131 * 11 ...
End run
Ethical problems not solved by money
State Sen. Ernie Chambers should have learned from the
USFL. Semi-pro football leagues don’t make it.
Once again, the Omaha senator has introduced a bill to
pay Nebraska football players. In previous years, the Legisla
ture threw out similar bills. The main objection was that they
would put Nebraska in violation of NCAA rules prohibiting
players from receiving financial aid not related to sports.
Now the bill includes an end run around those rules. It
wouldn’t go into effect until states with at least four other Big
Eight schools passed similar legislation. At that point, pay
ments could start because the NCAA probably wouldn’t punish
half of one of its most lucrative conferences.
Even if Chambers has found a way to keep the bill in
bounds, its purpose still goes against the grain. It is unethical
and unfair. Rules — even the NCAA’s — can be changed.
Ethical principles and fairness, however, cannot.
B Chambers’ legislation would affect only football players. All
other athletes, even in other big-ticket sports such as basket
ball, would watch the football players get special favors.
Football, the bill says, is different from the other sports.
According to the bill:
® Scandals are common in college football.
• UNL employs a large coaching staff, in part to “generate
the largest possible income.”
• “Maintaining a winning football team has become an
important aspect of the overall business or occupation of
UNL.”
• Recruiting is expensive.
• Many players spend more time on football than on aca
demics.
Because “a sound academic program for players may be
difficult to develop due to the demands of the sport,” the bill
says, players should get a “tangible return” from their time at
UNL.
In other words, the university should become a football
I? factory, if it isn’t already. Academics wouldn’t really matter, as
j l long as players could walk away from Nebraska with a hefty
I professional contract and some pocket money.
Instead of doing something about the problems with college
football, the bill would legitimize them. Because college
football players already get paid under the table by boosters,
the bill seems to say, “Make such payments legal, and the
ethical problems will go away.”
The NCAA has a better idea for reform. At its January con
vention, members voted in rules to eliminate some of the time
demands and money causing the problems listed in Chambers’
bill.
The NCAA needs to do more. It needs to let athletes who
receive no athletic scholarships accept ordinary' financial aid.
But at least the NCAA is trying to change the causes of the
encroachment on academics and ethics. Chambers’ bill would
only make the effects legal. That would be an unfortunate way
of penalizing football’s fouls.
— E.F.P.
-LETTERS tTh°e EDITOR
Hanna earns praise
Bravo, such spirited words!!!
I’m referring to the recently pub
lished letters (DN, Jan. 29) by that all
American band of sophomore chemi
cal engineers as well as the other
letters written that effectively rip that
coward Gary Hanna to shreds.
I know the dissenter personally, as
I’m sure everyone else who took the
time to write in does. Who cares if
Mr. Hanna had a change of heart
concerning his naive decision to be a
part of the U.S. Army (defender of
liberty and justice)? Who cares if he
has acquired more of a respect for
human life than is held by 84 percent
of the United States (where everyone
has a right to disagree)? He should
have known that years after graduat
ing from high school, the United States
(We, the People) might perhaps be
involved in a controversial interna
tional conflict that he might or might
not choose to support. He (a citizen of
this great nation) signed a piece of
paper on a dotted line when he was 17
and therefore should not be allowed
to have deeply held morals concern
ing war and peace.
Let’s face it — when you join the
Army you can’t have a conscience.
Maybe our friend Gary Hanna should
run away to some country where he is
allowed have morals and is allowed
to differ from the majority. Does he
actually think he lives in a democ
racy?
I know Gary Hanna personally; I
know that he is a man (and I use the
term with the utmost sincerity, Blaine
Spady) with a deeply held commit
ment to what he feels is right and
what is wrong. Kelly S. Tipton says
that “a man orcourage is a man of his
word.” Gary Hanna’s word is not a
contract that he signed three years
ago. Gary Hanna’s word is his com
mitment to peace. Edward C. Selig
tells me that “Gary wasn’t complain
ing about lus obligation in peace time,”
but yes, yes he was. As long as 1 have
known him, he has made abundantly
clear to me his feeling toward the
military and toward the U.S.’s action
in the gulf. Mr. Selig goes on to say he
wants his tax money returned. If he
could, Mr. Hanna would return it.
Everyone who wrote in referred to
Gary Hanna as a coward. But when
you look at what he is trying to do and
trying to say, and the amount of pub
lic ridicule he is undergoing to stand
up for what he believes, he is any
thing but a coward. As long as 1 have
known him, he has never said any
thing about a fear of dying, but rather
he has spoken openly about his fear of
killing.
I support the U.S. military action
in the Middle East 100 percent. I
support Gary Hanna in his brave
decision equally so.
Peter D. Dahm
freshman
biological sciences
gAV\
£AA\ f^NA ^KKSS...
SWE. OF THE. mm PEP PKU.V
PAT D1NSLAGE
Job holds false appearance
Ever apply for a job, do every
thing die job hunting experts
said, emphasize that you had
all the credentials, knowledge and
experience?
