OHNDN
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
Colorblind
UNL police poorly handle Harms follow-up
The University of Ncbraska-Lincoln Police Department’s
handling of a follow-up in the investigation of the disap
pearance of UNL student Candice Harms further shows the
need for closer attention to the feelings of minority students on
this campus.
The follow-up started when a student in Harms’ anthropology
class told police that Harms, sat near and talked to an African
American man on the day of her disappearance.
Officers contacted the five African-American men in the class,
asked them a scries of questions and photographed them. The
effort was well-intentioned but poorly handled.
The police, in their attempt to solve the case, may have to
grasp at whatever straws they can find. But that is no excuse for
singling out five students in a lecture class because of their race.
If Harms’ conversation with a classmate was enough to warrant
questioning a group of students, then every student in the class —
„ not just the five African-American men — should have been
approached. And none of them should have been made to feel like
suspects.
As it was, only a handful of students were questioned based on
the color of their skin.
Phil Bates, one of the students questioned by police, summed it
up best.
“People like to discount things,” he said. “A lot of non-minor
ity students arc thinking, ‘Oh, no way would the police do
something like that.’ But what people need to do is wake up, take
a look around and say, ‘Is this the way it should be?’
“Well it isn’t.”
Prove it
Clinton must act on promises of change
It’s over. It’s done with. The end.
After months of rallies, questions and polls, Americans
know Bill Clinton will be the next president.
But the show has just begun.
Now, show Americans what you can do for them, Mr. Clinton.
You promised change. Deliver.
You said you would help students.
You said, “I want the young people of America to get a college
education by opening the doors of college education to all Ameri
cans without regard to finances.”
Prove it. Install your plan to make dreams come true for
students who can’t afford to pay for college. Let them pay back
loans by serving for two years as teachers, police officers or
health-care workers.
You said you would improve health care. You said you would
help us rebuild the economy. You carried the banner of change.
Don’t go back on your word. Don’t neglect the members of the
middle class, the people who gave you a new job on Tuesday.
The majority of voters looked past your Haws, past the charac
ter questions. They looked to you with hope.
You didn’t make them promises, but they’re still expecting a
lot out of you. They trusted you. Don’t forget therm
Provide more jobs. Tax the rich; give to the poor. Help the
middle class. Make the economy belter. End gridlock. Gel things
done.
Make America work again. It’s up to you, Mr. President. Don’t
let us down.
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 ortheNU 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.
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
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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. 68588-0448.
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Sen. Chambers
This Idler is in response lo the
recent articles concerning Sen. Ernie
Chambers’s allegations that UNL has
violated the rights of a black Univer
sity of Ncbraska-Lincoln student by
questioning him in theCandicc Harms
case. At the risk of gaining the univer
sity an enemy, I would like to address
Chambers on a couple of items.
First, I find it appalling that a state
senator would make such obvious
threats against the university using
his position in the Legislature as le
verage. This is a blatant abuse of his
position as a lawmaker and is totally
unprofessional.
Second, Sen. Chambers should
review his own reasons for champion
ing Bates’ cause. I suggest that if the
individuals questioned had been white
that he would hardly have noticed or
cared. Therefore he is acting in an
official capacity based on the color of
someone's skin. This rccksof a double
standard.
Third, law enforcement officials
have a responsibility lo the public
safely and especially lo the family of
Candice Harms to determine Harms’
whereabouts and bring to justice those
responsible. This responsibility in
eludes following every lip or lead.
University officials were only doing
their job by cooperating.
Fourth, responsible citizens have
the responsibility to cooperate with
law enforcement officials when in
lormalion that we have may help in
the solving of a ease such as this. We
all expect law enforcement to be there
when we need it, therefore it should
be our moral obligation, as well as a
legal one to assist. Bates should real
ize that if it were a member of his
lamily that was missing, he would
want the public to cooperate.
Based on these reasons, I believe
that Chambers has made an error in
judgment. I sincerely believe that he
creates more racial hatred by his ac
tions than he could ever hope to solve
in his lifetime. I am not a racist,
Chambers and it is who you arc and
what you do, not the color of your
skin, that causes me to have no respect
for you.
Bill Schcclc
senior
mechanical engineering
<>
Discrimination
For the last four to six weeks we
have been consistently reminded of
the racial discrimination that exists
on campus and elsewhere. Having
this issue in the front of us is good. We
need to be reminded that it is up to us
in our day-to-day living to see that
discrimination is not tolerated. We
need to speak up when we arc aware
of a situation where discrimination
exists. I would like to address dis
crimination of another source that has
no racial barriers. It effects pcqplc of
every color. I am talking about dis
crimination toward people with dis
abilities.
While the month of October was
“National Disabilities Month,” I don’t
recall seeing any mention of this in
the Daily Nebraskan. Sure there was
the article on Dave Temple, which I
read as an interview about his position
here on campus and not as an issue of
his physical challenges.
Since 1 have been on campus this
year, I have seen people ignore the
physically challenged, looking the
other way, not daring to make eye
contact. I have seen people who arc
responding to a question raised by a
physically chal lenged person not even
having the courtesy to look at the
person when addressing the question.
1 have seen people cut in front of the
physically challenged in line at cam
pus bank because it lakcsa little longer
to maneuver a wheelchair than it docs
to step forward in line.
I have seen people in group situa
tions totally ignoring a physically
challenged person when distributing
handouts because that person doesn’t
“look normal." Think about it. Why
would people with disabilities be in a
university setting if they were not
academically compctcnt?Thc answer
is: They wouldn’t.
When you think of campus secu
rity at night for students walking alone,
what about the hearing impaired stu
dent who cannot hear someone com
ing up from behind them? Campus
lighting is a very real issue for them.
When you go from place to place
on campus or anywhere, think about
what it would lake for a physically
challenged ora visually impaired per
son to have access to these same
places. We take for granted access to
aclassr(X)m, store, restaurant or movie
theater, making a purchase, getting a
haircut or going out to cat.
If you think it’s hard for you as a
university graduate to secure employ
ment, try being disabled and see what
discrimination you come up against
—especially if yourdisability is physi
cal. Most people don’t get past the
physical limitations to your mind.
They are hung up on what they see.
While discrimination in any form
should not be tolerated, and it is up to
each of us to see that it is not, we
cannot forget people of all colors,
people with disabilities. It is our re
sponsibility.
Deb Anderson
freshman
undeclared
‘A better idea’
I am very intcrcslcd to know why
the university is making a park on the
land between 12th and 13th streets
and Q and R streets. It would seem
that since the university is on such a
strict budget, we could not afford to
cancel businesses’ leases to create a
park that will cost money to build and
will not create any income.
A better idea, since the businesses
have already been closed, would be to
create a commuter student parking lot
on this land. I understand some spaces
will even be removed if they do create
this park. A parking lot would be
cheaper to make because we don’t
care if it’s even a gravel lot, as long as
we can park there.
It would be nice to have a park, but
considering the parking and budget
problems on this campus, it probably
should not be a priority. There arc
plenty of beautiful places on both
campuses where students can meet
and where New Student Enrollment
members can gather. Also, there is
already a small park in front of the
Lied Center for Perform ing Arts where
its patrons can meet.
Other reasons why a park is not a
good use of university money is that
the weather in Nebraska is intolerable
to walk through for a good portion of
the year, let alone to sit in a park. A
parking lot would be used to capacity
almost year round. Besides the fact
that the money for building a park
would be of much better use in
Richards or Burnell halls.
Stephanie A. Kindclan
graduate student
psychology
