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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 1987)
Editorial__ Nebraskan University ot Nebraska-Lincoln Mike Reilley, Editor, 472-1766 Jeanne Bourne, Editorial Page Editor Jen Deselms, Managing Editor Mike Hooper, Assix'iate News Editor Scott Harrah, Night Nines Editor Joan Rezac, Copy Desk Chief Linda Hartmann, Wire Editor Collegiate drug tests NCAA should challenge judge’s ruling A Superior Court judge’s ruling last week has left the NCAA with a drug testing program and a set of rules that can’t be enforced. Judge Conrad Rushing ruled that the NCAA’s drug testing pro gram violates the Constitution. He barred the organization from test ing Stanford athletes for steroid and cocaine use in all sports except football and men’s basketball, The Associated Press reported. The ruling has several prob lems. It assumes that only football and male basketball players use the drugs, which isn’t necessarily true. For example, former Ne braska shotputtcr Joe Staub has said he used steroids when he set the Comhuskcr shot put record in 1981 — before the NC \ \ banned the drug and tested for it. Staub has since quit using steroids and has denounced their use to high school athletes he now coaches in Ore Staub’s case was only one inci dent. If the NCAA withdrew test ing for sports other than football and men’s basketball, steroid use would again run rampant in other college sports. In the Stanford case, football player Barry McKeever and soccer testing violated their privacy. McKeever said he lound the drug test “degrading, humiliating and deeply embarrassing.” But it also can save lives. Just last spring, New York Mels pitcher Dwight Gooden tested positive for cocaine use and entered a drug rehabilitation program. Gooden got help because of testing, but others haven’t been so lucky. Former Maryland basket ball star Len Bias died two years ago from cocaine use. Stanford president Donald Kennedy opposed the testing and supported the athletes, saying that “student athletes should be treated like other students.” And they should be — to a point. But Kennedy needs to remember that participating in intercollegiate athletics is a privi lege, not a requirement, and that “student athletes” must meet cer tain standards. Testing is the only way to keep college athletics fair. Steroids add bulk necessary for weight-training and while cocaine has no scientific advantage, many athletes have said it gives them a mental “edge” when preparing for a game. These drugs give athletes who break rules an advantage over those who fol low them. The Stanford “test ease” sets a dangerous precedent for other university athletic departments. The ruling applies only to Stan ford, but itcould influence athletes at other universities to challenge the program. Soon, the NCAA could be left with rules and no way to keep anyone from breaking them. Rushing ordered the NCAA to stop testing in 26 sports at S tanford and to return to court Dec. 4 with a plan for testing football and men’s basketball players. Rushing will decide on that day whether to make the decision permanent. The NCAA hasn’t satd whether it will appeal the decision or not. The DN encourages it to. If the NCAA wants to “clean up”college athletics, it needs the legal support to do so. It should be free to test and punish athletes who break its rules on drugs. And who knows, the NCAA just might save an athlete’s life with its tests. Quibbles & bits Virgins are wanted to be role models • a proressorot public health said at the second annual Drug Abuse Prevention Conference that alcohol availability should be restricted. “It makes no sense to let serv ice stations sell beer,” professor Dan Beauchamp told The Asso ciated Press. He said alcohol shouldn’t be sold in drug stores and supermarkets, either. He also advocated health warning labels on beer, wine and liquor bottles, similar to those on cigaiate packages. But Beauchamp is overlook ing the fact that people can still get alcohol if they really want it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a liquor store or a drug store. Beauchamp said he would not support a return to prohibi ; tion as in the 1930s, although his proposal is a step in that " direction. But the measures he does ad vocate arc clearly discrimina tory. The supermarket, drug store and service station owners would lose sales if they weren’t allowed to sell alcohol. • Ninctcen-ycar-old virgins could win $1,000 in a special lottery. An eccentric million aire, John Napoleon La Lone, who “talk(s) to God every night” wanted to help alleviate the problems of teenage preg nancy and sexually transmitted diseases. A United Press International story out of New York reported that dozens of young women have applied to participate in his “Model Student" project. Details of how virginity would be proven arc still being worked out. La Cortc said he also re ceived calls from young men who said they wanted the names of the girls. Employers called who said, “We want to give a preference to those girls.” • University of Colorado ad ministrators say they are not en couraging a sexual “free-for all” by allowing condom dis pensers in dormitories. “Since dorms are where the students feel most comfortable and where they live and are most likely to engage in sexual behavior, il is really important to have condoms available there,” Eddie Pacheco, Colo rado student government leader, told The Denver Post. F .