Editorial
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¥-* »| Curt Wagner. Editor, 472-1766
I L'aliy ^ Mike Reilley, Editorial Page Editor
Diana Johnson, Managing Editor
} k# IrfS ll lee Rood. Associate News Editor
I X ^vk/MWl.'UUI Bob Nelson. Wire Page Ediior
University Of Nebraska-Uncoin Andy Pollock, Columnist
Craig Heckman, Columnist
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Wake up majority
Whites must change to realize DREAM
Although the goal of fair and equal representation
for all minorities may never be fully realized,
there is one organization at the University of
Nebraska-Uncoln that is trying to bring that reality closer
to everyone on campus.
DREAM — Developing Realistic Educational Activi
ties for Minorities — is a student organization that hopes
to unite student minority groups with other students oh
campus. The organization’s goal Is to create an awareness
among ail students, faculty and staff of the unique prob
lems that face minority groups on campus.
But it will take more than the voice of minority groups
to bring about change. It will take a willingness by the
majority to join in and correct the lack of fair representa
tion.
It is nast thf* rim* for I INI *s status nun Anuln-Saxnn
white majority to wake up and realize that they are not the
only students who need attention at this university. Sev
eral minority groups are represented at UNL and each has
its own set of problems and hurdles to face.
The movement for minority awareness is happening on
a national level, and DREAM could help UNL to become
a leader of that movement. If everyone takes part in the
goals of the organization, we will be that much closer to
achieving equality for everyone. UNL, sunk in the heart
of the conservative Midwest, would be an example of
what can happen ;f all people work together.
But before this can come about, we must take a long
look at ourselves to understand what it’s like being a
minority student on a predominantly white campus. The
ideas that DREAM represents and the people that helped
bring DREAM to realization should be applauded for
their efforts.
The task ahead of them will not be an easy one. UNL’s
history of apathy and injustice creates an even greater
challenge.
Whether or not the group can have a great impact on
the problems facing minorities and can be successful in
uniting students for the group’s cause is yet to be seen.
But at least it’s a giant step in the right direction.
— Darryl Mattox
for the Daity Nebraskan
Student defends ‘racist’ letter
I would like lo lake this opportu
nity to respond to Lonnie Buresh’s
letter (Daily Nebraskan, Sept. 13).
Fust of all, it would help if Buresh
could read verbatim and not try to
make up what I really mean. The
statement in question came from a
previous letter of mine and read: ‘‘A
wide number of black students at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln arc
involved in athletics.” I believe that
my statement docs carry a degree of
ambiguity. Maybe "an accountable
percentage” in place of “a wide
number” would clarify matters. 1 in
no way meant to say that most of the
university’s black students were ath
letes.
The most serious of Buresh ’ s acc u
sations are of my being prejudice and
a racist. For the record, in my home
state of Minnesota I was part of a
‘ school segregation program where 1
attended a school consisting of an
eighty to twenty percent ratio of black
students to white. Many, if not a
majority, of my friends in Minnesota
ace black. Also, last semester I volun
teered — along with sonic of my
fraternity brothers—to t utor children
_minority children with the Lincoln
Action Program. Sounds like I’ve had
my share of while robes and cross
huntings in my past.
fjvcri today I have many black
friends al the university — one of
which is in a fraternity. As far as
racism in the grcck system, why
doesn’t Buresh stop over and talk to
members of the Chi Phi, Sigma Alpha
Epsilon, or Tau Kappa Epsilon frater
nities about their racist policies?
They all have black member(s).
1 myself was once in the engineer
ing college. I saw very few blacks in
my classes or around the Walter Scott
Engineering Center. Since Buresh
seems to be so inclined to accuse
people of racism, why doesn’t he
accuse the engineering department?
Maybe because it isn’t a valid accusa
tion? I think the same conclusion can
be with fraternities.
It all seems too unusual that a
bunch of preppy, rich, white, racist,
Republican, Protestant snobs like
ourselves could ever find the time to
organize blood drives and fund raisers
for organizations such as the Ameri
can Lung AssocteJion, the March of
Dimes, the American Cancer Society,
and the American Red Cross —just to
name a few — but we (to.
