- RAINBOW COALITION
Group offers students support
By Robert Christensen
1 would like lo thank the Rainbow
Coalition for inviting the Adult
Student Network to participate
in theguest columns for the Daily Ne
braskan. These columns give the en
tire student body a chance to learn
some of the thoughts of a less well
known part of the student body.
The Adult Student Network is a
group of non-tradilional students who
meet weekly (or as often as our sched
ules allow). Our goal is twofold: to
help us assimilate into the University
of Ncbraska-Lincoln community and
to expand our educational experience
by sharing our successes and difficul
ties.
We discuss concerns that we have
about life at UNL. But our primary
focus is to adapt our lives to fit the
educational experience at UNL.
From time to time we identify
problems that we feel should be brought
to the attention of the administration
or campus leaders. One area we dis
cussed at a recent meeting was the
lack of a comprehensive schedule of
UNL events in the Daily Nebraskan.
Part of a newspaper’s responsibil
ity is to keep its readers informed of
area events. Because student fees help
support the Daily Nebraskan, we can
expect that the DN will realize this
obligation.
There have been some signs that
the adm inislration is more responsive
to students. Chancellor Graham
Spanicr has made it clear that deci
sions affecting the student body must
be open to student input. The recent
parking proposals and the meeting
that was called to find a solution is
one example of this new forthright
style.
This openness is a welcome change
from past administrations. But we
must realize this change carries with
it some responsibilities. We must be
willing to participate even if the events
don’t seem all that important.
In the past, we have invited vari
ous speakers to attend our meetings.
This is primarily to help us get infor
mation that is not readily available to
students who enter the university
outside the traditional path. These
speakers have included representa
tives from the scholarships and finan
cial aid office, the health center, the
ombudsman, the rec center, Career
Planning and Placement, Student Legal
Services and many others.
We also have offered support to
fellow students facing class difficul
ties, family problems or other prob
lems related to our lives as students.
Many times the solutions to our prob
lems can be found by discussing them
with our peers.
A traditional student who lives in
the dorms or grcck houses has a ready
supply of peers just down the hall. For
the non-lradilional student, our peers
probably don’t live down the hall or
even across the street. The Adult
Student Network is one way for non
traditional students to meet their peers
and discuss their difficulties and suc
cess in a non-threatening environ
ment.
Our goal is to help adult students
assimilate into UNL and have a suc
cessful educational experience.
Christensen is a junior education major.
Affirmative action frustrates the qualified
* v
I am glad Jim Burrows (“Affirma
tive Action unwarranted target,” DN,
April 23) acknowledges that “Affirma
tive action can be misused to hire
unqualified people.” Jim also believes
that there is a “false perception that
jobs arc going to unqualified people
due to affirmative action.” Make up
your mind, Jim.
I believe there is no false percep
tion that affirmative action creates
reverse discrimination because I am a
white male who has been discrimi
nated against in the past.
In 1989,1 applied for a forest serv
ice job in Wyoming. The hiring super
visor told me that he was interested in
hiring me, but that first needed to fill
his affirmative action quota. If there
was enough money left in his budget,
he would hire me.
Needless to say. he did fill his
affirmative action quota (somewhat
against his will), and he did not have
enough money left to hire me. To add
insult to injury, not one of the quota
fillers had any college cxpericnccand
probably had little interest in the job.
This actually happened to me, Jim,
and it was not the last time that it
happened to me.
Furthermore, I saw it happen time
and again to other people when 1
worked for the soil conservation serv
ice during college.
Almost every white male I know
in the fisheries and wildlife fields
could tell you, Jim, about how they
have lost out on jobs because of af
firmative action policies.
1 find il hard lo believe that a
person can spend years earning a degree
in a field they arc interested in, and
then get beat out for jobs in that field
by persons with no experience or inter
est.
What can I do about it? Absolutely
nothing. If I try to fight it, I will be
labeled a bigot. Merely expressing
my views and experiences in this let
ter will probably gel me labeled as
some sort of white supremacist.
The only thing 1 can do, Jim, is sit
in the dugout and wail for my chance
to swing at the ball with a broken bat.