—^kv.. f- A" < . • ... ! ' ' : '' '''' ' '' Sftiii.O.'i'W r n : »»> ..:*><•*■■—v'- .1 — nn. II y^ —rrriT; i i iilfr auo y<x \miWli r / stf /\fT£& T\iB W gjjF CoM^a $ ^Ay/ 11 \ W Oowt^ TrtZ/K liliiyil t a^P SH°°Tin<? I—, jk I ^TofS i it wtisL PB gMSfr I To OMfiMp h V^nx lk ia//th A o&Bh-T A. mmm kk University here for students Continual bureaucratic bothers cast doubt on UNL's purpose “I’ve been nitpicked to pieces by the goddamn bureaucracy,” —Travis Reed, from “Peter’s Quotations.” Chis sounds familiar, and I’m sure many University of Nebraska-Lincoln students share the same sentiment The majority of the time, I’m sure, the university operates in an produc tive, orderly manner. But when bu reaucratic inefficiency strikes an indi vidual, he or she usually feels person ally persecuted. It seems to be the nature of a large institution, like our fine university, to give students the run-around. Stu dents wail in long lines, find policies in small print and pay hidden fees. For example, a month ago I re ceived an overdue book notice from Love Library. The two books that were listed were titles I had never heard of and ones I had never checked out. 1 went to the circulation desk and filled out an already-i^^j^^^iim. Jeanne Hon rue The clerk said it would take eight weeks to search for the books. Fortu nately I’ll be out of the country by then. Unfortunately I may not have my diploma. Then, last Saturday, I received another notice for the two books say ing I should pay $73.40, or else. Three years ago I was in a similar situation. I received a notice for a book I had already returned. The desk per son told me I should go and find the book on the shelves to prove it. Being the naive sophomore I was, I did and the matter was closed. A Daily Nebraskan article on Monday said the library loses $ 15,(XX) to $16,0(X) each year from stolen or non-returned property. But I wonder how many of the books that they claim have not been returned arc actually on the shelves. The desk person seemed to know what she was talking about and was quilc helpful. I’m sure my diploma and transcripts won ’ t be held up. I trust “the system.” It’s not just the library whose poli cies frustrate students. At least their clerks know what is going on. Some offices give different answers, de pending on who you talk to. For example, a friend of mine has had some problems with the Telecom munications Center. His roommate did not pay the long distance bill, so the phone company turned off the long distance. My friend’s roommate moved out shortly after. Now they want my friend to pay $25 to recon nect the long distance. The worst part is that every time he went to the office he got a different answer. Why should my friend be held responsible for his roommate’s bills? I called the Telecommunications Center for a statement last week. No comment. The director will be out of town until Dec. 6, they told me. I asked to speak to the assistant director but I was told I couldn’t. I was told that I would have to talk to the director, but I could make an appointment for Dec. Last year another person I knew was scheduled to graduate in May, but found out she was three English cred its short of graduation. She discovered her senior check had been done the year before and the English shortage didn’t show up. Just to be safe, she paid to have another one done. She didn’t find out about the missing cred its until February. Luckily, she took three minicourses and graduated on time. The UNL police department’s parking administration is another source of frustration for students. One of my friends had her car towed. They said she owed $65 in parking fines. She was sure she had paid them al ready. Nonetheless, she was in a hurry, needed her car and didn’t have lime to hassle with it. She had to pay the $65 in alleged fines in order to pay the $ 18 to get her car out of the lot. The list goes on. A foreign student wrote a letter to the DN this fall, claiming the Univer sity Health Center had lost his records. According to a form letter the stu dent sent us, all new international students are required to have measles immunization and a tuberculosis test/ chest X-ray. To comply with this requirement, foreign students can bring complete measles and chest X ray forms to the health center or have them done there. The student wrote that he had given the health center the forms show ing he had the tests done in his home country. He wrote that on Oct. 2 he went to the health center and the employee told him that she couldn’t find his record and that he should make an appoint ment. He took the booster shot and X ray, and was billed for them. He re ceived a bill for $50.85 on Oct. 5 and for $48 on Oct. 7. He said he had written a letter to the director of the health center and hadn’t received an answer or any action. Imagine how frustrating it must be for foreign students who don’t under stand much English to try and figure out all this paperwork. I couldn’t even understand my library notice. One professor I know was working on his master’s degree. As a professor, his tuition is only $1 a credit hour. A few days before his oral exams he was sent a bill for $460 in tuition. Pay or else no graduation, the notice said. He went to the administration and de manded the bill be changed. The administration did, but I don’t think a mere student could get such quick results. These problems with “the system” really make me wonder if the univer sity administration is here to help us or here to hinder us. I must admit, some students have the tendency to try and take advantage of situations, cheat the phone com pany, get away with not paying for parking tickets and many other un scrupulous acts. But these incidents arc isolated, and other, innocent stu dents arc suffering from the wrath of red tape. Whether we need to train people better or have simpler policies, the administration needs to realize that its purpose shouldn’t be to take advan tage of the students. Bourne is a senior news-editorial major and Daily Nebraskan edito rial page editor. Letter I’ve seen a lot of mean and cruel things done to other people, but what happened on Nov. 17 at the Nebraska Bookstore was the last straw. Some one stole my book bag. It wasn’t so much the theft of my property that hurts me, it’s the consequences that it will have on me. I had some very valuable notes in my book bag and I’ve been forced to start from scratch all over again. I’m really afraid that this can hurt my grades. To the person who stole my book bag, would you please return it to me. You can keep the lxx>ks, I just want my notes and other personal items that belong to me. I’ll ask no questions. I just want it back. Timothy D. Jacques elementary education