. I
monday, October 2, 1978
page 4
daily nebraskan
opinioneditorial
4
i
Pumping more money into prisons may not be solution
The Nebraska penal institutions
are in a period of change. Plans are
underway to build new prisons, but
just throwing money into new build
ings will probably not eliminate
many of the prisons current prob
lems. The changes include the construct
ion of a $9 million men's reforma
tory, and a new penitentiary, along
with expanding rehabilitation and
community-based correctional pro
grams. The present reformatory holds at
least 300 inmates and the new build
ing will have cells for about 320
men. The new penitentiary will
accommodate about 425 prisoners,
but the current prison houses close
to 600 men.
It seems a futile effort to spend
money to build a new prison that
will not even accommodate the pre
sent number of incarcerated men.
The prison will have monumental
problems on its hands when the
trustee dormitory that houses 200
inmates is turned into an educational
building. There have been no plans
made for a new trustee dormitory.
Where will these men be sent?
Prison Director Joseph Vitek said
he doesn't know where the men will
be relocated and it is only wishful
thinking that they will not be sent
back to the penitentiary.
ASUN recall an attempt
to solidify student impact
Inmates who obtain trustee status,
which is given to more reliable in
mates, will receive quite a blow when
they are forced to life in a tighter
security unit such as the prison, but
retain their status.
Yet, if the prisons are still ever
crowded when the new facilities are
completed, the buildings will not do
anything except possibly add to the
athestic value of the inmate com
munity. Over-crowding and undertrained
staff members are a prime concern to
the prison. It will be of absolutely no
value to pump money into a new
building if these problems can not be
corrected.
In the new reformatory there will
be one counselor to about 1 1
inmates, contrasted with the current
ratio of 65 to 100 inmates per
counselor.
This is commendable, but what
about guards? All that is required of
guards is a high school education and
there usually are not enough on hand
at night to observe and control
problems.
As for community-based correct
ional facilities, such as half-way
houses, Vitek is right when he says
citizens agree it's a good move, but
not in my neighborhood.
The Legislature stresses that there
should be a greater reliance on these
services, but it may have to step in
and act if people refuse to allow
them in their neighborhood.
After all if someone close to you
is arrested for possession of mari
juana, you may realize it's not just
the kids from the wrong side of the
tracks that end up in the pen.
For some time, ASUN has conformed to
UNL's standard channel for student in
put: the faculty -staff-student committee.
But although sucn conformity was reason
able, it was also ineffective.
As George Bernard Shaw wrote:
"Reasonable men try to adapt themselves
to the world. Unreasonable men persist in
trying to adapt the world to themselves,
and so all progress depends on unreason
able men."
michael gibson
Wednesday night, the ASUN Senate
decided to become a bit unreasonable.
By a unanimous roll call vote, the senate
recalled its appointees to 27 university
committees, including Union Board, the
Council on Student Life, Parking Advisory,
and the University Judiciary.
Controversial decision
Hie decision became immediately con
troversial, as the Daily Nebraskan, concern
ed over recent closed sessions by both the
Regents and the Parking Advisory Board,
threw its full fury at the ASUN closed
session.
But their charges of buffaloed bills
missed the point: for the first time in
years, ASUN had formally indicted UNL's
committee system, officially informing the
administration that student input through
committees was as substantial as the Platte
River in August.
Indeed, student input could be best
described as a mile wide and six inches
deep. ASUN appoints over 70 students to
27 committees, leaving its efforts spread
thinly and unable to concentrate on major
issues.
ASUN's power is equally diffused. The
Council on Student Life controls activities
out of the classroom; Union Board controls
the Nebraska Union; Parking Advisory con
trols student parking. ASUN, the student
government, controls football migrations.
Concerns unrecognized
And those committees consist not just
of students, but of faculty and staff as
well, who do not always recognize student
concerns. Even if they do, the final
decisions are left to appropriate administra
tors, who sometimes defend their decisions
by pointing out that they had student in
put, even if they didn't listen to it.
In short, working for change through
the committee system has been as effective
as trying to cram for five finals in one
night: not many results and not much
sleep.
Student government leaders long have
recognized the need for a change. However,
this fall may be the first time in years that
they stand a chance of effecting it.
The reason is simple: this year the
administration has to listen. With a major
fund-raising drive in progress and the up
coming Parent's Weekend heavily depend
ent on student support, student unrest is
one thing the administration cannot afford.
Dangerous gamble
But there is danger in ASUN's gamble.
If ASUN decides to set up its own all
student committees to parallel the existing
faculty -staff committees, what cooperation
from the administration will they receive?
In addition, the new student com
mittees will be difficult for ASUN to coor
dinate, though not as hard as in the present
system .
