Grades, ozone layer, crossword puzzles
Readers ask DN
to put puzzle last
Everyone we know agrees with us
that we are greatly inconvenienced
when the crossword puzzle is placed
on the next to last page.
We study very much, so when we
have a spare minute or two between
classes to grapple with the literary
conundrums we wish to avoid wasting
precious time and energy performing
intricate origami maneuvers.
Speaking on behalf of all the
members of the local chapter of the
Eugene T. Malcska fan club, we be
seech and implore thee, whenever
possible, to place the latticework of
vocables on the back page of the Daily
Nebraskan.
We exhort all those of like mind to
write to the DN and voice your con
cern over this vital issue; and close
with an incitement to our comrades:
Crossword workers of the world
unite!
Joel R. Burgeson
graduate
mathematics
Bob Wolz
graduate
education
Student uncertain
who deserves A's
I would like to thank Bill Parker
and Bryan Dawson (DN, Feb. 28) for
their letter expressing their concern
for the academic standards at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
While I appreciate their concern
for those standards, I also sensed some
ambiguities in their letter and am
therefore unable to form an informed
opinion about the essential issues.
They write, “We feel that since we
work all night in Hamilton Hall we
deserve A’s and nobody else docs.
This is why we never give A’s in
undergraduate chemistry courses
(because everybody else is too
dumb).”
Firstly, docs ‘‘nobody else docs”
refer to the fact that no one else works
all night in Hamilton Hall or to the
claim that no one else deserves A’s.
Secondly, which interpretation is
picked out by the “this” in the fol
lowing sentence? The intuitive read
ing that others don’t deserve A’s be
cause they don’t work all night is
unfortunately contradicted by the
parenthetical claim. Thirdly, who
precisely is being distinguished by the
phrase ‘‘everybody else” — chemis
try students other than themselves,
non-chemistry students across the
university, to perhaps everyone in the
world who is not enrolled in an under
graduate chemistry class?
They continue, “We are really,
really smart because we work all night
and we resent other people in much
easier disciplines making all A’s. For
this reason we feel that Glover should
be supported for his stand against
students who want A’s.”
I sense, however, a syntacuc amoi
guity in the statement “We arc really,
really smart because we work all night
and we resent other people ...”
Do they mean to say that their
smartness is manifested in the fact
that they work all night and resent
others, or do they rather mean that
working all night produces their
smartness and resentment? We can
see the distinction more clearly in the
two statements ‘ ‘ Socrates is seen to be
silling because he is sitting,” which is
true, and “Because Socrates is sitting,
he is seen to be silting,” which is
absolutely false.
Fifthly, there seems to be a philo
sophical ambiguity in their statement
“We resent other people in much
easier disciplines.” Do they resent
others for agent-neutral reasons, (It is
intrinsically bad to be in a discipline
beneath one’s smartness.), or do they
resent others for agent-relative rea
sons (It is bad relative to my own
concerns that others be in a discipline
beneath their own smartness)? If for
agent-neutral reasons it seems unclear
why they should personally resent
them, and if for agent-relative reasons
it seems unclear how it could be bad
relative to their own concerns. Lastly,
their statement “For this reason we
feel that . . is also syntactically
ambiguous in that “this” has no clear
rclcrcnl. Should Glover be supported
because they arc really, really, really
smart, because they work all night,
because they resent others, or because
others arc in an easier discipline?
Until all of these ambiguities arc
clarified I am unable to respond accu
rately to their argument, and hence
unable to decide whether I should
award any A’s to my undergraduate
philosophy students.
Bill Braun
graduate student
Rudeness in class
frustrates student
I was sitting in my history lecture,
anxious to soak up the knowledge that
the professor was sharing, when my
attention was drawn away from the
lesson to an obvious and loud conver
sation a few students were having next
to me. Shortly after being disturbed by
this, I glanced over my shoulder to sec
three people with their heads resting
on their folded arms over the desks.
Then I tried to focus on the teacher
once again only to notice another stu
dent blatantly reading a novel.
