Editorial
NetJraskan
University of Nebraska-LIncoln
Mike Reilley, Editor, 472-1766
Jeanne Bourne, Editorial Page Editor
Jann Nyffeler, Associate News Editor
Scott Harrah, Night News Editor
Joan Rezac, Copy Desk Chief
Linda Hartmann, Wire Editor
Charles Lieurance, Asst. A & E Editor
Watching schools
Achievement check promotes learning
A proposal by Education Sec
retary William J. Bennett
that would require colleges
and universities to begin docu
menting student achievement
would serve as a long-overdue
“check and balance” on the
higher-education system.
The requirement also would
as many as 9,000 institutions,
including trade schools and com
munity colleges. Institutions
would risk losing accreditation
unless they prove that students
are achieving specific goals.
This would force universities
to keep track of students’ pro
gress. People would no longer
"slip through the cracks” of the
system like former Creighton Uni
versity basketball star Kevin
Ross. Ross couldn’t read when he
graduated from Creighton.
In a Sunday Washington Post
article, C. Ronald Kimberling,
assistant secretary for postse
condary education, said, “With
out measurements to assess
whether students are learning,
quality in education is meaning
less . . . Diplomas shouldn’t be
handed out.”
The new rule raises questions
of how to measure students pro
gress. It is probably impossible
to give standardized achievement
tests that do not discriminate
against certain groups.
Grade point averages don’L
reveal intelligence by any means
or, for that matter, real learning.
In many cases they simply mea
sure memorization and regurgi
tation skills. There was a stu
dent who took all his classes one
semester pass/no pass except a
dancing class. He had a 4.0 that
semester.
The requirement also would
help the undeclared-mqjor stu
dent to get advising instead of
being lost in the system.
The new rules also would in
clude student consumer protec
tions. Accredit ing agencies would
have to ensure that schools were
honest about costs, refund poli
cies and graduation require
ments.
These rules would be a great
benefit to students who are some
times misled by advisers. Some
students are forced to spend an
extra semester because they are
a few credits short because of
faulty advising.
Reagan needs stand
on AIDS legislation
Ehe Reagan administration
once again has found itself
crossed up on a hot topic.
This time it’s AIDS.
Although members of the
Reagan administration acknow
ledge that people with AIDS
have been discriminated against
in employment, housing and
school admissions, they still urge
lawmakers to “deter action on
specific proposals for substan
tive rights or new enforcement
procedures” aimed at protecting
people infected with the virus.
This doesn’t make sense. They
say they know that people are
being discriminated against, yet
they want to prohibit laws that
could help stop discrimination.
In testimony prepared for a
congressional subcommittee
hearing, Dr. Otis R. Bowen, sec
retary of health and human ser
vices, outlined the administra
tion’s stand.
They also say there is no need
to guarantee that AIDS test re
sults remain confidential. The
administration says it realizes
that people may not seek tests
and not get counseling or medi
cal tests. That will just perpetu
ate infection.
Bowen says the decision should
be made by states with regard to
their particular needs. He says
most states already have sta
tutes protecting confidentiality
of public health information.
If the government doesn’t take
a stand, there won’t be any more
money for research and laws pro
tecting victims of the disease. As
a result, AIDS will never be con
trolled.
By prohibiting these laws, the
Reagan administration shows its
true mentality. It has lost sight
of basic civil rights.
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials represent
official policy of the fall 1987 Daily
Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its mem
bers are Mike Reilley, editor; Jeanne
Bourne, editorial page editor, Joan
Rezac, copy desk chief; Jann Nyffeler,
associate news editor; Charles Lieur
ance, assistant arts and entertain
ment editor, Scott Harrah, night
news editor and Linda Hartmann,
wire editor.
Editorials do not necessarily re
» II. ■ —
fleet the views of the university, its
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.
.. .1 ... ... . ■ —
Stop corporate raiders
States must retain traditional role in governing corporations
Nearly a year ago, a group of cor
porate raiders led by British
financier Sir James Goldsmith
began its hostile takeover attack on
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. While the
assault lasted only a short time, the
experience left a permanent impact on
I the Lincoln community where more
than 2,000 jobs were threatened.
In the course of stopping last
Guest Opinion
November’s takeover attempt, Goodyear
incurred $2.6 billion in debt. This
forced Goodyear — to cut costs and
put the company back on its feet — to
offer early retirement programs to some
of its Lincoln employees and extend its
five-year modernization plan at the
Lincoln plant to six years.
