Editorial 2 Daily [Nebraskan ?5 Editorial Board U University of NebrasKa-Lincoln A dangerous trend Neglecting students' needs hurts everyone The trend from grant-based to loan-based financial aid for university students is alarmingly representa tive of this country’s commitment to education. It presents a paradox in that the indirect results of such a system perpetuate the reasons for the trend. How will this nation deal with long-term issues like 1 drugs, AIDS and the global community when it directs s our limited resources at short-term “solutions?” The inept “drug war,” AIDS epidemic and trade deficit ? illustrate our failure to deal with these issues. Long-term | solutions require intelligent leadership. Today, this is at the expense of education, with students picking up the slack for the government’s fiscal irresponsibility, inability f; to compete in world markets and knee-jerk policies. Nationally next year, there is a projected $365 million unmet financial need; an increase from last year of $34 million. This discrepancy forces short-term adjustments on students that can have the long-term implications mentioned above. Students, having unmet need from decreasing grants, have two options; either make up the difference themselves by working or take out larger loans. It ne responsioimy on students to mi tnis increasing gap makes demands on students’ time. They get less out of education than if they could devote that time to aca demics. This doesn’t refer to spending money, but simply having enough to cover tuition. These are significant increases; 58 percent a credit hour at UNL from 1980 to 1985. “1 just didn’t have the time” can lead to cramming, cheating and the ‘‘getting the grade” attitude so prevalent on today’s campuses. If students choose to take out larger loans, they are faced with the reality of paying them back; a pressure toward a more marketable degree. A ‘‘market-respon sive” university system is advantageous in this rapidly changing world, but current motivation is not in the pursuit of enlightenment but marketability. This is not a recent phenomenon and it reaches far deeper than the student-loan issue. It comes from years of neglect of our institutions infrastructures. Short-term planning and solutions end up costing us all more in the end; not just students. Former San Antonio, Texas, mayor and education activist Henry Cisneros said in a speech at UNL Sept. 28, I that ‘‘a nation is known by the schools it keeps. Amer i ica’s relationship with the world will be determined by the understanding future leader? have of other cultures. We need to focus on education like we’ve never done be fore.” •• Andy Manhart for the Daily Nebraskan ii m i ii. ii miiiiiTFmnTi ninifn iiinirTiir rammi^nrninT—nw i>—immi i ipimpniin m ■■ wurilTflfcW wiwprfi—wii Students must take action Dearest Pravda, Accountability! How dare you speak of “accountability” when the whole campus knows that The Daily Nebraskan is a censorious piece of trash run by incompetent theologians who have their fates neatly tucked in the hip pocket of the NU Board of Regents? Or is it the chancellor? It’s so confusing. The pen names we have chosen arc intended to reflect the values and goals of our publication, and of our selves. Speaking for myself, I look the name of Percy Bysshe Shelley, the English romantic poet. His struggle against oppression in Ireland and tyranny at home reflects all the best that a revolutionary can offer: commitment, integrity, vision, inten sity , sincerity and intelligence, while getting heartbreak in return. I had no delusion when I began this project. I knew that the established press would ridicule us, that the mob would ignore us, and that the biggest fan of “The New Breed” would be me. But what revolution begins with a bursting bank account? Or with an enthusiastic mob rising spontane ously from below? 1 have no illusions about my own ability either. I am no leader. I don’t want to be a politician. 1 am an artist, a thinker, a soul. Al revolutions begin with culture, will art. The purpose of “The New Breed’ is not to simply raise the conscious ness of the students (they know wha their problems arc), and certainly no to incite the masses to riot. Its pur pose is to show the students of thi: university that if anything is to lx done about any student issue, anj ecological issue, or any world issue it must be done by the students them selves. The students must take re sponsibilily for not only bitchinj about issues, but making it perfect!) clear to the power elite that if pushet far enough, the students of this uni versity will shut down this university And the peopleof this nation will shu down this nation. We have too lonj neglected the poor, the environment the elderly and volunteer organiza tions such as the Red Cross. An impending age of rapid