As far as intelligence andvleader
ship qualities, why doesn’t Buresh
check out the number of greets on
Mortar Board and Innocents SocidD?
Luke Schollmeyg
political science
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Stephanie Cannon/Daily Nebraskan
Columnist Heckman gets haircut
Says in the real world looks county not who or what you know
Preconceived notions estab
lished by society suck.
Nothing further needs to be
said. I’ve always know this, but only
recently did it hit home.
Y ou see this picture of me here (not
wonderful I admit). Well, I don’t look
like this any more. I’m currently
applying for a respectable job and it
was pointed out to me that this hairdo
or whatever you call it was com
pletely unacceptable for the real
world.
Yeah, 1 thought, it probably is. But
that’s not my problem, is it?
Yes it is, I was told. As I now sec it
society, or at least some of those with
say in society, don’t see the world in
the same light as I and many others do.
1 guess that in the real world people
arc judged by their looks, not by what
they can do.
1 thought about this for a while and
realized that Nebraska isn’t even the
real world. 1 see pictures of some
pretty interesting looking folks with
good jobs on cither coast. Key words
here arc on the coast. Good ol’ land
locked Nebraska just doesn’t cut it
After figuring the whole looksdeal
out 1 wrestled with the concept. Do 1
cut my hair and get the job (hopefully)
or do l rebel and remain unemployed.
Not much choice, huh? Being a rebel
could be fun but it doesn’t pay real
well. Being employed could be a real
drag but I assume it will pay belter.
The deeper question here is one of
preconceived notions. I’m the same
person no matter how I look so why is
it such a bigdeal? Maybe this is where
many of today’s problems stem from;
not being able to accept those differ
ent from ourselves.
-r
_{
I
This doesn’t mean everyone, but
many people arc guilly of this in one
form or another. Think how easy it is
to see someone and think "greck,” or
“homosexual” or “engineer,” or
“weirdo,”or... well you get the point.
Each time we do this we help continue
this concept. It doesn ’ t matter that th is
first impression may be completely
w rong. You w i 11 do i t aga i n an d aga i n.
So why is this? Sometimes I sim
ply cannot figure society out. We are
taught to be creative and to express
ourselves but we arc also taught the
conflicting lesson to not deviate loo
far from the norm. When we do stray
Ux) far from this “norm” we are told,
or it is hinted, that we must find our
way back.
Fortunately college is a great place
to experiment with finding our own
norm. Unfortunately the real world is
not a real good place to show it. What
we find in college can easily be found
unacceptable to the real world. Then
we are laced with changing oacK to
the accepted.
What really irks me about this
whole deal is that the person never
changes. We remain the same no
matter what we look like. Nobody in
college I’ve talked to thinks twice
about looking a bit different but oth
ers find this a problem, not everyone
but enough to make a difference.
$o what do we do? Some people
move. Go to California, or New York
or any number of other places. They
fit right in at these new places. Others
decide not to change and challenge
these closed minded people to accept
them the way they arc. These people
gel my respect. They may not have
much luck but at least they tried.
Others give in to this social pressure
and change their looks. They may
have better luck like this.
It’s a shame they had to change
though. Then some of us change a
little, get a hair cut for example. We
arc still the same, maybe a bit weird
but no worse than anyone else out
there.
What have I accomplished by all
of this? Nothing. I look abitdillercnt.
but 1 haven’t changed. 1 have made it
easier to get a respectable job. Crazy
world isn’t it?
It doesn’t matter what or who you
know, it’s how you look that makes
the difference.
Heckman is a senior inter national affairs
major and a Daily Nebraskan editorial col
umnist.
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes
brief letters to the editor from all
readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for publi
cation on the basis of clarity, original
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The Daily Nebraskan retains die right
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Readers also are welcome U> sub
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Whether material should run as a let
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Submit material to the Daily Ne
braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R
SL, Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
Campus Notes
_ by Brian Shellito
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