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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1992)
Opinion Jana Pedersen, Editor, 472-1766 Alan Phelps, Opinion Page Editor Kara Wells, Managing Editor Roger Price, Wire Editor Wendy Navra'til, Copy Desk Chief Brian Shell ito, Cartoonist Jeremy Fitzpatrick, Senior Reporter Forlorn crusader Chambers' charge at NCAA ineffective Sen. “Don Quixote” Ernie Chambers of Omaha is mount ing another charge at the windmill of the NCAA, but it looks as though he’s dreaming the impossible dream. LB963, proposed by Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln, would postpone for two years the enactment of a law passed last year. The law requires Nebraska colleges to award their athletes all the need-based financial aid for which they qualify. In a letter to Chambers, UNL Chancellor Graham Spanier said the law would place UNL in violation of NCAA rules governing the amount of financial aid colleges can award to athletes. By limiting financial aid, the NCAA tries to keep all schools, both rich and poor, on a level playing field. While sucn policies maKe cumpeuuun in uic siauiums mun are unfair to athletes who might qualify for more assistance.' At a Wednesday Legislature hearing, Chambers said Univer sity of Nebraska officials were using “alarmist” tactics to convince legislators they must back down from the fight with the NCAA or risk a shutdown of Comhuskcr football. He also criticised Spanier’s letter, saying the NCAA wouldn’t sanction UNL, as many university administrators claim. “UNL is the golden goose that lays the golden egg for the NCAA,” Chambers said. “They’re not going to mess with Ne braska in these kinds of situations.” But Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln, sponsor of the move to postpone the enactment of the law, disagreed. “The NCAA isn’t responsible solely to the University ol Nebraska," he said. “I believe it’s going to take more than one state to change their rules." Chambers is probably right in saying the NCAA officials would stop short of kicking the Huskers out of the tree house. But it is also unlikely they would do nothing. When UNL representatives brought this matter up at the NCAA national convention in January, they were unable to marshal the necessary support from other schools to lake action. However, a general resolution auopicu ai me tuiivuiuun stated that the NCAA would study the situation. Although Nebraska apparently stands alone in this crusade, UNL at least has brought the matter to the attention of the sports bigwigs. NCAA officials now should have a chance to examine the options. If Nebraska is unsatisfied with the NCAA’s results, the law still will go into effect. Chambers deserves credit for standing up to the NCAA. He has charged at the giant before. But it is time to set the lance down now and await the next turn of the windmill. -LETTER tth°e EDITOR Kerrey plays clean politics In response lo Mark Fahlcson’s column concerning Sen. J. Robert Kerrey that appeared in the Feb. 7 edition of the Daily Nebraskan (“Kerrey’s luck running out”), there arc a few points that I believe should be mentioned. The first concerns Kerrey’s Viet nam war record. Granted, he men tions his involvement in the war a great deal, as he should. Unlike other politicians, Kerrey volunteered for duly. He did not use a college defer ment or, better yet, use his daddy’s money lo buy a space in the National Guard (remember our Vice President). Also recall that Sen. Robert Dole served in an “honorable” war. He did not have to be subjected lo being spat upon and called a baby killer when he relumed to America. Kerrey’s obvi ous pride at having served in Vietnam should be seen as encouragement to other Vietnam veterans to lake pride, or even to accept their role in the war. As for Kerrey’s flip-flops on is sues, perhaps Fahlcson should have examined his own party. President Bush campaigned on a strong pro choice platform in the 1980 presiden tial primary. Yet after losing to Ronald Reagan, he did an instantaneous about face and is now the favorite son of all anti-choice groups. I am hesitant lo even bring up the infamous and empty “no new taxes” pledge we heard dur ing the 1988 election. tyeforc judging Kerrey of impro priety and returning favors, again, maybe an examination of the Repub lican Parly is in order. President Reagan rewarded his political cronies rather handsomely. Remember William Casey, Edwin Meesc and Michael Deaver, to name just a few. Casey used the CIA towage an illegal war in Nicaragua that was financed with money from illegal arms shipments to our enemy, Iran. Edwin Meesc dirtied his hand in the Inslaw' com puter software fiasco. This action has resulted in the suicide (read murderj of a reporter close to breaking the story. Michael Deaver was sentenced to prison for influence peddling. These arc just a few of the far-too-numcrous examples of Reagan appointees guilty of crimes, or at the very least, gross negligence and ethics violations. 