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monday, march 12, 1970 .
Hncolrt, nebraska vol. 102 no. 03
Jll v3 kD Iks J u u u(J UL
BBS
Speaker favors
going bade to
rami lifestyles
v By Mike Sweeney
Rural Americans art the largest and most powerless
minority in the country, according to a New Mexico
authori
Stan Steiner, author of The Vanishing White Man and
The New Indiana Friday said imposing urban thinking on
rural areas has destroyed the balance between city and
country As a result, he said, rural Americans have allowed
outsiders to control their lives.
But Steiner said he was hopeful the balance would be
restored by thd energy crisis and America's return to rural
values and life styles.
Steiner Was the keynote speaker at the third annual
Prairie Project at the East Union, a conference concentrat
ing oh the challenges facing the Great Plains.
Rural America contains one-third of the country's bed
pie, but also has 40 percent of the nation's elderly and 50
percent of the poor, Steiner said .
"This means we art the poor, the forgotten, the elder
ly, and worst of all the powerless," he said.
Lack of power
The recent clash between farmers and Washington
officials is evident of rural America's lack of power,
Steiner said.
"Can you imagine . . the Secreiary of the Defense
talking to soldiers the way the Secretary of Agriculture
has cursed arid insulted farmers?" he asked.
Steiner laid the imbalance between city arid country
grows larger every yean and "it's as destructive to New
York City aslt Is td Broken Bow.' - .
Kleiner sald blg'city Ideas ddftSt Ht m Small: tdvAi, and
pointed to hii hometown of Santa Fe as evidence 6f the
clash between urban and rural thinking. ' "
He said' the city Used to have stop signs instead of
street lights. There were few accidents, however, because
people would intelligently wait their turns at intersect
iortShesaid ; '.
Accidents increased
But when the city leaders decided to Urbanize Santa Fe
by putting up street lights, the number of accidents in
creased because people tried to jump the lights, Steiner
said.
The U.S. Constitution also illustrates the clash of city
and country, Steiner said
Hie Constitution is an old-fashioned rural document,
Steiner said, and "much to the consternation of courts
since (it was written), it doesn't fit into the urban World,"
He said the constitutional guarantee of free speech
works hi Sante Fe plaza, but disrupts traffic in New York.
Presidential efforts to restore the balance have failed,
Steiner said. President Johnson asked Congress to restore
some power to the country, but "that was like asking a
coyote td be a midwife at calling time,", he quipped.
However there are indications the trend of city think
ing to dominate the country is reversing itself, Steiner
said.
New migration
He said the country is Witnessing a new migration from
city to country. But instead of using covered, wagons,
people are making the move in campers and recreational
vehicles, he said .
"I beKeve,theewirrmiigrant5 Will Urbardjte rural lifet
but at the same time they will be ruralized," Steiner said,
He said the rebirth of the countryside is reflected by
his home state of New Mexico, which has one million
people, two million cattle, and 21 million tourists every
year. " ' - " ?'--"
Steiner explained the growing interest in rural America
by quoting Esquire magazine. "
"As the country grows more and rndre complex, peo
pie need simpler, and simpler values " he fcaid. "Some
people art turning to God . . . but more and more are
.turning td the cowboy hat. T . '
The energy crisis, which Steiner said he likes to call the
urban crisis. Will speed up the reconciliation of rural and
urban people,he said.
People in the cities consume energy, Steiner Said, and
do not produce it. Instead, they get ft from the country
side, he Did. - -. V
.' Vhen energy sources begin to dry Up, city people will
be forced to turn more and more td country practices
such a recycling, which is "currently beyond their
oenei, ateinersaij. - ,
t He said the ruralizalion of energy will help return
" decision making to a democratic and community-controll
tdbase. - r 1 v v
"Beneath the plastic uniformity, the democratic Ways
of thinking still exist, Steiner said. Hiey have not died
M They have wrvived. , t .
m
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Y- it
Photo by Mark Billingsley
Yesterday's Wttm temperature Is an indication that sprirtg'ls just around the corner and so are the electri
cal storms that follow, such as this high intensity storm on the Nebraska-Coloradd border;
$ellliy Mftith cause attendance would be "Contingent on
Editor's note: This is the last story hi a five-part series of
candidates and parties running in the ASUN election. Hie
Candidates were interviewed in the order they will be
placed on the ballot.
ASUN needs to get back on the right rack, according to
the Students Advocating innovative Leadership party
presidential candidate Scott Brittenham.
Brittenham, 20, a marketing major, said he thought
ASUN has done "a general mediocre job" this year
"In some programs they have been effective. But in
others, like student impact, they havent,' he said-
SAIL has been Unofficially campaigning since Novemb
er. The party is comprised of 22 senatorial candidates
from residence halls, Greek houses and off Campus living
units, according td Brittenham.
Td get ASUN "back drt the track," Brittenham said the
SAIL party proposes td concentrate on four Specific prob
lems on Campus: alcohol, parking, educational quality and
speakers. -.
Alcohol awareness
Brittenham said he Would establish an alcohol aware
ness education program for students dealing With alcohol
use and abuse.
He said students would show Up for these programs be-
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cause attendance would be "Contingent on getting alcohol
in the dorms,"
Once the program is Underway, Brittenham said he
would approach the NU Board of Regents with a proposal
to allow alcohol on campus through a "closed door
policy
"This means once it Is passed, it would be up to each
living unit td decide if alcohol will be allowed in their
rooms with the door closed, he explained.
He said he would also like to see alcohol served in the
union on a selected room basis.
Parking problem
To solve the parking problem, Brittenham said he
would change the metered parking lots to allow students
to pay for the amount of time they will be in the Jot
"This will solve the problem in two areas, he said.
"It would eliminate tickets and allow more time for
people to park, he explained .
He said he would also like to require that UNL
police do not oversell area lots.
"I would like to pass it some way so that there are no
more permits than places issued, the candidate said.
He admitted that students will still have problems with
parking spaces, but said he felt his proposals were the
"most equitable approaches.
Brittenham said he would also like to improve the
teaching quality at UNL and emphasized the need tor stu
dent input in teacher evaluations.
Teacher evaluations
He said he would encourage students to set up their
own teacher evaluation forms and after compiled, publish
them In the baity Nebmkan.
"This way, if an instructor sees where he Is rated
publicly, the incentive to raise his teaching level would bt
increased and teachers who rated high would work to stay
there,'.he said.
Brittenham said he would also like to realign the
budget td solve overcrowding problems in the College's
of Business Administration and Engineering and Tech -nology
He suggested re-allocating funds from otherccllcgei as
a possible solution. He also proposed raising the require
ments to enter the colleges to cut down on enroHrnent
Continued on pe 3
oK2
SAIL
2T Sew v kJi
Vui
i . - ... '
Same song, third verse: Residence hall occupancy
once again expected to be over capacity pre 7
.Lend him yotir ear: Leonard Nimoy comes to
Iincoln witl i his play based on the life of
VmcentVaijGogh.,.vv.p-8
Fond farewell: Sports columnist writes post
season commentary , on the .Husker basketball
season pe 10.
