Editorial
(Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Eric Pfanner, Editor, 472-1766
Victoria Ayolte, Managing Editor
Darcie Wiegert, Associate News Editor
Diane Brayton, Associate News Editor
Jana Pedersen, Wire Editor
Emily Rosenbaum, Copy Desk Chief
Lisa Donovan, Editorial Page Editor
-—
Good time, bad idea?
Greek T-shirt themes under fire, again
Maybe they ought to stick to Bart Simpson.
The second annual greck T-shirt outrage targets
Farmhouse, Alpha Chi Omega and Phi Mu’s “South of
the Border’’ party.
Last year, Phi Kappa Psi fraternity was banned from selling
a racist T-shirt for its annual Phi Psi 500 philanthropy. The Phi
Psis were asked to stop Nebraska Union sales of the T-shirts,
which negatively depicted a black woman riding a tricycle out
of the jungle.
Now, the “South of the Border” T-shirts bearing a sombrero
adorned tequila worm on a background of the Mexican flag
have been labeled “a mockery to our ancestry,” by one member
of the Mexican-American Students Association.
According to Florcncio Flores Palomo, the replacement of
the flag’s eagle and serpent with a worm is offensive.
The Mexican flag, he said, is a very important part of that
country’s culture.
wmie ne agrees inat the fraternities ana soronucs nave me
First Amendment rights to print the T-shirt, Palomo said he
contacted the various greek houses involved in the party to let
them know he thought the shirts were offensive.
By a First Amendment standard, the shirt certainly is not of
fensive. After all, some Americans respect the right to bum
their own flag — the U.S. flag. But most wouldn’t.
If Mexicans feel as strongly about their symbol as some
Americans do, then it should be up to Mexicans, not Ameri
cans, to ridicule that flag.
Most Americans would be equally offended if Mexican
Amcrican students replaced the stars on Old Glory with Spuds
MacKenzie.
Each shows lack of knowledge and respect about the other
cultures.
“Sombreros are not all the Mexican culture is about,”
Palomo said.
The “South of the Border” party is a prime example.
The party was not organized to boost awareness about the
Mexican culture; it was just an excuse to party.
And in this case, at the expense of others.
Perhaps fraternities and sororities should forget themes as an
excuse for their parties — before they start offending each
other.
— Lisa Donovan
for the Daily Nebraskan
Vote for representation
Aid student government, continuing studies
Students have for years complained about not getting the
representation they deserve.
Today, there’s a chance to do something about it.
Students can vote on an Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska referendum to determine the number of
I credit hours a student in the Division of Continuing Studies
must carry to be eligible for a position on the ASUN senate.
About 1,300 students signed petitions to place the issue on a
ballot. Now there’s one more hurdle to jump — at the polls.
The struggle began in the March ASUN election, when
junior business major Sandra Haughton won the DCS senate
seat but was unable to serve because she wasn’t carry ing the
required 12 credit hours.
The requirement is ridiculous because fewer than 1 percent
of the 795 enrolled DCS students arc full lime. Most have to
work to continue their education through night courses. The
requirement effectively bars DCS students from participating in
student government.
And student government, as it stands, needs the different
perspective of a DCS student as much as DCS students deserve
fair representation.
If the referendum passes with a two-thirds majority,
i Haughton will be eligible for appointment to the ASIJN
| position.
Anyone interested in fair and equal representation should
show up at the nearest polling site, student ID card in hand.
— Lisa Donovan
for the Daily Nebraskan
editorial —
Editorials do not necessarily re
flect the views of the university, its
employees, the students or the NU
Board of Regents.
Editorial columns represent the
opinion of ihc author. The Daily Ne
braskan’s publishers arc the regents,
who established the UNL Publica
tions Board to supervise the daily pro
duction of the paper.
W/L _
HOBO EXPRESS ; NEXT STOP WASHINGTON D C.
Locker room equality needed
Men and women don't belong in each other’s shower rooms
A few weeks ago, a few ignorant
men made their entire sex look
like primitive, subhuman
sewage. Since then, the world’s sur
plus of ignorance seems to have got
ten bigger.
By now, most every body has heard
at least some of the saga of Boston
Herald sportswriler Lisa Olson and
her confrontation with New England
Patriots football players in their locker
room.
