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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1987)
Nebraskan 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 ( harles Lieurance, Asst. A & E Editor Apathetic higher-ups must hear students Dave Regan, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln law student, opened a can of worms last week with his petition drive aimed at making improvements in the UNL Of fice of Scholarships and Finan cial Aid. Now if only someone would listen to him. Long lines, bad communica tion and constantly busy phones have troubled students for a number of semesters. Regan started the petition because he and several other students were fed up with the problems. His petition uncovered more than just problems in the finan j cialaidoffice.lt also showed the I apathetic attitude that ASUN and the central administration have toward student concerns. But Regan’s pica for help fell on deaf cars when he presented the petition at an ASUN Senate meeting last week. Senators chose not to discuss the petition, adjourned and later reconvened. Before the senate adjourned the second time, Sen. Pete Cas tellano complained that recent j ASUN activities haven't been effective. “1 think ASUN has stopped I being an effective voice for stu 1 dents,” he said. But the apathy extends from the ASUN office to the Admini stration Building. Vice Chan cellor for Student Affairs James Griescn told the ASUN senators that the university was already 1 “painfully aware” of the prob lems at the financial aid office. “The last thing we need is an investigative committee to come in and take staff time they desperately need to help stu dents,” Griescn said. But the administration needs to investigate the office. It should sec the problems first hand as opposed to reading a petition. Also, if the administration al ready knew about the problems, then it should already have done something about them. Students sent several letters to the Daily Nebraskan last week that com plained about problem sin the fi nancial aid office. The DN en courages them to send similar letters to the chancellor’s office. The lack of action by the ad ministration has frustrated workers in the office. Larry Apcl, assistant director of the office, said little has been done financially to help the office. “I know there is all kinds of money being spent at the univer sity, but not on us,” Apcl said. “We’ve pushed for changes for years and years and years,” he said, “and we’ve watched other people get improvements while we stay the way we arc. “I feel like we’re the plague.” Since the ASUN meeting, Regan has introduced a new petition, saying that the original one lacked preciseness. Apcl and William McFarland, direc tor of the office, have unoffi cially endorsed the new peti tion. McFarland also has revised an evaluation of the office he wrote last spring. The report includes a history of the office, a list of recent improvements and an assessment of the challenges the office still faces. The Residence Hall Associa tion has called a special session tonight to decide whether to support the petition. The DN urges the group to suppon the petition, McFarland’s repon, and letters and complaints by students. But most of al 1, let yourselves be heard. It seems to be the only way to get any thi ng done around here. Black votes increase along with candidates II people other than rich, white men ran lor office, the United States proba bly would have a larger voter turn | out. A new Census Bureau study shows that more young blacks voted in the 1986 elections than whites in the same age group. The voter turnout among young blacks increased along with the number of blacks seeking public office. According to the Statistical Abstract of the United Suites, the number of blacks holding elected positions in the United Suites and suite legislatures increased from 179 in 1970to410in January 1986. in the 1984 presidential cam paign, whites ages 18 to 24 l outvoted blacks 42 percent to 4 I percent. In the 1984 presidential cam paign, considerable attention was drawn by the black community to Jesse Jackson’s candidacy. Black leaders had drives to reg ister more blacks to vote. These drives helped return the Senate to Democratic control — ousting incumbents in Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. In 19X6, 25 percent of blacks ages IX to 24 voted, as opposed to 22 percent of whites. The black vote is becoming a bigger force in the political arena. This is also evident in some southern senators’ decisions not to nominate Robert H. Bork for Su preme Court justice. They realize that the blacks elected them, and now to truly represent their con siitucncv they must vote against Bork. If more people with different ethnic backgrounds follow Jackson’s lead into the presidential race, then voter apathy among those groups will decline. In the meantime, we can only hope they will continue to overcome their apathy. fn T'***’*. "Tfl \ “I'LL NEVER VOTE FOR 6u£H ... IMAGINE HIM SAVING WE COULD USB A LITTLE MORE MECHANICAL KNOW-HOW HERD IN DETROIT ! " Conception misconceptions Teen pregnancies are offspring of ignorance, warped values An article in the Sunday Om aha World-Herald told the story of a 12-year-old girl from Omaha who gave birth this fall to a 2-pound, 6-ounce baby. Although her mother had told her about contraceptives, the 12-year-old still maintained, “The first time you have