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
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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 <oip
plements editor.
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