changi is bearing down upon us in this coun try. “The New Breed’’ is saying change with it PigAmerica, or perish Jim Sundcer editor of “The New Breed’ teaching assistam English 14—g-u-:--4 Stephanie Cannon/Daily Nebraskan Drug convicts need evaluation National drug problem just isn’t as simple as Bush would like Gel the drugs, users and dealers off ihe streets. That’s what President Bush says. It sounds good — a drug-free America, that is. And as far as convic tions go, it seems to be working. America’s prisons are full of drug convicted inmates. In fact, they arc more than full. Nebraska prisons arc operating at 138 percent capacity. Cots arc being set up wherever there is room at the Lincoln Correctional Center. Nation wide, the number of inmates in prison rose 7.3 percent in the first six months of this year. This increase is higher than in any previous full year, accord ing to the Associated Press. As one prison official pointed out, the drug war is just firing up. Where will all the soon-to-bc convicted drug violators go? Bush doesn’t consider this a fed eral government problem. Although it is estimated that $80 billion is needed to alleviate prison over crowding nationwide, federal offi cials say slates must solve their own problems. But state officials say money isn’t available to build the new prisons 1 needed. 1 Bush’s narrow perspective is sure , to come to a dead end. Get the drug users off the streets. To hell with practical problems like where to put 1 them. 1 But prison officials have to deal • with those dealers and casual drug » users now facing jail sentences. And, ' if a bed is found for the recently ’ convicted, then what? , Nebraska’s Corrections Director ■ Frank Gunter knows the state’s re sponsibility goes beyond providing ; more cell space for inmates. Inmates convicted on drug charges need to be I evaluated. If inmates are drug ad ■ dieted, they need treatment while . they arc in prison. I f > If this country really wants to eliminate or improve its drug prob lem, money must be made available. Or is Bush advocating a Band-Aid solution? Let’s cover up the drug problem by temporarily clearing out drug-infested street comers. It all comes down to money. Hir ing additional counselors and segre gating prisoners for drug treatment classes will cost money. Convicted drug users can’t be jailed indefinitely. It would be better to release a former convict who is a recovering addict instead of an un treated addict who has been wanting to gel high for a very long time. The national drug war needs to include more drug treatment pro grams in the prisons. Inmates need to be evaluated as individuals, not sim ply labeled a criminal and thrown into the prison mainstream. Are they habitual users, or casual users who got busted after buying a gram of cocaine for the annual Christmas bash? The gun-toting user who lives off of the money made by selling drugs needs a treatment program quite dif ferent from the soft-spoken person who bought drugs to party with on the weekends. Both committed crimes. Neither the casual or habitual drug user is above the law. But, for the gun-toting user drugs arc more than a high. Drugs arc a way of life and an important source of income. It will lake a lot of work to break the link betwce?Tihe user and his or her lifestyle. A program tar geted at this user is likely to be rather stringent, almost military in nature. But, if a casual user was thrown into this same program, it would be a - disaster. Neither the casual user nor habitual user could focus on the pro gram. The casual user would be too busy trying to survive. The serious user would set up the rules for sur vival. But, necessary drug treatment programs can’t be considered until the jail space problem is solved. Nebraska officials predict all cells will be full and all cot space taken by 1992. In the meantime, crowded inmates arc getting restless. Inmate misbehavior in Nebraska prisons was up 43 percent this summer. Rather than solving a drug prob lem, the Bush plan is creating a prison crisis. As the ratio of prisoners to guards begins to increase* so will the incidences of violence. The national drug problem just isn’t as simple as Bush wants it to be. The problems pointed out by prison wardens should have been obvious to the Bush administration. A national drug war should have been well thought out. It wasn’t. Many steps in Bush’s drug plan will reveal problems like those now confronting prison wardens across the country. Bush’s drug war is fast becoming part of the problem, not the solution. Although Bush can’t deliver on his promise of a drug-free America, he can stop the drug war. It’s time to abandon the war and begin dealing with addicted people. Otherwise, everyone loses. Chris Carroll Is a senior news-editorial ma jor and Daily Nebraskan columnist and