Editorial _
(Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Uncoln
Amy Edwards, Editor, 472-1766
Bob Nelson, Editorial Page Editor
Ryan Steeves, Managing Editor
Eric Pfanner, Associate News Editor
Lisa Donovan, Associate News Editor
Brandon Loomis, Wire Editor
Jana Pedersen, Night News Editor
Watch your tongue
Fining for use of ‘outstate ’ is extreme
Outstate Nebraska.
It’s a term used generally to describe the parts of
Central and Western Nebraska that are outside of the
more populated areas of Lincoln and Omaha.
Is that so offensive?
Evidently it is, because our state senators thought it
offensive enough to pass a resolution banning the use of
the term outstate, along with the use of “greater” and
“lesser’ ’ Nebraska from the vocabulary of Nebraska
| citizens.
!s that silly?
The resolution reads, “That the terms outstate Ne
braska, greater Nebraska, and lesser Nebraska be penna
nently stricken from the vocabulary of Nebraska s citizens
and that all citizens be encouraged to familiarize them
selves with the geograpny ana communities ui ubwiuic
beautiful state of Nebraska so they may more precisely
refer to all areas of the state in a manner that promotes
statewide understanding.”
Any citizen who hears a state official or representative
1 use one of the terms can fine the culprit $50 to be do
I nated to that citizen’s favorite charity.
“Did you say outstate? I distinctly heard you use the
word outstate in that sentence.”
“No. But you just said it twice. Hand over $100 to my
favorite charity, please.”
State Sens. Sandra Scofield of Chadron and M.L.
“Cap” Dierks of Ewing introduced the resolution and
their point is well-taken.
The words outstate, greater and lesser don’t describe
accurately the parts of Nebraska they attempt to define,
and people should be more sensitive to terms that offend
others.
They also should have some basic knowledge of the
state in which they live.
Even though the resolution has no power to be en
forced, asking people to pay $50 for using the word is a
little extreme.
Good thing the Daily Nebraskan is not a state-run
newspaper. Otherwise it would be asked to pay $800 for
this editorial.
•• Amy Edwards
for ihe Daily Ntbraskan
Minority hurt athletes’ image
In response to McGraw Milhaven’s
column on the treatment of athletes
(DN, Jan. 31), one can only ask how
he can claim to be an ‘ ‘... ex-college
athlete who sees things more objec
tively.” Objectivity implies that one
does not have a vested interest in the
subject.
I also am ‘ *... sick and tired of the
negative connotation associated with
the word ‘athlete.’” My own dislike
of the negative image comes from a
lifelong love of sports on the high
school, college and professional lev
els and a dedicated loyalty to the
Comhuskcrs. Because of this interest
in sports I am enraged by the blatant
disregard for rules, laws and common
decency by some athletes. It is this
minority who cast a shadow on all
who engage in athletic competition.
When I read stories of the alleged
rape of a University of Ncbraska
Lincoln freshman by a visiting Uni
versity of Colorado football player,
the suspensions of Roy Tarpley, Dexter
Manley, and numerous others for the
use of controlled substances, and a
number of arrests and citations issued
against UNL athletes, I question the
circumstances which cause such
behavior. Why does Dexter Manley
think he can get away with the use of
controlled substances? Perhaps it is
because teachers, coaches and other
authority figures allowed him the
special privileges the aiticlc encour
ages athletes to take advantage of.
Mr. Milhaven, instead of encour
aging athletes to get all they can, how
about encouraging the fair and equal
treatment of all peoples? You use
pathetic cliches like “Life is not fair”
to justify the establishment of elite
groups who arc above the rules that
everyone else must live by. Awarding
scholarships and academic rewards
to outstanding athletes is as fully jus
tifiable as awarding scholarships in
dance, music, academics or many
other fields, because as Milhavcn so
correctly stated, “ .. .the true nature
of learning - f inding out what others
do and appreciating their gifts” is
very important. The problem comes
when the privileges extended to ath
letes, or any other group, exceed the
privileges of theirs.
The one privilege that scholarship
athletes must take advantage of is the
free education that they have earned,
and yet there are athletes who use up
their eligibility and never receive a
degree. Knowledge is the greatest tool
a person can have and any athlete,
“art student,” or child of “rich par
ents,” who wastes an opportunity to
acquire it is cheating him or herself.
I also enjoy your attempt, Mr.
Milhavcn, to insinuate that those who
do not agree with you are commies
who should ”... go to the Soviet
Union.” The concept of, “America,
love it or leave it,” is the defense of
those who cannot support their argu
ments. In the United States we are
allowed to express our opinions, no
matter how misguided some may be.
Scott Cunningham
sophomore
social scienccs/Teachers College
./^GOT -mAT \ f JUST GIVE ME A
( THING READS' ) I fEVJ MINUTES.