And what of those students now on uni
versity committees decide to play favorite
son and reject the restructuring plan simply
because it would cost them their appoint
ments? Finally, the proposed restructuring is so
immense and complex that ASUN may end
up only confusing itself or engaging in end
less debates, as have past efforts to revise
the ASUN constitution.
Significant silence
But there is hope. Student affairs
administrators have indicated a general
willingness to work with, not against.
ASUN. Indeed, the lack of official opposi
tion to the move is significant.
Student reaction has been even more en
couraging. ASUN contacted and received
support from several government leaders,
past and present, and at least one past
ASUN president.
Of course it is still far too early to tell ii
ASUN has created a pile of buffalo chips oi
a major step in improving its effectiveness
in representing UNL students.
And some still see this as just anothei
ploy to gain more power for ASUN memb
ers. Perhaps ASUN is wrong in trying to
strengthen itself, in arming itself with z
centralized system of all-student com
mittees fighting to present student views to
the administration.
Then again, as Machiavelli said, "all the
armed prophets conquered. All the unarm
ed ones-perished."
letters
My intention is not to address the issues
of controversy concerning the YAF specifi
cally, but to reflect upon the general
tendencies in the academy which are evi
dent in this controversy and elsewhere. The
tendency has been to think of the YAF as
being politically misfit and misantrhopic?
neither is true. The solipism of such think
ing tends to obscure what I have observed
in the university from the eyes of others
and it is time for the general dissenting
opinion.
It seems to behoove some, with good
intention no doubt, to ascertain what the
consequences must be among the students.
They then proceed to supply ideas and atti
tudes to conform to their perception of
concensus. Hence arise the "forms" which
are the purveyors of ideas.
Supposedly Jane Fonda and her crowd
speak for the students. Ralph Nader is the
oracle for consumers. George McGovern
appealed to a largely mythical proletariat.
Our president, Jimmy Carter appeals to the
"common man," thinking his "Christian
Socialism" must be what the "common
man" desires. The YAF has assigned itself
the role of resisting such bad epistemology.
And be their means practical or not, their
dissent is indispensible.
For myself, supporting speaker funding
is an act of faith and a more practical
alternative. I believe that self-initiative
can successfully resist that spirit pervading
the academy-that of collectivist mentality
and the newspeak rhetoric so persuasive
here. But Buckley's admonishments
warnings to the Welfare State and to those
who follow knowingly the "Road to Serf
dom" -fell upon unresponsive ears last
year. Much more commendable to the
students' mentality were the vituperations
against capitalism. The facile and at best,
dubious economic remarks made by Jane
Fonda were just what they were waiting
to hear. Ralph Nader's overworn homilies
attacking the "Affluent Society," were
great entertainment to all. The possible
consequences of these ideas were not
contemplated by those who had never
known tyranny.
Ours is a society endowed with liberty :
and hence the free exchange of ideas is
vital. But let us, the students contemplate
what is being ascertained as our concensus.
Let us be reminded of those misfits; they
love freedom as passionately as any. And
bear in mind when anarchy nearly rent
the country asunder, the YAF was one
of the few politically sane youth groups on
the campus. By their legacy of reasoned
activism, dedicated to the tradition of
freedom, the invective against them should
be dispensed with.
Stanford L. Sipple
Closet hypocrites
Many groups on campus openly
advocate every kind of behavior, from
group sex, homosexuality, to violent over
throw of the government. So what would
you think of a Hypocrites Liberation
Movement?
I have found that not many people
support views of hypocrites or hypo
crites themselves. I've never heard anyone
say, "I'm a hypocrite and proud of it."
In fact, students who proclaim values
farthest from those accepted by society as
moral are the quickest to complain about
hypocrites in the churchs and state. It
seems to me that no matter how gross a
man becomes, he always maintains a dis
gust with hypocrisy?
Tell me, so you pass judgment on
others? When you judge others but do the
same things that they do, you are con
demning yourself. Do you have any
excuse? For no one has consistently lived
up to the standards he demands of others.
I invite all hypocrites out of their closets
to be liberated from their hypocrisy.
How do you live up to this statement?
"Do not judge lest you be judged yourself.
For in the way you judge you will be
judged and by your standard of measure,
it shall be measured to you." (Jesus
Christ.) Matthew 7:1.
Scott Nason
BEW0M ELSE WHO WORKS FOR THE GSA,BRlNGS HOME
SltKtuy
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes
letters and guest opinions. Choice of
material will be based on timeliness
and originality. Letters must be ac
companied by the writer's name, but
may be publ.sh.ed under a pen name
if requested.
Material should be brought to the
Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union,
Room 34.
Free lance work occasionally is accepted.