I was irritated, and I felt as though
the majority of the class had tuned out
the professor and was doing various
activities in addition to drawing my
attention away from the lecture. I
wondered, “Is there something wrong
with me? No one else is taking
notes!”
This is not an exaggeration, al
though it is not normally quite as bad
as this in mostof my courses. But, it is
common to sec students dozing off
during class. But many times, it
seems, I observe people who obvi
ously are not taking notes, never mind
listening to the discussion.
The main question that continually
haunts me is, if these people really do
not care to take notes or even listen to
lectures because they would rather
sleep or write notes (an activity that
should have been abandoned with
other high school pastimes), then why
do they make the effort to even come
to class? It seems to me that instead of
being rude to the professor and annoy
ing those who want to learn, these
boisterous students should not even
bother coming to class.
I cannot deny the fact that my mind
sometimes wanders and I occasion
ally find myself dozing off, but I am
very conscious about note taking and
getting the most that I can out of what
the professor is saying. I am sure that
everyone else who is concerned about
the importance of their education may
also find themselves in this same pre
dicament from time to time. It is often
unavoidable after an all-nighter of
studying.
It is not these students who want to
learn to whom I am directing my
complaint, but towards those who
make a habit of coming to class and
sleeping, talking, reading other mate
rial, writing notes and whatever else
one may do besides doing what they
came to the university to do.
I am positive that some may think
“Well, at least I am going to class!”
My response is simple: Only go to
class if there is a desire to gain infor
mation that the lecturer has to offer.
Do not infringe on the rights of other
students who want to learn by distract
ing them.
Julia Mikolajcik
freshmen
news-editorial
Reader gives plan
for saving ozone
May I offer my solution to the
problem of the dangerously depleted
ozone layer?
All chlorofluorocarbons should be
internationally banned. Then, to re
pair the ozone layer, implement the
following method.
First, manufacture liquid ozone.
Then, load the liquid ozone aboard
large military refueling tanker air
craft. These planes would then climb
to the lower level of the ozone layer at
40,(XX) feet. As they spray the liquid
ozone, the strong upper jet stream
winds will carry the ozone even
higher into the ozone layer. The ozone
layer could be maintained at its nor
mal level after the initial restoration
project by a minimal number of an
nual flights. However, I estimate the
initial ozone restoration will take
from one to five years and cost be
tween S50 and S70 million. Since this
is a global crisis, cost should be shared
by members of the United Nations.
I urge everyone to clip this letter
and send copies to scientists, environ
mental groups, the Environmental
Protection Agency, congressmen and
senators and to President George
Bush.
Leonard DeFazio, Jr.
Batavia, New York
Anonymous submissions will not
be considered for publication . Letters
should include the author’s name,
year in school, major and groupaffili
ation, if any. Requests to withhold
names will not be granted.
Submit material to the Daily Ne
braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R
St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
A SADD FUNDRAISER
■
'WIN A
_ CONCERT!
Win a Pontiac LeMans GSE!
GUESS HOW MANY TAPES
CAN FIT IN THE
PONTIAC MUSICMOBILE
COME SEE THE Enfer Your school’s Drawing!
PONTIAC MUSICMOBILE WIN:
1st Prize: Emerson Compact Disc
Player and 25 top artist Compact Discs
r>ATPG- APRIL 12, 13, 14 2nd Prize: 25 Compact Discs
UM . 3rd Prize: 50 cassettes
IN FRONT OF UNION NEAR
D/ Af'F- broyhill fountain
r'LMLrC.. ... Pius—all entries go mto a drawing for
ORGANIZATION: KAPPA SIGMA FRATERNITY' & PI BETA PHI 4Pontiac LeMans GSE’sl Drawing to be held
Donations will be contributed to your SORORITY during the 1988/1989 school year. Details
sponsoring organization and SADD. provided at your Pontiac MusicmobHe.
* Awarded to school raising most money for SAPP.
-Friends don’t let friends drive drunk!
