Friday, February 13, 1937
Pago 4
Daily Ncbrcskcn
Tv t n Daily
Jeff Korbelik, Editor, 472-1766
James Rogers, Editorial Page Editor
Lise Olsen, Managing Editor
Mike Reilley, Associate News Editor
Joan Rezac, Copy Desk Chief
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Editoffisil ,
GUP t'5
NMUN speaker a plum
Students need more exposure
There's little question that
the Nebraska Model United
Nations really got a plum of
a keynote speaker for this year's
conference. Jesse Jackson is a
high-profile, charismatic and
controversial speaker with much
experience in international pol
itics. The Centennial Room was
packed to capacity and the
audience warmly received his
speech.
Jackson's speech, entitled 'The
Power of the Individual," covered
many issues many domestic,
some international, all express
ing the spirit of the man who
personifies the Rainbow Coalition.
Yet some disappointments and
concerns were apparent regard
ing Jackson's appearance.
The NMUN committee and the
University Programming Council
felt obligated to reduce Jack
son's honorarium to $10,000
because, except for the evening
speech, he refused to follow the
ostensibly agreed-upon itinerary
(obviously causing the planned
events to be cancelled) and set
up meetings promoting the Rain
bow Coalition.
Additionally, the NMUN com
mittee specifically wanted to
bring Jackson in for the keynote
address of the conference to talk
about the power of the individ
ual in foreign affairs. After all,
Jackson has had more experience
(and success) than many in neg
otiating as a private U.S. citizen
with foreign governments.
The title that his address finally
boiled down to was "The Power
of the Individual." Yet that phrase
really didn't do justice to his
topic. A more appropriate title
would have been "The Power of
Jesse Jackson."
Now, certainly, Jackson is
intrinsically interesting, and the
topics were significant, nonethe
less, Jackson is a probable pre
sidential candidate press
conference observers indicated
that he has all but announced.
Additionally, Jackson discussed
a number of domestic issues
replete with fulminations against
Ronald Reagan. (Jackson likened
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials represent
official policy of the fall 198& Daily
Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its mem
bers are Jeff Korbelik .editor; James
Rogers, editorial page editor; Lise
Olsen, associate news editor; Mike
Reilley, night news editor and Joan
Rezac, copy desk chief.
Editorials do not necessarily re
flect the views of the university, its
Letter Policy
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes
brief letters to the editor from all
readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for
publication on the basis cf clarity,
originality, timeliness and space
available.
Reagan to King Herod of biblical
times the king who sought to
murder Jesus Christ when he
was a baby.)
Jackson also pushed his own
presidential ambitions. In over
viewing what followed, Jackson
said: Tonight we meet to work on
the unfinished business, in some
sense, of Dr. King's agenda. To
do so we must take his dream
from outside the steps of the
Lincoln Monument to inside
the Oval Office at the White
House; to the halls of Congress
with the ability to appoint justi
ces, cabinet offices, that might
implement the dream. Our pro
gressive coalition can win the
Democratic nomination in '88,
and thus change the course of
our party and of our nation."
After most of his speech was
finished, in an action UPC and
the NMUN committee did not
expect, Jackson openly solicited
members and money for his
Rainbow Coalition (the institu
tion spearheading his 1988 pre
sidential race).
All this raises questions re
garding the use of student and
university funds for the promo
tion of a sectarian political
movement and one man's presi
dential aspirations.
None of this is the fault of UPC
or the NMUN committee. Tim
Moore, program coordinator for
Campus Activities and Programs,
observed that Jackson's approach
to the event was coordinated by
a "Washington office interested
in taking advantage of political
situations." Jackson abused the
platform.
i Nonetheless, it's certainly good
to have controversial speakers
:appear at UNL: We need more of
it. It's also quite good that Jack
son could appear. Jackson's
speech was openly partisan
that's something UNL students
should be exposed to. A com
mitment to the notion of a truly
robust exchange of ideas in the
university marketplace calls for
UPC (or next year's NMUN com
mittee) to bring in a conserva
tive advocate to advance this
important goal.
employees, the students or the NU
Board of Regents.
The Daily Nebraskan's publishers
are the regents, who established the
UNL Publications Board to super
vise the daily production of the
paper.
According to policy set by the
regents, responsibility for the edi
torial content of the newspaper lies
solely in the hands of its student
editors.
left to the editor's discretion.
. Anonymous submissions will not
be considered for publication.
Letters should include the author's
name, year in school, major and
group affiliation, if any. Requests to
withhold names from publication
will not be granted.
Submit material to the Daily Ne
braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400R
St., Lincoln, fob. 6SoSS044&
Message needs no
M
ore than 1,000 Nebraskans
stood to clap as the Baptist
minister entered the ballroom,
ready to cleanse some souls. He didn't
have to say a word. The Rev. Jesse
Jackson called for the audience to
accept the "challenges of the day" the
way he . and Martin Luther King Jr.
accepted the challenges of social
injustice 20 years ago. He asks for and
expects a lot.
Most of what he said was not new.
But that did not make it less stirring.
Four times the Nebraskans clapped as
he spoke of his visions and what he's
seen.
Jackson's gaze does not focus on one
great human challenge. Instead he
scans the world's horizons for poverty,
hunger, unhappiness and injustice. He
speaks intimately of every nation, every
continent, every human being as one.
