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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1992)
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 Navralil..Writing Coach Stacey McKenzie...Senior Reporter Jeremy Fitzpatrick ..Columnist Catch-22 College athletes hindered by NCAA policy Somewhere along the line, the NCAA forgot what college athletics was all about. The organization has tried to even the playing field of major institutions by limiting scholarships and cutting back recruiting efforts. It has tried to make contracts more fair by taking control of the lucrative bowl game and television coffers. But the NCAA has overlooked the thousands of athletes who make the institution necessary. As the Comhuskcrs approached their first game two weeks ago, the Nebraska athletic department was battling to determine the effect of a new state law. The law guarantccs^athlctcs the full amount of financial aid they are eligible for, and it puts those athletes in violation of current NCAA policy. Questions concerning the eligibility of the athletes and the whole team swirled around Memorial Stadium. As it stands, the situation is far from perfect. Nebraska has 15 football players who were eligible for need-based aid this vear The Comhuskcrs would violate NCAA policy if any of the athletes accepted the aid and competed at the varsity level. Eight of the players were redshirt freshmen, who will not play this season. Robert Borzekofski/DN Of the other seven, two of the players accepted the aid but have not played. If they do play, an NCAA official said, Nebraska could lose scholarships next year. Five of the athletes eligible for the aid turned it down. All seven were faced with making a choice between money they deserved and endangering the eligibility of the team they v played for. That is not a fair burden to pul on a college football player who is fighting for playing time as well as an education. College athletes should not have to make a choice between their athletic and academic futures when they deserve a chance at both. Assistant Athletic Director A1 Papik cleared the smoke around the situation, but a bomb remains that could go off in the Husk ers’ faces. Next year, the NCAA will cut the number of scholarships allowed from 92 to 88 per university. The change will further limit the number of opportunities universities can offer to stu dents, who otherwise may have received an education, Nebraska may be further handicapped if the school loses additional scholarships because of the new law. But the law isn’t what needs to be fixed: It is the NCAA’s skewed view of college athletes. The NCAA constantly louts student-athletes as “students first,” but it punishes those students who strive to put their education on an equal playing field with athletics. 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 N'U 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. he Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Ixu«*rs 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 *lso 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 propeny of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be 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. 68589-0448. i HuiMINKriWh -We 9VMN6 PWH Racism I read with interest two articles that appeared in your paper (“Racism at UNL,” DN, August 31 and “Black grad says key to survival is attitude,” DN, Sept. 1). Both articles touched on the subject of racism. The first article was a letter by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chan cellor Graham Spanier that apolo gized to the family of a Mexican American student who was assaulted last November by a group of six male students. The second article contains a woman graduate student’s advice to incoming African-American fresh men on how to survive at a predomi nantly white university. The word “survival” suggests ob stacles and challenges that need to be overcome. To survive one has to spend energy to overcome those obstacles and challenges. As a Pacific Islandcr-American graduate student, I believe it is unfor tunate that people of color at this university have to spend energy to overcome racially based obstacles and challenges when that energy could be better spent toward more productive gUdl*. I believe a university is an appro priate place to learn to appreciate differences in others. Ideally, one should learn to appreciate those dif ferences from one’s parents. However, if a person docs not learn to appreciate diversity in others from one’s family, he or she needs the opportunity to acquire such skills at school or church. It is better to learn those skills in school than in the work place where mistakes could cost more. In the one year I have been at UNL, I have experienced not blatant, but very subtle racism, which is harder to identify but equally painful neverthe less. I grew up in a community where I was a member of the dominant cul ture and felt no discrimination. How ever, since coming to UNL, I have fell that I have been treated differently. I find it disappointing that in a country that professes to be the show case of democracy in the world and where all persons arc supposed to be bom equal, one still experiences bla tant or subtle racism. As Richard West, a Cheyenne Arapaho who is the director of the new National Museum of the Ameri can Indian, was quoted in USA Today this past summer: “I think that there are a lot of people coming to the conclusion that Western civilizations may not have gotten everything quite right. People are more receptive about looking to other worlds and othci ways of thinking.” Guadalupe Borja Adult and continuing education Football fakes Believe it or not, Ms. Ernissec, I had no trouble following your article about females having to fake interest in football (“Female football fans can fake it,” DN, Sept. 11), after which you state: “This might not be a fair introduction for a column geared to ward women.” Thal’sbecausemy interest is genu ine. This may come as a shock to you, but we females who can tick off the names of NFL quarterbacks (and even the back-ups like Young and Bono of the 49crs) do exist. In fact, my 64 _Ck year-old mother is one of the biggest football fans I know. She is the one whose eyes glaze over on Sundays as she watches as much NFL football as her schedule allows while my father watches some thing else in another room. Universities arc supposed to broaden students’ minds and help dis pel stereotypes. While I found the article humor ous, I was disturbed by the underlying stereotype of women wishing they could get their male significant others to give up their marathon football watching. I have had a thorough understand ing of the game and its rules for many years, and when I cheer along with my husband and son, my enthusiasm and enjoyment arc genuine. Pam Murray Administrative Coordinator Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources ‘Ethnocentric' Will someone please inform Alan Phelps that he is writing for a NEWSpaper. His article (“Brits wig out over headgear,” DN, Sept. 14) was probably the single most point less article printed in the DN so far this year— more filling for a Return to the Redneck Way of Life pamphlet than a “newspaper.” It seems ridiculous to me that he should concern himself withacustom of another country’s court system when our own is such a pathetic joke. Why not take a real stand on a real issue such as the death penally or prison conditions and overcrowding — or don’t any of your opinion writ ers have a backbone? I’d also like to invite him to come live in Sellcck Hall or Piper Hall and meet some of these Britons before he pretentiously declares that HE would never pass their “rudeness exam.” So far none of them have slandered our culture like he has slandered theirs. Frankly, I doubt any of them care as to whether Alan likes their wigs. Can you say “ethnocentric,” Alan? Obviously you can. Wouldn’t the “ideal society” be one where cultural understanding also used words like nigger and spic, Alan? Or do you confine your brand of racism to Brit ons? Laura Fasano freshman theatre Religion “... One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.” Sounds good, doesn’t it? The founders of this country were Christians. They wanted God to be on the dollar, in the Congress, in the U.S. Supreme Court, in the schools and in public areas. They were aware of the danger of a denomination becoming all powerful as it had in England so ‘‘religious freedom” went into the Constitution. They didn’t say no God in government or no Christianity in government, but no single denomina tion in government. We were not to be a country of no religion, butaChristiancountry toler ant of all religions. We have gotten off track, and look at what we have al lowed to happen in the Supreme Court. Christianity slowly is being outlawed —in the name of‘‘separation of church and state,” which is not in the Consti tution. God can be pul back into govern ment if the Christians demand it, and the churches provided organized lead ership. It is time that the majority make themselves heard. Ask your legislators what they will do, and if they will support a bill declaring Christianity the national religion, but guranteeing that all other religions have tolerance and freedom. We must tell Congress and the Supreme Court to back off. Enough is enough. Malcolm D. Crawford Gillette, Wyoming