Olson, a sportswriter, was inter
viewing a Patriots player after a Sept.
17 home game in Foxboro, Mass.
Tight end Zeke Mowatl and four other
players allegedly approached her in
the locker room, stood inches from
her face and began making sexually
suggestive remarks.
Mowatt was tinea >z,IXX} by the
National Football League for sexual
harassment and was forced by Patri
ots management to apologize to Olson.
He has consistently denied making
lewd comments or gestures.
Patriots owner Victor Kiam added
his two cents, allegedly calling Olson
a “classic bitch,” more or less giving
his players the green light to pester
reporters when they see fit.
Last Monday, Mowatt underwent
a 5 1/2 hour polygraph test in Miami,
according to The Boston Globe. His
attorney, Robert Fraley, said the test
proves his client’s inntx:ence, and that
Olson now owes Mowatt an apology.
Olson retaliated Saturday, offer
ing to subject herself to a similar test.
Shortly alter the Patriots locker
room incident, Coach Sam Wychc
banned a female reporter from his
Cincinnati Bengals dressing room.
But the crowning blows came this
past weekend.
The Canadian Football League’s
Winnipeg Blue Bombers barred all
reporters from their locker room after
a game Friday night. The reason? A
woman was among the press corps.
The next day, Karen Crouse, a
reporter covering the UCLA-Arizona
game in Pasadena, Calif., said she
was harassed in the Arizona locker
room after the game, while she was
conducting post-game interviews.
Crouse, a reporter with the Orange
County Register, said an unclothed
Arizona player approached her and
said, “What arc we, in New Eng
land?”
Later, another unclothed player tried
to get her attention by calling to her
from across the dressing room.
Chuck
Green
What the hell is going on here?
After each of these incidents, col
umns and letters have popped up like
weeds, lambasting the actions of these
dark-age dorks who need a crash course
in human relations and 20lh century
thinking.
Accompanying these letters to the
editor usually are demands that fe
male reporters be allowed in the locker
rooms, just like their male counter
parts.
Having worked at the Daily Ne
braskan for a few years as a sports
writer, I’ve covered dozens of sport
ing events, including postseason foot
ball bowl games, volleyball national
championships and various other team
sports that require interviews with
players after thegames. In mostcases,
female sportswriters and radio and
television reporters have been pres
ent.
I never gave the problem of pos
sible sexual harassment of sportswrit
ers much thought until now. Obvi
ously, it makes a lough job tougher if
you happen to be a female reporter
covering a game played by men.
But all of a sudden, it seems that
these incidents, as degrading and
overwhelmingly asinine as they arc,
have somehow blocked whatever nerve
passages connect the brain’s logic
banks.
Frankly, women reporters should
not be allowed into a men’s locker
room after a game. Conversely, men
can’t be herded into a women’s team
dressing room, either. But no one
should be treated in a condescending
manner.
I have covered the Comhusker
women’s basketball team and volley
ball team several times, and I hon
estly can’t remember being invited
into the dressing room to conduct
post-game interviews.
The Nebraska athletic department’s
locker room policy should be used as
a national model. After football games
in Memorial Stadium, players re
quested by reporters arc brought up to
the South Stadium lounge, where they
are interviewed by men and women.
The only Husker team I know of
that has an open locker room policy is
the men’s basketball team. Once,
though, a female reporter was present
for post-game interviews. The sports
information department personnel
brought players into the conference
room and solved the problem.
II women arc present and arc trying
to do a job, it’s the responsibility of
the team’s sports information direc
tor or agent to set up interviews with
players and coaches elsewhere. The
same holds true for men covering
women’s teams.
Locker rooms aren’t the best places
to talk, and they sure don’t do any
thing for anyone’s sinuses. They’re
loud, confusing, wet, cramped and
otherwise unappealing, unless you
happen to be an athlete looking for
ward to a hot shower.
What happened to Olson, Crouse
and other women who have been
treated in that manner is inexcusable
— inexcusable because of the players
who made the comments and ges
tures.
If it continues to happen, it’s inex
cusable because sports information
departments around the country arc
insensitive or asleep — or both.
(ireen is a senior news-editorial major
and a Daily Nebraskan night news editor,
sportswriter and columnist.
ieilefcnml_
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