tuesday, february 5, 1980 daily nebraskan page 5
Continued from pase 4
Upon recently being rejected from
entering a virtually cavernous and near
empty gymnasium by a less-than-p olite
cheerleader type late on a Friday after
noon. . . I paused to reflect. Have we not
progressed enough through the years to
allow a well-meaning, if indeed -unkept,
group of court-starved youth to pursue
their one desire in life? Can we justiably
deny six men the right to hoop on one end
of a three full -court gym just so our yell
squad can practice? Surely upon witnessing
a performance at one of our varsity games,
one can deduce that all this room for
practice is not necessary. One conjures
images of practicing above Horsefeathers,
in the basement of Morrill Hall, or some
like semi-spacious environ, completely suit
able to the event at hand. Don't get me
wrong. . . I love cheerleaders . . . (the fe
male type anyway). . .. but c'mon people,
elitism went out when they started taking
females in the TNE and renamed the Pro
gram Council to equalize East Campus.
Next time "Sorry fellas" just won't hack it.
I'm going to the OMBUDSPERSON!!!
Bill Schilling
; Senior, pre 4aw
Trigger happiness
I would like to look'at Clark Acker
man's two main contentions against regi
stration, one that fears the "trigger happy"
politician in Washington, and second that
Mr. Ackerman is caught up in the "me -ism"
so predominant in the 70's. The pre
sent attitude in Washington is anything but
"trigger happy", and even if there were a
supposed trigger happy politician running
around Washington looking to get his name
into the history books by starting the third
World War, the forefathers of our country
did provide for certain safeguards, namely
the Congress of the United States, which is
435 members that "Mr. Trigger" would
have to contend " with before he could
resign us all to our doom. And as far "our
age group would be getting hit by it"
can we . let our own self-interest get in the
way of the freedom and safety of the
United States?
I think Mr. Ackerman misses the point,
and that is that the United States must be
able and prepared to protect herself and
her ideals. Registration greatly enhances
the preparedness of the military, and
contrary to the rampant emotionalism that
is sweeping the country, it is not an auto
matic stepping stone to conscription. It is
being prepared. Personally, I feel the de
fense of this country and her ideals does
not lie in the methods (man-to-man war
fare) that led to the loss of lives in Korea
and Vietnam, but through the use of her
superior scientific technology.
As a Republican, I can say Mr. Acker
man's views do not speak for all, and hope
fully he does not speak for the majority.
Steven J. Miller
Sophomore, Ag Econ
Baker . . .
Continued from page 4
But the candidate professed ignorance
about wi.y he was here. "I just go where
they tell hie," he said. The scheduling
snafu is not unusual for an organization
which, confronted with modest challenge
of transporting two network crews and
three newspaper correspondents, can be
counted on to lose the New York Times re
porter's luggage. ' ,
Earlier on the day of the Maine dinner,
Baker had addressed a convention of New
England broadcasters in Boston. The
speech, which was important enough to be
filmed by his own crew of commercial
makers and touted as a major policy
address, was built around this proposal:
"Twenty years ago, President Kennedy
challenged America to put a man on the
. moon by the end of the Sixties. As Presi
dent, I will challenge American to put a
man in a car not powered by gasoline by
the end of the decade."
That supposed clarion call left the
broadcasters so unmoved that in 20
minutes of questioning, not one of them
Amnesty reply
As a member of trje local chapter of
Amnesty International, I feel it necessary
to correct a letter to the editor sent in
prior to winter vacation by the Progressive
Student Union.
In the letter, they undermine the CIA
by citing ten countries in which 'The CIA
trained or is training the most brutal police
force in the world". The letter goes on to
say that "these are the most brutal and re
actionary regimes in the world according to
Amnesty International".
First of all, the first country on your
list, Israel, has never been cited by AI to
have a "brutal secret police force" or any.
thing resembling one.
Furthermore, it is not the policy of AI
to state which country or countries are or
are not reactionary in nature or for that
matter the most brutal. AI is a political
organization interested in the plight of
political prisoners in everv countrv in the
world. They do not judge the quality or
type of governments but only the actions
of governments as they pertain to issues of
human rights.
