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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1980)
tuesday, february 12, 198Q daily nebraskan Couapl flapped m face' for domatli! gen-er-os-i-ty-1. The quality of being generous; liberality or will ingness in giving; unselfishness; munificence. 2. Nobility of thought or behavior; magnanim ity. 3. Amplitude; abundance. 4. A generous act. Usually the definition of gener osity is well received by a demo cratic society. But Mr. and Mrs. J?m?s Coe, the Phoenix couple in their late 70s who recently donated $1 million to UNL, have been slapped in the face for their generosity. It is indeed sad that political overtones have been given to the 1,300 Krugerrands given by the Coes to the College of Engineer ing. And that the 1923 alumnus' desire to contribute as much as possible to the university (Coe be lieves that gold will reach more than $1,000 an ounce next year), may not be honored because of the demands of the African Peo ples Union and others. . Why have political, social and economic judgments been demanded of the NU Foundation when its only objective is to en courage legal contributions so vital to the state's highest learning in stitution? Does the mere fact that some one owns a Volkswagon or Sony television reflect that person's en dorsement of the West German or Japanese government? The Krugerrands have been a prudent investment and have quadrupled in value in four years. It is very doubtful that a modest ly retired couple would purposely endorse oppressive governments through investments. - Krugerrands are the world's leading gold currency investment and there are more than 30 million in circulation since first coinage in 1967. We doubt very seriously that the return of 1,300 Krugerrands are going to have an impact on any social injustices occurring on the African continent. The very nature of demanding the return of the donation has labeled the university and NU Foundation a political tool. And dreadful things can happen when political tools are brought out of the toolbox. Just look at the Olympic boycott or the Russian grain embargo. It would seem with all the pre sent world turmoil, that our stu dent government would be wiser than to assist in labeling the uni versity a political tool. Perhaps ASUN should rethink its obligation to improving the quality of education at UNL and the intentions of an elderly couple who have given their life savings to the university before being swept up by emotions and symbolism. The vaguely termed resolution passed last week by ASUN advo cating return of the Krugerrands was totally uncalled for and il lustrated the effects of emotional pressure. The 1,300 Krugerrand dona tion has become a vehicle for the APU to express complaints about the South African government and will only hurt the university in the long run. How will potential donors react to the NU Foundation in the future when the Coes' generosity has been met so ungraciously? Not only is generosity vital to quality education at UNL, but it deserves appreciation from Nebra ska citizens every where. Let's hope students appreciate an elderly couple's generosity and realize the political implications involved before they start looking a gift horse in the mouth. - Harry Allen Strunk Officials' exodus is typical The recent uproar over three university officials looking at jobs elsewhere shows a lack of discrimination between the symptoms of deep institutional problems and business as usual. a Perusing various past issues of the Daily Nebraskan, the influx and outgo of admin istrators shows up as a common occurrance, especially at the beginning and end of each semester. The run of administrators cases shows similarities over the years, similarities of motives and hiring practices. In 1975, the university hired four top administrators and lost three. All four came from outside UNL, including such places as the University of Texas, Auburn University and Southern Illinois. Of the three lost, two went to more prestigious posts in other universities and one returned to teaching. Changes in family living widen white try WASHINGTON-For some time now, IVe been trying . to reconcile what 1 "know" witn what I read on the question of black economic progress. What I "know" is that, despite the persistence and even growth of poverty among the poorest of black Americans, a significant number of blacks are doing better than they have ever done before: both in absolute terms and in comparison with their white counterparts. I "know" this because I see it. 1 ' nna So what do I make of what I read-that the income gap between blacks and whites, after some respite during the 1960s, is growing again? The statistics on the widening gap are at least as persuasive as what I "know." But both things can't possibly be true, can they? v Vie answer is: Yes, they can. I've just gone through two documents-the February Issue of American Demographics magazine and the National Urban League's annual report, "The State of Black America." And what I learn is that the reason for the apparent contradiction between personal observation and statistical abstractions is that we are looking at two different things. The personal observations are of individuals and, it tirns out, are quite accurate, even reassuring. In 1959, for instance, black men earned, an average, 58 percent of the earnings of their white counterparts. By 1977,' the figure was up to 78 percent. For black women, the improvement was from 64 per cent of white women's earnings in 1959 to an astonishine 95 percent in 1977. , In other words, not only did black income rise sub stantially during that period, but it rose at a significantly faster pace than white. income, producing encouraging gains for black men and near parity for black women , ?,ut to drop the other shoe, the income of black families did not improve relative to whites. The gap really did grow wider, just as the civil rights organizations have been insisting. In 1969, the median income for black families was 61 percent of white family median income, and even that figure reflected the unusual gains of the 1960s, a period of major black advances in employment, income, education and escape from official poverty. u ?y !,978' blfk famUy income relative to whites had declined two points to 59 percent. Outside the South where the ratio remained at 57 percent, it was even worse:' a drop from 67 percent to 62 percent in the NortheaVt How is it possible for individual black Income to rise significantly while black family income was losing ground relative to whites? 66 u The two publications look at the question and arrive at two different answers. Said the Urban Uague report: This decline of black family income is in part due to the shart increase in multi pie earners among white families during the 1970s and the sharp decline in multiple earners In black families. . At the beginning of 1 976, the university . lost the'services of James Zumberge. When he resigned from his chancellor's post the students of this institution lost a champion among the higher levels of administration. He was replaced by present Chancellor Roy Young, who left his post at Oregon State as Vice President of Research' and . Graduate Studies. In 1976, Duane Acker resigned as the dean of UNL's agricultural college to be come president of Kansas State and was replaced by Martin Masscngale, who had a similar but lower paying post at the University of Arizona at Tucson. Later that year, D. B. Varner went from NU president to president of the NU Founda tion, and was replaced by Ronald Roskens, then Chancellor of UNO. In 1977, John Baier left his post as dean of student development to a vice presidency at Texas Tech after only two years here. He was replaced by a UNL faculty, member for four months, when Dean David DeCoster was hired for that post from his job at Indiana University. Continued from Page 5 -black gap "Historically, black families had a higher proportion of two-earners than white families. But between 1969 and 1978, the proportion of black families with two or more ' earners fell steeply, from 56 percent to 47 percent, while the proportion of white families with two or more earners rose from 54 percent to 57 percent." Here is the explanation offered by American Demo graphics: arrangements of families. Since the 1950s, there has been a pronounced shift away from husband-wife families and a corresponding rise in the proportion of families headed by women who do. not live with a husband. . "This shift has been much more substantial among b acks than whites. For instance, the proportion of all black families headed by women rose from 22 percent in I960 to 39 percent in 1977. Among whites the change was from 8 to 12 percent. "One trend which should improve the economic welfare of black families, gains in the earnings of workers, has been largely offset by another trend, the changes in family living." .Behind this cold recital of statistics is the warning that while we continue to press for progress for individual black workers, we also had better begin to pay some attention to what is happening to American families, and to black families in particular. It is something the White House Conference on Families ought to pay special attention to. . For family deterioration involves far more than income .statistics. It Involves education, crime and delinquency, career opportunities and ambition, social stability-indeed the future of the society. tc) 1CCO, Th Washington Port Company