Then, when you got it—when you
held the “golden fleece” in your hand
— find that it’s made of fool’s gold?
It’s not as easy or as fun as you
thought it would be.
Maybe you haven’t. I have, and
it’s this columnist job.
Imagine: The chance to expound
on my views, have thousands of people
read what I write and get paid for it,
too. What more could an inveterate
letters-to-the-editor writer and some
time philosopher ask?
When columnists for this semester
were being chosen, I campaigned,
sent copies of my work to the editor
and checked with him at least three
times a week to see if the list of “the
chosen” had been posted yet.
After three weeks of this “net
working,” the list was out and I was
on it — probably as self-defense on
the editor’s part.
I now had my chance to air my
views, have people on campus come
up to me and say things like, “That
was a really thoughtful, insightful
column, and it changed my views
completely.
On top of that, the United States
obligingly got into a war, providing
me with fodder for my writing can
non. The Nebraska Legislature also
helped by re-introducing an abortion
notification bill, cigarette tax re-ap
portionment legislation and about 830
other bills. In addition, there was the
squabble over whether a bill’s spon
sor should know what was in the bill
before or after introducing it in the
Legislature. What a banquet.
But, just to be safe, I asked my
editor, “What can I write about?”
“Anything you want to,” he said.
That was all I needed to hear—the
light turned green, my engine was in
first gear and the tire rubber burned.
I figured I’d write about the abor
tion bill for openers. The morning of
the day my first column was due —
why get excited too far in advance —
I sal down at the computer to slam out
the column, just like I’ve seen the
hardened, gruff, cigarette-smoking
reporters do in 30 minutes on old
television movies.
Well, I didn’t exactly complete it
in 30 minutes—more like four hours.
I guess I haven’t gotten to the hard
ened stage yet.
Is the fuR storm
fury of righteous irt.
dienation only for
time to wham is
sues come in black
and white? Have
muled shades. o£
erqy taken over mv
mentsL medrobel
As for cigarette smoking, that’s
not allowed in University of Nebraska
buildings, except for obscure cor
ners. I stood in 3-below-zero weather
outside.
But after hours of being thought
ful, if not insightful, and sweating
mental drops ot blood on the stained
keyboard, I had reached the gruff
stage.
Despite the agony, I took a minute
to read over my newly computed
masterpiece. It fairly oozed a balance
between righteous indignation and a
cool voice of reason. I nearly sprained
my arm patting myself on the back.
I told my editor that my column
was complete and ready for editing. 1
stood by, not expecting any but minor
punctuation changes, wailing for the
words of praise on my coherence,
talent and clarity to pour forth.
Then he told me to get some lunch.
Twenty minutes later, after a Bur
ger King special, I relumed and peeked
in his office. I saw him just silling
there, staring at the computer screen.
Ah,” I thought.“He’scompletely
in awe. He’s searched and searched
and just can’t find anything wrong.”
I asked — just for appearances’
sake — if there was anything I could
change or explain for him.
“Well,” he said, “you have the
beginnings of a good idea here.”
Beginnings?
“Bui most of this has all been said
many times before. Here at the end is
the new news, but you haven’t really
developed it.”
“Developed it? I feel like I’ve been
through nine months of agony and
have given birth.”
So much for that idea. I figured I d
write about the war. After all, every
body’s writing about the war, and
there’s so much to write about. I decided
to check out some of what had been
said previously, just in case some
columnist or commentator had the
nerve to share my views and talk
about it.
They had. Every point of view,
every issue on which I could work up
some consternation, fury or sense of
tragedy had been done. I fell like I
was holding 50-yard-line Super Bowl
tickets and had arrived 10 minutes
after the game was over.
As I stood there in a newsroom full
of people furiously pounding on the
keyboards, imbued with a sense of
mission to hring the fast-breaking news
to all the readers, I could think of
nothing to say.
Had I been mainstreamed rav
teurized? Sanitized? Establish men -
tized?
Will I soon begin to nod my head
in agreement when President Bush
says we have no choice but to fight
“Hitler” Hussein to the end? Will my
world soon narrow to a love for warm
puppies and watermelon wine and a
deep suspic ion of anyone who doesn t
think like I do?
I questioned: Is the full storm fury
of righteous indignation only for those
to whom issues come in black and
white? Have muted shades ol gray
taken over my mental wardrobe? Am
I on my way to becoming like a deer
caught at night in a car’s headlights
— frozen in place until 1 get run over.
There’s hope — maybe the war,
abortion and all the other issues will
continue for a long time. Maybe out
elected leaders will finally ad so
outrageously that those of us caught
in the headlights will blink and jump
to one side.
Who knows, maybe I’ll be the nrst
to jump — or write a column on how
a deer’s last moments feel.
Dindage is a senior news-editorial major,
a Daily Nebraskan night news editor, colum
nist and staff reporter.
