Higher education problems discussed Panel: Minority emphasis needed By Kara Wells • Staff Reporter Four members of a panel discus sion on race relations agreed Thurs day that universities need to attract and retain more minority students. Joel Gajardo, executive director of the Lincoln Hispanic Community Center, said the fact that few minori ties are enrolled in college is a good indication of the present race rela tions dilemma. “Since higher education is so ex pensive, how can the poor, the op pressed and the minorities have ac cess to the universities?” Gajardo asked. Once the university has attracted a minority student, the institution needs to be able to retain that student, said David Iaquinta, an associate profes sor of sociology at Wesleyan. “Crawling through that while tun nel is extremely isolating for a minor ity student,” he said. Gajardo said he also is concerned with providing minority students with a support system once they enter a university. “Can we imagine the loneliness, the alienation of minority students who venture into the university?” he asked. Gargi Roysircar Sodowsky, an assistant professor of educational psychology at the University of Ne braska-Lincoln, agreed that universi ties need to provide social support to minority students and focus on multi culturalism. Iaquinta said universities need to open up to large communities to expose students to a variety of cultures. “As a university, we have broad access and flexibility,” he said, “We should be exploring the community, especially the families.” Beane agreed and said universities need to make institutions part of the community. Institutions make students separate from families, he said. This separation has “over-institutionalized” the school system, he said. “This erodes the family system,” Beane said. The universities need to be put back together as a community, he said. Syd Beane, president of the Indian Center, Inc., said that American Indi ans need to rebuild their school sys tem. They need to create an Ameri can Indian university to help preserve their culture, he said, because federal schools acculturate American Indian students and destroy their sense of culture. The panel was part of a three-day symposium on race relations spon sored by the Nebraska Wesleyan University chapter of Nebraskans for Peace. ppto Beginning midnight Wednes day, Nov. 14 9:11 a.m. — Camera taken, Agricultural Communications Building, S200. 9:21 a.m. — Telephone taken, Bancroft Hall, S60. 1:05 p.m. — Woman fell and broke her nose, reported late, taken to Lincoln General Hos pital, parking iol south of Memorial Stadium. 1:39 p.m. — Man dropped weights on his leg, taken to the University Health Center, Ac tivities Building. BEFORE YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, YOU'VE GOT TO FOLLOW THE RULES. Register With Selective Service. It's Quick. It's Easy. And It's The Law. A pwblk of Hw» pubWohon Free {Glasses From Our I Entire Selection, I With Eyeglass J Purchase! Unlike other optical stores that offer you free frames from a limited selection, we offer you free frames from our entire stock of the latest eyewear fashions... quality names like Liz Claiborne, Gant, Linda Evans and many others! Buy any complete prescription glasses at regular price and we'll give you a free pair of single-vision glasses with plastic lenses and frames of equal or less value. Or if you prefer contacts, you can select a free pair of Hydrocurve Softmate B daily-wear soft contact lenses! Eya a.am not Mudad Fiaa faaaat mu 0a of aqua o>