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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 1987)
Students unprepared New economics missings ag expert says By Dave Weber Staff Reporter Students today are ill-equipped to understand the complexities of glo balized agricultural trade, said Ed ward Schuh, director of agriculture and rural development for the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Schuh encouraged about 100 fac ulty, students, administrators and other citizens Wednesday afternoon to change the current curriculum di rection to one more relevant to the needs of today’s economic picture. “1 think we’ve wasted an inordi nate amount of students’ time and I don’t know why they put up with it,” Schuh said during a seminar in Plant 'Our students know precious little about the cultures in other parts of the world.' —Schuh Science Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus. “We need to go back to the drawing board,’’Schuh said. “We don’t need five courses in farm management.” Rapid changes in the international economy have resulted in a great knowledge gap, he said. “When we loaned Brazil $500 million, uninformed lobbyists raised their voices in protest, although we made $4.3 million and that Brazil has traditionally provided very high sub sidies to its farmers.” Schuh said he left the University of Minnesota three years ago for the World Bank. The bank has provided $19.5 bil lion in farm loans worldwide this year and has had an 87 percent return rate, he said. The World Bank is a branch of the Department of Agriculture, estab lished after World War II to provide loans to eligible countries as well as a list of consultants available. UNL has been represented in Morocco for the last four years be cause of Nebraskans’ expertise in dry crop production. David Keith, an extension ento mologist, was chosen in July to live in Morocco because of his expertise with the Hessian fly, to replace the previ ous agricultural engineer there, said Doug Jose, a professor of agricultural economics. Keep on cruisin'; Big finish coming for Homecoming By I Rood Staff Reporter Activities for this year’s Home coming, “Cruisin’ Through the Years,” will continue with a parade and pep rally today and a party on the plaza Saturday. The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will march through downtown Lincoln. It will return to City Campus in time to start a pep rally in front of the Nebraska Union at 7:30 p.m. KFRX will broadcast live from the pep rally. Featured guests include the UNL Marching Band, the Nebraska Yell Squad, some Nebraska football players and the Homecoming Roy alty. If it rains, the pep rally will be moved into the Nebraska Union, said Heidi Bergmeyer, Homecoming committee chairperson. Saturday’s “On the Plaza Pep Rally” will be emceed by John Bergmeyer, second vice president of ASUN. The Women’s Chorale, Var sity Men’s Glee Club, Yell Squad, Scarlet and Cream, and the winners of Wednesday night’s talent show will perform. Royalty candidates will be introduced again. The pep rally will begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue until noon. Kick off for the Nebraska-Kansas Stale game is set for 1:30 p.m. The Homecoming king and queen will be announced at halftime. Don Hutchens, assistant director of the Nebraska Com Board, said UNL doesn’t offer courses in global agri culture. After farming for 14 years, he recognized the importance of interna tional agricultural trade and finance. “The first thing you do is to look to sec what the university offers in inter national trade and finance,” Hutchens said. “I found nothing.” “What is important to me is that we look at the international sector and ask, ‘How docs the international trade policy affect the Nebraska pro ducer?’” Hutchens said. He added that the university should take advantage of foreign students who understand the political and social environments of their country. Azzeddinc Azzam, assistant pro fessor of agricu Itural cconom ics, said, “Sometimes we’re guilty of needing a quick solution to problems that re quire long-range research. Graduate students could be taken out of the university payroll and be paid by the commodity board money to provide those short-term answers to specific problems.” Schuh said, “Our students know precious little about the cultures in other parts of the world. Our citizenry is also economically illiterate. They don’t understand that, with flexible exchange rates, it is very difficult to dump domestic economic problems abroad.” He also cited a lack of understand ing of Marxist thought and knowledge of U.S. history as weaknesses of land grant colleges. “Financial markets are driving the commodity markets, affecting the price of financial markets to affect exchange rates,” he said. Schuh said he’s astonished that people in power understand the cur rent economics system so poorly. “How can we expect our citizenry to understand it?” he said. This was the first in a scries of four sem inars designed to give members of the search committee for a new direc tor of the agriculture economics de partment a belter chance to under stand their needs. The other seminars will be on Thursday afternoons in the East Union. Bill Miller, the previous department director, left in July. The search for a replacement ends Dec. 18, and interviews will begin early next year, said Dr. Larry Bitney, professor of agricultural economics and chairman of the search commit tee. “I think these seminars will help to find the direction that this department ought to be going,” he said. Big Red Frozen Yogurt Cones & Cups I Can’t Believe It s ^ YOGURT! Frozen Yogurt Stores J 50% Discount I (on Red Cones & Cups excluding waffle cones) This Saturday, Oct. 24th to everyone wearing something Red. Enjoy the taste of Ice Cream but with one-fifth the fat and half the calories. GO HUSKERS! We’ll be cheering you on to victory against Kansas State - Open 11:00am-11:00pm Daily; FREE Noon-11pm Sunday EVERY TuSe 70th & y3*1 D°m I you come in Holmes Lake Plaza - 10 Mlnutaa from Downtown via Capital Paricway f On selected name brand merchandise. October 22-25. Shown: 6 For Her: T Camp Beverly Hills sportswear, reg. $32-$80. Juniors Esprit Sport collection, reg. $28-$80. Juniors Chaus separates, reg. $30-$99. The New You Counter Parts, reg. $30-$99. The New You ^ For Him: Generra sportswear, reg. $22-$48. Young Men’s Peninsula sportswear, reg. $32-$58. Men’s Sportswear k f 1