Efrem Bromberg
Freshman
P.S. Anyone interested in learning more
about Amnesty International may attend
meetings at the Commonplace, 14th and R
Street, the third Wednesday . of every
month at 8:00 pjn.
Headed for shelter
" It grieves me to think that an educated,
responsible adult who will soon be in a
position to help run this country believes
that the only way to. solve problems of
international origin, is to send "10 B-52
bombers hitting oil fields." I am referring
to the article in the Jan. 28 Daily Nebra
skan, written by Erik Van Fleet. In his
article, Mr, Van Fleet seems to portray the
idea that efforts at peace-keeping and
diplomatic solutions in Iran and Afghani
stan are a farce, should not be indulged in
and that force is the only word understood
by the other countries we deal with. I sub
mit that Mr. Van Fleet, although clearly
articulate, really isn't in control of all the
information. In fact, none of us are. Not
one of us can possibly, in Nebraska, here at
UNL, have all the information that Presi
dent Carter has to make decisions. We are
second guessing him without even having
the intelligence reports, available, knowing
the details of the situation, and being
aware of all the courses of action open.
That's not to say that I condone whatV
happening. And it's not to say that I don't
believe in force at all, or can even really sav
that I'm a dyed-in-the-wool dove. It's not
that either: But I do believe that a peaceful
settlement is far preferable to a violent
one, and that little things that Mr. Van
Fleet has forgotten about (like the hostages
and their safety) are very important. Presi
dent Carter may not be doing the right
thing. None of us can say." International re
lations itself is too much of an unsure thing
to ever be certain which course of action is
"right". However, one thing I am sure of.
The day Mr. Van Fleet comes into a
cared to ask what would power the Baker
mobile, A lucky thing, too, for when the
senator was asked, he rattled off a list of
alternative fuels long enough to suggest he
had no idea which one it might be. And his
confident assertion that the car could be
built at a lower cost than today's gas
guzzlers turned out, on examination, to be
based on no discussions with anyone in the
auto industry.
It is hard to know what to think when a
man who has demonstrated his ability in a
variety of challenging situations as a
senator for 13 years runs such an inept
campaign for President.
The manager of one of Baker's rivals
said that Baker is the "worst-served by his
organization" of anyone in the GOP field.
But Howard Baker has had at least three
years, since the 1976 convention, at which
he was passed over for vice president in
favor of Bob Dole, to think about how he
would run for President and who he want
ed working for him.
At this point, the responsibility-and
the consequences-are his.
. (c) 1SS0. The Washington Post Company -
position to make national and international
decisions, I'm building a bomb shelter.
Theresa Van Fleet
Senior, Pre-Law
An end to hypocrisy
Unresponsiveness can last only so long. I
have the not-so-proudly-held record of
attending UNL for 354 years without ever
sending a commentary to the Daily Ne-
braskan. Many times I've felt the need or
the urge to comment but, for one reason
(excuse) or another, I simply haven't done
it. Most certainly one reason has not been
the lack of topics on which to write as
oftentimes many articles, editorials, and
personal commentaries have appeared that
have aroused a multitude of ideas both
within myself and in conversation with
other people. The problem has been that
my idea and feelings have never reached
the Daily Nebraskan office in tangible
form, much less been published there.
Strangely enough, I am not alone in my in
activity. The thoughts which are appearing in
this letter originally started to germinate
in my brain while I was reading Erik T.
