Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1991)
LINDA KAY MORGAN Contraception should be taught In today’s advanced society, we need to quit hiding the truth from our children. If children aren’t learning about life from their parents, you can be sure they are learning it from someone else. Possibly the wrong person. The plan to teach about contracep tion in Omaha schools is the best thing that could happen to education, given the increase in teen-age birth rates and sexual diseases. Such pro grams give students the opportunity to learn about themselves and the individual they may want to become one with. The Omaha School Board voted last week to approve for use in schools a contraceptive kit — birth-control devices and a model of the female reproductive system — and an eighth grade sex-education textbook and video. But they may not be used in the schools until next semester. Several board members still say they prefer abstinence programs over the contra ceptive kits. The thought of sex causes many adults to clam up and put a clothes pin on young, inquiring minds, leaving knowledge of a very important part of their lives in the hands of other indi viduals. Those people are usually the ones who would like to make love to them, who only tell them what they want to hear and not the extent of what they need to hear. I understand parents’ concern with having other people teaching their children about contraceptives and sex, but if they will not let professionals teach them and are not taking the initiative to do so themselves, they should take time out to think about who may be doing so. Contraceptives in the school sys tem, supported with knowledge, only help students become more aware of the protection they need to use when they decide to take that major step in their lives. Parents must stop for a moment and ask their children what they know about sex. They know a great deal. But often they are uneducated or lack ing very important information about it. On the other hand, many of them probably could educate their parents. We can’t hide reality from young adults and expect them to grow up balanced. How can they become well rounded when a valuable part of their lives is being sheltered? No matter how hard parents try to instill in their children the fact that premarital sex is a sin, once they leave parents’ clutches for the day, they are faced with a vital decision: Should I be celibate even though I love this young man or woman? Education is not an invitation for young people to go .out and have sex. That is something that must be made clear to them. It is, however, an op portunity for young people to en hance their knowledge and be a little more careful in their decision-mak ing. Morgan is a sophomore broadcasting and advertising major and a Daily Nebras kan columnist The, thought sL six. causes, mam adults ta clam m and, ml a clothes pin on young. inquiring minds, leav ing knowledge of a very important part of their lives in the hands of aualher individual. -——-LETTERS^ EDITOR Public wants its ‘bad’ type of rap In response to Walter Gholson’s column (”Rap in dustry promotes violence,” DN, Sept. 25,1991): Do people also conspire to make a culture? Do minorities also conspire to differentiate their language from the de facto American standard? Do students conspire against you to fill every available stall in all of the metered lots on campus? Of course not. Movie theaters are not failing because of a con sumer conspiracy to rent videos any more than a hat blows from your head because the gas molecules arc in cahoots. The disproportionate amount of sexism and violence in well-marketed rap music is not the result of a super-secret diabolical plot (by rich, white males?) to infuse negative messages into socio economically disadvantaged peoples. Successful rap possesses these characteristics be cause there is a large consumer base that wants it — apparently because it identifies with it. While it may not be ethical to feed this market, the responsibility ultimately lies in the hands of the consumer. I agree that the situation Gholson described is un fortunate, but the conspiracy theory is absurd. Furthermore, Gholson’s implied prescription is frightening: to replace mass-marketed (bad) art with socially healthy propaganda encourages youths to think happy thoughts. We would be better off simply encouraging our youths to think. Gholson’s conspiracy theory sets a bad example. It teaches that all blame can be affixed externally if you can spin talcs of an invisible fiendish plot to hold you down. Pohl Longsinc senior computer science and mathematics Group gives reasons for floor’s secession We want to clarify the issues that were improperly mentioned or omit ted from the article about the seces sion of Selleck 5300 from the Resi dence Hall Association. The main reasons for our secession arc as fol lows: • The constitution for the Selleck Hall government is arbitrarily enforced and ignored when it does not suit its needs. • There are voting discrepancies within the last Selleck executive elec- . tion. For example, in the case of a lie for an elected office, according to our copy of the constitution, the president is responsible for tie-breaking. The executive board may not poll an unelected floor representative to vote on a tied issue. • We have off icial I y asked to v ie w the financial records. We would like to see where our money has been spent. We have yet to view these records.-—T~ • Housing discrepancies. Suitable drinking water is required to be close to each room by state law, but no drinking fountains arc found on our floor. We do not consider bathroom sink water drinkable. • The floor receives an insignifi cant amount of funds from RHA to do with as it wishes. Twenty-five of 26 students agreed to secede from RHA, with one ab stention. We did not secede from the university or from the housing de partment, just from RHA. Most gradu ate and non-traditional students live here year-round. We pay our own bills. Most can’t go home on the weekends because this is our home, and often home is four or five thou sand miles away. The idea that residents are raising these issues because we have nothing better to do is totally ludicrous and shows the insensitivity of the Selleck student government. Notone resident on our floor bears malice toward any member of RHA or the Selleck ex ecutive board. We will not tolerate these injustices. As we recall, all students arc in voluntarily members of RHA, because a portion of our housing payment goes to it. This does not require that we participate. Until RHA representatives recog nize our secession publicly, we will not be intimidated into negotiations. Kurtis Halvorson junior electrical engineering Amy Manbeck graduate student agronomy David Raymond graduate student biology Stefany Moran junior psychology Athletic department all wet I note from the Daily Nebras kan that, “Sports Center’s roof repair hurt by budget cuts (DN, Sept. 19, 1991).” I always thought the athletic department was all wet in raising the coach’s salary when it was already nearly double that of some of the professors. Now, I know why — the roof leaked on them, and their brains rusted. Is it any wonder that Nebraska’s teams rate in the Top 25, while our other students don’t? Lester Christiansen Lincoln FREE COLOR CONSULTATION Friday, September 27,1991 WmL • Call for Details • Only at: The Pink Flamingo 4003 O' St. 488-8628 ■— 1 —' ' . I i 1 . r ■ ■' .. ^ The "Best" Mexican Restaurant You Voted Us #1... THANKS LINCOLN! ^za.nine, s J7»+ FOODS of MEXICO ^ OPEN DAILY ^ Mon.-Sat 11:00am- 12:30am l Sun. 11:00am-10:30pm J 17th &M - " ~_Z—. 475-1048 Guess What? —“H Daily Nebraskan Classified Order Forms are now avail able in every dorm lobby and both student unions. What? So. .. You can put in personals and other classified ads faster and more conveniently. Look for the Order Form envelopes beside our news paper racks, and follow these 3 steps: 1. Write your ad on any piece of paper and place In the envelope. 2. Fill out the back of the envelope and enclose your payment. 3. Send it thru Campus Mall FREEH