1 believe that Sen. Kerrey is a rarity in today's political environ ment. He is one of the few politicians to actually speak his mind, not some doublespeak rhetoric. He is running for president because he feels deeply about the future of this nation. Aftci almost 12 years of voodoo economics benefitting the rich, it is refreshing tc sec a politician with genuine conccrr for the common American. Finally, concerning hisre-clcctior in 1994. Docs the Nebraska Rcpubli can Party have a candidate who car defeat Kerrey? I personally can think of no one. Now that you mention it Mark, we arc the lucky ones. Craig Heckmar graduate studen political scicnci ,]v, W* UfcAtffc MR. •- 'TSOHQfcS... ? PAUL SOUDERS Valentine’s Day a black holiday There arc only hours to prepare. Tomorrow is Black Friday. Val entine’s Day. Yes, once again it’s time for the annual outpouring of love, devotion, caring and personal finances that constitutes America’s most danger ous national holiday. Every other holiday has its opposi tion. Some fanatical group can find fault with just about every celebrated American event. In elementary school, children can’t celebrate Christmas, Easter, Passover or Hanukkah because of the Judco Christian content of those holidays. Halloween is right out, with its genu inely scary goblin-and-ghoul nature. President’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, Labor Day — strange national days of inactivity, bare cele brations (if even that) of half-remem bered heroes and other dead people — days fit only to get out of school (and you can’t even do THAT on MLK Day). No one has had a good old-fash ioned pagan blood sacrifice on the equinox for centuries. Which leaves one — count ‘cm, one — holiday that slicks in the maw of public school students everywhere: Valentine’s Day. Wc all remember the drudgery of filling out reams of Supermarket Muppct valentines, printed on a pa per even flimsier than the raw tree pulp found in Big Chief notebooks. Wc were forced, by well-meaning teachers who didn’t want anyone’s feelings to get hurt (as if that NEVER happened in grade school), to make a valentine for EVERYONE, because “how would you feel if you were the only person to not get a valentine?” Oh yeah, wc all got valentines, all right. That really popular kid with the cool Starsky and Hutch lunch box got all the Kcrmit and Miss Piggy Wed ding valentines, with Sweet-Tart hearts bearing the messages “Be Mine” or “Hug Me,” while some of us were stuck with eight different versions of Fo/./.y Bear and candies bearing the sad epithet “Friends Forever.” So now, at age twcntysomcihing, Valentine’s Day — Black Friday — has taken on a more sinister bent. The / think it is time the rest of us show these unfortunate victims of fate the respect and honor they deserve bv abolish ing this dreaded holiday. innocent but heart-breaking shenani gans of youth arc gone, and now we’re stuck fooling the bill for the MOST expensive wine on the list. But the wine buyers arc the lucky ones. Strange as it may sound to those out there who grew up with cool Star sky and Hutch lunch boxes and Ker mit and Miss Piggy Wedding valen tines, people still arc stuck dateless (many prefer to be called “Romanti cally Challenged”) on Black Friday. 1 think it is lime the rest of us show these unfortunate victims of fate the respect and honor they deserve by abolishing this dreaded holiday. I recently spoke with a fellow journalist under terms of anonymity about the whole Black Friday prob lem. She said she would like to sec a coalescence of the Romantically Challenged Movement (the RCM), possibly under the ASUN diversity umbrella. ft*' RCM — whose slogan is “that’s OK”— is “a group of women who arc going to make Valentine’s Day NOT a national holiday,” my source said. My colleague hopes members of the group, which hasn’t actually for malized yet, ‘‘could all hold a candle light vigil in memory of those who are dateless” on Black Friday. The Movement offers an alternative, a way for the Romantically Challenged to “all bond together — and men, too.” And what about men? Can they join? “We’d love men to join, actually," she said. But hopeful rhetoric can’t help those who are Romantically Unchal lenged understand the RC lifestyle. 1 asked my co-worker to describe what someone who is not unattractive (or at least has good hygiene) but can't get a date does on a Friday while everyone else is out shaking hands lowly and slowly. “Not all of us who arc dateless arc homely. Men have lost their guts and won’t ask us out anymore. My Friday consists of me coming home ... I sit on the couch, read Cosmo — hut I only look at the pictures — get a Diet Pepsi, make some cheddar-checsc popcorn ... then, the highlight ol the evening is watchingGilbcrtGottlricd on USA, slaying up until three or lour.” Rhonda “Up All Night” on Satur days appeals to base male instincts. Docs Gilbert gel women all squish) ? “No, but a couple of weeks ago there was this other comic w ho was all right. Rhonda makes us feel good about ourselves ... (at least) we rc not out being as sleazy as she is.’ But docs Rhonda get dates? “No, she works on Saturdays.’ This self-depreciating existence may seem shocking to someone used to close romantic entanglements, nut it happens, perhaps more often than we'd like to think. My source, who has been closely involved with the RCM, estimates that “maybe 60, 65 percent ol the campus population has a dale on Bun-k Friday. That leaves 35,40 percent ol us thinking the whole holiday i* a joke.” tJ . A sad, cruel, joke: A holiday de signed to glorify just what these un fortunate and nol-always-homt) individuals lack — a little romance. Souders is a junior hnglish maj°r an<* Daily Nebraskan columnist. -LETTER POLICY--— Thp Huilv MnKracl^an -r>* ^ •_..n/l -— --J - " VIVVIIIV.1 brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, origi nality, timeliness and space avail i ue uany Nebraskan rcUuns the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Anonymous submissions will not be considered lor publication. Let ters should include ihe anlhnrV* name, year in scnooi, mujui group affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be grants' . Submit material to the Daily^s; braskan, 34 Nebraska Union,Ml hi k Cl 1 inrnln *)X8'()44o.
