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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1977)
friday, may 6, 1977 page 4 Dailv Nebraskan To those of us who practically live at the Daily Nebraskan or at least spent most our time here,1 it has been the source of our loves, our hates, our frustrations and our pride. It has been our teacher and our students. Here we are professional journalists though sometimes, we act like child ren, just to relieve the pressure. After working at the Daily Nebraskan for a while, everything else, including classes, becomes secondary. And to all those professors we've told that we have to get a story done or have to be at the office, it's not because we have to, it's be cause we want to. Because no one has to work for the Daily Nebraskan and everyone knows that no one will ever get rich by working here. Dedication by the staff perpetuates the Daily Nebraskan. This dedication binds us together. Be cause we don't know everything yet, we are tied together by our loyalty to each other. ' We don't compete against each otherwe compete with each other against those "other" newspapers in town, and to ward thegoal of being the best. And somehow we hope that when we work in that great "outside" world, the world of newspapers will be as exciting and challenging as it is at the Daily Nebraskan. Young Woodwards and Bernsteins may be dis appointed, though, when they first start to work here. Not everything is scandalous and thrilling. There are always the ASUN and NU Board of Regents meetings, not to mention the concert and baseball advances, the honor society list of names, the Faculty Senate resolutions and the federal grants to the Chemistry Dept. stories. And don't forget to type on a 60-space line, correct in pencil, it's Nebraska Legislature on first reference, check your phone messages, don't assign three daily nebraskan : we call iialearni futura heads on the same page and order more story assignment sheets. Meanwhile, the minor crises continue, such as: "not another parking meter story," "don't change my lead," "she wants this in Short Stuff everyday for the rest of the semester," "but I already have two stories due Sunday," "cut 48 lines from this story," "I'm sorry, sir, we can't read the whole story to you over the phone," "but, Ted, this could be a great photo," "see if you can think of some art to go with this," "who's got some story ideas?" "what's the lead story?" "this story is going to be a little late, I couldn't get a hold of anyone," "let's do one more follow-up story on this," "why didn't I get a byline?" "take some of these ads off my page, I need more space," "put in a filler ad," "I'm sorry about the misquote, but I didn't even work for the Daily Nebraskan two years ago," and "well, at least you know people are reading the paper, when we get these letters to the editor." Newsrooms are sometimes like a three-ring circus. They are full of messy desks, constantly ringing phones, yelling editors, frantic writers and at least one reporter who has one hand covering : her ear, a shoulder supporting the phone receiver and the other hand taking notes. Deadlines can turn your average low key reporter or editor into a distraught, chain-smoking time bomb. And some people insist that that is when they do their no expe nence best writing. . . Beneath it all, nothing will fit and no story will sing unless we work together and learn from each other. A learning experience. That's what we tell new reporters and copy editors right before we tell them the pay. . And a learning experience it is. When you come back from a meeting or hearing with 17 pages of notes and have to write a story in an hour, you look toward that editor to find the peg, to unravel the ball of yarn and give you the confi dence with which to do it. Some days it seems like tomorrow's paper will never get out. Some days no one wants to work for the paper anymore. But then a story breaks and you couldn't pay a reporter or editor to go home. The Daily Nebraskan could never have been named the best college newspaper in the Midwest or win an Ail-American rating without the work of many, many people. I owe a special thanks to many of you. So at this time I would like to extend a special, special thanks to Larry, Pete, Hunt, Theresa, Ron, Rex, Gregg, Jerri, Kitty, Ted, Kevin, Barb, Betsie, Mary Jo, Mike, Paula, Sharon, Carla, Dave, Liz, Carla and so many others. All your names would be too long to list. .. A special thanks to Mr. Patten. And, of course, thanks to mom and dad. Sandy Mohr V HCWE5UV, THAT EQSEfc is Such a BEAST 1 OM j ( CEAUV? r YEAH- W----,. 1 V TH INK THAT STUFF" 7 H's BN READING - HAS SIVEM MIM ipSAS J V House?... J 1 PAU.V personals I letters Academic excellence There are two certainties about academic excellence at UNL. First that it is lagging, and, second, that it will be approached in the usual standardized manner. This standardized approach will hinge on the review of three levels of the university system which are instruction, administration and faculty. The reviews begin initially with the instruction level be cause of the belief that if information isn't being acquired by the student it probably isn't being properly disseminated. In all probability, the next review will deal with the bureaucratic administration. It may be contributing to the problem by excessive restraints and rules that serve to distract students' concentration. After all, how can anyone function intellectually it throughout registration, tuition payments and parking attempts one is constantly confronting a red-tape wall that thinks nothing of referring coldly to them as a number? Another review that would be underway is the assessment of the learning atmo sphere and facilities. Why it just could be that the aesthetic conditions on campus in hibit student motivation. Also, the class room situation is probably suffering from an advanced case of Asian Syndrome better known as overcrowding. Recommendations for more gardens, trees, buildings, pro fesson, etc. will be submitted. But can these be the critical factors re sponsible for the poor quality of educa tion? The annual $100 million budget has never been surpassed at Nebraska histori city, even when allowing for in nation and earcILr.er.t increases. Li the three yean Fve attended UNL, there has seldom been a lull in construction. Recreational. facilities are by no measure scarce. Outside access to professors is often limited only to the amount of time a stu dent cares to spend. And I'm not certain that smaller classes, although more com fortable, are radically superior to larger ones. The damage is not from the distrac tions the university imposes, rather it is from the distractions routinely honored and encouraged by many students them selves. Tavern patronization and party attendance is not mandatory, at least in most sectors of campus life. The impetus for this critique was Don Wesely's April 25th article which stated "Students share the responsibility for the present quality of education at UNL". This raised the question of what extent is this responsibility being upheld? Students as consumers of education have an obligation to get the most from it, if not to them selves then to allowing their collegues to fulfill theirs. Light concern, especially typical of electives, is manifested in the do-what-I-have4o-attitude. Classes taken PF face the inevitable question "What's a pass-C or D?," only to be followed by endless echoes of "Do we have to take notes on this?" or "Is this going to be on the test? All of this makes functioning difficult for in structors and interested students alike. Grade inflation may in part have been due to professors attempts to release some stu dents from the throes of grade pressures in order to restore self-confidence and moti vate them to take an active role in their education. If this were the case, it has failed miserably and it's the students who are to blame. Extensive evaluations of teachers, methods, administration and facilities are not uncalled for; there will always be room for improvement. What may be more appli cable though is anonymous surveys of students' study habits and attitudes. Answers to such profound questions as "Why are you in college? a) for an educa tion, b) for a job, c) you didn't want to go to work after high school" would be en lightening. The deficiency in academics is a problem that .must be examined from different angles. Mark Mackie , tit nn,"! ) 1 1 am' ' "' .him MffL? . .,. 14 . Halfof the book is devoted to peanuts, the other ha!f to pop corn. The collection of peanut recipes includes cocktail goodies, soups, salads, breads and muffins, main dishes, vegetables, dev serts and snacks. The popcorn cookbook offers the secret of popping perfect popcorn, tips about popcorn poppers, special popcorn recipes, popcorn confections and the use of popcorn in decorations and centerpieces. A 2-in-1 Cookbook C3.S5 1 - ' TIT tilii rj5 R 4;.2-C.i