Clearly, Goodyear and its employees
paid a high price to fight off the hostile
takeover. But what were the costs, if
any, to Sir James Goldsmith? He made
a handsome profit from the deal —
nearly $87.5 million in gross profits
from the shares he sold back to Good
year, and another $22 million for the
expenses he incurred during the bid.
The sobering lesson learned from
the ordeal is simply that corporate
raiders can strike whenever and wher
ever they choose, and no community is
completely safe from the threat of hos
tile takeover.
Nebraskans witnessed another cor
porate-takeover horror story in 1985-86
when a corporate raider threatened to
take over Internorth Corp. headquar
tered in Omaha. To defend itself, Inter
north looked to strengthen its position
by acquiring Houston Natural Gas.
Surprisingly, the smaller company,
HNG, quickly took control of the corpo
rate board and moved the corporation
headquarters to Houston, costing Ne
braska and Omaha thousands of jobs,
economic activity and a damaged self
image.
Something needs to be done to pre
vent these raiders from plundering
American corporations for quick prof
its. These "Wall Street Pirates" aren’t
far different from the pirates of the
Caribbean whose looting and pillaging
disrupted commerce on the high seas.
"Wall Street Pirates" who use abusive
tactics and financial manipulation to
reap short-term profits should be held
accountable by reforms at both the
state and federal levels. We must make
the takeover process fairer to the
shareholders, communities and workers
involved.
Because states traditionally have
chartered and regulated corporations
within their jurisdictions, it is impor
tant that states continue to play a lead
ing role in governing their corporations
in this area States obviously have a
natural interest in hostile takeovers —
and since they are closest to the situa
tion, they know best what needs to be
done. State legislators also are more
responsive to local problems than fed
eral bureaucrats and are able to act
quickly and flexibly to new abuses. In
the case of Goodyear, Ohio’s respon
siveness to the hostile takeover was
one of the reasons Goldsmith eventu
ally backed away from his bid.
Congress soon will consider legisla
tion which would take a counter pnv
ductive approach to the hostile take
over problems by pre-empting the
states’ governing authority in this area.
A move to shift this responsibility to
Washington would strengthen the posi
tion of Wall Street raiders while weak
ening the ties that bind corporations to
their communities. In essence, our
congressional delegation will have to
choose between local control or federal
control, between Main Street or Wall
Street, between Nebraska businesses
or corporate raiders. I strongly believe
we must maintain states' traditional
role in governing their corporations
and not allow the federal bureaucracy
to take over this important responsibil
ity. Washington must not act to pre
empt the states’ role in this area — or
we will soon see a bad situation become
even worse.
Don Wesely
state senator
Royko’s self-analysis reveals
a loathable, loony columnist
Note: Mike Royko is on vaca
tion. While he is gone, we are
reprinting some of his favorite
columns. The following first
appeared Oct. 10, 1975.
I’ve always been hooked on the self
analysis tests that frequently appear
in the feat ures pages of newspapers
and magazines.
The questions have multiple choice
answers, and each answer has a differ
ent value in points. You add up the
points and determine the kind of shape
you are in.
For instance, the question in a test
on drinking might go:
Q. Do you usually drink:
(a) Only at parties? (1 point)
(b) Only a nip after work? (2 points)
(c) A pint before breakfast? (3
points)
Or, if it is about your mental state, a
question might go:
Q. Do you spend a lot of time:
(a) Worrying about bills? (1 point)
(b) Thinking you are getting old too
fast? (2 points)
(c) Sitting in a dark closet by your
Mike
Royko
self, whimpering and wringing your
hands? (3 points)
The various tests tell you if you are
likely to have a heart attack, if you have
a drab personality, if you are on the
verge of a marital breakup, and just
about anything else that might be of
interest.
The idea is that a bad score should
warn you to change some of your habits.
I’ve taken them all. And, on the basis
of the results, I have discovered I died
sometime in 1968, that I’m confined to
a padded cell, that everybody I know
hates me, or should, and that I’m very
happy.
But 1 haven’t changed any of my hab
its. Why push my luck?
Not long ago, a new test appeared in
a column by Ann Landers. It consisted
of questions about boozing and drugs
and sex, and getting drunk and arrested,
and getting young girls in trouble and
all sorts of fascinating stuff
The trouble was it was designed for
teen-agers, to determine whether they
were goody goodies (0 to 21 points),
normal (22 to 35 points) or depraved
and dissipated (36 points and up).
See ROYKO on 5
