Wednesday, november 11, 1981
daily nebraskan
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iVea? restrictive policy puts quantity over quality
As is often the case at UNL, the central admin
istration has announced a new policy, but we
have heard very little comment on the measure
from students and faculty members.
The policy, already in effect for next semester,
will delete classes that do not draw enough
students to meet quotas determined by adminis
trators. If enough students do not pre-register
or do not appear on the first day of class, the
course will be cancelled. In the past, enrollment
was evaluated after two weeks of classes, so stu
dents had a chance to go through drop and add.
The administration says the measure will save
the university money, that UNL cannot afford
to offer classes that are under-enrolled.
Although this reasoning seems sound in a per
iod of fiscal troubles and budget cutbacks,
there are those who worry the measure will
endanger the already eroding quality of education
at UNL.
Some instructors in the humanities, and no
doubt in other fields are concerned that special
ized courses that help to round out a student's
education will be eliminated. They fear that
discussion classes that can accommodate only
a few students may be done away with, that grad
uate courses and seminars usually filled with
only a few students will be wiped out.
Administrators try to calm such fears by as
suring us that minimum enrollment standards
have been set according to class level and type.
For instance, a studio class or a graduate seminar
will not be expected to draw the same number of
students as a chemistry lecture. Administrators
also say exceptions will be made if a class can be
justified, that is if it can be shown to be a neces
sary part of the curriculum.
No doubt, however, administrators' definition
of "necessary' will not always coincide with the
views of students and teachers. Will this policy
eliminate valuable humanities classes? If not ad
ministered with care, it certainly could. As one
English instructor warns, the ultimate end of
such a policy could be the teaching of classes of
thousands in Memorial Stadium.
At the core of this issue is the on-going struggle
between administrators' pocketbook concerns
and the academic needs of students. Too often
these interests clash. Administrators trained to
balance the books and streamline university
spending may forget this university was set up
to educate, develop thought and promote re
search. But even if administrators and department
chairmen can ensure that only unneeded clasc
will be eliminated, there is something inherently
wrong with a policy formulated without con
sulting students.
Is the administration willing to take the risk
that serious students who want to study in more
detail and depth will pass up UNL to study
at other universities that offer the courses they
want? In the long run, the university may lose
money in the form of tuition. And that oft
quoted figure of Merit scholars attending UNL
may drop if challenging courses are not offered
for students who excel.
Why not prolong the period in which students
can enroll and still' save a class? Not everyone
can make up a viable schedule during pre-regis-tration.
With the new policy, a student may
want to add a class but find that it no longer
exists.
Although it may be too late this semester
to fight the policy by pushing students to pre
register, students and faculty members can still
voice their concerns. Perhaps, with a concerted
effort, we can change the philosophy underlying
the operation of this university and turn UNL
into a true institute of higher learning.
Martha Murdock
...Mb DID IT.
Less known of little mishap'
better for Soviet commander
It's hard to work up very much sympa
thy for a member of the Russian navy, but
I can't help but feel a little bit sorrv for Lt.
Cmdr. Pyotr Gushin. He is the skipper of
the Russian spy submarine that ran
aground in Swedish territorial waters.
Sure, it is possible to think of him
simply as the enemy, and gloat over his
colossal error. But if you get past a uni
form and a rank, you might just get one
Mr. Gushin, just a guy doing his job, draw
ing his pay, and not asking any questions.
Then he makes a mistake like this and has
to go in to see the boss.
dark
Men gone but not forgotten
Editor's note: Veteran's Day, 1981. For
Vietnam Veteran Dave Bauer, it is a time
to reflect on the lives of three men who
fought in the Vietnam war. Two were
killed fighting and another committed
suicide.
Dear Red, Jay and Eddy,
Red, I've never forgotten what a love
for life you had. You were hard to keep
pace with. I should have figured that life in
a civilized world would be loving to you.
