Opinion
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chris Hopfensperger.Editor, 472-1766
Dionne Searcey.Opinion Page Editor
Kris Karnopp.Managing Editor
Man Phelps.'...Wire Editor
Wendy Navratil.Writing Coach
Stacey McKenzie. Senior Reporter
Jeremy Fitzpatrick.,.Columnist
The three Rs
Recycling, recruitment, renovation top list
I It looks as though the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is
finally getting around to the 1990s accompaniment to the
“three Rs” of higher education.
In his State of the University address Saturday, UNL Chancel
lor Graham Spanicr charted a course for plans to improve recy
cling, recruitment and renovation efforts on campus.
But he steered clear of talk of the impending disaster the
university may once again be headed toward this fall.
The UNL Recycling
Task Force that met after
the end of the spring
semester and the chancellor
are headed in the right
direction. t
Spanicr announced his
goal to make UNL “the
state’s leader in recycling of
paper, plastics, waste and
other items” along with a
new program that would
consolidate the many
smaller recycling drives
across campus.
His hopes are high for a
- Scott Maurer7DN campus inai nas uraggcu us
feet on the recycling issue.
In fact, his proposal may go beyond a step in the right direction
to a leap of faith in the campus community.
To this point most of the accomplishments and drive behind
the recycling effort have originated from a small group of dedi
cated students.
But Spanicr predicted the program would pay for itself — as
well as the salary of a newly appointed recycling coordinator —
after the first year.
Spanicr also announced that the university had identified funds
and would participate in a United Nations program to encourage
black South Africans to do graduate work at UNL.
The announcement came on the heels of his report that the
number of undergraduate minority students enrolled at UNL
increased 6 percent in 1991-92.
The program did not address, however, the subject of race
relations — an issue that continues to heat up under the surface of
a predominately white campus.
wnn me conclusion 01 improvements at tnc rcc center ana
expansion of the College of Business Administration progressing,
the chancellor also announced a pledge to give a higher priority to
renovating existing space.
Work to improve health and safely, handicapped accessibility,
student convenience and employee comfort began this summer on
classrooms and other spaces on campus.
Even art students may be impressed by this new twist on the
oft-repeated but never-completed pledge to make improvements at
aging Richards Hall.
The only obstacle missing on the university’s map of the future
was the budget process looming over the heads of students and
faculty members.
As the university pieces together its biennial budget request
and confronts the possibility of a budget cut, Spanicr mentioned
the existence of financial worries.
But he sidestepped the issue of the actual trimming process,
and he left out the one “r” nobody at UNL wants to face —
reductions.
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Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 6858^-0448.
Patriotism swells at baseball park
I’ve never really gouen into the
patriotic thing.
Americans who drive Hondas,
criticize the government or bum flags,
more power to ya, I always say.
I remember the day when Mr.
_Shores, my junior high
civics teacher, preached
to us about the impor
tance of respect for the
flag. We should stand at
attention, he said, when
the national anihem is
played at basketball
_games. Respect the flag.
From then on I pul aside
urges to giggle with my pals while the
Southern High School band mutilated
the theme song of our country. I
struggled to think about the soldiers
who died in battle to defend our free
dom.
i expected 10 dc uooacd with
emotions of patriotism for my great
country.
I tried. I really did.
But the goose bumps never came.
So I happily obliged when my
brother asked me if I wanted to take
advantage of this summer’s air-fare
war and make a trek to our nation’s
capilol city.
Washington, D.C. The hotbed of
American patriotism, or so I assumed.
Last week I set off on this pilgrim
age in search of my patriotic self.
Obviously, many others were on
the same mission.
The line for the lour of the While
House stretched all the way around
the Ellipse.
Camera-toting visitors crowded the
Mall.
Tonsof tourists packed into Ford’s
Theater and the house across the street
to see the blood that dripped on the
pillow from Abraham Lincoln’s
wounded head.
I visiled ihc Capitol.
I paid homage to the Lincoln,
Washington and Jefferson memori
als.
I read the real Constitution and
Declaration of Independence.
I even walked by the spot outside
of the hotel where former President
Reagan was shot.
During the course of events, I of
ten looked down at my arms for a
quick goose-bump check. Nothing.
I finally thought I'd found what I
was looking for at the Vietnam
Memorial. It was nighttime. Rain was
pouring out of the sky, dripping (town
on the hundreds of names etched in
the wall’s blackness. I watched a man
run his fingers across the letters — all
that remained of his war buddy.
Aha. Goose bumps.
This was it, I thought. True patri
otism.
But I was wrong. Those weren’t
patriotic goose bumps. If anything,
they were anti-American goose bumps.
These goose bumps stemmed from
a feeling of disgust deep inside of me.
Disgust for a government that allows
19-year-olds to die in blood baths
overseas. Hate for the same type of
government that, as an unidentified
official told the New York Times last
week, now is pulling lives at stake to
save a faltering presidential campaign.
Sure it was great to see the places
where the machine behind the United
SLates functions in full gear. But it
just didn’t do the trick.
Obviously true patriotism for me
lurked somewhere else.
1 look time out from my quest to
catch a baseball game in Hagerstown,
Md. 1 wanted to visit an old friend
who had moved up from the top
ranked Stanford Cardinal to play fora
Baltimore Orioles farm team.
I sadly discovered that more emo
tions flowed through me silting in
row 2, seat 17 than standing in the
shadow of Abraham Lincoln’s statue.
I watched my No. 1 player’s mighty
arms swing at the ball to hit a single.
I gaped in awe as he stole second base
and cringed when the second base
man stomped on his neck as he slid
into the base.
Call me sacrilegious, but my he
roes aren’t the forefathers. My hero
was right there on first base.
Goose-bump-o*rama.
Those people back inside the Belt
way were missing out on what it’s all
about. The heart of America beats
strongest at a baseball game.
Hagerstown is only an hour away
from Washington, but baseball is miles
away from the problems surrounding
the U.S. government.
From something as simple as bal
ancing the national books to the intri
cacies of the alleged CIA-drug scan
dals, the government just can’t com
pare to the whole-heartedness ol a
good ol’ ball game.
Even with the scandals ol Pete
Rose and George Steinbrenner, the
messes don’t match up to those ol
Ollic North and Clair George.
A better percentage of the people
of Hagerstown attended that game
than will probably vole.
For now. I’ll pul my hand over my
heart when the anthem is played. I II
stand and soberly try to think about
America and its being.
But secretly, inside, chords of “Take
Me Out to the Ballgamc” will be
ringing in my head.
Searccy is a junior news-editorial and French
major and the Daily Nebraskan opinion page
editor.
---1
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