Eric Pfanner, Editor, 472-1766
Oailv B°b Nelson, Editorial Page Editor
-m r "|l“,a XJ “J Victoria Ayolle, Managing Editor
[\j tpk, d Jana Pedersen, Associate News Editor
X a( V* Sk./JL C«-C^ 1A.MJL B. Emily Rosenbaum, Associate News Editor
University o. Sabraaka-Uncoin
No ioke
Taxes shouldn’t pay for official’s play
John Sununu. The Renaissance man.
White House chief of staff. Golfer. Skier. Republican
go-getter.
The problem is that the taxpayer is supposed to pay for only
one of his habits — his job as chief of staff.
Supposedly, Sununu has been using Air Force planes for
pleasure and for political business.
An Air Force passenger jet costs $4,000 to operate for one
hour. Sununu has used the jet 77 times since 1989. Assuming
round trips, that’s a minimum of $500,000 in taxpayer money.
One of his ski trips on the government allegedly cost
$30,000.
The whole issue is funny to Sununu. At a White House
dinner Saturday, he made this quip:
“What’s the difference between Sununu and the Iraqi air
force?’’ He asked. “Sununu had 30 more flights.”
That’s awfully flip considering the allegations.
Using government planes for business or pleasure is fine as
long as the user reimburses the government for the time.
Sununu supposedly chipped in $1,100 for the $30,000 ski trip.
The Republican Party has reimbursed the government with
equal frugality. But Sununu allegedly took other vacations for
which he didn’t reimburse the government.
And Sununu seems to think that he should only pay what
others pay for a round-trip ticket. It’s not his fault he’s a high
official who needs a handy and secure plane.
The White House says Sununu needs to have a plane ready
in case of an emergency, both to return to Washington as
quickly as possible and to ensure secure communications.
But secure communications wouldn’t cost $30,000 if
Sununu would stay around Washington or New Hampshire, his
home state. And it hardly seems right that while thousands are
homeless, Sununu should ski on taxpayer money.
That’s the old populist argument against excessive govern
ment spending. And it should be just as legitimate in Sununu’s
case.
It’s looking like President Bush will sharply revise the
policy on White House staff travel in light of the public
relations debacle Sununu’s travel has caused. That’s fine, but
the policy is already clear on the issue of reimbursement.
So Bush is making it an issue of policy, when in fact,
Sununu’s case is an issue of theft of taxpayer money.
Sununu’s exploits should be fully investigated. If he is
found liable, he won’t be guilty of screwing up, but of screw
ing the taxpayer. That’s no joke, either.
— B.N.
Hanna might regret decision
I couldn’t resist the opportunity to
respond to the article by Jim Hanna
(is he really finally graduating?) in
which he explains why he is not going
to participate in graduation ceremo
nies.
I graduated from UNL in 1973,
when being anti-establishment was
“in.” My friends and I discussed skip
ping the ceremony for many of the
same reasons Hanna gave. I asked my
folks (who paid for my college ex
penses) if they minded my bypassing
the pomp and circumstance. They
simply told me it was my decision.
After the deadline to order the cap
and gown had passed, I discovered
my friends had decided to be tradi
tionalists after all. And to this day,
my mother, whom I thought didn’t
care that much about the ceremony
(just the degree), doesn’t miss an
opportunity to lament about how my
decision broke her heart, especially
since I was the only one of the five
children to graduate from college.
While I counter with “You had the
chance to clearly convey that in 1973”
(it would have made a difference), 1
still feel a bit guilty for depriving her
of the simple but meaningful (to her,
not me) pleasure.
So, Jim Hanna, you may find
yourself regretting this decision 20
years down the road — for whatever
reason.
Pam Murray
program coordinator
Agricultural Marketing Center
Open eyes to violence
Sexual abuse is a violent crime
and should be addressed by all stu
dents, staff, faculty and administra
tors on thiscampus. A Take Back The
Night march and rally was held last
Friday night to conclude Violence
Against Women Awareness Week.
This march, held across the nation,
protests all violence against women,
including domestic abuse, incest and
rape.
We are members of the Violence
Against Against Women Awareness
Project (VAWAP) and are also affili
ated with the greck system. We are
frustrated with the ignorance and lack
of cooperation across campus on this
issue of violence. Men and women in
the greek system watched us march
from a distance and seemed confused
and agilalcd with our actions. It these
people think that this form of vio
lence only touches people associated
with women’s issues, they are wrong.
