___——T- ,, S
Chris Hopfcnspcrger, Editor, 472-1766
Dionne Searccy, Opinion Page Editor
Kris Kamopp, Managing Editor
Alan Phelps, Wire Editor
Wendy Navratil, Writing Coach
Stacey McKcn/ic, Senior Reporter
Jeremy Fitzpatrick, Columnist
c>
Winds of change?
Fall semester forecasts brewing storms
So far, this summer has been the sixth-coolest on record in
the United States.
Don’t count on things to heat up this fall at the Univer
sity of Ncbraska-Lincoln.
The forecast:
Relatively boring with a slight chance for a better govern
ment in November. Plan for showers of meaningless allega
tions that will muddy the campaign trail along the way. Be sure
to carry an umbrella, Bill._
temperatures win nse a
little when students start
moving into Abcl-Sandoz
Residence Halls, their cars
stuffed with J. Crew
fashions and stolen stop
signs, to search for parking
places. They’ll find that
construction on the Beadle
Center on Vine Street has
sucked up the only paved
parking lot for those
residents and moved two
other lots farther from the
complex.
But strange winds arc
blowing in the parking
office. Plans for warning
tickets during the first week
of classes and an improved
system for buying parking
permits should take some
of the steam out of the
parking boiler.
The winds of change
will continue to blow
across campus as a flood of
David Badders/DN improvements change the
face of UNL. New turf will green up Memorial Stadium; an ad
dition to the College of Business Administration building will
near completion; and a flurry of work will end the final phase
of renovations at the NU Coliseum and Campus Recreation
Center. Plan on art students to continue their fruitless prayers
for a rain of capital construction funds on weather-beaten
Richards Hall.
Once again this fall, a budget controversy looms on the
horizon. Gov. Nelson's plan calls for all stale departments,
including the university to plan for a 10-pcrccni cut. UNL
students, administrators and faculty members still are picking
up the pieces after last year’s cuts whipped through the univer
sity.
Watch for other unexpected storms of controversy to spring
out of the hot fall season.
But count on a whirlwind of ASUN members to try to come
to the rescue. Andy Sigcrson and the bunch will concoct some
resolution or another. Their goals will aim to solve the prob
lems of the university whether it be parking, budget troubles or
diversity. That wispy gust will get blown away as quickly as it
develops.
i ms summer an unsiaoic aimospncrc surrounaca me ain
Iclic-dircctor search that left a bad taste in the mouths of
wealthy contributors to the athletic department. The storm will
spill over into the new year as Bill Byrne gets his first taste of
Husker mania.
Beware another squall out of the east as groups of haughty
University of Nebraska at Omaha students demand their worth
be recognized with a hyphen.
Across the globe, unseasonable tensions in Iraq will mount
as Saddam Hussein tries to pull the nation up by its bootstraps
after the Persian Gulf war.
And here on campus, the dark cloud of racial tension still
will hang over the university. Every UNL student group will
try to overcome it. Nonetheless, students will be hurt emotion
ally, maybe even physically, as these conflicts cut the heart of
UNL in half. In the end, nothing will be forgiven or forgotten.
Women and minorities will Si left in the fog when officials
try to fill permanently the gaps in numerous interim positions
at UNL.
At best we can hope for a knock-cm-dcad snowball fight
between the grceks and dormics like those of the late 1980s.
But all in all, normal conditions will prevail campuswidc.
Pray for an early snow.
-EDITORIAL POLICY
Staff editorials represent the offi
cial policy of the Fall 1992 Daily Ne
braskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its mem
bers arc: Chris Hopfensperger, edi
tor; Dionne Scarcey, opinion page
editor; Kris Kamopp, managing edi
tor; Alan Phelps, wire editor; Wendy
Navralil, writing coach; Stacey
McKenzie, senior reporter; Jeremy
Fitzpatrick, columnist.
Editorials do not necessarily re
flect the views of the university, its
f ^
employees, the students or the NU
Board of Regents.
Editorial columns represent the
opinion of the author.
The Daily Nebraskan’s publishers
are the regents, who established the
UNL Publications Board to super
vise the daily production of the pa
per.
According to policy set by the re
gents, responsibility for the editorial
content of the newspaper lies solely
in the hands of its students.
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CHRIS HOPFENSPERGER
Taking a look into the4real world’
1 merely wanted to be a sports
reporter.
In fact, I hadn’t planned on work
ing at all during my freshman year.
After slaving through high school,
college was suppose*! to be a lime of
education and relaxation, including a
first year chock full of blissful igno
rance.
But that was before my roommate
said the Daily Nebraskan’s sports editor
was looking for writers.
A door into the lives of my child
hood heroes opened in a dark corner
of my mind. Images of Mike Rozicr,
Dave Hoppen and Bob Devancy
danced through my imagination.