V^VET ? y v—t|
D _ ii tin
Restructuring gets back burner
ASUN finds time for ballot counting, Colorado football game
In a characteristic move last week,
the Association of Students of
the University of Nebraska failed
to immediately pass a bill backing the
restructuring of higher education in
Nebraska.
Senators claimed that because the
bill hadn’t been introduced at an ear
lier time, they weren’t prepared to
pass it. They didn’t have enough time
to research the matter, they said.
But one day later, they had all the
research they needed. In an emer
gency meeting, they passed an
amended version of the bill.
I congratulate ASUN for actually
doing research before voting on the
bill.
1 criticize the senators for not doing
the research much earlier.
Even if senators weren’t aware
that ASUN legislation would address
the issue, they should have taken the
time to study the proposals. After all,
isn’t the restructuring of Nebraska’s
higher education one of the key issues
at the University of Ncbraska-Lin
coln this year? Why did it take some
senators so long to read up on the
subject?
I find il difficult to swallow the
fact that our student leaders didn’t
know enough about the proposed
restructuring to have their opinions
set before last Wednesday’s meeting.
On Nov. 29, the consulting Firm
Widmaycr and Associates recom
mended a total change in the govern
ing of Nebraska’s higher education.
That gave ASUN senators two months
to bone up on the facts. Yet, they had
to lake an extra day to make their
decision.
, Even then, ASUN had to amend
the original bill to include its wish
> that UNL remain Nebraska’s “flag
, ship” institution. Had senators re
searched the issue thoroughly, they
, would have discovered that nowhere
in the report did Widmaycr and Asso
ciates suggest changing UNL’s status
as the leading institution in Nebraska.
But putting important issues on
the back burner seems to be a tradi
tion in this year’s senate. I guess it
i should have come as no surprise when
senators were unprepared to discuss
the restructuring issue.
And speaking of restructuring ...
as long as the Nebraska Legislature
already is considering changing the
system, why slop at upper-level gov
erning? Why not continue the phi
losophy and restructure UNL’s stu
dent government as well?
The restructuring process would
have to start somewhere. Why not
start with what we’ve got -- 35 sena
tors and three executives.
Let’s leave the executives alone,
for this column at least. Instead I’ll
concentrate on the senators themselves
since they seem to me to be the big
gest problem.
First, let me give a brief profile of
what the “back burner” senate has
done.
AS UN senators have tackled what
students (sadly) have labeled the
number one problem at UNL - park
ing.
They’ve gotten us a bus shelter.
(Actually Fran Thompson, a student
who uses the bus system, was more to
credit for that.)
They’ve tried to promote AIDS
awareness.
They’ve rubber-stamped numer
ous student organization confutations.
They’ve assigned committees to
study issues.
And they’ve volunteered, in mass,
to count homecoming royalty ballots.
(Well, somebody had to do it.)
Unfortunately, at the meeting the
week before homecoming ballot
counters were called for, another
volunteer project came up. This one
was for marchers at a rally sponsored
by Project Excel, a youth group dedi
cated to fighting drugs.
No one volunteered. In fact only
one member of ASUN, an executive,
attended the rally.
Senators kept their hands down
because they had passed a bill earlier
in the year to name the football game
at the University of Colorado “1989
Student Migration Game.” The Proj
ect Excel rally happened to fall on the
same Saturday. Some senators already
had tickets for the game. The rest
must have had other plans. The game
was televised, remember.
As the migration game bill said,
“student enthusiasm for Big Red
football is abundant.”
To me it seems that ASUN sena
tors just don’t have time to do all
that’s necessary for the job. They
don’t have time for projects like Excel.
They don’t have time to research
important issues concerning Nebraska
higher education.
What we need to improve ASUN
are senators who have more lime,
senators who are willing to give up
other things, like part-time jobs. And
how do we attract these super-sena
tors?
Pay them.
Why not? U.S. senators get paid,
don’t they? What do ASUN senators
get now but one more good line on a
resume?
But resume-packing does not a
good senator make. Then again, nei
ther does bribery. A system would
have to be developed to ensure stu
dents $et the leadership they would
be paying for.
Maybe the parking lot by Broyhill
Fountain could be converted into an
ASUN lot. Those who are excellent
senators could park there. Consola
tion prizes of bus passes could be
handed out for those who don’t own
cars. Those who don’t make good
senators wouldn ’t even get a bus pass.
Of course, we’d need a judge to de
cide who’s doing a good job and
who’s not. That could get messy.
So, paying senators probably
wouldn’t work. I’m no Widmaycr.
I’m not even an associate.
But I do know some change is
bound to work.
And if we have to hire an outside
consulting firm to figure out what
that change is, let’s do it. In the long
run, it would be worth it.
In the long run, we might even end
up with senators who don’t like foot
ball.
Pedersen b a sophomore advertising
m*Jor and a Dally Nebraskan night news
editor and columnist.