sex I didn't think you could get pregnant.” This 12-year-old mother had sex with an apparently demanding 16 ycar-old boy, whom she had never met before, at her girlfriend’s home. The girl’s mother gave birth to her when she was 16. This makes her a grandmother at 28. That is personally shocking because 1 have grave doubts about even marriage by that age. Many Nebraskans think teen-age sex is a problem primarily in the inner cities, but statistics show the problem is very close to home. In 1986, 313 babies were born in Nebraska to moth ers 16 years old and younger. Ten percent of those babies were bom to mothers 14 years old and younger. Even more alarming arc the mis conceptions and distorted views that | many children have about sex and ■ contraceptives. Jan Kennedy of Planned Parent hood of Omaha-Council Bluffs said some youngsters have tried the fol lowing as birth-control devices: • Soda pop as a douche. • Jumping jacks after intercourse. • Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, peanut butter and refrigerated bis | cuils. Don't ask me about the last one. I *__ pondered that one, loo. Many believe television is to blame. Kennedy said studies indicate that there are “an average of more than two implied acts of sexual intercourse for every hour of prime-time TV.” Television shows and movies tend to equate love and the bedroom. Many of the plots follow the routine where two people meet and their immediate attraction leads to passionate sex. Then they break up for a while only to get back together and live happily ever after. There really is no other way to portray sex. The whole setting would be ruined if J.R. Ewing stopped short in a successful seduction only to pull out a Trojan and say, “It’s hard enough controlling Ewing Oil with Bobby and Cliff Barnes, let alone bringing any more Ewings into the world.” But the problem runs much deeper than television shows. Broken homes and one-parent families have trouble offering children good role models. Two-career households are not any belter settings because both parents ha\c limited time to spend with their children. Schools should provide sex educa tion, but they are not the sole solution. Sex cannot be taught like math or history. Sex education includes much more than explaining contraceptives. Chil dren need to understand the emotional dimension of the physical act. Such discussions need to be undertaken by I parents or other support groups that can help children on an on-going basis. Churches also could play a role in helping children understand that there are more ways to express love than having sex. Many church officials tend to be more concerned with cam paigning against nuclear war than focusing on this world problem that exists right in their own congrega tions. Solutions are not easy, but public discussion of the issue must be in creased or children will continue to have children. My late arrival in life put my father in some awkward situations in my youth. There were occasions when store clerks would tell my father what a nice grandson he had. He took great pride in setting the record straight. However, on the other side of the age spectrum, the 28-ycar-old grand mother probably feels much more awkward explaining to store clerks why this baby's mother is still in the sixth grade. What a generation we live in. Carlson is a third-year law student. I Letter Financial Aid office rude, student says Upon entering the university, 1 assumed that the university would be willing to give me information and assist me in all aspects of college life. 1 have found most departments to be helpful; however, I am extremely disappointed in the Office of Scholar ships and Financial Aid. Although 1 realize this is a large institution, the staff at the financial aid office must also realize that individuals make up the large institution. It nccessaiily follows that individuals' tuition in el feet pays a portion of their salaries. Ihc staff is here to serve the individual’s needs. Students are not here as a favor to them. Their posi tions require courtesy and helpful ness. This I have yet to encounter in my numerous dealings w ilh the staff. In fact, 1 would label their attitude as rude, inconsiderate and impatient. f or instance, 1 filled out the re quired Financial Aid Form in January 1987. However, I did not receive notification that I was to be awarded any federal funds until the middle of September. In effect, I did not know if I would be able to afford school until after classes had begun. Furthermore, upon applying for a Guaranteed Stu dent Loan, I was told it would take approximately six to eight weeks. I applied at the beginning of the sum mer. Each time I checked on the status of my loan, I was told that it would be at least three more weeks. This went on for four months. Each time I called to check on my loan, I was given vague or rude answers. They never would give me a definite date upon which I would receive a loan or if I would reepive one. I realize the financial aid office deals with many students. College life is unsettling, and the failure to notify students adds a needless bur den that could be easily remedied by accurate information delivered in a courteous manner. I have spent a great deal of money to attend this university. 1 would appreciate spend ing my time and effort on studying and not on the bureaucracy called the financial aid office. Jennifer Relzlafl freshman business