Opinion
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln _
Chris Hopfensperger...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
Give it up
National Guard needs to sacrifice funds
S- ome sacrifices just have to be made.
Legislative Bill 10, introduced Monday, would decrease
tuition assistance for Nebraska National Guard members by
putting a $500 cap on the amount of tuition assistance a guard
member could receive each year.
If passed, the bill will go into effect next July.
The bill would barely affect Nebraska’s small colleges. At
Southeast Community College’s Lincoln campus, students’ aid
would not be hurt because the average tuition amounts to only
$412 a year. The effect at the state’s major university would send
ripples a little farther through the system.
The legislative fiscal office estimates that there are 439 guard
members receiving assistance. They receive an average of $978 a
year. That is nearly $439,000.
Sen. Roger Wehrbein of •Rfattsmouth said the bill would trim
more than $300,000 from Nebraska’s budget. In the state’s poor
economic times, it’s tough for any organization to escape budget
cuts.
The Legislature is looking to cut millions of dollars from the
state’s budget; it should start with areas of fat that can obviously
use a little trimming.
Senators should ask themselves what kind of return the state is
getting for investing thousands in the education of a handful of
students. Then they should pass LB 10.,*,
The proposal does create a problem for students who based
their commitment to the guard on the promise of 75 percent of
their tuition. Students should be given the option to back out of
their contracts with the group if the state decides to back out of its
agreement with the students.
New recruits, however, should understand that their tuition
assistance ends at $500.
One student who voiced her opposition to the bill Wednesday
said its passage would force her to leave Nebraska to continue her
education. The student called the tuition assistance her lifeline to
an education. Surely students who depend upon the National
Guard as their sole source of funding for tuition arc eligible for
other sources of aid.
Such students would not be forced off campus. Instead they
would have to put a little more time into researching other finan
cial aid options.
The tuition cap is justified if it helps to relieve any cuts that
might be made to the university. Further cuts in educational
funding may lead to increased tuition, which — without passage
of the bill — would in turn lead to a higher bill for the state
through the guard’s current tuition-assistance plan.
The cap may also mean that recruiting efforts for the guard be
stepped up. Many college students join the National Guard simply
because the program pays nearly all of their tuition for a minor
commitment.
Asking the National Guard to make this sacrifice won’t make
them a sacrificial lamb. Leaders will simply have to find another
selling point.
The guard is necessary. The members’ usefulness in emergency
situations can’t be discounted or predicted. Cuts may lead to
setbacks for the group, but it won’t shut it down permanently.
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Eall 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.
Ihe 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 retainsihe right to edilorrcject all material submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. Tm: 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 he returned. Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Ixtters 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. 68588-0448.
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Religious freedom
I listened to George “Jed” Smock,
or rather students slandering Smock,
on the afternoon of Sept. 23. While I
do not personally agree with his phi
losophy or theology, I feel the atro
cious behavior of the students toward
this gentleman was uncalled for. No
body forced students to stop and lis
ten. They stopped of their own free
will and were free to leave.
In the United States, the right to
free speech is guaranteed in the Bill of
Rights of our Constitution. So is the
right to freedom of religion. Nobody
forced me to believe the way I do, and
nobody is going to make me change
my beliefs until I am willing and
ready to change them.
For some, Smock’s lifestyle is a bit
odd, but to each his own. I must
admire his tenacity. This gentleman
has come to our campus year after
year, and he has listened to and re
sponded to students addressing the
same issues again and again. We all
know where he stands, and he knows
where we stand.
Lotus liveourown lives inourown
way. Perhaps if we all were mutually
tolerant, the need to convert others
would be unnecessary.
Alison Duba
senior
‘ English
Paper towels
I am a resident of Burr Hall. Over
the past several weeks, I have pon
dered the issue of the absence of paper
towels in the residence halls nearly
five times a day w ith the daily ritual of
washing my hands.
Reading the DN, I have considered
the opinions and alternatives suggested
by various students, and I have taken
these words of wisdom into consider
ation to make a motion of my own.
