News coverage under fire from all sides
Front-page photo
total invasion
of privacy
I am disgusted with the Daily
Nebraskan’s front-page coverage April
23 of a student being taken to the
University Health Center. The photo
graph was a total invasion of the stu
dent’s privacy and served no real
purpose (besides perhaps giving read
ers the same “thrill” as following a
firelruck to its destination). While we
should be concerned for the welfare
of our fellow students, publicizing
this as if it were some sort of event is
extremely tasteless and lacking in
compassion.
Barb Nielsen
junior
music education
DN must report
positive aspects
of greek events
I feel that I am representing the
majority of UNL students in greek
houses when I write of the severe
disappointment in the Daily Nebras
kan’s coverage of the Sigma Chi Fight
Night Monday’s article entitled, “Two
arrested at Fight Night” was an un
welcome shock to early morning
reading before classes.
For a newspaper that is Financed
by students and intended for increas
ing campus awareness, the article was
discouragingly more similar to tab
loid journalism that useful transferal
of information. All, I am sure, deeply
regret the events that transpired that
evening, and my sympathies are ex
tended to those individuals who were
injured, thankfully none seriously.
t nerc seems to be a distinct void,
however, in published information
about the positive things that have
come out of Sigma Chi’s annual phi
lanthropy. This year being no excep
tion, the men of Sigma Chi made a
large donation to Wallace Village
with the proceeds from the event.
Several needy children are given
assistance every year, and, to me, that
is highly newsworthy.
Kevin Dasher’s comment that most
spectators felt Fight Night was run
well, and about not wanting to be
“ripped on in the Daily Nebraskan”
was overlooked by the author of the
article in favor of a story that would
sell more papers (that we already
bought when we paid our tuition).
The main pointof my comments is
that it is truly a travesty that the work
of Sigma Chi, the contributions of its
sponsors, the effort of the boxers
themselves, and the support of the
spectators was overshadowed by the
brawl. I am not saying that the inci
dent should have been hidden, I just
sincerely feel that it is the job ol the
DN to inform the student body who
supports it of the positive things that
are being done for the community by
students of UNL, particularly greck
organizations that have all lately fallen
prey to the rumor mill.
Mark A. Rinehart
sophomore
international business
Fraternity system
breeds violence,
illegal drinking
Incredible! Seven altercations
involving 25 to 30 people, two inju
ries requiring medical attention at a
scene that Deputy Sheriff Mike No
vacek calls “a battle /one” and Mr.
Kevin Dasher of Sigma Chi Fight
Night tells us that “things were not
unusually violent. T am almost afraid
to ask what Mr. Dasher would con
sider “unusually violent.”
There is not doubt in my mind that
this event will be long forgotten after
this week. Fraternity boys arc well
protected by the university system
and will continue to be sheltered by
the powers that be. Administrators
who were once fraternity boys them
selves will continue to turn a blind
eye to the violence perpetuated by the
--LETTERS tTh°e EDITOR
greek system, saying,“Boys will be
boys.”
But no matter what the adminis
trators of the greek system think, the
greek system is corrupt and violent.
Fraternity boys on this campus drink
beer openly in their houses and flaunt
visitation hours, making the potential
for rape all the more a reality. As
much as I despise the paternalism of
the residence halls, I find it preferable
to the open season on women con
doned by the fraternity system. If
things are so violent at a public event
such as a Sigma Chi Fight Night, one
can imagine what takes place behind
closed doors. But I don’t want to just
single out Sigma Chi here. The frater
nity system itself breeds violence.
Fraternity members will protest
that they are valuable members of the
university community, doing philan
thropy for charities. I hardly think '
that is the sole reason for the exis
tence of fraternities on this campus.
After all, fraternity houses are the
only places on campus that students
can drink with impunity. How many
people would have attended Sigma
Chi Fight Night if it had been an
alcohol-free event?
If Mr. Dasher has no complaints
about the fact that “one female stu
dent was hit in the face with a chair
another female student was kicked in
the face,” I certainly fear for any
woman who enters into the Sigma
Chi fraternity house.
