Editorial
Curt Wagner, Editor. 472-1766
Amy Edwards, Editorial Page Editor
Tk T "I 1 , _ __ Jane Uirt, Managing Editor
I^Xl O || rpi w K ^1 Tl Lee R°0<L Associate Sews Editor
X ^ A. M CrXXU J l Diana Johnson, Wire Page Editor
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chuck Green, Copy Desk Chief
Lisa Donovan, Columnist
Look before leaping
Study into Kearney decision suggested
The NU Board of Regents recommended Saturday
that the Nebraska Legislature hold further debate on
two bills to add Kearney State College to the univer
Isity.
The regents think that legislators should authorize a 10
month study of restructuring higher education, and wait
for the results before they make any decisions.
The Daily Nebraskan thinks so, too.
LB 160, introduced by Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly,
would make Kearney pan of the NU system. LB760,
introduced by Sen. Sandra Scofield ot Chadron, would
I make ail tour state colleges regional universities.
Regent Donald Blank of McCook said he thinks that
Kearney State will eventually become part of the univer
sity, but that before it does, people should know what the
long-range effects of the merger might be.
Blank’s prediction about Kearney becoming part of the
university seems to be a consensus.
But Regents Kermit Hansen of Elkhorn and John
Payne of Kearney opposed the resolution. Hansen said he
tjiinks the resolution is telling people that the regents
oppose LB 160 and LB760.
' politically, i minx mat s unwise, nanscii saiu.
Whether it’s politically unwise or not, a 10-month
study is still a good idea. Before everyone jumps willy
nilly into adding Kearney to the university system, they
should stop and think about what effects it will have.
The regents want several issues studied, including:
• Which changes, if any, would be best for the state of
Nebraska.
• The financial impact of such changes.
• The role of the orher three state colleges.
That’s not too much to ask when the decisions involved
could change Nebraska’s entire university system.
•• Am}1 Edwards
for the Daily Nebraskan
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Student says signs served their purpose
The signs are down but racism and
prejudices still exist.
On Feb. 8, various individuals
posted signs around campus with the
goal of stimulating awareness of the
but were the result of thoughtful plan
ning and input from organizations
such as Early Warning!, the Afrikan
People’s Union and members of the
Association of Students of the Uni
versity of Nebraska.
Legislation is not socialization.
The fight for equal rights is not over
as long as the biases and prejudices
remain. The U.S. Pledge of Alle
giance ends “. . . with liberty and
justice for all.” Is this truly the
American experience? Liberty and
justice for all?
Are groups such as Early Warn
ing! righteous because they bel ieve in
fighting for equality instead of living
in ignorance? Is the dream for equal
rights offensive?
Professor Charles Lawrence said.
‘‘Racism in America is much more
complex than cither the conscious
conspiracy of a power elite or the
simple delusion of a few ignorant
bigots. It is a part of our common
historical experience and. therefore,
a part of our culture. It arises from the
assumptions we have learned to make
about the world, ourselves and oth
ers, as well as from patterns of our
fundamental social activities.”
And this is precisely what groups
such as Early Warning! are strug
gling against -- the prejudices in
grained in our culture and social
upbringing. If the signs posted Feb. 8
caused any emotion or stimulated any
thought, then their purpose has been
served. The prejudices that abide in
our society are rising to be confronted
so that the socialization of racism
might end.
Sarah Cada
sophomore
English, biology
nnipina
-^K^Mreader i
Objection to funds
This letter is in response to what
seems to be an effort by the Daily
Nebraskan staff, the University Pro
gram Council and the Committee for
Fees Allocation to convince the stu
dents that the most important issue on
this campus is the issue of gay men
and lesbians.
The DN has hardly missed a week
without having a front page article
encouraging the gay/lesbian cause.
Despite overwhelming student
disapproval of student fees being
used to sponsor gay/lesbian pro
grams, UPC and CFA have either
directly or indirectly given the Com
mittee Offering Lesbian And Gay
Events or the Gay/Lesbian Student
Association money to do whatever
they want.
CFA and UPC now want to grant
COLAGE $1,691.25, which comes
from student fees, regardless of how
much opposition there is. As a stu
dent, I feel this is misrepresentation
of the students and an irresponsible
use of funds. 1 urge all students to take
a little time and energy and go to the
Student Activities Financial Services
Office, 222 Nebraska Union, and
request your Fund A refunds. Tell
them why you want your refund. We
should also request that UPC and
CFA honor this request of the stu
dents by not indirectly giving CO
LAGE the money they want through
other committees.
Jim Wicbelhaus
senior
mechanical engineering
Editor’s Note: CFA presented
its Fund A fee recommendation
Feb. 5, after granting COLAGE
$746 for 1989-90 programming.
ASUN will review the recommen
dation Feb. 15.
Alumnus lauds fees
In response to “Readers oppose
funding of COL AGE” (DN, Feb. 8),
I am in total disagreement. The re
quest by the Committee Offering
Lesbian And Gay Events for student
fees is not a misuse, but a legitimate
request for a legitimate programming
committee. It is a valuable use of
funds for cultural, historical and edu
cational programming about the gay/
lesbian community, which is the larg
est minority group on campus (10
percent of the student body).
