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daily nebraskan
Wednesday, march 7, 1979
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Carter approaches another Middle East crossroad
Last fall, after the Camp David ac
cords, President Carter was
swimming strongly in the pool of
American popularity A few months
later he was frantically treading
water amidst charges of indecision
and weak leadership. His image as
mediator and peacemaker slowly
began to crumble.
The signing of the treaty between
Israel and Egypt hinged on a few,
some said, minor points from which
neither side would budge. Until a
week ago prospects looked bleak.
The highly touted timetable for
peace had come and gone, creating
somewhat of an embarrassing situa
tion for all parties concerned.
Monday Carter announced he will
visit the Middle East, and although
many officials, both Egyptian and
Israeli, urged caution, there is again
jubilation in many quarters. Some
Egyptians are actually predicting a
quick signing of the treaty following
the president's quickly planned trip.
The trip may well be a 'make or
break proposition for Carter. In
light of the administration's inability
to keep up with or gauge the fast
changing Iranian developments his
popularity has taken a dive. If the
trip succeeds, Carter will get some
breathing room but if it should fail,
Camp David and all that followed
will be regarded as one grand Ameri
can failure and the president will
take the brunt of the backlash in the
polls.
The need for a strong president is
particularly great now in light of a
potentially explosive global
situation, If Carter's pressure on
Israel and Egypt to sign a treaty pre
vail, that will be a signal to the
American people that he can cut the
mustard. If he fails, he may well be
treading water into obscurity.
Student urges Dean's resignation, attacks grading policy
Until now I could not point to a spceific example of
favoritism to confirm a long held belief that grades are
a joke.
Last semester grades were posted and, as is the tradi
tion of the Law College, these grades are final with the
one exception that a student can petition the Grades Ap
peal Board for a hearing to prove that the grade was ar
bitrary or capricious.
In two classes taught by a visiting professor some stu
dents whined to Che Dean that their grades were too low.
Did the Dean treat the students the same as he did the
four ex-members of the Class of 79 who Were expelled
for low grades in keeping with the sanctity of the grading
system? '
No, the actions of the professor had to be capricious
because the Students were accustomed to high marks. Evi
dently the Dean had neglected to instruct the prdfessor
before' his stay which students were to begivert high
iaark. ' ; -v - .v,v .-
Grades lowered J '
: Dean Strong succeeded in having some students
grade! fiaied at the cost of a few students who, for the
first time. in the history of the college, had their grades
lowered. But then this was a special case, no need
to us the Grade, Appeals Board because, gosh, jhe -little
darlings who hai low grades' were sad r and what
the heck, they were popular students. rf
Td:oinplcte; . the r absurd scenario: the Dearth aftet
posting the second final evidence grades, reinstated the
original grades. My, my, how one moment a student's
work deserves A fivethen six, then maybe a four or seven.
What does it matter, eh, Dean, as long as we keep our
. popularity with the right students.
Did the faculty object to the Dean's action? Not to
my knowledge but maybe they agree with my theory,
they should know. Of course; they did approve of the ex
pulsion last semester of the students who wrote bad
exams. Hypocrisy? Heck nd! We are talking about good
students who had an off morning-geez just 'cause the pro
fessor thought they didn't know much about the subject
they don't deserve low grades; not like those borderline
students who don't deserve to be lawyers, hey. they
probably forgot to lick the faculty members boots.
Ugly college
This sleazy affair Is unfortunately only the latest in a
As art American,! lit proud to point to our country
rich heritage of her people exercising their liberty. One of
the prime reasons why the American experience continues
to work is because of our. recognition of a person's
freedom of speech. As Americans, we ding to, that
freedom. ";vi: f ' ; V
In the marketplace of Ideas, not only is truth more apt
to be aired, but it wEl prevail; truth being stronger. That
freedom holds that anyone has the right to speak. That
means whether one thought Rabin was a saint or- a
muraerer, ne nza ms ngai 10 speax wnaicver ne uiougni.