This ignorance must stop. It is
lime to open your eyes to the realities
that exist. Violence against women is
a fact. There is no place for contro
versy on this issue. Both men and
women must stop judging, start vali
dating and work together to address
violence against women on our cam
pus. Act now.
Priscilla Perry
, senior
psychology — women’s studies
Susie Wilson
senior
psychology — adolescent studies
LISA DONOVAN
History repeats, like it or not
rt would be truly offensive to
suggest that those who were ap
palled, shocked and disappointed
by Monday’s Daily Nebraskan joke
issue should maybe take a shot of
tequila or have sex.
So 1 won’t even ask you to enter
tain the idea.
What I would like to share in this,
the final column of my college ca
reer, is that the Half-Asskin is an
important part of the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln’s history.
As sure as the busts of Roscoe
Pound and Mari Sando/. sit in the
Nebraska State Capitol as a reminder
of our stale’s great roots, so too will
the Half-Asskin live forever in the
annals of our university’s history.
1 just completed a Nebraska his
tory correspondence course. Although
I learned a great deal about the Sod
Frontier and land and water laws, I
also learned some philosophy.
During the course of the semester,
I found a lot of news clippings that
related to our university and even one
about a joke section of a UNL year
book in 1912.
An appalled, shocked, no doubt
disappointed Samuel Avery, the chan
cellor at the time, wrote a letter to the
students who purchased the Corn
husker.
“This is the greatest internal crisis
that has come to the university in
many years. Will the students rise to
the occasion and help remove this
blot on the good name of the institu
tion by repudiating a book, one por
tion of which is filled with sugges
tions of drunkenness and immodesty?’’
As we arc herded in and out of
Nebraska’s largest university, it is
important to know that the trivialities
we deal with today were also dealt
with by our forefathers.
Obviously, the more things change,
the more they stay the same, an idea
otherwise known as, “it’s funny how
history repeats itself.”
Such things as the establishment
of the greek system in the late 1880s
caused quite a stir, according to the
student publication The Hesperian.
“This ‘upper strata’ of college
As we are herded
in and out ol Ne
braska’s largest
university, it is
important to know
that the trivialities
we deal with today
were also dealt with
bx our forefathers.
society is entirely self-constituted and
rests on the false basis of wealth or
social polish The Hesperian
wrote.
Before the history class, I thought
that frowning upon the greek system
was all a part of the 1960s peace/
equality movement. As a member of
the greek system, and despite having
made some great friends in it, I still
realize that this social living unit needs
to be updated from the late 19th cen
tury. But I had no idea a similar
debate also went on back then.
The irony of this university’s his
tory doesn’t end with the controver
sial joke publications or the establish
ment and maintenance of a greek
system, traditions that seem to be
handed down from one generation to
the next.
I also found that this year’s univer
sity budget woes and the constant
argument with the Nebraska Legisla
lure to finance the university began
with the establishment of the state
university, according to news clip
pings from the time.
The big legislative debate here at
the turn of Lhc century was whether or
not lawmakers should appropriate
funds to build residence halls.
“The fact is that dormitories, not
withstanding the systems of espio
nage that are usually connected with
them, are far more productive of
mischief and disorder than the system
of scattering the students among the
homes of residents in the town in
which schools arc located,” accord
ing to the State Journal.
I saw newspaper reports, too, that
today’s student government voting
apathy is nothing new. It was matched
by apathetic students who never went
to class and caused concern over a big
burst of cheating around the turn of
the century.
Well, now we’re heading toward
the turn of another century. I’ve been
in school five years, one year longer
than the term of a U.S. president, and
wasn’t able to effect much change at
all.
This place is a revolving door ol
genius and inherent stupidity.
Publications will continue to
complain about sexist, racist and elit
ist practices of the greek system, just
as sure as some members will cry foul
that yellow journalism is picking on
them.
There will be joke issues thatangcr
anal-retentive students who grow up
to become UNL administrators, state
legislators or ministers.
And in another 100 years, a Ne
braska history student will sit down in
hisor her house, pull a history textout
of a book bag and set it on the table
next to the year 209l’s issue.
You know, the one that was the
most appalling, shocking and disap
pointing thing that has happened to
the university since the late 20th
century.
Donovan Is a senior news-editorial ma
jor, a Daily Nebraskan columnist and senior
reporter.
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