Opinion
Program flawed
Dual Career Policy must prove worth
NL’s new Dual Career Policy and Program seems to
have a few flaws.
The program was recently initiated at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln to help the university attract prospective
employees by attempting to find a job for that person’s partner.
The word “partner” is used in the policy to conform to
university affirmative action rules and state anti-discrimination
laws that prevent discrimination on the basis of marriage.
In other words, “partner” means that the policy doesn’t just
help married couples, it also helps homosexual couples or
unmarried couples living together.
Liz Grobsmith, assistant vice chancellor for academic
affairs, supported the policy saying:
“It is not for me to deny services to the program because
(candidates) are in a homosexual relationship or arc not legally
married.”
bhe also said that she believed the policy was more respon
sive” to families.
On one side, the policy may promote families by attracting
dual-career, married couples to the university. Families would
not have to be split up if they had the financial need to have
two incomes, but couldn’t find jobs in the same place.
However, on the other side, the policy destroys traditional
family values by promoting immoral lifestyles.
That’s a pretty strong stand for the university and its admin
istrators to take in the middle of a historically conservative
state.
It will be interesting to see who benefits more.
AL
-LETTERSTSe editor
Dual Career Policy doesn’t discriminate
I wish to point out an error in
reporting which occurred in the story
about UNL’s new Dual Career Policy
and Program in your article of August
6. The title of the article, “UNL brings
marriages together with couple-ori
ented employment” conveys an erro
neous presumption, namely the re
quirement of marriage for participa
tion in the program. The policy and
program both specifically utilize the
phrase “partner” precisely because it
is both illegal and morally wrong to
discriminate on the basis of marriage;
that is, the program and services arc
available to faculty and administra
tive staff with out regard to gender,
sexual orientation or marital status. It
is important to point out this differ
ence, for the policy as approved by
Chancellor Spanicr, the Academic
Senate and Academic Deans, is open
to all prospective faculty and admin
istrative staff, wilhoulregard formari
tal status. Thank you for clarifying
this.
Liz Grobsmilh
Assistant Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs
-EDITORIAL POLICY
Staff editorials represent the offi
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Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its mem
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Editorials do not necessarily re
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Editorial columns represent the
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According to policy set by the
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-LETTER POLICY
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Society knocks down fences
For years, it has been a tradition
at the Daily Nebraskan for the
outgoing editor to write the last
column of the year. Though the year
really is just beginning, and I’ll still be
around for another two years, this is
the last edition of the Summer Daily
Nebraskan and my last chance, for
now, to share my ultraconservalivc,
bible-bcaiing views with the rest of
the campus.
So I plan to take full advantage of
it.
Over the summer, the DN has taken
a dramatic swing in its policy, that’s
my fault, but the messages expressed
were not.
As Jesus said in the Gospel of John
7:16,
“My doctrine is not mine, but his
that sent me.” (KJV)
As much as I’d like to take credit
for the views I expressed, they weren’t
mine. They had a foundation, as many
of you guessed, in a fundamental re
ligious upbringing. Yes, I’m a Chris
tian.
Now, I’m not talking, ‘1 was born
in America and I’ve been a good
person all my life so therefore I’m a
Christian.’ I mean I have a personal
relationsh ip w ith Jesus Christ and have
put my faith in Him as my savior.
When I was five years old, it was a
Sunday and I was wearing my favorite
yellow dress, I remember crawling up
onto my parents lap and asking them
if Jesus was in my heart. They said
only I could answer that.
So, right then and there I prayed
asking Jesus to forgive my sins and
take control of my life. Now, a five
year old doesn’t have a big history so
I don’t have any great reform stories,
but growing up and staying true to that
commitment was not easy.
I thought high school was hard, but
college has proven even tougher.
When everything you believe is chal
lenged daily by friends, classmates
and professors, standing up for what
you know to be true gets harder and
harder.
The black and while I knew to be
right and wrong as a child didn’t get
clearer with age, it got grayer.
Society tells us that everything
wrong can be right, that we need to be
more open-minded and tolerant and
that, really, right and wrong is only a
value judgment, there is no line that
can be crossed.
It’s easy to get confused.
It’s like standing in the middle of a
large field with nothing but tall prairie
grass waving within view. Without
any fences, you don’t know whose
land you’re on.
This world tries to knock down the
fences. It wants us to be lost, standing
in the middle of a field not knowing if
we’re on the right or wrong side of the
fence.
But there arc fences, and once you
find them, it’s up to you to decide on
which side you want to be. That fence
marks the barrier between right and
wrong, and our choice has eternal
consequences.
In his word, God says:
“The acts of the sinful nature are
obvious: sexual immorality, impurity
and debauchery; idolatry and witch
craft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,
factions and envy; drunkenness, or
gies, and the like. I warn you as I did
before that those who live like this
will not inherit the kingdom of God. "
(Galatians 5:19-21, NIV)
And in Romans 6:23 , God says,
“The wages of sin is death,” (KJV)
and “all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23,
KJV)
So, one side of the fence is sin
resulting in death. But what’s the
other side?
In II Timothy 6:11, God tells His
followers to flee these things (sin)
and, “pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
(NIV)
No, uod says that mere is a cicar
difference between right and wrong, a
fence that all humans are guilty of
crossing. All of us, at one lime or
another, arc on the sinful side of the
fence and must get on the other side,
but how?
Jesus says He is the way.
“I am the door: by me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved.” (John
10:9, KJV)
So God provided a way for us to
cross the fence.
“For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only son, that
whoever believes in him shall not
perish but havcevcrlastinglife.”(John
3:16, NIV)
But, if you continue to believe as
the world tells us, that there arc no
fences, you will miss the gate.
“But small is the gate and narrow
the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it.” (Matt. 7:14, NIV)
Adeana Leftin is a junior news-editorial ma
jor and the Summer Daily Nebraskan editor.