Besides, interrupting is rude, disrespectful and just down
right animalistic. In this society, the right to speak Is
sacred. ;v v- ; , K'-'J. . -..V---: -
v Therefore,: for "those Americans who Were heckling
Rabin you should know better and if your conduct is
any measure Of how, much you value your own personal
freedom, I am not proud to call you a fellow American.
For those hen -American hecklers, I am pleased that you
are able to exercise your human rights here while you may N
not be able to ia your own country , however, if youcan't
recognize the rights of other people in this society, we .
dcn't want you here. Either SHUT UP or GET OUT!
series which art transforming the college into an UGLY
place, unfit for human beings. While it is not surprising to
have a Dean who impersonates a weather vane, it is
shocking that the faculty would acquiesce in allowing the
college to develop into a factory cloning sycophants.
1. The Dean has REFUSED to take any positive steps
to end sexism. All he needs to do is make it official policy
that non-sexist language is to' be used in the classroom by
the professors. Rights are not determined by how many
perceive them.
2. At the decision of the Dean and the rubber stamp
of the faculty Ut September at a cost of more than
$30,000 the college will become an arm bf the prosecutor.
Only two years ago students were prisoners, now they will
create inmates. Evidently neutral education takes pre
cedence over the delicate balance between the County
Attorney! Office and the Public Defender's Of flee which
protects the rights of indigents to receive a fair trial.
3. The school has hired a Placement Director to help
already privileged Jnemberr of society find jobs. Try
asking the Legislature for money to hire a Director for
Theater Arts Majors or welfare recipients. Even those stu
dents, who in their own self-interest justify the director,
admit he is nothing more thana "referral service tof top
students. .;; J-.,.. yV-f" I ri .:
,4. De Facto elitism is sustained jby financial aid being
distributed not by need but by class rank. And the earlier
discussed double standards for students Who beg,; "But, I
dont even know what a five looks like." ; I "
5. The non-sensical emphasis on grades is encouraged
by the posting Of discriminatory job notices limiting in
terview by rank. The results of this policy are evidenced
by the increasing number of Honor Code violations, e.g.
stolen books, razor blading articles.
6. At least there is no problem with racism, as we see
it at the college, "What's a black look like?"
Whose problems?
Who will deal with the above problems. The SBA
which spends student money on subscriptions to Playboy?
The Women's Law Caucus which last year rigged its own
election to keep out troublemakers? It is to laugh.
My recommendations, which 1 hope serious students
will examine, are:
1. Dean Strong should resign immediately for the good
of the college. He should devote all his time to teaching,
indications are that he is an excellent instructor.
2. The new Dean should be either Professors Kalish,
Potuto, or DenicolaAll three are capable and none care
about their popularity with students, or lack thereof.
3. The Placement Office should be closed. Assistant
Dean Hazen should earn his salary by teaching, not
holding students hands till they find a job. The univer
sity should provide a DIVERSE, QUALITY, education,
not a job finder service; hunger will take care of that.
4. The four students who were expelled should.be
asked to return. The grading system is obviously corrupt.
5. The Clinical Program should not expand, it is now
one of the finest in the country. The money should be
used to retain Assistant Dean Circo before another school
grabs him. Any money left over should be used to hire in
structors for art overcrowded Trial Advocacy Program.
6. All qualified applicants for financial aid should have
their names drawn from a hat to determine recipients.
7. Employers should be told that a state institution
does not discriminate bn the basis of a corrupt grading
system. Class 1 rankings should be abolished.
There is a growing evil in the college, destroying spirit,
feeding on elitism, and breeding cynicism. What type of
lawyers will it create? The faculty should act now, while
they still have some pride. The poisoned atmosphere of
despair is present to those whose minds are able to do
more than memorize.
Virtce Power
Clay Statmcte
. Senior Law Student
(American Zionist Jew)