opinion_
Readers tired of greeks, Kerrey, smokers
UNL day care support
too late, reader says
It’s reassuring to know that Uni
versity of Nebraska Lincoln adminis
trators think day care is important for
students and staff and support an on
campus location (DN, Sept. 2). Un
fortunately, their reassurance is a bit
late. About two years ago, they
booted the University Child Care
Project out of the Commonplace
building and couldn’t seem to rind a
location for it anywhere else on cam
pus. As a result, it had to locate in a
church out in the Belmont neighbor
hood.
John Gruhl
associate professor
political science
Greeks rush wealth
and white, reader says
I would like to respond to letters
written by Luke Schollmcycr (DN,
Sept. 5) and Brenda Butts (DN, Sept.
9).
Schollmcycr stated that the reason
more blacks weren’t in fraternities
was because the majority of black
men on campus arc athletes, and
therefore, do not have time for frater
nities. An editor’s note stressed that
the majority of black men on campus
are not athletes. Schollmcycr as
sumed that because a male student is
black, he is an athlete. That is preju
dice. That is racism. And that is ex
actly one of my grievances against the
grcck system.
Schollmcycr then wrote that some
people simply can’t afford to join a
fraternity. That is another fault with
the grcck system that I tried to expose
in my previous letter. The system
discriminates according to monetary
status. It doesn’t matter how intelli
gent, talented or gifted a person is, if
hc/shc can’t pay, he/shc can’t join.
Butts also contradicts herself. She
stated that I was being sarcastic (I
was) and then took seriously my
comment that women attend UNL
only to find a husband. With one
exception, every woman I have met at
UNL is by far more concerned about
gelling an education than gelling a
man. And I have as much respect for
these women as I do for the men who
I have met.
Butts continued by listing some of
the advantages of joining a fraternity.
The list included business contacts, a
home away from home, friends,
steady partners and learned leader
ship abilities.
l can make ousincss contacts out
side a fraternity. The business com
munity is not all fraternity alumni. I
don’t need a home away from home.
I have plenty of friends (many of
whom, believe it or not, arc fraternity
brothers, sorority sisters and little
sisters). And as for steady partners
and leadership abilities, 1 don’t need
anyone to push me academically and
my record speaks for my leadership
abilities. I, too, am a four-year Re
gents Scholar. Furthermore, I am a
recipient of the Walter Scott Jr.
Scholarship, the most prestigious
engineering scholarship offered by
the College of Engineering and Tech
nology at UNL or UNO. In addition,
I have a perfect 4.0 grade-point aver
age, that is more than a full letter
grade above the all-fraternity grade
point average.
And just for curiosity’s sake, the
one woman who was more interested
in men than an education, found a
husband. He is not a fraternity
brother.
Lonnie Buresh
sophomore
electric engineering major
Reader calls Kerrey
bad luck, empty-headed
The Karnes-Kerrey debate came
off with Kerrey not answering the
questioners usual.
Kerrey used such phrases as “cre
ating a path of renewal.” Ask Com
monwealth, State Security and
American Savings depositors what
kind of “path” Kerrey created for us?
It was a “path” to poverty, not “re
newal.”
Kerrey said the 1980s were a trag
edy for farmers. What does he think
about depositors?
Kerrey closed Commonwealth,
said there was no state liability. None
of the things Kerrey did or said gave
us back our money. He is totally inca
pable of working with others for the
good of the citizenry.
If you want to be led down the
“poverty” path, go ahead and vote for
Kerrey. I have had enough of his
“empty-headed” prose.
Frank Bartunek
Lincoln
Reader says smokers
deny rights of others
In regard to Tony Bunting’s letter
about non-smokers who complain
(DN, Sept 9): It’s nice to read an
insulting (and inaccurate) letter every
now and then, isn’t it? I’m sure glad
he told me that I think only about
trivialities, that I have absolutely no
important thoughts, that I drive a
noisy, stinky car and that I don’t care
about the environment.
I guess my life is just worthless.