Erik Wagner
graduate
wildlife management
Date rape exists; divorce not women s tault
In response lo Chris Halligan’s
column (“Feminism robs masculin
ity,” DN, April 15), we would like to
raise a few questions. First, arc you
suggesting that there is no such thing
as “date” and “friend” rape? The
suggestion seems lo be that there has
never been a ease of nonconscnsual
sex during a dale — or when two
people are alone in a room. You state,
“The destiny of a man’s life lies in the
hands of a women he had sex with.”
Perhaps you mean to say that the
destiny of a rapist lies in the willing
ness of the victim to report the rape.
We further question your conclu
sion that the women’s movement is
the direct cause of the increased di
vorce rate. Perhaps you don’t realize
that correlation doesn’t entail causa
tion. (Maybe a logic course would be
in order.) The suggestion you make is
that women arc to blame. This over
looks the fact that many men choose
to leave marriages as well.
Finally, you say, “At one time,
men could depend on women for
complete support and recognition ol
• * a • t •
Ihcir malcncss. Why should one s
sclf-conccpl be formed by alien lion
from only one gender? Wouldn’t that
be unhealthy? Isn’t it the ease that
people form their “malcncss” and
“fcmalcncss” as a result of contact
with role models of the same gender?
T.A. Scholl
C.M. Bohner
B.J. Huschlc
J.A. Lazier
R.H. Cooper
graduate students
philosophy
visitors greeted witn Hospitality despite snow
Patrick Hobbs, a prospective fresh
man from Rochester, N.Y., and his
parents were at UNL for a campus
visit on Tuesday, April 21, our now
historic “snow day,” during which
UNL canceled classes and closed most
offices. Patrick and his parents drove
to Lincoln from Rochester, a 21 -hour
drive one-way. Another prospective
student, Ian Worchcstcr, is in the
military and stationed in Germany,
and was home on leave with family in
Bellevue, and also scheduled a visit
to UNL on April 21.
To the people in tclccommunica
lions, who were stalling the phones
so our campus visitors could call and
make sure we would be here when
they arrived (telecommunications, by
the way, answered more than 9,500
telephone calls that day); to Brian
Wilcox, a UNL senior, who gave up
his free morning to come into High
School and College Relations, meet
with our visitors and give them a lour
of the campus; to Campus Recrea
tion, for providing a lour of the rcc
center; and to the staff in university
housing, who met with Ian and al
lowed him to submit his housing
contract while he was on campus.
The Worcesters drove back to
Bellevue alter their visit and the Hobbs
family climbed back into their car for
the 21-hour return trip to New York.
Both families appreciated very much
the service, hospitality and informa
tion they received and complimented
each university person with whom
they came in contact. Thank you to
everyone who helped create such a
positive impression of our campus.
Lisa L. Schmidt
director
High School and College Relations
Bashing others beliefs threatens treedom
In response to Mr. Blomstcdt’s
letter (“Half-Asskin, films shame
UNL,” DN, April 22), I find his
comments to be very narrow-minded.
His letter gives me feelings of anger
and confusion. Mr. Blomstcdt needs
to realize that this country is founded
on many rights to all of its citizens.
Among those rights arc the freedom
of speech and freedom of religion.
These are two very distinct freedoms
that Mr. Blomstcdt is attacking in his
letter. While Mr. Blomstcdt may find
the Half-Asskin obscene, it is obvi
ous that that is not the ease. The Half
Asskin was not a “secret” publica
tion. The slate and the university both
knew of its contents. Obviously if the
issue was obscene, the Slate of Ne
braska would have prosecuted on
obscenity violations. This is simply a
ease of “if you don’t like the issue,
don’t read it!”
Mr. Blomstcdt also stated in his
letter that we “should be concerned
about the dishonor brought upon our
university and state ..This is out
right narrow-mindedness! His claims
of dishonor arc such acts as the, in his
view, obscene and anti-Christian films
and the gay/lcsbian/biscxual film
festival. Mr. Blomstcdl finishes his
letter by throwing in a bit of gospel.
Why? This man is pushing for cen
sorship of our religions and religious
beliefs that do not equal his, and he is
putting down the gay/lcsbian/biscx
ual lifestyle because it is not equal to
his.
William E. Winsor II
senior
computer science and engineering
I ATTENTION! |
MAY
GRADUATES
The DEADLINE for the return of your yellow
Commencement Attendance form is
April 27,1992
Return it to Records Office, 107 Administration Bldg.
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