At times I actually figured you were on
your way to the pen. Many probably never
thought how noble you were inside, or
would become. Your nobleness was a pro
duct purely of yourself.
gragsG opinion
Revenge for your death was perhaps
part of my reason for following you. I wish
I could have been there to stop the
"bullet," to yell at you, or knock you
down. Or to coax you to hold your
temper. I remember how mad you used to
get. If you lost your temper like I rememb
er, "Charlie" needed protection from you!
But, damn it, you couldn't stop them all
yourself! God Bless you Red.
Jay, you were like another brother to
me. I remember the old black and white
Chevy you had. It couldn't drag a dead cat
through a quarter mile! Let alone another
car! That didn't stop you from trying. I
wish I could have been there when your
end was creeping upon you. You needed an
old friend. God Bless You Jay.
Eddy, I never knew you personally. But,
I think of you in the same way that 1 used
to think when I looked up at the moon. I
used to yearn for a bond or a link, a tie
with home, and I'd look up in the sky and
think, they can see the same moon I'm
looking at. It was a shame what small com
forts you could make yourself live with.
We were from the same little town back in
the "world." We knew the same people. I
wish I could have protected your plane
God Bless You Eddy.
Red and Eddy to me, you're not numb
ers 57,691 and 57,692 that died in Viet
nam. You have names. You were real, you
have families and friends and things' that
you left behind. Jay, you were the same.
You also were in the military, but, you
didn't die in Vietnam. You died elsewhere
in a stressful world.
Fm sorry I couldn't protect you three
men. But, I'm proud to have known you
and I just want you to know I haven't for
gotten you. God Bless You.
Dave Bauer
President
Student Veterans Organization
The scene: A naval base in Russia. Lt.
Cmdr. Gushin has just been called in to see
his commanding officer.
"Ill bet you're not surprised that I
called you here," says the commanding
officer, pouring himself a little vodka.
"Well, no," says Gushin. "1 imagine you
heard something about my little mishap in
Sweden." F
"Little mishap!" thunders the com
manding officer. "When I spill a little beer
on my tie, it's a little mishap."
"Okay, I understand the case a little,"
says Gushin.
The commanding officer pulls out a
cigar. 'That's not what I'm interested in "
he says. "I called you in here to find out
what you were doing in Swedish waters."
Gushin begins to perspire. "You know
the story," says Gushin. "We went off
course."
"Sure that's the story," the command
ing officer says. "But you and I both know
how reliable that story is. It comes out of
the same file from which we got the
speUe1h." n dCSignS n Af&hanistan'
stonci W3S ottkM government
story, Gushin says. "Do you mean our
K!Tnt WOuId Ue t0 th whole world?
Do we have something to hide?" '
7elV?: U.'S not that we have anything
"It'st besthe-rS'
us mat, uh (hat if we tou ,h
tm h, u wouu be distorted b
of the unpmalist press!- he ob'S'
relieved. "So, we decided it would h.
SUSSES
of comradeship if you, Lt. Cmdr. Gushin,
told me that truth."
Gushin pauses for a minute. "You really
don't have any idea what went on, do
you?" he says finally.
"Of course I don't!'!;' the. pomniandirtg
officer says. 'That's what I've been going
to all of this trouble not to say!"
"In that case," Gushin says, "to the best
of my memory, everything happened just
exactly as the government said it did."
"Are you going to tell me you weren't
on a spy mission?" says the commanding
officer.
"Nope," says Gushin smugly.
"And you managed to go off course by
over half the width of the North Sea?"
"An error, I'll admit," Gushin says.
The commanding officer mumbles to
himself for a time, visibly upset. "Okay, Til
take that explanation," he finally says.
"But let me tell you sometlung. We don't
let mistakes like the one you made go un
corrected. Do you know why you miscal
culated your course and found yourself in
Sweden? It's because you failed to concen
trate. Well, in our system, we have a series
of camps, at which you will learn how to
concentrate. We call these camps . .
"Don't remind me," savs Gushin.
fiebrasEian
o
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