monday, november 14, 1977
page 4 daily nebraskan
sEcerns1 Me Is good for JohBHRiy
Johnny is having a hard time reading and
writing.
But the problems schools are having dealing
with Johnny seem to dwarf Johnny's problems in
comparison.
After many complaints in recent months, NU
President Ronald Roskens Friday proposed a task
force to study how to deal with Johnny. The task
force idea is a good one.
Actually, the answer to helping Johnny is
simple and needs no study: teach him to read and
write and add and subtract and . . .
The tough questions are how and at what level?
That's where Roskens' idea comes in.
The task force, according to Roskens, will in
clude members of the public and representatives
from NU and the state school boards.
There's some question whether corrective mea
sures should be mandated by the university or in
the elementary and secondary schools. .
The concern at the university level has
prompted some other educators to be defensive.
fThey say that there's nothing to worry about-at
least at the university level-and they seem to
resent meddling.
We think Roskens' idea of having representa
tives from several interests is a reasonable answer.
Their first task will be to identify what problems
there are and what is being done to correct them.
This may mean that some bad practices are dis
covered and some people may be unhappy.
The next step will be to see if there is anything
else that can be done to help solve the problems.
Then again, the task force may find nothing
and those who are defensive about being
investigated will not need to worry.
If nothing else, the task force may be a step
toward improving the state's education. Nothing
may be wrong, but is it all right?
We think there are steps that can be taken to
improve education. We look forward to the sug
gestions of the task force.
There's no reason why Nebraska's Johnny's
should not read and write better than Johnny's
elsewhere-or better than they do now.
Citizens ignore Carter, interested in themselves
Washington-President Carter campaigned for two
gubernatorial candidates this fall. One won and one lost.
But Carter probably had small influence on the outcomes.
Professional politicians agree that many people have
become indifferent to Carter and more occupied with
themselves than their presidential leadership.
Virginia and the Henry Howell candidacy were made to
order for Carter. There is an affinity between the two
men, each leaning on home, Southern, populist styles.
nick thimmesch
Howell is much louder, but Carter hits the big shots'
just as hard. Howell was among Carter's first backers in
1976, and Carter slept in Howell's house during the pres
idential campaign.
So Carter turned it on for Howell in late September,
stumping the state, attacking the utility companies and
thumping for an "open" administration.
Carter followed up with broadcast commercials andi
phone messages of support.
Well, Howell lost in a humiliating landslide in the only
Southern state which went for President Ford ip 1976.
Republicans claim that, at most, Carter support for
"Howling" Henry made no difference. "People didn't
care that Jimmy Carter came here," one Republican
professional told me. "Howell cooked his own goose."
Likewise, it seems Gov. Brendan Bryne's remarkable
comeback win in New Jersey was of his own doing, and
Carter's day of campaigning was more dutiful than instru
mental. Indeed, a case could be made that Carter hurt Byrne
because the President was booed, just as Byrne was, in
his campagign stops in New Jersey in early September.
For better or worse, we must also look to the polls for
a reading on public attitude.
This past week, a Harris poll showed Carter getting a
negative job rating for his first nine months in office, with
half of those canvassed also denying that he has inspired
confidence in the White House.
Fair to poor ratings
An NBC poll, taken in early October, showed 51 per
cent giving Carter a poor to fair rating. A New Yo.rk
Times-CBS poll, conducted in late October, gave the Pres
ident 55 percent approval.
A Gallup Poll, taken one month ago, had Carter at
59 percent approval. A follow-up Gallup Poll showed the
public placing the President on the conservative side-a
sharp move from its perception of him as a liberal one
yeai ago.
It hardly makes Carter feel good to learn that he is not
only losing popularity but that the public is becoming
indifferent to his leadership-especially when he has
gone out front on his energy and Middle East policies and
needs all the support he can muster.
In a sense, Carter is like the news magazines. Many an
intelligent reader admits to liking them but holds a lesser
opinion of their coverage of his speciality.
Doctors, lawyers, educators, scientists generally like
the news magazines, and even confess to being entertained
by them. But they think the magazines are often mislead
ing in what they report on medicine, law, education and
science.
Variety complaining
Well, Carter had a rather high but vaguely placed
popularity until September. Now businessmen, farmers,
union members, blacks, Jews, when provoked, complain
about him.
Such a condition is endemic to the office of the pres
idency. Carter only can steel his jaw and let lines deepen
around his eyes.
Much of the rest of the public has become inured to
the shortcomings of political leadership.
Hopes rise, but when the negative readings come in on
elected politicians, people turn away. There is plenty to
occupy their time in other areas.
. The gutters and downspouts need to be inspected. The
leaves must be raked. Football rages across the republic.
Brows furrow when rumors pass that the local plant will
move, or maybe close down. There is plenty of gasoline
and fuel oil. What's on television tonight? Who's coming
for Thanksgiving?
The president goes on about the energy program and
the Middle East and SALT talks.
The people get up in the morning, go to work and
yawn after dinner.
The citizenry is in a conservative mood, generally
feels comfortable and doesn't want a president bothering
them.
The republic is peopled with more stoics than idealists.
Copyright 1977, Los Angeles Times Syndicate
M f Wttl IMZUPt m? m?Y M CEVtL A A m$ IT! ' Z'tff 1
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letters
o the editor
The rumors of UNL becoming affiliated with the
Big 10 are the best news IVe heard since becoming
associated with NU or the state of Nebraska.
To be in the company of some of the nation's top
institutions of higher learning could do nothing but
improve the quality of education offered at UNL and
raise the academic criteria by which all programs at
the university are judged.
As for Athletic Director Bob Dcvaney's comment
that he did not know "what advantage there would
be to such a change, this Is yet another example of
the narrow-mindedness of a man who thinks that the
university is nothing more than an extracurricular
extension of the Nebraska football team, rather than
vice versa.
Christopher Allan Knowles (1975 UNL graduate)
Nebraska Department of Water Resources
administrative assistant
Committee disinterest
I would like to express my disappointment with the
Union Program Council (UPC) Human Potentials
Committee chairperson. I feel I was neglected as fri
volous and facetious.
About four to six weeks ago the UPC had a survey
published in the Daily Nebraskan. The purpose was to
determine what entertainment areas the students
expressed interest in. A space was reserved at the
bottom for those students interested in Human Po
tentials Committee membership..
I marked a definite interest in being on the com
mittee and returned the interest survey in person to
the UPC office. I was contacted three days later to
set a time to meet with the UPC chairperson, which
turned out to be one week after the call.
On the day of the proposed meeting, I was in the
UPC office. The chairperson I was to meet was not
there and did not show up. A couple of days later the
chairperson called to apologize, to sae face 1 suppose,
and said she would call back very soon to reset the
meeting, as I wai not home when she called.
I hope the chairperson's neglect of my interest does
not reflect the entire committee's apathy concerning
the entertainment of the student body. I hope her,
affiliation with the bureaucracy at UNL did not cause
her to assimilate the bureaucracy's disinterest and
quasi-mockery of the students needs and interests!
Gary Stephens
