency in the quality of material maintained. Many of those working with the paper have little or no journalism experience, which is not necessarily a prerequisite to a quality publication, but does help in the technical aspects. But the big question that the authors of Women's Pages must answer before they can pull together a paper is, what audience arc we trying to reach? The majority of men and women on campus come from relatively small towns in rural areas. The approach, then, should be geared to such an audience. And more important, the woman which I would think Women's Pages wants to reach is not the avowed feminist, but the woman who does not fully understand the issues of the women's movement, who has questions, but who is put off by anything that suggests radicalism. - This is not to suggest a sugar-coated, simple publication. But perhaps the authors of Women's Pages should come back to Nebraska and leave the "underground newspapers" to Berkeley. The similarity in appearance to the Lincoln Gazette and the use of heavy, dark graphics may scare away more readers than does the actual content of the paper. Although the Gazette, along with similar publications, plays a vital role in the airing of important problems, too many folks have been turned off by the hard-sell approach and avoid reading something which, at first glance seems to contain only harsh criticism or over-used cliches. omy struthers The last issue of Women's Pages was encouraging. Focused on women in the arts, it was concerned with local people as well as history and the nation. It included many fine photographs and interesting articles. Unfortunately, too many must have already decided that Women 's Pages is- not their cup of tea. This attitude, combined with ill-timed distribution during the final two weeks of first semester, forced the stacks of Women's Pages to be carted back into the corner. Informing the public of women's issues appears to be a useful task for the paper, as evidenced in the increase in female-oriented classes, broadcasts and magazines. It is now simply a question of improving an image to reach mat important audience. -mjuuiim.i-Luitwaaa ar ! tm ma -r p, ,. . lirTWmilllTltMMMmTininnira WILJHM1JI11..JI I Mil II Ml I .1 f CdllMIESfQMPIEIS TEXTBOOK V ) 4 t I I '''L'JfH'itwi'.'.' will'; h 4u j.wamm '"- Ni 3 ; I ""Jl 111 ' '' "' """' mm 1 w .;; til 1 o COVERT SURVEILLANCE OF CONGRESSMEN AND PRIVATE CITIZEN5 OFTEN PR0VIDE5 MATERIAL THAT MAY BE U5ED BY THE BUREAU FOR HE PURPOSE ( SL ltPh OF mm. NATIONAL SECURITY. J1 U DISSECTOR k . j page 4 daily nebraskan friday, january 31, 1975