Wednesday, September 22, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
Editorial
Dedicated leaders required
for student court vacancies
The UNL Student Court had a rocky
1981-82 year.
Most of what made it rough was the
beast of a case that refused to die, the
one about the electoral commissions
handling of campaign poster distribu
tion. The case, recounted innumerable times
on the pages of this paper, involved Electo
ral Commissioner Jennifer Fager and a
candidate for last spring's ASUN elec
tions. The case dragged on from Feb. 10,
about three weeks, before the elections,
and remains unsettled today. It now is
before the University Appeals Board,
sent there after Fager sued the court.
While the case was before the court,
Fager applied for a court position as
associate justice and was accepted. Three
weeks ago, she resigned for "other pre
ferred interests."
That left the court with two vacan
cies; proceeding Fager's resignation was
the resignation of Joe Nigro, the court's
chief justice. Nigro resigned in the sum
mer because he decided ke had more
important things to do with his time.
Although Nigro's resignation created
a useless court (no chief justice, no court),
his absense is good for the body. He
caused much of the aformentioned "rocky
days" of the '81 -'82 court.
Consider the court's handling of the in
famous poster case under Nigro's guidance:
The court said Fager had perjured her
self by giving conflicting statements
during testimony; then the court said the
statements weren't perjury, just "con
flicting statements." The court asked
for Fager's resignation; it then said Fager
should remain electoral commissioner.
Perhaps now that Nigro is gone, the
court can rebuild its reputation and be
come useful again. Of course, it can do
nothing until the two vacancies are filled.
According to Marlene Beyke, director
of development for ASUN, applications
for both positions have been closed since
early September. Beyke said ASUN Presi
dent Dan Wedekind, who is directed by
the ASUN constitution to make all court
appointments, should reveal Nigro's and
Fager's replacements soon.
As Wedekind reviews applications, he
should keep in mind the professed goals
of the UNL Student Court, outlined in
the ASUN constitution.
Article VII, Section 3 of the constitu
tion says "the judicial power of the Stu
dent Court extends to the following
controversies:
- matters of impeachment.
-matters of interpretation of this
constitution.
-matters of contested elections.
-matters concerning organizations
when referred to the Court by the Univer
sity of Nebraska administration, the
Student Senate or an individual student."
Wedekind also should keep in mind
that the constitution says students and
student organizations have the right to
"local, speedy and just determination
of controversies."
The new chief justice and associate
justice should be persons who can enforce
that "speedy and just determination"
rule. That quality was sorely lacking in
Nigro's court.
The new appointees also should consi
der broadening the scope of the court,
as the constitution directs. The court
has handled almost exclusively election
related cases in the recent past and has
thus shut itself out from handling cases
for individual students and student organi
zations. Court members may argue that they
can handle only those cases brought before
them; that is reasonable. But it is also
reasonable to assume that no students
or organizations dare bring their cases
to the court for fear of shoddy handling
and wasted time.
We remind Wedekind that the ASUN
constitution says vacancies are to be filled
within 10 days. Ten days have passed
many times over since Nigro's resignation
and passed once since Fager resigned.
The jobs should be filled as soon as
possible - with persons who understand
the goals and purposes of the court and
who are dedicated to expand the court's
scope to better serve the students.
Oft, ftlBfcteS... Y'-i !K DU
oPi Letters
Hinckley's insanity case justified
The Sept. 17 editorial says the insanity
defense is wrong, and suggests a "guilty
and insane" plea instead.
True, there is potential for abuse, but
no judicial system is perfect. The pos
sibility of a sane criminal going to a men
tal hospital, then getting out after being
"cured" is not a threat to society. "One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" shows
the risk of such an insanity defense.
John W. Hinckley Jr. is mentioned
as a reason to reform or abolish the in
sanity plea. Hinckley wrote a very con
vincing article supporting the insanity
defense. He offered it to Newsweek, which
published it in the Sept. 20 issue, with
the title "Insanity Defense and Me."
A "guilty but insane" person could
be cured, then sent to prison for punish
ment. Hinckley gives two reasons why
this idea is wrong. First, it is unfair to
punish a person for their insanity, he
said. Second, the prison would undo any
improvement in a person's sanity made
in the mental hospital.
The question of how insane a defen
dant is often comes up. One might think
that a person who writes as intelligently
as Hinckley did in his Newsweek article
could not be insane. But insanity is not
related to intelligence or talent. Look
how many successful actors and music
ians have killed themselves, an act as
insane as Hinckley's.
Hinckley's insanity is obvious almost
beyond doubt from his article. His re
ference to "my girlfriend, Jodie Foster,"
and "the price I had to pay" might sound
like feigned madness, but the overall
tone of the article is that of an insane
writer.
Steve Schonberger
junior
computer science
First test brings options: cram, cheat, or punt
" 'We Ye here live at the library, asking
people what they think about University
Light - one-third the education of your
regular college. '
7 just love it, ' said Missing Neurons,
a college freshman. 7 never study and
I just love all the parties ..." Click. Was
that ever a weird commercial. I had bet
ter turn this off and start studying."
