Wednesday, April 22, 1937
Page 4
Daily Nebraskan
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.MTKorlx'lik, Editor, 471 1766
James Rogers, Editorial Paye Editor
Use Olson, Associate News Editor
Mike Keilley, A7y AVm .s Editor
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Influential ambassadors
Representatives have a purpose
When the UNL Ambassadors
meet this Thursday to elect
officers and discuss pos
sible fall activities, let us hope
that these students start feeling
they have a purpose. The pro
gram, started in the spring of
1985, has the chance to be a
potential influence. And it should
be.
The Daily Nebraskan reported
that after not meeting for nearly
five months, members of the
organization gathered to clarify
the group's purpose and think of
ways to aid the university in the
fall.
The ambassadors disbanded
in November after being con
fused about their purpose, and
what they said was a lack of
leadership.
The group was formed to visit
Nebraska high schools and give a
student's perspective of campus
life at UNL. The group also spon
sored campus tours for prospec
tive students. Recruitment of
high school students is essential
to the well-being of the univer
sity, especially since the budget
cuts have been so highly publicized.
Letters
Union Square workers deserve jobs
As a frequent visitor to Union Square,
the fate of the employees upon the
arrival of the new food franchise con
cerns me. It is my sincere hope that
those in charge of hiring at Burger King
will recognize them while reviewing
potential employees. These hard-work
Males must take the
1 would like to respond to James N.
Hanna's guest opinion (DN, April 13)
concerning sexism. He says, "People
trying to fight sexism against females
turn their efforts, inadvertently or not,
into attacks against males." How rid
iculous! Males are the source of sexism!
If we were being bombed by Mars,
would we bomb Venus to save our
selves? I fail to see his logic here. He
also states that as a male, he is not
responsible for the creation of our
male-dominated society or language. If
he is not, then who is? Present genera
tions are always so quick to put the
blame on previous ones for society's
problems. Present-day males may not
have created this male-dominated so
ciety, but they certainly perpetuate it.
Every time a male student calls one
of his adult female classmates a "girl,"
he uses sexist language. When frater
nity males set up an escort service to
"protect" the women on campus, they
perpetuate male domination. (I think
the sororities should provide this ser
vice.) When biology books define sex
ual intercourse as "penetration" by a
penis rather than "enclosure" by a vag
ina, male domination is again perpetu
ated, only this time at the most funda
mental level of human relationships.
'I'm a loser; my life
In response to nothing. I do not wear
Birkenstocks. I support athletics and
oppose salary increases to enhance
academia. I am homophobic. I am apa
thetic toward campus politics. I am
shallow and indecisive. My humanity is
based on superficial innuendo. I am
not religious because Roman Catholics
are persecuted. I find that women who
wear too much makeup are irrestible. I
believe the claim that obesity cannot
be helped; it's a glandular thing. I do
It's not difficult to fathom
that high school graduates might
be wary to come to UNL when
they see practically every pro
gram receiving some kind of a
cut. How can the university guar
antee a quality education? This
is where the administration takes
steps.
The 25 current ambassadors
told Dr. James Griesen, asso
ciate vice chancellor of academic
affairs, that they needed a spon
sor and a better definition of
their purpose. Griesen responded
by outlining possible activities
they could work with in the fall
and said he would look for possi
ble sponsors. He also suggested
activities that would be imple
mented now, including partici
pation in "Freshman Friday,"
continuing visiting area high
schools, and helping professors
with university foundation classes.
With the help of the adminis
tration, the ambassadors can ed
ucate high school students about
the university and about the
budget cuts. Tell them what is
getting cut and why.
ing people deserve to be commended
for the years of service they have given.
Their dedication and good rapport with
the students is easily noted.
Margaret Millea
senior
journalism
blame for sexism
Sexism exists when you have special
coed rules in intramural sports devised
to allow the women, through handi
caps, the opportunity to play more.
If you are serious about fighting sex
ims, boycott these games, fight for rule
changes and tell the males to quit hog
ging the ball.
I think Hanna missed the point
completely. The only reason I have
given the previous instances is because
they are in the realm of his experience.
He cannot possibly understand how
deeply sexism affects women's lives.
His complaint about constantly "feel
ing like a rude, sexist idiot" will vanish
when he stops being one. His argument
sounds more like a child whining about
being called a nasty name. He totally
ignores the fact that women are still
bought and sold, paid unlivable wages,
coerced by rape into locking, them
selves away, and used to sell everything
that makes a profit.
I'm sure Hanna is not as superficial
as his letter indicated. I think that he,
and all of us, through serious reflection
and concentrated effort, can help to
diminish this widespread problem.
Jayne Stratton
graduate student
biological sciences
is meaningless'
not believe that "hacky sack" is a
queer display of Grecians at play. I
vandalize bicycles parked at the union
to get back at society. I head a secret
society of college males who urinate on
autos. I truly believe that Fred Link
hates women. I am a loser, my life is
hopelessly meaningless.
Alan D. Classen
senior
marketing
NoToxody claecks the
l-house legislature deprives Nebraskans
It was in ninth-gade civics class in
Tennessee that I first learned of
Nebraska's unique unicameral leg
islature. Even at that tender age, I real
ized many of the possible advantages of
such a system. There just seemed to be
little sense in states with populations
under 2 million supporting dual legis
lative houses with sometimes more
than 200 members. So I was then and
am now basically supportive of the phi
losophy that led our fathers two gener
ations back to buck tradition and go
with common sense. Many Nebraska
tax dollars have been saved and rerouted
(God willing) to more deserving causes
over the intervening period.
