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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1989)
Editorial —^ *1 Curt Wagner. Editor, 472-1766 JJaily _ Amy Edwards, Editorial Page Editor IV I Jane Hirt, Managing Editor I ** f | W IdT Pk Lee Rood, Associate News Editor ^ B. Diana Johnson, Wire Page Editor University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chuck Green, Copy Desk Chief Lisa Donovan, Columnist Campus Rec increase Campus Rec fee should be refundable Let’s face it -- student fees are going to increase next year, especially after a $7 per student per semester increase in Campus Recreation’s budget Ami the likelihood that fees will increase to pay for the second phase of the new Campus Recreation Center is very high. Kevin Lytle, chairman of the Committee for Fees Allo cation, said he does not expect any problems in approving the Campus Rec budget. Even if CFA didn’t approve the budget, he said, their decision wouldn’t make it past administrators. That’s too bad, since not everyone uses Campus Rec. Stan Campbell, director of Campus Rec, said $6.76 of the proposed increase will be used to pay programming, operation and maintenance costs associated with Phase II, scheduled for completion July 15. rnasc 11 inuuuc) umsuuuiuii vi an auujuun side of the NU Coliseum, including basketball, volleyball and racquetball courts, a weight room, equipment rental and check out area, and a renovated swimming pool. The added $7 per student per semester would increase Campus Rec’s student fee budget to $96^,639, a 51.7 E percent increase from this year’s budget of $635,346. Campbell said he does not anticipate opposition to the proposed increase because in the past students have given approval to the rec center and the fee increase. But many of those students will not have to pay the increased fees. Students were questioned in spring 1985 and spring 1987 about the center. Many of those students have graduated, sticking students entering the university since then with the bill. That hardly seems fair. But since no administrator f would probably accept that argument, the Daily Nebras J kan proposes changing the fee classification of Campus Recreation. Why not make Campus Rec a refundable Fund A fee user? This would allow those students who did not ap prove the center and will not use the center to get their ■ money back. Students who were refunded their Fund A fees would not be allowed to use the center, which will be easy to regulate if the proposed photo ID card system is installed this fall. Campus Rec, like the other Fund A fee users - the DN, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, and the University Program Council — should be refund able since not every student uses it. This way, those who didn’t want the increase wouldn’t have it. And that would be fair. .* Curl WkgMf for the Doity Nebraskan iiR'ftM®] Reader: Good News should print truth Ii was nice to see supporters of The UNL Good News rush to defend the paper from Gary Longsine’s criti cism (Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 27). I have noticed, however, that the Good News does not publish opposing viewpoints, such as letters to the edi tor. Any person, government, or publi cation that isolates itself trom dissent makes me suspicious If the GN printed the truth, it could withstand challenges. Obviously the editors of the poorly written newspaper have something to hide. Arnold Grwualdi grad student DN is compared to junior high journalism In regard to your editorials in tne Jan. 31 Daily hfebraskan, 1 think the editorial page of the DN has struck a new low. Two-thirds of the page is devoted to staff members’ personal gripes. This is only the latest editorial Sige to stoop to such journalistic ws. James Sennett once again shows his mentality and hypocrisy by com plaining about the drivel known as '‘Reality Television” while tackling sucn weignty suojects as siaewai* traffic and unflushed urinals. While the “gripe journalism” provides great ideas for a junior high editorial page, I expect more from the DN. What is next from the intellectual heavyweights on the DN’s editorial staff? I wait with baited breath. Eric Petersen junior business CAM.V oHELUlb Q i^eft **»«*< Royko advocates paid athletes' Teach ‘employees the basics to secure off-the-field futures II seems to me that there is a simple solution to the contro versy about letting athletes go to college, even though they can barely read and write. Obviously, they haven’t been re cruited by these universities because there isn’t any chance that thev will become Rhodes scholars or Nobel Prize scientist*. They are in demand because they can dribble a ball behind their backs, slam dunk, leap over a hulking line man, catch a long pass and perform other physical feats that thrill Ameri can sports fans. Despite what Some academic pur ists may say, these are valuable skills. Sports fans spend hundreds of mil lions of dollars a year to watch a 7 footcr drop a ball through a hoop or a 300- pounder terrorize quarterbacks. They fill the schools’ gymnasiums, the stadiums, and bring in the big TV contracts. Sc they don’t read too good. Has a scalper ever charged $50 for a scat in the