I am certain that many individuals
join fraternity houses with the best of
intentions, but we see quite clearly
from incidents such as this what hap
pens when you mix booze and broth
erhood.
Sharon L. O’Neil
graduate student
classics
New definitions
will not solve
old problems
This letter is in response to the
slew of letters in the DN on April 15.
First of all, I would like to know
what an unpatriotic act is. In my opin
ion, not questioning your government
is unpatriotic and ogling over a piece
of cloth instead of reading a progres
sive paper (it might be interesting to
sec the other side’s point of view once
in a while) is unpatriotic. Obviously,
Ms. Berncy and I disagree on the
meaning of this word and it could be
said that this is a loaded word that in
fact has not meaning.
Telling gay, lesbian, and bisexual
people what to do is quite conde
scending. Perhaps I should tell you
what to do in your heterosexual life,
but I am not going to. Neither should
theU.S. military or any other govern
ing body for that matter, but they are
doing just that.
We live in the United Stales where
freedom of speech is supposedly a
protected right — if you don’t like
hearing or seeing different points of
view, move to a country where there
is no freedom of speech.
To Mr. Moore, it is fine if you
believe in God, I respect that, but
everyone does not believe in God.
There are plenty of people on this
earth to reproduce; not everyone on
this earth is gay, lesbian, or bisexual,
millions of people arc heterosexual.
And thanks to socialization of the
United States, the overwhelming
majority of people will be heterosex
ual.
Much of Christianity originates
from pagan religions, whether or not
one wishes to acknowledge this is
their choice. In the United States, we
have freedom of religion and we should
not make governmental policy ac
cording to Christianity. Everyone is
not going to accept homosexuality,
just as everyone is not going to accept
Christianity. All I want is a little
respect, the right to be left alone, and
live my own life as I choose.
And to Mr. Cannon, apparently
you do not know about the non-dis
criminatory policy of the University
of Nebraska that includes sexual ori
entation. ROTC is directly violating
the policy through the exclusion of
gays, lesbians and bisexuals. This is
direct discrimination and needs to be
slopped.
The Pentagon issued a very posi
tive report about gays and lesbians in
the military last y«ar. The arguments
are running out, folks; it is time to
change. Perhaps, Mr. Canon is not a
gay, lesbian or bisexual person inter
ested in joining the ROTC program,
so he has no understanding of this
discrimination.
In closing, I do not think the initial
change of “little sister’ to “sister” is
going to stop date rape. I think chang
ing our language is really important
but the problem of rape and language
is connected to much more than the
word “little.” I’ve said my pieces —
have a sunny day.
Lynn Kister
junior
women’s studies/English
TRIAD T-shirts
display elitist,
arrogant attitudes
Thetas, Gamma Phis and Kappas,
I’m really wondering what you could
have possibly been thinking! I found
your TRIAD T-shirts utterly repul
sive. The more I think about it, the
more irritated I become. Your T-shirt
reads, “Party for the Elite and Privi
leged.” Do you actually realize how
arrogant and uncultured this state
ment is?
I’m sure your party was an excel
lent time, but by saying that it is a
privilege constitutes a growing criti
cism. This party was definitely open
only to the few, but do you really
believe your dates found it an honor
and privilege attending?
Do you really believe that you are
an elite because you belong to Gamma
Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta or Kappa
Kappa Gamma? To believe and say
this shows ignorance, not only to
wards the greek system, but also
towards yourselves. Implying that you
are an elite makes you socitdly supe
rior. Do you really believe that others
regard you as socially superior? Maybe
you should have a talk with your T
shirt logo creators and tell them what
your houses are actually based upon.
You must realize that your organiza
tions are based on the adjective form
of elite, which means you are seeking
toachievehigher status. Keep in mind
that you have not and will not attain it
simply because of your affiliation in
the greek system.
You are three excellent organiza
tions, but making statements like this
only shows that you are trying to
pacify insecurities about your social
status at this institution. Next time,
hopefully, you’ll think about your
credibility in the greek system befoffc
you print something as outrageously
ignorant as the TRIAD T-shirts.
Daniel P. Thibodeau
senior
health education
ti
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