However, there is one important dis
advantage to a unicameral system, the
avoidance of which was part of the orig
inal motivation for a two-house body
both locally and nationally. The dire
need for checks and balances within a
governmental system is often served by
the fact that any bill must make it
through two separate legislative bodies
before being presented to the execu
tive branch. Crudely put, such a system
protects the people from that periodic
phenomenon that occurs when one
lawmaking house is comprised mostly
of idiots, charlatans and generally un
qualified participants. Alas, when we
enter such a period in Nebraska, there
is no saner body to check the silliness
of those for whom power has become an
intoxicating spirit. We are experienc
ing such a dangerous period.
In countless ways over the past few
years, the unicam has demonstrated
that it is out of touch with the needs
and desires of the people of this state
Commission proposes real reforms
Last week, the Daily Nebraskan
published an unsigned editorial
criticizing the final report of the
Chancellor's Commission on General
Liberal Education.
After careful examination of the
Program for the Advancement of Gen
eral Liberal Education, I found it con
tained substantial, meaningful changes
rather than "meaningless mush" as
described in the DN.
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Guest Opinion
UNL has a threefold mission: teach
ing, research and service. So much
emphasis has been put on the latter
two changes, but the former seems to
have been ignored. The new approaches
to education suggested in the report
are exciting and innovative in my opin
ion, rather than "predictable, safe and
utterly pedestrian," as the DN would
argue.
At a university of this size, research
is encouraged and little attention is
paid to how well students are taught.
W & N v v
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and (more importantly) with what de
cent nomological procedure consists
of. I will not waste space with exam
ples anyone who has crawled out of
a cave long enough to catch a front
page now and then is all too aware of
the appropriate instances.
The most recent illustration of our
current sad legislative predicament is
underscored by a delightful irony. Al
most a month after Congress overrode
President Reagan's veto of the highway
bill and paved the way for 65 mph
speed limits on rural interstates, the
very stte whose senator authored the
victor 1 ! s amendment has yet to pass a
bill ahv.ving us legally to get from Lin
coln to Grand Island in an hour and a
half.
James
Sennett
Some of our senators (is it surprising
that Ernie Chambers is the ringleader?)
have decided that 65 mph is not
enough. Rather, any Nebraska resident
who is willing to take the slap on the
wrist should be allowed to go as fast as
70 with no fear of points against his
license and at worst a $10 fine. In
effect, the Rotunda Rowdies are trying
to sneak in a 70 mph interstate speed
limit in 65 mph clothing. Not only
would most people figure $10 a worthy
risk, one must also question strongly
The chancellor's commission report
calls for incentives for teaching as well
as research and service.
Great emphasis is put on the need to
improve the way in which students are
learning, rather than just altering the
requirements for graduation.
The report calls for delegating sub
stantial advising responsibilities to
fewer faculty members while providing
for salary increases, promotions and
lighter teaching schedules for those
faculty members involved in advising.
The report finds need for greater
emphasis on the learning, physical and
cultural environments of the UNL cam
pus. It calls for increased integration of
special events and activities with the
curricular offerings and the social
aspects of student life.
The report sets up new guidelines
for course requirements. It calls for
introductory courses tailored to freshman-level
students as well as special
seminars for seniors. The program urges
"that course materials and approaches
be suited to students at different levels
of preparation and intellectual devel
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of adequate reality
how many of our overworked state
troopers would be too concerned to
stop anyone doing less than 70 mph
just to issue such a stand-in-the-corner
punishment.
Remember all the debates over the
65 mph proviso? I and others have
warned that those who traveled 65 to 70
when the limit was 55 will travel 75 to
80 when it is 65. The rejoinders came,
complete with studies of average speeds
before the oil embargo, demonstrating
that 65 to 75 mph speed limits were not
abused with the regularity that the 55
mph limit is. I thought then that the
arguing sounded like a pre-schooler
asking for just 10 more minutes before
bedtime and promising notto violate
such grace if extended.
Interstate driving in Nebraska is
dangerous enough as it is. I am not too
anxious to give the fat cats in their
Lincoln Town Cars and the sassy cute
boys in their RX-7's and Z-28's any more
of a cushion than the 65 mph allowance
will already give. If the claims that this
limit will not be as abused as the
former are legitimate, then why not
pass a bill that slams you to the mat at
66?
I do a lot of interstate driving in this
state and country, and I am more inter
ested in the life of my family than I am
in your schedule or your need to show
off machismo. The safety of our citizens
is important enough for you to leave 10
minutes earler if you are in all that big
a hurry.
Sennett is campus minister with College-Career
Christian Fellowship and a
graduate student in philosophy who even
drives 35 mph down Vine Street.
opment." Freshmen will be better pre
pared for upper-level classes if courses
are planned to meet the levels of
knowledge and social development of
the students. Advanced students should
not be allowed to enroll in classes
intended for beginning students, accord
ing to the new general education plan.
This letter briefly outlines only a few
of the many excellent proposals for the
advancment of general liberal educa
tion made by the chancellor's commis
sion. The commission did a fine job
targeting areas of weakness on our
campus.
I agree with the Daily Nebraskan
that "every student should read Plato
and Shakespeare while getting a uni
versity education." The chancellor's
commission does not preclude that
possibility. It does, however, set up
excellent guidelines for improved
teaching, curriculum and student ser
vices on a campus where reforms in
these areas are badly needed.
Chris Scudder
senior
English
