Opinion
.Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chris llopfensperger...Editor, 472-1766
Dionne Searcey...Opinion Page Editor
Kris Karnopp.....'.. Managing Editor
Alan Phelps.Wire Editor
Wendy Navratil. .. Writing Coach
Stacey McKenzie.Senior Reporter
Jeremy Fitzpatrick.Columnist
Hypocrisy
ASUN bill supports discrimination at UNL
Once again. ASUN senators have tailed to draw a line in their
sandbox.
J NL’s student leaders*Wednesday night had the opportu
nity to choose between supporting or closing the door on
diversity i/ampuswidc.
“Either wav we as senators are makine a statement, a statement
tor the student nodv,' general studies senator Narrovi Parker said.
The statement ASUN made sent the message that UNL stu
dents support discrimination on ihc basis ol sexual preference.
By approving a measure that supports ROTC at UNL and asks
UNL s Academic Senate to soften us stance against the program,
the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska has
refused to take a true stand against discrimination.
Senators claimed that a vote against the bill would punish
students who were using ROTC to gain an education.
The senators ignore the homosexual students shut out by
ROTC’s door.
Although the bill manages to condemn discrimination, it
affirms the presence of ROTC — a discriminatory institution —
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
ASUN’s effort 10 do both is hypocritical when the military 's
ban on homosexuals, including ROTC cadets, remains un
changed.
At UNL, only the Academic Senate has taken a firm stand
against the policy and discrimination. »
An Academic Senate resolution, passed in April 1991, states
that if the Department of Defense's policy is not changed by Jan.
1, 1993, the senate will urge the chancellor to “renegotiate the
contracts of the three branches of ROTC at UNL in order to
eliminate credit for all ROTC courses.”
Students enrolled as of Jan. 1,1993, would not be affected by
the change.
But UNL Chancellor Graham Spanier pulled some of the
measure’s sharpest teeth last spring when he said he agreed with
the spirit of the bill, but did not believe in the idea of a deadline.
The university’s student senators likewise have tackled the
issue before.
Last year’s senate passed a similar bill, but former ASUN
President Andy Massey wisely vetoed it on the grounds that the
bill violated the NU Board of Regents’ anti-discrimination policy.
It was a shame last year’s measure passed. It was fortunate
Massey was there to nip it in the bud.
This year’s president of ASUN does not have the same good
sense.
n„r_l_« _a oi tvt n-_• j_- a_i_r:_
duiwiu iadi mgiii ^ utuait, noun r iumuuiu ruiuiuw oigti^un
came out in support of the bill.
Sigerson and many of the rest of this year’s student leaders
think one university cannot make a change.
“Whether or not we kick ROTC off campus is not going to
make a difference to the Department of Defense,” Sigerson said.
UNL is already lagging in the movement to eliminate ROTC’s
archaic policy.
Only by joining the nations’ other campuses that have begun to
protest can the university help lead a revolution.
But as long as student senators continue to bury their heads in
the sand, the U.S. military will overlook the wide opposition to
this policy.
•
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space
available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material
should run as a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not b6
published. Letters should included 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
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 6858^-0448.
- * --- ^ar* " ' —\
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1992 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL
Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by
the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students.
__ _:_
(• ~--1 .... ^ iOTr . .. .
Political process
This may seem like an absurd Id
ler to most Daily Nebraskan readers,
as it involves talking about the col
umns in the opinion section ot the
Daily Nebraskan, largely in response
to Jeremy Filzpatrick’scolumn about
the rest of life outside of politics
(“There’s more to life than politics,”
DN, Sept. 1).
It’s interesting that Fitzpatrick
chose to write about the whole situa
tion revolving around what he would
wntc or not write abbul in his column.
Politics is often the subject of many
columns on the opinion page, and
Fitzpatrick chose not to write about it,
and yet he still did.
No, he didn’t write a scathing re
view of Dan Quaylc’s spelling ability,
nor did he write about Gov. Bill
Clinton’sbadbreath. Fitzpatrick wrote
about what he could write about in
stead of presidential candidates’ short
comings. He, however, did end up
talking about politics, the real poli
tics, if I dare be so presumptuous as to
call my definition “real.”
When all is said and done, politics
can be summarized by one question:
“What do you think?” Whether you
are talking about presidential candi
dates, the University of Nebraska
Board of Regents’ concern (or lack of
the same) for the Apollo space cap
sule rotting in a barn, or just whether
or not you think the Huskers will win
Saturday, you are participating, in
some small way, in the process of
thinking.
Expressing opinions in our culture
has steadily become more and more a
political process,especially given the
many factions in society that would
rather you just shut up. This may be
the case of the writer who didn’t sign
his name on the letter to Fitzpatrick.