Mark Vosika and Christine Lilius,
have you ever heard of Harvey Milk,
Willa Cather, Leonardo Da Vinci,
Liberace, Rock Hudson, The Com
munards, Lynn Lavner, Phrance or
Romanovsky and Phillips? These
figures represent the gay/lesbian cul
ture as much as Martin Luther King
Jr., Jesse Jackson, Margaret Sanger
and Susan B. Anthony are representa
tives of other minority cultures.
Many services are paid for by stu
dent fees, but few students choose to
use them. Does everyone care about
the Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska? Does every
one read the Daily Nebraskan? Do all
students attend all University Pro
gram Council events, use Student
Legal Services or the Student Infor
mation Center, or even step inside the
Nebraska unions?
As the originator of the proposal to
create the Gay/Lesbian Program
ming Committee, now called CO
LAGE, I am irked that the “unrepre
sentative” student government put
the COLAGE funding issue on the
ballot again! Voting in student elec
tions is not a representative sample of
ihc student population. ASUN is not
an accurate representative sample of
the student population. ASUN is not
an accurate representation of the
University of Ncbraska-Lincoln’s
diversity. As a student, I view them as
part of a bigoted system of repression
of minorities. Twenty years ago,
black programming committees
would have been pul on the ballot.
The COLAGE ballot question is the
same.
First, I propose that all of the stu
dent funded services be pul to the
vote. Why discriminated Second, 1
propose that if COLAGE is denied
funds that a discrimination suit be
filed on the basis of repression of the
U.S. Constitutional rights of freedom
of speech and expression. Finally, I
am declaring a personal war on
homophobia at UNL.
Rodney A. Bell II
UNL alumnus
Lincoln
Parent favors fees
An open letter to the Association
of Students of the University of Ne
braska, Chancellor Martin Massen
gale, Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs James Griesen,
Yes, I do want part of my student
fees to be used to pay for events
sponsored by the Committee Offer
ing Lesbian And Gay Events. And l<\
the record show that the Daily iNc
braskan headline, “Readers oppose
funding of COLAGE’ ’ (DN, Feb. 8),
does NOT include all readers as it
tends to imply. Why couldn't the let
ter from Mark Vosika and Christine
Lilius have been headed “Some
oppose—”
1 am the parent of a gay man who
attended the University of Nebraska
Lincoln a number of years ago, two
straight sons who arc currently stu
dents, and I am a graduate student
here. Not only are 10 percent, or
perhaps more, of the student body
gay men or lesbians but they have
parents, brothers, sisters and friends
who care about them.
Any of you reading this may have,
as parents now or in the future, a child
who will discover that heterosexual
ity docs not define him/her. Will you
reject your gay child? Or will you
celebrate his or her positive diversity
in whatever form?
I have nothing but admiration for
the students who are gay and who
choose to remain an ‘invisible mi
nority” when homophobia is as ram
pant as it is on the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln campus. A place
of higher learning should be where
unbiased learning is the norm instead
of a clinging to prejudices and myths.
If we were discussing racial, ethnic,
or religious issues there would be,
rightfully so, precious little tolerance
for the bigotry that is expressed
against gay and lesbian people. We
are all apartof humankind, and if one
of us is denied the right to live freely,
and without harm toothers, then all of
us are in danger.
As the parent of a gay man, I speak
on behalf of many other such parents
who cannot speak out for their own
sons and daughters because to do so
would endanger them (the children),
either to actual physical attack, or the
kinds of verbal attacks and harass
ment 1 have seen here all loo often.
The money being spent by and for
COLAGE serves a much greater
number of students, who also pay
fees, than is visible. The program
ming is attended in spirit by many (10
percent ol the student population plus
family members and friends), and
therefore serves them as well. Until
discrimination is eliminated it will
take the courage of the few' gay
people who are willing to brave the
pain of bigotry to forge the path for
others and keep the torch of freedom
lit. COLAGE and the Gay/Lcsbian
Programming Committee that pre
ceded it are important far beyond the
visible numbers who attend their
events!
Jean Durgin-Chnchard, president
Parents & Friends of Lesbians and
Gays Comhusker. Inc.
Users should pay
Inspiration struck when first I read
about yet another year of tuition sur
charges for engineering students and
another increase in student fees for
the Campus Recreation Center ex
pansion (DN, Feb. 3).
I have a solution for engineering
dean Stan Liberty using the same
logic that campus rec director Stan
Campbell uses. As I interpret his
message, Campbell believes that by
paying for the rec center we arc all
improving our health whether we use
the facility or not. In a similar vein,
why not have everyone pay a sur
charge for lab equipment so that
everyone can benefit from it? Makes
sense, doesn’t it?
I don’t have any problem with
people using the rec center but I do
believe that those who use it should
be the ones who pay. Why not sell
memberships or charge a fee at the
door like the “real world’ ’ people are
so fond of speaking about? But if that
happened, I guess the funding
wouldn’t be there when it was lime to
expani1- Mark Stark
senior
civil engineering