library? The universities use the money the athletes generate to finance golf teams, tennis teams, soccer teams, volleyball and other sports programs that fans wouldn’t spend a nickel to see. It’s a business deal, pure and simple. But it's an unfair deal be cause the athletes aren’t properly compensated. As the critics point out, after four years, many of the athletes have little to show for their efforts. They don’t earn degrees and they haven’t made it to professional sports where the real money is. But is that any reason to keep them out of college? Of course not. The solution is to be realistic and fair. And the first step would be to admit the obvious: That these under educated athletes aren’t students. They are employees. Their jobs arc to entertain the sports fans, to fill the seats and bring in the big-money TV contracts. The fans know it, the alumni know it, as do the TV announcers, the sports * m a a - writers and the athletes. So why do we pretend that it isn’t so? Once we stop pretending, we can establish a system that is fair. When an academically hopeless student is recruited, he should be paid a fair salary, based on how big a box office draw he is. After all, many of the coaches are the highest-paid members of the fac ulty. If they can make big bucks by sending some kid on the field to get his knee tom up, why shouldn’t the kid turn a profit? _I-1 One of the big complaints about the present sports program is that many of these lads finish their college careers, fail as professional athletes, don't get educations, and have noth ing to show for their four years. Thcrc’sa solution for that problem -• a good pay roll-savings plan. When the college athlete is paid, half of hi? earnings should be deducted and put into a safe, interest-bearing fund. i rial way, wncn he nnisnes his four years, he’ll have a tidy sum stashed away and won’t have to go out and start robbing gas stations right away. Now, I'm not saying that an aca demically deficient athlete should do nothing but engage in sports. During the off-season, he should be taught to read, write, do arithmetic and take some speech courses. That might not sound like much. But that’s really all you have to be able to do — read, write, handle simple numbers and utter a coherent sentence — and you can get some very good jobs. You can be a TV anchor man, sell just about anything, run for public office, or even become a rich trader in pork bellies. Obviously, my plan doesn’t get to the root problem - why these athletes get through eight years of elementary school and four years of high school without learning much. The answer is that most of them arc black and come out of the poorest of the big city ghettos. Chances are that their parents are also illiterate or close to it. And so are most of the people they hang around with, And they go to schools that arc relieved if a graduating senior can read his diploma. If not, they’ll settle for his being able to spell the name of the school and the street sign outside. One of the many reasons the schools arc bad is money, or lack of it. That’s not the only reason, but it’s one of the major ones. So I offer a modest proposal to help alleviate this problem. There are schools all over Amer ica in cities and states that have little or no black ghetto population. So what do they do when they need a running back, a tall center, a point guard, a 280-pound lineman? They* turn to the ghettos of Chicago. Dc-, trod, £Jew York and other big cities. I IliCdll, W1IUI MIIU Wl v — the University of Nevada-Las Vegas have If it had to depend on home grown talent? They wouldn ’t win one game with a lineup composed of the stubby offspring of casino pit bosses, i So when these universities come poaching in our big city ghettos, they should have to pay us a fee. You want; a 7«fool center? Fine, drop $50,000 into our school fund. You want that 270-pound nose tackle? It’ll cost you another $50,000. If they make all conference, we get a $25,000 bonus. All-American? That’s $100,000. The whole dispute is ridiculous. As proof, I ask you how many points a game Michael Jordan scores. Right, about 35. Every basketball fan knows that. But does anyone in America know what his final grade average was I wonder if Michael knows. Mike Royko kl a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. C> 1969 by The Chicago Tribune I£11 _ The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers. LelMP will be selected for publication on tholMis of clarity, originality, timeli ness and space available. The Daily Ne braskan retains the right to edit all mate rial submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. Submit material to the DaiN Nebras kan. 34 Nebraska Union. 1400 R Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. ^dm®at== Signed staff editorials represent the official policy of the fall 1988 Daily Ne braskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebras kan Editorial Board. Its members are Curt Wagner, editor; Amy Edwards, editorial Cge editor; Jane Hirt, managing editor; e Rood, associate news alitor; Lisa Donovan, columnist; Diana Johnson, wire page editor; and Chuck Green, copy desk chief. Editorial columns represent uu- °P‘ ion of the author.
