page 4
daily nebraskan
Wednesday, february 11, 1981
o)
ODDDD
Chamber's proposed football bill can't hold water
The legislative sieve award for the 1981 session
should go to state Sen. Ernie Chambers for a bill
he has sponsored proposing to pay salaries to UNL
football players.
The Omaha senator contends that Cornhusker
football players are exploited for the selfish in
terests of the university. Chambers has said that
since NU profits from the hard work and dedica
tion of these athletes, they should be financially
compensated for the sacrifices of time and hard
work inherent with being a member of the team.
However, several holes exist in the reasoning
the senator offers in support of the bill.
First of all, Chambers is making gross general
izations when he asserts that "football players
have strong bodies and weak academic accom
plishments." The list of former football players who have
been successful since leaving the college playing
field is long and includes people now employed
in the areas of business, law and medicine. These
people obviously do not suffer from weak
academic accomplishments.
Further, the consistency with which Nebraska
regularly places football players on the various
academic teams is proof these individuals are not
being neglected in university classrooms.
The senator has said the university harms foot
ball players by expecting less of them than Ls
expected of other students. This simply is not
true.
There may be instances when a student's status
as a football player is abused, but that abuse un
doubtedly begins with the individual.
Chambers also maintains that these athletes
have lower class requirements, inflated grades and
are accorded special privileges.
Again, he is guilty of outlandish and misleading
generalizations. An educational opportunity, re
gardless of how it is offered to a person, is no
more and no less than what the student decides to
make of it.
Cheating in the classroom and grades given that
may not have been earned is not restricted to
football players. Ideally, this does not occur
often. But realistically it is a mistake to assume
that when it does happen, it involved special
treatment given just to members of the UNL foot
ball team.
But perhaps the most important criticism of
Chambers' bill or the biggest hole in this legis
lative sieve is that no one is forced to participate
in the sport.
Football players must make their own
decisions concerning their futures as students,
people and, finally, as athletes.
You too can be nominated
deputy secretary of state
Do you like to travel? Would you like to
be able to visit places outside of Waverly?
Do you think you could stand a job that
would take you to Rome, London or Paris?
If you answered yes, then you're probably
an excellent candidate to become the next
U.S. deputy secretary of state. Yes, you
too can become the next deputy secretary
of state. After all, the United States is the
land of opportunities.
ficflili'CiSOfl
How do you qualify? Easy. If you can
answer at least one of the following
questions, then the president should sub
mit your name to the Senate Foreign Re
lations Committee for confirmation instead
of William Clark's.
1 . What is the name of the canal be
tween North and South America?
Hint: There's a country with the
same name.
2. What does Solidarity mean in Po
land? Hint: It lias nothing to do with
Polish pudding.
3. Who is Margaret Thatcher?
Hint: She is not Mrs. Olsen's neigh
bor. 4. Which U.S. senator is at his best
while swimming?
Hint: If he were president today, he
wouldn't have nominated Clark for
deputy secretary of state.
.o
o
UPSP 144-080
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68510.
5. How many states are in the United
States?
Hint: Include Hawaii and Alaska in
your count.
6. Who is Jerry Falwell?
Hint: It's rumored that he inspired
the creation of the movie The Jerk.
7. How many words per minute will
you be required to type as deputy
secretary of state?
Hint: Guess low.
8. What body of water separates the
United States from Europe?
Hint: The Missouri and Mississippi
are names of rivers that run through
the United States.
9. What ring circles the world?
Hint: Ring around the collar is not
a good answer.
10. And finally, the bonus question.
Take your time because it's worth
extra points. Who is the President
of the United States?
Hint: The initials of his first and
last name are the same.
If you answered just one of the quest
ions, you're more qualified to be deputy
secretary of state than William Clark.
Clark said "I don't know" to several
questions the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee asked during last week's confir
mation hearing, including questions asking
for the names of the prime ministers of
South Africa and Zimbabwe and questions
about the Labor Party in England.
The person acting in an official capacity
below General Haig should be able to say
more than "I don't know" to foreign
officials. Haig should have a No. 2 that at
least knows the name of the world's leaders
and the basic world problems. And prob
ably most important, the person below
Haig should have the intelligence to keep
an eye on the good General.
It's hoped that people who are nominat
ed to represent the United States will have
the respect of leaders in other countries.
But Clark will enter the world of foreign
relations with very little respect if none at
all. Last week the international press com
mented on Clark's knowledge of the world.
Clark was called a "nitwit" by an Amster
dam daily. "Ask Me Another" was the
London Daily Express headline on the
story about Clark's appointment. And the
Soviet news agency Tass called Clark an
incompetent.
It's unrealistic to believe Clark will be
an effective representative. It's difficult to
imagine Clark negotiating treaties with
countries such as Iran. Nonetheless, presi
dents are usually granted their nominations
for appointments and Clark probably will
be making a fool of the United States and
himself sooner than we think.
It is possible, though, that General Haig
and Henry Kissinger will be able to keep
Clark away from foreign diplomats and
important world negotiations. But still,
how can the United States retain the little
respect it has among foreign countries with
a "nitwit" in the state department?
V UNDERSECRETARY.... I 1
I Ik -kJ I I I I I ! I I s
Mandatory sex education
attacked as 'indoctrination'
Washington - As the Kansas City con
vention approached in 1976, it became
clear to Ronald Reagan's delegate counters
they would fall narrowly short of the
number needed to deprive President Ford
of the nomination. So, the candidate and
his counselors gambled.
buchanan
They trolled the vice presidential
nomination in front of liberal Republican
Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, who
almost snapped the line seizing it.
The Republican Right was inconsolable.
But time vindicated Reagan's choice.
Despite his portrayal by congressional
colleagues as a turncoat, Schweiker took
his loyalty oath to Reagan and Reagan's
platform. Realizing he was the obstacle
preventing conservative Republicans from
following their hearts instead of their
heads, Schweiker offered to fall on his
sword, and publicly remove himself from
the odd-couple ticket.
In character, Reagan refused. We came
into this convention together, he said; to
gether we leave.
When he returned to the Senate,
Schweiker's conservative voting index rose
like a SAM-7. By 1980, he was Reagan's -and
the Republican Right's first choice
to command the world's largest govern
ment agency, the Department of Health
and Human Services. Schweiker's first
controversial statement has vindicated the
Republican Right in the belief that the
movement's "born-again conservative" has
the zeal of the convert.
The federal government, said the secre
tary, has no business in the sex education
of school children, and tax dollars should
not be used for doctors to supply contra
ceptive counseling or supplies to teen
age children.
In his first statement, Schweiker broke
his pick with Planned Parenthood. But. if
he wishes backing for his position, he
should have an aide look up the lead article
in the neo-conservative Public Interest
magazine, spring 1979 issue.
"Turnin2 Children Into Sex Experts" is
the title of the piece by economics pro- f
fessor Jacqueline Kasun of Humbolt State
University.
Unless you conservatives want more
teen-age pregnancies and more abortions,
the argument runs, you had best pony up
for the sex education and contraceptive
counseling the kids need to prevent preg
nancies. But, after years of experience, there is
little evidence sex education leads to a
diminished incidence of teen-age preg
nancies, and considerable evidence to the
contrary.
Continued on Page 5