My suggestion is simply to print the
DN on paper towels. We’ll call it the
residence hall version. My reasons
are as follows:
1. The DN is picked up by nearly
every resident of the halls during the
day.
2. The amount of paper used to
print the DN is more than an adequate
amount needed to dry one’s hands for
a day.
3. Most of the paper used to print
the DN is not recycled, rather thrown
away.
4. This would create no additional
need for paper.
5. The added advantage could be
obtained at little or no extra cost.
6. Students who protest student
funds going toward the DN could find
at least one use for it.
7. M^ny DNs end up in the restroom
anyway.
8. The paper would be recycled
much easier since it is generally all
thrown away in established “collect
ing bins.” Because of the ease of
recycling, this plan not only magni
fies the use of resources but also is
environmentally sound.
. 9. With the use of paper towels,
sanitary conditions could favorably
be restored, thus increasing the stan
dard of living.
10. Use of biodegradeable soy ink
on paper towels would promote Ne
braska agriculture.
Implementing the plan: The DN
could be put in dispensers similar to
the old paper towels. If needed, pages
I -10 could be in one dispenser, pages
II -20 in another dispenser and 21 -30
in another. Distribution of DNs would
take slightly more effort since they
would need to go in each restroom
rather than a bulk location. The possi
bilities are numerous.
This plan may sound preposterous,
but I believe it deserves due consider-'
ations.
Tobias J. Wchrman
senior
agricultural economics
David Badders/DN
Ross Perot
I am writing in response to the
editorial that states that Ross Perot
would not make a good president
because he is not a true candidate
(“False candidate,” DN, Sept. 23).
Since when does one’s ability to
sling bull have anything to do with
being a good leader? Come now, how
many promises are Bush and Clinton
making now that arc actually going to
be kept? Remember, “Read my lips,
no new taxes”?
I think Perot is doing the right thing
by staying out of all of the juvenile
mud-slinging. Hedoesn’tneed to cam
paign; each time Bush and Clinton try
to make each other look bad, they just
end up making Perot look better.
It is time we started putting less
emphasis on a politician’s personal
life and more on his wisdom, maturity
and ability to lead. Perot must know
something aboutdecision making that
“true politicians” don’ t. After all, one
doesn’t make S4 billion in big busi
ness out of smiles and promises.
Julie Kittredge
freshman
civil engineering
‘Doom, gloom’
To Jeff Hankins and Sam Kepfield:
What a breath of fresh air it is to
read your columns in the Daily Ne
braskan. You guys truly bring some
balance to the campus and that liberal
piece of trash called the Daily Nebras
kan. It is plain to sec that the Daily
Nebraskan, its editors and cartoonists
arc caught up in the doom and gloom
of the politically correct.
Keep up the good work guys; the
only thing that would make me hap
pier than reading your columns in the
Daily Nebraskan would be to see your
columns in Lincoln’s leftist liberal
loony ledger — the Lincoln Journal
Star.
Bruce Wert/
freshman
general studies
Free speech
This letter is in regards to the vio
lence that happened to one of the men
who was preaching outside the stu
dent union on Tuesday.
Yes, I do believe in freedom of
speech. I’ll be one of the first people
to admit that I, too, was yelling and
ridiculing the men who were preach
ing. However^ there comes a time
when we have to draw the line be
tween freedom of speech and vio
lence.
While preaching, the man was
grabbed by approximately four young
men, who then proceeded to throw
him in the fountain. He could have
been injured.
I’m not saying we need to agree
with these men who preach, or even
remain quiet while they’re talking,
but let’s not overstep the line. It’s OK
to yell and get up close to them with
out their permission, but let’s also try
to be semi-mature and get our points
across without hurting others.
Out of all the young men who did
this, only one had the decency to
apologize. But that in no way makes
up for what was done. Also, for all of
us who were there and believe that
what happened was wrong, I’d like to
apologize to the man that this hap
pened to.
Remember freedom of speech is
acceptable, violence is not.
Tammy Timm
freshman
special education