His tremendous vision is his weakness
as a presidential candidate. He sees
more, tries to understand more and
fights for more than the average or even
above-average human being. He seeks
to move mountains, part seas and, per
haps least likely, live in peace. He
seems to expect success.
Many people who elect this nation's
presidents, including most Nebraskans,
lack that vision. They see clearly
perhaps 20 feet, with glasses. They can
focus on one of two reasonable goals at
a time: saving for a car and getting a
.degree.
In the abstract, they want to feed the
hungry, house the homeless, find work
for the unemployed and give the farmer
a fair deal.
But they consistently vote against
CFA should
There seems to be a feeling in the
Daily Nebraskan office that the Com
mittee for Fees Allocations recent
budget cuts should be applauded (DN,
Feb. 12). If space had allowed, and if
the editor had kept with the rationale
used, he quickly would have found his
foot in his mouth.
Arguing that "CFA members adopted
a financially prudent posture" by not
"rubber-stamping" Campus Recreation's
proposed budget increase shows a sur
prising lack of investigative reporting
on the DN's part.
Guest Opinion
Recreation is not just a "worth
while" activity on a university campus,,
but it is quite vital. Clinical studies of
the importance of work and play are
universal constants. The editorial also
implied recklessness not only on Cam
pus Recreation's part by submitting
the proposal, but it also suggested that
CFA acted for reasons which it really
didn't
accoutrements to be
raising taxes to support social pro
grams. They would rather contribute
money for the Lied Center for Perform
ing Arts than for the People's City
Mission, and they complain about the
grocery bill.
. Beyond Lincoln, their near-sightedness
landscapes them even more. Some
see the world in such a limited way that
they might be considered legally blind.
It's not difficult to find people who
have never been out of the state and
cannot imagine countries where people
don't play or understand football.
Local newspapers and TV services
that focus on local events and devote
only a few sentences or two to major
foreign crises don't aid their sight
much.
Dr.
0 J
Lise
Olsen
1
JL
The crowd that listened to Jackson
Wednesday night was a little different
than most Nebraskans. They were
willing, even eager, to hear what he'd
say. They knew the first black presi
dential candidate would confront dis
turbing issues, tell emotional tales and
criticize the president.
He didn't disappoint them.
He asked them to strive to make
economic and social injustices illegal.
To tackle those issues the same way he
back Campus Recreation
Let's discuss Campus Recreation's
role first. Many hundreds of hours each
year go into budget maintenance, pre
dictions and the annual proposal made
to the Campus Recreation Advisory
Council, and CFA. Facility, staffing and
improvement needs are constantly
monitored to reflect an ever-increasing
student use of both programs and facil
ities. The increase in the budget prop
osal is in realization that the current
number of students taking advantage
of the programs can no longer be given
proper service with the present staff
within Campus Recreation.
In asking for an additional $1.40 per
student each semester, the depart
ment will be able to increase the staff
enough to eliminate the regular 12
hour work day that has been accepted
as normal by several of the full time
staff. Which, by the way, there are only
four.
With the coming of the indoor prac
tice field, open recreation facilities
will have to be spread over a wider area
(to make up for the loss of Men's P.E.)
and this will require, for reasons of
"'V -J
V j)
J "ft
It (fM
K
.... Rjin'
loud and clear
and King tackled them in the 1960s
peacefully, energetically and legally.
The undoubtedly Democratic group
went wild when he criticized the
president as a reactionary, prcorpor
ate, pro-military isolationist racist who
adds to the problems he should be
trying to solve.
They clapped as he compared Reagan
and his budget to Herod in a manger
scene: Reagan locks Mary and Joseph
out of the inn, denies Mary prenatal
care and refuses to heat the stable.
Then he denies Joseph job training and
uses the money he saved to shoot the
Star of Bethlehem out of the sky. s
At times the Nebraskans laughed
wholeheartedly. Other times a bit
uneasily. Occasionally, unspoken
"Amens" seemed to echo in their minds. .
When Jackson called them to take
King's dream from outside the Lincoln
monument to inside the halls of
Congress and the White House, some
could have been thinking of the replica
of the monument just outside Nebras
ka's Capitol.
None appeared outwardly converted.
But they stood again as he left. A few
took cards for his Rainbow Coalition,
and many pushed their way to the front
to shake his hand.
At the same spot, three-nights earlier,
another sold-out crowd greeted a band
from Austin, Texas, and another from
Nashville, Tenn. But the message of
this one man, without the light shows,
without accompaniment, without blar
ing sets of speakers, was much louder
and clearer.
Olsen is a senior news-editorial major
and Daily Nebraskan associate news
editor.
state health and insurance, more
supervision. Many campus facilities
never intended for open use will be
tried in an attempt to accommodate
the expected large amount of student
use. By pooling resources and resche
duling activities, Campus Recreation
has managed to restrict the need for
any large increases, recognizing its
responsibility to the students it serves.
Each year on the student election
ballot, Campus Recreation is put before
the student body for a vote of confi
dence. And, for the past six years,
Campus Recreation has received the
highest approval rating of any student
fee funded agency on campus. These
marks are taken very seriously as the
student body's approval rating of the
money being spent for recreation and
how that money is spent. If CFA is the
financial arm of the student body,
these approval ratings should reflect in
their decision toward Campus Recrea
tion's budget proposal.
Douglas Engh
' graduate student
education