We may never know because this
individual didn’t seem to value his (or
her opinion, for that matter)enough to
sign his letter.
No matter how hard it is for people
to accept, there are many sides to
everything. Despite the best efforts of
ourculture to create two sides toevery
issue, if culture allows that much dis
sent, the world is not black and white,
nor two-dimensional; there are cer
tainly almost an infinite number of
perspectives to view the world in
which we live.
Thus it is not accurate to have
labeled Fitzpatrick a “left-wing, lib
eral, a boy wet behind the ears.” Hav
ing met Jeremy in my dealings with
the DN, I’ve seen him and near as I
can tell, his anatomy doesn’t appear
to include wings, left or right. Nor
could I determine whether the rear
areas of his audio sense organs pps
scsscd any unusual moisture. But the
letter writer couldn t have known: All
they see is a cropped photo of
Fitzpatrick’s head.
All fun aside, my point is the DN
serves a function larger than finding
out what new bands are playing this
weekend or delivering some mid-lcc
ture boredom with its crossword
puzzle.
It serves as a place where students
and others can express themselves.
Where people can learn, debate, ar
gue and hopefully think about what
goes on around them. In short, it gives
people a taste of the “real” world that
many consider their post-college ca
reer challenge.
Having spent a semester trying to
come up with a column a week, I
appreciate the efforts of those who do
it, even if I don’t agree with them.
Even if I think their writing style is
poor, I still read them all. You never
can tell what you may leant. By the
way, Jeremy, good column.
James A. Zank
senior
an and English majors
Division of Continuing Studies
Punk rockers
I am writing to thank you for your
unbiased report on those crazy “punk
rockers” and “frat rats.” I must admit
I have not heard the term “punk rocker”
since perhaps 1983 out of the mouth
of some tired old sitcom character,
but your wise words moved me.
It is good to know that we have
someone so insightful on the editorial
staff. I am glad that you judge your
self above those two judgmental
crowds, yet remain so humble that
you would sloop so low as to talk to
them enough to decide that you would
rather hang out with punk rockers
than greeks. After all, even Hitler
preferred Slavs to the Jews.
Maybe if you stepped outside your
sheltered little world and met a few
greeks or punk rockers or even dared
to party with them, you might dis
cover that they are not the clones you
are convinced they are.
Maybe then you would realize that
both “dormies” and greeks are just
people who have friends with similar
interests. I am not writing to condemn
anyone for dressing how or living
where they want, but to point out your
own judgmental hypocrisy.
Christopher Banks
sophomore
arts and sciences,
international affairs
Truth, knowledge
There used to be a belief that col
lege was a place to seek truth and
knowledge. It’snot so in many classes
and obviously not in the DN. When
people like Jeremy Fitzpatrick write
garbage (“There’s more to life than
politics,” DN, Sept. 1) that naive read
ers may be willing to believe, the
future of this university and country is
in question.
Well, we’re not naive, and
Fitzpatrick, you arc “wet behind the
ears.” You slam country music. You
slam conservatism. You slam Repub
licans. You don’t know enough about
the military to insult hundreds of thou
sands of soldiers who fought in the
last war to protect your freedom to
slam them.
Have you no dignity for yourself?
No respect for others? No desire for
the truth? Are you feebly trying to get
your foothold to someday be a media
pundit like your liberal mentors? You
laugh with your friends; they don’t
think you’re very liberal. Sounds like
your friends don’t know you very
well.
You arc not your grandfather who
was in the military,and you have little
respect for it. They arc men, not boys.
They arc also women. These men and
women have children and families
they love dearly. These people arc
dedicated to the constitutional ideol
ogy that America is free. That free
dom isn’t free, and you should think
about the things before you endorse
Woodrow Wilson and advertise the
fact that you arc a fool.
The junior officers lead from the
front. They lead by example. They are
no safer than the men they lead. I
know you’ll find any quality officer
will not have his men do anything he
wouldn’t do himself. You arc an in
sult to the university. You arc an
insult to the DN. They should recon
sider why they employ vou and have
you understand you arc not irreplace
able.
I’m not your precious pen pal you
speak of so highly. I do read the
campus paper hoping to find educated
ideas and opinions. I believe you, like
many liberals, hide behind the Bdl of
Rights whenever you arc challenged
on issues you write about but know
very little.
' I come to UNL seeking truth and
knowledge; maybe some of the writ
ers at the DN need to educate them
selves and leave their egotistical sta
tus out and just try to report facts.
Your opinions arc unapprcc iated. DN,
clean up your paper.
Dan Rezac
senior
finance