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daily nebraskan
friday, december 11, 1981
nn n
(oGM)J
Fond adieu bid to DN staff and UNL students
As the semester draws to a close, the academic
careers of many of us are quickly fading into the
horizon. But although the group of December
1981 graduates will be gone, chances are we
won't be forgotten.
Stastically, a large number of students graduate
next week to be replaced by transfer students and
others interested in UNL. In parting, I wish all
the future students of UNL the best of luck in
making something out of their academic work
here. Sometimes it isn't easy, but if we didn't
think being a UNL student had any value, we
could have gone somewhere else.
Many stay, despite their criticisms, and work to
improve the quality of education at UNL. Yet
most know the official channels arc bottomless
pits of bureacracy that have gobbled up many an
idealistic student.
For our part, we at the Daily Nebraskan have
sought to provide coverage of the issues and
events that we think matter most on campus. Yet,
as in past years, we have not limited ourselves to
campus issues because the world doesn't stop
Dearest President,
...and I want...
An open Christmas letter to Ronald Koskens, our NU
president:
Dear Sir:
This is a Christinas letter. There are my wishes for you
and the people you work with for the coming year. I hope
they all come true.
I wish that in 1982, Mr. Roskens, that no more faculty
members will resign. I'm sure you and other administrat
ors were as shocked over the resignation of UNL's chair
man of speech communications as we students were.
O
gallagher
But sir, I hope you listen to Gustav Friedrich's anguish
ed pleas - pleas to raise faculty salaries, to put academic
pursuits ahead of the almighty Big Red, and to raze
some of the barriers decaying our faculty's morale.
Mr. Friedrich seemed to be a man of dedication, a man,
in his own words, who had "the naive ambition of doing
the job well enough to make a difference." Awfully sad
that he found he couldn't.
I guess we don't take complaints like his too seriously
unless someone is forced to bail out when they are repeat
edly ignored. I wish, Mr. Roskens, that in the coming
year, solutions will be found to Friedrich's complaints. We
won't get him back, but we may save ourselves from
losing others.
I wish in the coming year that students will be moved a
little higher on that "list of budget priorities." The band
Fiasco is the current example where students get the
crumbs from the administrative table.
Members of the UNL Marching Band, as I'm sure you
know, must be bused to Miami's Orange Bowl, while
administrators will be flown. The story is already getting
old, sir, but that's because we've heard it and others like it
so many times.
So, I wish that students will realize in 1982 that their
tuition money is only a drop in the budget bucket. But I
also hope administrators will remember their job is edu
cating young adults whatever amount those adults contri
bute. I wish, for Saturday specifically, that you and the
members of the NU Board of Regents are granted judicial
wisdom. When you go to work at slicing up the university
budget - in order to extract the 3 percent our legislators
recently ordered -1 hope you slice scrupulously.
Don't cut across the board: some programs are more
vital than others; some programs won't survive another
cut. And don't allow our regents to make the rash, un
researched decisions we've seen them make so often
before.
I wish, Mr. Roskens, that in 1982 you and the regents
will allow our student regents a vote and grant our student
government some authority.
Continued on Page 5
after crossing 10th or R streets.
All year, I've wondered what people think
about this newspaper. We hear both good and
bad, and we are concerned about responses to our
work. For $1.60 a year of your student fees, our
employees put out a concerted effort to do their
best. Considering that reporters and copyeditors
are paid less than $2 an hour for their quality
work, many people deserve praise.
Thanks must go to the reporters, Kathy and
copyeditors for doing so much work for so little.
Their good work is not praised often enough.
A special thanks must go the news desk of
Steve, Kim, Dan and Alice. Their never-ending ef
forts of "spanning the globe," not to mention
their desks, for news have kept the paper going.
The photographers and artists have helped to
spruce up the pages with their creative art and
photos. The job of photographer is not always
thrilling. It sometimes includes trips to Still
water, Okla.
Larry's sports staff has done a fantastic job of
covering one of the best Dusker football seasons
ever. Pat's entertainment section has offered a
veritable goldmine of reviews we hope you found
enjoyable.
The advertising staff has fought off tough eco
nomic conditions to try and bring us the largest
papers we could afford. I wish them luck improv
ing next semester. Maybe Reaganomics will trick
le down our way loo.
The production staff and night news crew has
worked to keep the paper consistently clean and
clear. I can't forget the receptionists who take the
classifieds under hectic conditions.
Good luck to Martha and her new staff. A des
cription of this job could be "inside work, no
heavy lifting," but I'm sure you'll find many re
wards. Nostalgia sweeps over a graduate like a huge
wave. Friends, memories and everything I've gain
ed from UNL will be difficult to leave. But then
again, a part of me will still be here. You really
can't take it with you.
Tom Prentiss
1 ALASKAN Sk
Weinberger, you 're a nice guy
Why are you trying to kill us?
I have a friend who is one of the most intelligent, qui
etly witty, honest, unassuming and considerate men I
know. I think he's trying to kill me.
I have known Caspar Weinberger for more than 20
years. Admittedly, we were never close friends. But I have
dined at his house, chatted with his wife, Jane, breakfast
ed with him in motels, ridden with him in buses, cars,
cabs and planes and drunk with him at parties.
Another reported his comment on a Pentagon security
agent being arrested for indecent exposure: "I thought
they weren't even supposed to show their faces," Cap
said. And later in the interview: "I can't believe I'm the
heavy," he said with what was described as "an airy
chuckle."
Yes, it all sounds like Cap. A thoroughly nice guy. It's
hard to believe he's trying to kill me.
hoppe
Whenever I wanted to know something about the
machinations of Republican leaders on campaigns or at
conventions, I would ask Cap. He would respond with
knowledge, candor, lucidity and humor.
I have always thought him to be a good, decent, ration
al human being. I have always liked him very much. Now I
think he's trying to kill me.
True, I haven't seen Cap in recent years. Since his rel
atively humble California beginnings, he has gone on to
become secretary of defense, one of the half dozen most
powerful men in the Western world. But I don't think he's
changed.
Washington newsmen, predominantly liberal, generally
seem to like and respect him. "Low-key," "calm," "gre
garious," "disarming,"' "gentle," "wry," "gracious" and
"charming" are a few of the adjectives they toss his way.
One story told how he thoughtfully brings coffee up to
Jane in bed each morning before he sets off the Pentagon
and another day of planning for nuclear wjr.
I see a lot of him on television. Often he's wearing a
helmet and looking grim as he test fires a new weapon or
drives a new tank. And I want to say, "Come on, Cap,
knock it off. You're too sensible a guy to get a bang out
of playing soldier."
I read a lot about him - how he's trying to justify cut
ting $30 billion from the budget for human services and
adding $30 billion for the Pentagon; how he's trying to
increase military spending by $1.5 trillion over the next
five years, and how he's trying to plan for a limited nu
clear war and even prolonged nuclear war that one side or
the other would win.
And I want to say "Please, Cap, you're too nice a guy
to even think of killing millions of human beings. Please
think instead of what is real. Think of individual people
being born, eating, sleeping and making love. Think of me
and mine."
I know Cap thinks he is trying to save my life - or at
least the political system of which I'm a part. But I'm not
afraid the Russians will kill me. I'm afraid a nuclear bomb
will kill me. I'm afraid of my friend, Cap. I'm afraid he
will kill me and my children and my children's children.
And yours.
But the strange thing is that I honestly think he's a nice
guy.
(c) Chronicle Publishing Co.
