LINDA KAY MORGAN
Clubs can ease minority pressures
How do you cope with the pres
sures of having no one who
looks like you, no one to share
your most confused feelings and
emotions with, no one who knows the
burden and agony you bear when you
stand out in a crowd?
You walk to class with these
emotions because you are surrounded
by people who don’t understand you
as an individual. They have never had
to worry about who is judging them
without getting to know them as a
human being.
The only closeness you often feel
is the shadow that lurks as you con
tinue your brisk walk to class. Al
though you may encounter and speak
to many students on the way to class,
you still are the only one who has the
face everyone seems to remember.
Could it be because of your wi<£T
charm? Or is it your ethnicity? ^
Do you find yourself feeling as
though you have no one to whom you
can turn when you find yourself stand
ing around lost? You do not stand
alone.
Then you see another face that
shares your characteristics and bur
dens. You do not walk alone in this
enclosed environment of the major
ity. There are other racial groups on
this campus, but they are scattered
among the enormous population.
Many of the universities in this
country arc predominantly white. That
makes it quite difficult for a minority
student to adjust without having any
one of his or her ethnicity to turn to.
After entering any establishment,
before we feel comfortable enough to
take a scat, we often look for some
-one with whom we may have some
thing in common.
We Americans are not quick to
converse with anyone, unless we can
relate to where the person is coming
from. Therefore, we arc more likely
to seek shelter with our own people
than with someone who doesn’t share
our obvious qualities?
Now, don’t get me wrong. This
also holds true for whites. White stu
dents choosing to attend a university
consisting predominantly of minori
ties more than likely find comfort in
those who share their characteristics,
those who know where they are coming
from. It is OK to do so. We all must
find comfort before we can find re
laxation.
But some people pose the ques
tion, “If minorities feel lost or unac
cepted, why don’t they attend a uni
versity where they feel a little more
comfortable?”
To that, I say, “Many of the mi
norities attend predominately white
universities because of scholarships
and financial assistance. Many do not
have the funds it takes to attend a
university outside their slate.”
Minorities should have the option
of attending any institution of higher
learning that meets their needs.
However, predominantly white
universities do provide clubs and
organizations for minorities. At the
University of Ncbraska-Lincoln, there
arc a number of organizations that
work for the support of minorities:
• The Afrikan People’s Union.
• The Mexican American Student
Association.
• The University of Nebraska Inter
national Tribal Exchange.
• The Vietnamese Student Asso
ciation.
Several other organizations deal
with minorities by their academic area.
Students interested in seeing whether
such an organization exists for their
academic areas can consult their
advisers.
Minorities, as well as white stu
dents, have the opportunity to get out
and explore these groups. They give
them a place to find strength among
students who are like them and white
students the opportunity to under
stand the world minorities live in.
By joining a campus organization,
you get the opportunity to speak out
on issues that need to be taken care of.
Also, you have the opportunity to
plan social events that will keep you
together as a family instead of sepa
rated as strangers.
What you put forth is what you get
back. You must not allow your eth
nicity to diminish because of the
scarcity of minorities that are around
you. You must stand tall and firm on
beliefs and share them with your peers.
Do not allow yourself to get caught
up in a world that only secs things as
a one-way street. You arc a human
being, and you, loo, have the right of
way.
Morgan is a sophomore broadcasting
and advertising major and a Daily Nebras
kan columnist ,
r— 1 ■ — —— —» — ■ — — »
The only closeness
you oftenfeel js the
shadow that lurks as
you continue. WUL
brisk walk tj> doss.
-LETTERS^ EDITOR
Education or athletics?
Phase out’
athletics first
It is truly a shame that a university, sup
posedly geared toward education, would
“phase out” two academic departments, yet
cut nothing from its athletic budget. I believe
there is something severely wrong when
football lakes precedence over learning. In
fact, it’s downright disgusting.
When I pay my tuition, I’d like to think
I’m paying for all the academic departments
to do their jobs, not for the football program,
which I couldn’t care less for if someone
paid me. If the budget needs cutting, don’t
punish the speech communication and
classics departments; lake money out of the
athletic department. Heck, why don’t you
just “phase it out.”
Kristin Krocgcr
sophomore
secondary education
Editor’s note: The Nebraska athletic de
partment is financially self-supporting.
Tom T owater/DN
Cutting classics
would be like
axing football
Cutting the classics department
to pare the University of Nebraska
Lincoln budget is like cutting
football to pare the athletic budget.
Football, as everyone knows,
pays the bills for the minor sports.
Classics courses cost $25.63 per
student credit hour. Tuition is
$57.25 per student credit hour.
Every classics credit hour is
therefore a markup of $31.62 that
the university can spend elsewhere.
* Chemistry costs $107.87 per studcnl
credit hour, a minus of $50.62.
Whal docs this mean?
For every five students in Latin,
Greek or classical mythology, the |
university can pay to teach three
students chemistry and break even.
If there is no football program,
there might be no money to support
wrestling. If there is no classics
program (with 2,200 students per
year) what other programs would,
in Homer’s phrase, “bite the dust”?
Tom Winter
associate professor
classics
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