I entered the DN office — little
more than a kid who had played jour
nalist at a high school newspaper —
with limited experience, no examples
of my work and no idea what I was
getting myself into.
I left with a sports assignment.
All of a sudden I was in the know.
I was talking to Terry Rodgers and
Tom Osborne, covering football and
volleyball games and gelling to spout
on in a column cacn week.
Ai the time, I was perfectly happy
being just a “sports jguy” instead of
being a part of the big picture at the
DN.
I came into the office, wrote my
story and left.
What went on after that and in the
other sections of the newspaper was
beyond me. I didn’t consider myself a
true journalist or newsperson.
Besides that, the DN never really
struck me as a “ncws”papcr. I read
the sports section, glanced at the car
toons and struggled through the cross
word puzzle.
At the lime, spoils was the most
important thing in the world, Tom
Osborne was the most powerful man
on campus and I was a minor — yet
fulfilled — part of it all.
Only in looking back do I realize
what I was missing.
Almost every day, the Daily Ne
braskan was offering University of
Nebraska-Lincoln students the best
campus news coverage. It contained
issues and stories important to every
one at UNL, but I was not in on them.
The stories of the regents’ myste
rious dismissal of former NU presi
dent Ronald Roskens passed me by.
The controversy over the firing of
a general studies adviser who kept a
file on alleged “irregularities” in the
treatment of student-athletes came and
went.
Issues around thi.
world, across the
country and on this
campus are shaping
the “real world”
college students are
about to enter. If
those future doctors.
lawyers and journal
ists don't know who!
is going on around
them, they ace, & q
serious disadvantage,.
The “parking controversy” sparked,
burned and blew out on the front
pages of that fall’s Daily Nebraskans.
But the closest I got to the cover of
the newspaper was following the debate
that raged on the editorial page over
the artistic and creative value of “Jim’s'
Journal” — the paper’s daily comic
strip.
I went on to cover major football,
volleyball and women’s basketball
games, and I had a good lime doing it.
But eventually I caught on to eve
rything I was missing.
The night war broke out in the
Persian Gulf, I was at the Bob Deva
ney Sports Center. While everyone
else watched CNN, I saw Sue Hesch
lead the Nebraska women’s basket
ball team to a 67-64 win and a share of
the league lead.
It kind of put things in perspective.
Guard Meggan Yedsena, then a
freshman, put it best: “I felt kind of
greedy at limes.”
That night, after I finished my
story, 1 helped out the copy desk by
editing stories and writing headlines
for a special Desert Storm section.
1 ended up a long way from the
sports desk.
1 became part of the DN “family.”
Suddenly, I was eating, breathing and
living the world of journalism.
Working at the Daily Nebraskan
has cost me some things, but 1 have
gained a wealth of friends, knowl
edge and experience. 1 even learned
to read the news pages.
Last year, I paid close attention to
the stories and results of the budget
cuts that have affected everyone at
the university.
1 watched carefully as the univer
sity selected Graham Spanicr to fill
the long-empty chancellor’s office. I
wailed as the university failed lo replace
several interim administrators.
And I lived through the pain and
disharmony caused by an act of vio
lence and a picture on the front page
of the Daily Nebraskan.
Today, somejof the stories have
changed, but the DN is still here in the
basement of the union.
Issues around the world, across the
country and on this campus arc shap
ing the “real world” college students
are about to enter. If those future
doctors, lawyers and journalists don’t
know what is going on around them,
they arc at a serious disadvantage.
And this year the news is 100
important for anyone to bury his or
her head in the Astroturf.
Half a world away, Saddam Hussein
continues to defy the world that left
him in power in Iraq.
In Houston, President Bush con
tinues to lead a campaign for re-elec
tion despite a faltering economy, a
broken pledge not to raise taxes, a
miserable record on the environment
and a vice president who can’t spell.
Right here on campus, the univer
sity once again musldisscctilsbudgcl
to present a 10 percent cut to Gov.
Ben Nelson. And administrative of
fices remain to be filled with perma
nent staff members.
I am much more well-versed on
the news of the day.
But that isn’t to say my roots have
n’t followed me.
The Daily Nebraskan is striving to
patch its differences with the athletic
department stemming from incidents
last spring.
My roommate, working hard to
ward law school, is a varsity football
player.
And I still read the sports section
first.
Hopfenspergcr Is a senior news-editorial
major and the editor of the Daily Nebraskan.
-LETTER POLICY
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes
brief letters to the editor from all
readers and interested others.
Letters and guest opinions sent to
the newspaper become the property
of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be
relumed.
Anonymous submissions will not
be considered for publication. Let
ters should include the author’s
name, year in school, major and
group affiliation, if any. Requests to
withhold names will not be granted.
Submit material to the Daily Ne
braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 14(X) K
St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.