The preceding was an excerpt from
a new book called 'Studying as an Art:
How to Do It and How Not to Do It,"
published by Bookbag Books of Ottumwa,
.-lhiii m wmmmm mum jii. u.,m .1 1 1
( & Bob
) j Glissmann
Iowa. It's an interesting "read," as they
say, filled with suggestions for improving
your studying and test-taking skills. And
with everyone taking their first round
of tests this week (just try to find a place
to sit in Love Library at night), it seemed
like a good time to quote a couple pas
sages. The introduction to the book gives
the most unrealistic advice: "To do well
on exams, know the material. Read all
the assigned chapters far ahead of time,
ask your instructor questions during and
after class, complete all assigned lab work
and problems, and spend the last one or
two days before the exam skimming over
your notes."
After that passage, however, the book
improves dramatically. In the first chap
ter, the authors list shortcuts and tips
for the average college student: "If you
skipped the first three weeks of class
and haven't read any of the assigned chap
ters, you have three options: a) cram,
b) cheat, c) punt
"Option C is least desirable, since this
leaves you with a zero in the gradebook,
which doesn't average in well with other
grades. Before you opt for C, make sure
your instructor drops your lowest test
grade."
This really isn't as much a tip for
studying as it is a tip for avoiding study,
but no matter. The authors continue:
"If the instructor doesn't drop the
worst grade, consider option B, which
is probably the easiest selection of the
three. B is the choice which gives most
students second thoughts and pangs
of guilt. If you choose B, you must leave
these thoughts and pangs behind, and
find the best way to utilize your selec
tion. "First, try to find someone who has
taken the class before. Find out exactly
what that instructor's tests are like. If
possible, get old copies of the tests. Bet
ter yet, find a copy of the test you're
going to take and pay the smartest per
son you know to answer the questions
for you before the exam.
"If all that is impossible, find the
smartest kid in your class. This will be
the one who isn't sweating or reading
at the last minute and has only a number
'two pencil. Sit next to himher. Drop
your pencil a lot, and look at your neigh
bor's answers when you reach to pick
it up. (Note to computer science majors:
If all this fails, search for the instructor's
grading program in the computer and
change your score. Just don't get caught.)"
The authors last option probably is
the one most students choose: "Option
A is the most difficult of the three, as
students have too much to do in too
short a period of time. Retention of
material read is quite low, even with the
use of artificial aids such as mauive-
amounts of caffeine.
"Without such aids, however, con
centration is well-nigh impossible and
the urge to choose option C increases.
Therefore, the use of caffeine is suggested,
but do not OS), on the stuff. One Illinois
student reportedly stayed awake for 11
days straight after a Thursday night cram
ming session in which he consumed up
wards of 43 cans of a caffeinated cola
drink.
"... When cramming, try to study
by yourself. If, however, you find it
easier to study with someone else, try to
avoid studying with a member of the
opposite sex. Studies show that after
four or five hours of studying, not only
is option C considered, but option D as
well." The authors didn't elaborate on
option D.
"When reading textbooks, underline a
as you read so you don't end up staring
at the page. And in reading your class
notes (if you took any), rephrase state
ments and make them questions. If, for
example, you wrote down 'Richelieu was
the 17th century French cardinal whose
name was used for a brand of black olives,
change it to 'Who was the 17th century
French cardinal whose name was used
for a brand of black olives? Richelieu.'
This will help you remember the material
and reinforce your memory of it."
There's more in the book, but I think
you get the general idea. It's not avail
able in bookstores, by the way - 1 got
to use passages from it because I was a
contributing editor.
Illinois politicians cry wimp
Political races are eoin2 on all nver
America, and all over America things like
taxes, jobs and foreign policy are being
debated.
But in the Illinois governor's race, the
main issue is who is the biggest wimp.
In case you don't know exactly what a
wimp is, it is a lot like what the Supreme
Roger Simon
Court says about obscenity: We can't
define it, but we know it when we see it.
Adlai Stevenson is the former Demo
cratic senator from Illinois and the son of
the man who twice ran against Dwight
Eisenhower for president. He has charged
that Jim Thompson, his incumbent oppon
ent, is trying to portray him as a wimp.
Stevenson's response was to spend
$50,000 of his own money for TV com
mercials demonstrating his Marine record
and his non-wimpincss. In a debate, Steven
son also mentioned Thompson's passion
for antique collecting - sometimes on
state time.
Thompson denied saying Adlai was a
wimp and said he didn't even think Adlai
was a wimp.
If he had stopped there, things might
have returned to normal. Which is to say
dull.
But Thompson decided to attack Ste
venson's military record. He quoted Ste
venson as saying one reason Stevenson
joined up was to "get wounded" so he
could go further in politics.
Because the debate was centering on
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