Opinion
Chancellor found
Spanier can make his impact immediately
After more than two years without a permanent chan
cellor, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln finally
has its new leader.
The NU Board of Regents Friday unanimously ap
proved Graham Spanier for UNL’s top administrative
post. He said he would make a rapid move from Oregon
State University to take over Nov. 1 at UNL.
Spanier has indicated that once he arrives, he plans to take
equally quick action on some important UNL issues. He is
currently visiting Lincoln and will be in towh a few times
before November to familiarize himself with UNL’s cam
pus.
Even so, Spamer may arrive
too late to significantly affect
the most important UNL issue
— how to cope with manda
tory budget cuts. That process
. begins today, when vice-chan
I cellors present proposals for 3
‘ percent budget reductions to a
committee.
But on another issue, the
number of vacancies at high
UNL administrative positions,
Spanier can make his impact
felt right away. He eliminated
the need for one interim posi
tion — the chancellor — sim
ply by accepting the perma
nent job. Now he must work
with other UNL officials and
committees to find three other
officials: a vice-chancellor for
research-dean of graduate stud
ies, vice-chancellor for aca
demic affairs and assistant to
the chancellor-university rela
tions director.
Spanier has promised not only to fill the openings but to
look beyond the jobs at the entire UNL command structure.
In a Lincoln Journal-Star article, he said he planned to exam
ine UNL’s administrative framework and make recommen
dations about any proposed changes and consolidations by
early October.
To learn about UNL’s administration in one month is an
ambitious goal. Many students find the task daunting in four
or more years.
Still, at a time when UNL is looking for any possible
excess baggage to drop in order to meet the budget require
ments, Spanier’s motivation is sound.
In other ways, too, the new chancellor figures to shake
things up a bit at UNL.
Spanier’s commitment on minority and gender-equity
issues has been cited throughout the chancellor search proc
ess. d~
Oregon State, he said last month, is considered to be in the
forefront on such issues, with committees to promote hiring
of women and advancement and retention of minorities.
At UNL, he comes into a climate that is in earlier,
although promising, stages on such matters.
The 43-year-old Spanier also promises to bring youthful
leadership to UNL. His energy should be tested by the tough
decisions that will have to be made relatively early in his
administration. Based on praise for UNL’s new chancellor
from past and former colleagues, he appears to be up to the
challenge.
— E.F.P.
-LETTER POLICY
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I !!% 1:^'
THe of iM6 01.0 GUARP
JAMES ZANK
Voters need to think again
The approach of the next presi
dential election has made some
people think, but they are a
minority.
A majority of Americans appears
oblivious to this political ritual. A
large pan of the problem is that most
people don’t know whom they want
as a leader, and possibly they don’t
recognize what qualities make for a
good one.
One quality, sorely lacking in the
last few administrations, is honesty.
OK. Stop laughing. I forgot that we
are talking about politicians. No one
really expects honesty from them.
Honesty is one of those uncom
fortable masks every politician tries
to wear during the campaign only to
be removed once in office.
We have elected ludicrous politi
cians such as Ronald Reagan, who
babbled, “Gee, I don’t remember,”
about the Iran-contra scandal, and
then retired in peace with the wife,
the dog and the astrologers in tow. I
can’t sec a better use for truth serum.
Both the Reagans and the Bushes
have far too much money to under
stand what Mr. and Mrs. Joe Six-Pack
arc enduring living in America.
It’s just swell to fight illiteracy and
to tell children to say no to drugs. It’s
quite a different thing to worry about
whether your own k ids arc going to be
shot by a drug dealer cn route to
school or slip through the public school
system unable to read because of lack
of funding for education.
The average American has to
struggle to have health insurance and
often endures financial hardship when
catastrophic illness hits. George Bush
becomes a media sensation when he
has heart problems. Nancy Reagan
makes the front page of USA Today
with schematics of her breast cancer
surgery.
They never seem to have any prob
lems paying their medical bills.
Past administrations also have had
problems communicating what their
goals arc to the American people.
>ush confused people during his
campaign by calling himself the
“environmental president” and the
thing for education. His education
goals are intended to make the U.S.
public education system sound good
— in theory:
No drugs in schools and higher
graduation rales—all this by making
no real changes in how the schools
operate and not allocating more money
for education.
Instead of saying “education presi
dent,” Bush should have said “presi
dent willing to keep the population as
ignorant as possible.”
Bush also confused most of the
country with lofty ideas such as wanting
“a kinder, gen tier nation.” Americans
must not have realized that he only
meant this in reference to internal
affairs.
This statement didn’t apply to our
dealings with other nations, such as
Panama and Iraq.
Another quality we should look
for in leaders is their ability to care.
Caring has to go beyond sympathetic
looks when declaring a region a na
tional disaster area.
We haven’t seen that kind of car
ing in a long time in the Oval Office.
During his final months in office,
Reagan said homeless people lived
on the streets because they wanted to.
Never mind the hundreds of thou
sands of people pushed out of mental
health care facilities because of budget
cuts during his first term.
They wanted to be there, wanted
to live in cardboard boxes, in the park
across the street from the White House.
Bush at least feigned compassion
a bit more convincingly. In the spring
of 1989, right after his inauguration,
he expressed deep concern for the
problems of the homeless in Amer
ica. Has it been a priority ofhisforthc
last three years? No.
So, just what do we need in a
national leader? Someone who re
lates to us as people, not just as vot
ers. We need people who care about
the country and what they can do to
help it, not what the presidency*can
do to line their pockets.
Zank is a junior English and art major
and a Daily Nebraskan columnist.
The average Ameri
can has to struggle to
have health insur
ance and often en
dures financial hard
ship when cata
strophic illness hits.
Georgy Bash hei
comes a media sensaz
lion when he has
heart problems.
Money Reagan makes
the front gage of USA
Today With schemat
ics of her breast
cancer surgery.
“education president.”
Most Americans were confused
because they thought these statements
indicated that Bush intended to make
the environment and education pri
orities. He must have thought that by
being president, he would aid the
environment by raising peoples’
awareness through such means as
helping industry to drain wetlands,
developing a national energy policy
emphasizing non-rcncwablc resources
and pushing us into a war resulting in
the spilling and burning of oil.
Instead of saying “environmental
president,” Bush really meant to say,
“pawn of big business interests.”
At least he has tried to do some
-EDITORIAL POLICY
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vise the daily production of the pa
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