Editorial
I Nebraskan
I
Curt Wagner, Editor, 472-1766
Mikt Reilley, Editorial Page Editor
Diana Johnson, Managing Editor
Lee Rood, Associate News Editor
Bob Nelson, Wire Page Editor
Andy Pollock, Columnist
Micki Haller, Entertainment Editor
--tit- -------:-—---1
Every vote counts
Students are an apathetic, generation
huvutfi tie-dved shifts for
$20. Amchcaos are becoming aware of human rights
violations in South Africa aryi other countries and the
reality of AIDS is finally sinking into die minds of the
Midwest heterosexual population.
Hmmm ... seems like the whole world has been turned
on its head.
Jt*s an election year and anything can happen. Any
ihino
And with the election less than three weeks away, news
broadcasts and magazine and newspaper reports are
keeping Americans informed on the progress of each
candidate and issue.
They are telling us that polls indicate that candidate X
is leatung canoioaie x in popularity. Experts give tneir
informed opinion on why candidate X will win.
In the days of ancient Greece, if you wanted to know
what fate the future held for you* you went to the Oracle
of Delphi. The priests there would sniff vapors and
consult Zeus. Sometimes they were right, sometimes they
were wrong.
In this modem age, we have about the same amount of
luck predicting the future.
4 don't have anything against the press. Really. And I
| devour statistics almost in a compulsive way. They’re
wonderful to spout o, r when debating issues and they lend
themselves well to supporting the point of the better
arguer.
Any way ...
Of the 220 million U.S. citizens eligible to vote in the
1984 presidential election, only 146 million cast their
ballots. Seventy-four million did not. In other words,
roughly one-third of the eligible voters did not participate
: in the democratic process.
And the voter response in the 18 to 24 year-old cate
; w. — which includes most of us college students —
record speaks fo7 ftself: Wc'are ihfmrn apathetic'
generation of all.
Many of the people in the apathetic category use the old
expyse* “Vofing is too much of ft hassle/’ or, <rMy vote
That’s a bunch of horse-hockey.
lohn F. Kennedy beat Richard*Ninon in the I960
presidential election by a margin so small that the differ
’ ence averaged to be less than one vote per precinct across
the nation.
As young people, we should be especially interested in
who is elected to run our country and make important
decisions about its future. That’s because we have the
most to lose. Many young people arc comfortable now,
and don’t care about foreign and domestic policies.
But in the future, when our generation is expected to
solve the problems caused by careless and short-sighted
leadership, we may wish we had not been so lazy , The
possibilities for our futures are being established today,
it’s not over yet. Think about it.
Besides, in addition to the election of public officials,
there are many issues that will be resolved by voters on
a Nov 8. In Nebraska, the radioactive waste disposal
| compact issue, a proposed amendment to the state
I smd^othCTimport^mfssues^win been thc^bpot
[bull shorts I
Today I want to addraaa tha iaaua of atudant
apathy...but than, who caraa, ao never aiad.
Ill
Fans scolded for bad behavior
Pollock leaves game when peers jeer Orr and Massengale
Rarely do I get upset to the point
where I show it. And seldom do
{get real mad about a call in a
football game—a couple calls in the
1982 Nebraska-Penn State game did
infuriate me, but I got over them.
Never, though, have I left a football
game because of a “bad call.”
But that all changed at last
Saturday’s Nebraska-Oklahoma
State Homecoming game. I didn’t
leave because of a referee’s call, but
because of a call made at halftime.
I left Saturday’s game because of a
call the fans made.
If you were fortunate enough to
have been anywhere but Memorial
Stadium, you missed the boos that
followed the introductions of Gov.
Kay Orr and University of Nebraska
Lincoln Chancellor Martin Massen
gale at the beginning of the Home
coming king and queen coronation
ceremonies.
That was weak, Comhusker fans.
Real weak.
1 don’t claim to be a diehard Orr or
Massengale fan, but I do respect
them. There’s a time and a place and
a mode for criticism of public offi
cials, and it isn’t booing at a football
game.
Sure, On has done good things,
and she’s done bad things. But lately
she has been pretty darn good to the
University of Nebraska. And sure,
Massengale has done some good and
some bad, but he cares about UNL as
more than just a football team.
I asked a student who was sitting
near me why he was booing.
“Because Massengale’s a dick,”
he answered.
“Oh, that’s a rational reason. Why
don't you tell me why you think he’s
a dick?”
“1 have reasons.”
“Really”;
“Because he didn’t give money to
campus rec last year.’’
God help us and save us! Isn’t that
a terrible thing, the Office of Campus
Recreation didn’t get all the money it
needed—“for lights at a soccer Feld,
or something like that,” the guy told
me.
Regardless of his complaint, boo
ing at a football game is a disrespect
ful, not to mention an ineffective
means of voicing dissatisfaction.
Every student has complaints, many
ol which arc selfish and trivial, but
why not try talking to the chancellor
or to a vice chancellor. They’re all
accessible.
You can write them, call them, or
express concerns in a letter to the
Daily Nebraskan or to the Association
of Students of the University of Ne
braska. •
At least Saturday wasn’t a total
loss. 1 was glad to sec the Huskcrs’
offense play well.
Before watching Nebraska stomp
Oklahoma State into the turf, I and
about eight other people listened to a
lecture on political debating by Jack
Kay, an associate professor of speech
communications. We also joined
Dennis Bormann, a speech communi
cations professor, in a lecture on elo
quence in public speaking.
The lectures were interesting and
educational. I’m sure the other 24
tectures on various topics made by
UNL professors Friday and Saturday
also were interesting and educational
But where were those enthusiastic
Nebraska fans when the university
offered more than entertainment?
One lecture on “dream houses,’
attracted an audience of about 50
people, said Dick Fleming, a profes
sor of agricultural communications
and co-chairperson of the sqhpiito
miuee dealin , with progra 'MJJJP1"
its and lectuies for the H mwlplbg
weekend. The ave..*ee attendance at
the lectures, hov ev« r, was between
Five and 12 people.
Fleming said academic depart
ments were asked to nominate faculty
to speak this weekend. The response,
mostly of volunteers, was tremen
dous, he said.
“We were not able to schedule all
the faculty who volunteered to
speak,’’ he said.
UNL faculty members arc willing
to share their knowledge and thought,
but Nebraskans arc not willing to
listen.
That’s too bad.
Sure, this is the first time tor the
lecture scries, but students, alumni
and the general public were informed
about it.
Why were turnouts for the faculty
lectures low? It wasn’t because
people didn’t know.
News releases were sent to all
Nebraska newspapers, a full-page ad
appeared in the Omaha World- Herald
and the Daily Nebraskan and bro
chures were distributed to alumni and
through Lincoln service organiza
tions, said Viann Schrocder, director
of publication services and chairper
son of the UNL Homecoming
committee’s publicity committee
Why was the attendance so low
It’s a good question for everyone to
ponder.
Pollock ii a cantor Mwfro*ltortol ■*!<*
anti a Doftjr NotaMfcM editorial cotaowtat