Van Fleet's open minded "letter to the
editor" in Monday's paper attacking the
covert activities of the Nebraskans for
Peace and the Committee for American
Iranian Crisis Resolution which are under
mining our red -blooded door-die American
society. In reading this letter I became
filled with my usual ideas and my common
urge to say something, which in the past
have been kept to myself or verbalized to
only few friends. His insightful and clear
minded comment that the people in these
groups "disdain. . . any kind of intelligence
at all, including their own" made me
realize how the Daily Nebraskan provides a
forum for those deep-thinking truth seek
ing people such as Erik Van Fleet to air
their thoughts. His views about how this is
a "ruthless world," and that to "compete''
in it "when our opponents are cheating is
to play dirty too." I find such insight
inspirational. And then cool-headed
response to the aforementioned
committee's idea to have Iranian citizens
meet with Midwesterners to "discuss a
solution to the crisis," that the "best
'coalition for crisis solution' would be 10
B-52 bombers hitting oil fields" proved the
depth of his thought process and that, like
his neighbors near East Campus, he is one
of the "real Americans who love their
' country." The coup de grace of Erik Van
Fleet's letter came in his final paragraph
when, with what I'm sure is flawless
reasoning, he used final foresight to infer
what future Soviet action would be
("invade Alaska") and what American
governmental response will be ("avoid
military action"). Brilliant.
I am in awe of Erik Van Fleet's un
emotional appeal to logic; a truly fine
statement I am sure he would make. I find
such rhetoric as his inspirational. I am sure
many other students also do. It may have
taken a while, but his letter finally shook
me down from my pedestal of passivity. I
don't mean to imply that his letter was
any more thought-provoking or incisive
than numerous others, but, being one who
disdains apathy and hypocrisy, I decided
while reading it to quit being a hypocrite
by stop being apathetic. I hope other
students come to a similar realization and
are likewise spurred into participation. As
for me, I would like to thank Erik T. Van
Fleet for his motivating letter. Without him
and those like him, where would we all be?
Douglas J. haulkner
Senior, Geography
Computers used in learning
new to education students
By Patti Gallagher
I was betting $200 against the house.
I played it safe and put down $5.
The dealer drew an ace of hearts.
I was dealt an eight and jack of
spades. I took my chances and stopped
with an "18."
The dealer drew a king of diamonds.
Host,
My hands began to sweat as I upped
my ante to $10. 1 lost again.
I could not resist and put down $20.
A smile spread across my face as I got
dealt a two-card "21." The dealer too
got "21." The house wins a tie.
I didn't count my remaining cash,
but threw it all on the table just to be
done with the savage shark. I senselessly
stopped with "12' the house beat me
with an easy "17." v
The room was not a smoke-filled
bar with painted ladies smiling in the
doorways. It was room 214B in Henzlik
Hall on the UNL campus, and I just got
the pants beat off me in "Black Jack"
by a micro-computer.
"Black Jack" is just one of the many
computer programs being used in the
UNL education department in efforts
to cordinate computer learning into all
levels of education, according , to
Dorothy Stevens, assistant professor of
secondary education.
In using the computers, instructors
can program lessons onto discs which
can then be inserted into the computer
for student use, Stevens said.
New to UNL
The computers were new to the UNL
education department this fall, she said,
and currently are being used both in
undergraduate and graduate courses.
Shaped much like a typewriter top
ped with a television screen, the micro
computers operate by means of student
written discs. The half-inch thick plate
lets, for example, may be programmed
for an elementary level algebra lesson
and when inserted in the micro-computers
provide drills and lessons for its
user. .
One of advantage of computer learn
ing includes freeing the teacher from her
regular "bookkeeping duties," Stevens
said, allowing her to devote more time
to individual student needs.
The computers also increase students'
"problem solving ability," she said. If,
for example, a student was required to
complete a math story problem, he
would be forced to think through each
step in order to program it into the
. computer,
Repition drills v
Disc-learning also provides repetition
through drills, and teacher computer
literacy Stevens added.
In evaluating the effectiveness of the
computers, the "bottom line," Stevens
said, is asking "does the child learn
more?''
The use of micro-computers in
education is new to Nebraska, lagging,
behind several other states that Ste
vens visited in recent months with
fellow staff member Gerald Boardman
to push their computer system.
Boardman, professor of educational
administration and educational
psychology and measurements, said
their interstate travels were spent "teach
ing the language of computers" to
school administrators.
The computers, $600 to $5,000 in
cost are easily operated, Boardman
said.
"Students pick up the skills very
easily. The difficulty is for the in
structors to keep ahead of the students,"
he said. . " - "'
Because of the nature of the classes,
most work is done independently, he
said.