Maybe all non-smokers who com
plain should be exterminated, like
■ ■■ ■
termites. Would you like that, Bun
ting?
No, the issue of smoking is not
trivial. It is no more trivial than the
issues of seat belt laws, helmet laws or
even the censorship of “The Last
Temptation of Christ.”
The issue of smoking comes down
to a very basic but importantquestion:
Does one group of people have the
right to deny another group of people
their pursu it of happiness in whatever
form it may be? Does this line sound
familiar? “... That they are endowed
by their creator with certain inalien
able rights, that among these are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
That phrase has always been inter
preted to mean that you can do what
ever you want, as long as you don’t
hurt someone else or deny them their
basic rights.
Let’s set the record straight while
we’re at it. By not smoking you don’t
increase your life span: rather, you
decrease your life span by smoking. I
know that it’s quality and not quantity
that matters, but isn’t it better to live
a fulfilling 80 years than to live a
fulfilling 60 years? I think so.
Oh, by the way, I care deeply about
the environment (a lot of us “whin
ing” non-smokers do), our natural
resources and the pollution of our
atmosphere by factories. 1 drive a
quiet, clean, fucl efficient car—not a
smelly gas-guzzler. One of my main
interests is international relations, so
I read a lot of the lop journals in that
field. Are you still going to tell me
that I think only about trivial things?
U.S.- U.S.S.R. relations are very triv
ial, aren’t they?
Larry Stetz
Sophomore
Agriculture Honors
Reader: Sandinistas
are lesser of two evils
In response to the letter wriuen by
Annette Dryda (DN, Sept. 1), I would
like to address the following ques
tions to her.
First, has it ever occurred to you
that while the “Marxist-Leninist”
government of Nicaragua is a com
munist one, it is working and is a
legitimate form of government that
the United Stales, Ronald Reagan and
his cavalry have no right to under
mine?
Second, did you know that com
munism has been a lot closer to the
United Slates than Nicaragua for a
much longer time? Has anyone heard
of Cuba?
Third, did you know that since the
Somoza regime was overthrown by
the Sandinista regime, the literacy
rate among N icaraguans has skyrock
eted?
Fourth, do you realize that the
Contras are nothing more than the
remnants of the terrible Somoza re
gime that had cast Nicaragua into
hell?
Fifth, did you know that it’s OK
with Reagan and the rest of his gang if
El Salvadoran death squads operate in
this country but when the Nicara
guans (Sandinista government) try to
defend their beliefs, they are called
“evil,” etc.?
And sixth, Annette Dry da claimed
that “aid to the Con tras is the only way
for the United States to prevent war.”
Honey, there already is a war in
Central America. Pick up a newspa
per, Time, Life or any other news
publication. Or watch television. Last
February, a movie was shown titled
“Weekend War.” It was about a group
of reservists who went down to Hon
duras, I believe, to reconstruct a road
or two. But then they were called
away from that task to repair a bridge
that had been blown up. Drug traffick
ers and soldiers wanted this bridge —
it was the only access to the country
for fifty miles in either direction.
Some of these “soldiers,” weekend
soldiers, were blown away by gre
nades, other bombs and machine gun
fire. This was only a movie but
doesn’t it give you pause to wonder.
.. WHAT IF? ...
Liz Rogan
senior
history
UNL FORMS NOW AVAILABLE
FOR DIRECTORY EXCLUSION
Forms are now available for University of Nebraska-Lincoln
students who wish to exclude individual student information
from the 1988 Student Directory. The name-exclusion forms
may be completed in the Office of University Information,
208 Administration Building. Forms must be completed in
person before Sept. 21, 1988. Proof of registration or
identity is required for completion.
The FUTURE
will be here on
September 14
at 2 pm
Come take a look
Come help the Libraries select the system that best
meets your research needs. A demonstration of one of
the state-of-the-art online library information systems
will be given at Love Library from 2-3:30 on Sept. 14.
All students, staff, and faculty welcomel j
THE ORIGINAL
PRO-TINT
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