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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1992)
OHNDN ' Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincolrr 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 ........... ...r..Columnist Careless University officials abuse Apollo capsule rt was bad that ihc University of Nebraska-Lincoln allowed the Apollo 009 capsule to rot in the elements for 20 years. It is criminal that the capsule has been abandoned in a storage shed on East Campus for 11 months. The lack of care for the capsule is nothing new. For 20 years it sat in front of Morrill Hall on display disintegrating in the hot summers and the freezing winters. At some point, the bum marks — from the capsule’s re-entry into the earth's atmosphere — were painted over. Two years ago, Hugh Gcnoways, director of the Nebraska State Museum, said that “from the museum’s point of view, the (resto ration of the) craft is a long ways down our priority list. “It would not be the first thing I'd pul my money intb.” The mistakes began when the university neglected the capsule. The mistakes continue because university officials arc loo blind to realize they can’t take proper care of it. In January, the regents decided against trading the artifact to the Kansas Cosmosphcrc and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kan. Apparently, it will remain in storage until UNL can afford to restore and properly display it. “We arc doing the socially responsible thing in accordance with what we can fiscally handle right now,” said Regent Rose mary Skrupa of Omaha. Responsible would be realizing what the university can handle realistically with tight budgets. Responsible would have been exchanging it for equally valuable space artifacts and giving the capsule to a group that has the capabilities to take care of the national treasure. Wise choice Regents must approve family leave policy The University of Ncbraska-Lincoln Board of Regents has a chance to do the right thing at its monthly meeting Saturday. Board members will be asked to approve a universilywide family leave policy for faculty and staff. The policy would provide employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to deal with the birth or adoption of a child, a death in the immediate family or the injury or serious illness of a parent, child or spouse. During a leave, an employee would continue to receive university benefits but would draw no salary. The family leave could be taken in conjunction with already-accrued sick leave, vacation leave or funeral leave, which would not be affected by the new policy. UNL has absolutely nothing to lose by installing this policy. Employees who lake advantage of the policy could not be accused of slacking off at the university’s expense because they won’t be getting a paycheck during the leave. The policy would cost the university nothing. And the benefits would be worth millions. The policy encourages women to have careers. That aspect is especially important to a campus that’s dominated by men. Nearly every other industrial country in the world has a family leave policy. It’s about lime the university caught up. The regents must approve the family leave policy. It just makes sense. Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1992 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Hditorial Board. Hditorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the university, itscmployccs.thcstudcntsorihe NU Board of Regents Hditorial 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 othefs. etters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space i' ailablc. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers rise arc 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 relumed. Anonymous submissions will not be published. letters should included the author’s name, year in. school, major and group all illation, if any, Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R Si., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448 O O ' '» — \ VO SCW vAVai VO \HE- ‘STO? ...'♦WOi *€Xi- fVEEjE-S . QU ■ 7 CNE.« -TWfe '**EH j ' . ^v’ " ' "' ^E Stf? **«»*. \ Feminism I am taking precious lime out of my obsessive-compulsive ovcrachicving search for the laws of ’ property to respond to Sam Kcpficld’s insightful column (“Liberals infiltrate bar association,” DN, Nov. 2). Yes, I believe I gained insight into many facets of Kcpfield’s mind. Is it all women that you are opposed to or just women lawyers? Maybe it’s just feminist lawyers? Possibly it’s femi nists in particular who have left you so bitter. I think the phrase “an orgy of stan dard liberal feminist cliches” pretty much sums up the height of idiocy displayed in your column. Your at tacks on lawyers and the legal profes sion may be well-grounded. I’m merely a first-year law student and certainly not equipped to lake on a seasoned lawyer— with a good five, six years of experience — like your self. I have, however, been a woman for 23 years, and l can spot an attack on my gender a mile away. First of all, there is no such thing as a standard feminist. Unlike many of our conservative counterpart groups, feminism is all-inclusive and wel comes anyone concerned with the advancement of the female gender— not all at the expense of the male gender, I might add — and can en compass many viewpoints. i m sure inai you vc never been involved in such a strange, tolerant phenomenon, Kcpficld, so be patient with me. This is my definition of feminism. Maybe Betty Fricdan feels differently. One thing I’m sure we would agree on though, is that your bclitilemcnt of Anita Hill and the issue of sexual harassment is one of. the reasons we have kept the word “feminist” alive. I’m sure the legisla tors in the late 18(X)s thought those annoy ing suffragettes were also spou t ing liberal cliches about wanting to vote. The nerve of those women! Secondly, I hardly think Anita Hill, a Yale-educated professor of contract law at the University of Oklahoma, is a likely target of your scorn. The recent election returns don’t support your conclusion of “her perjured tes timony” cither. Arlin Spector, a rank ing Republican senator who led the assault against Hill during the hear ings, won his race by the skin of his teeth. He was aptly challenged by Lynn Ycakcl, basically a one-issue candidate, that being to oust Spector for his conduct during the hearings. Finally, referring to Hillary Clinton as “the wife of a Democratic nomi nee” makes no sense cither. Clinton is also a Yale-educated lawyer w ho hap pens to be rated one of the nation’s 1 (X) most influential lawyers by the National Law Journal. Arc you sug gesting that this fact does not qualify her to make a keynote address of the American Bar Association? I can sec why you arc so disgusted with ihc backsliding organization. How dare they host a luncheon by the Commit tee on Women in the Profession! If you truly w anted to make your own little corner of the world a better place, Kcplield, you would still be doing it rather than writing scathing, offensive columns in the Daily Ne braskan. By the way, did your little corner accommodate anyone with views differing from yourown? Did it include standard liberal feminists? I UK) would like to help or make better my little corner of the world someday. That is why your column disturbed me so greatly. Your hurried abandonment of idealism is certainly not encouraging to the lew of us w ho aren’t yet consumed w ith cynicism. I certainly hope I last longer than six years in w-orking to keep “Oppressed Womanhood” out of oppression. Kris Brenneis first-year law student wm* mi bhi Brian Shellito/DN Change The American people have spoken up for change. Responsibility of our national government is now firmly upon Democratic shoulders for the power that they will soon wield. I hope the Clinton administration and the Democratic Congress—who we, the people, must now rely on for the security of our future — will do the country well. But my convictions are that they will not. 1 am not a fortuneteller. I cannot foresee the future, but I do sec the present,and I think Bill Clinton is a mistake. I want my scotch straight up.. .and keep ‘cm coming. Jack Kemp in ’%. Michael Johnson freshman history Racial issues 01 ten 1 think I should writea letter in response to some issue, but who has the time. Alter reading Kirby Moss’s column, I find 1 must take the time. I hank you Moss and Kimberly bpuriock lor spinnmgevcrytmng into a racial issue.” When a person is black, everything is. It's about time the rest of Nebraska hears it. Denial is a part of change, but we need to get past denial and on to acceptance — acceptance of our dif ferences. Acceptance that because of the perceived importance of that dif ference, we arc treated unequally ev ery day of our lives. And that is wrong. It’s hurling all of us, literally killing us, both black and white. Regarding Sen. Ernie Chambers: Give them hell, Ernie! But please don’t let the Daily Nebraskan or any one else speak for you. So often ihcsc issues don’t include all the needed information to make an informed de cision on the public’s part. I, for one, would appreciate your perspective more fully. J L Meier senior Teachers College Choice Thank you Jennifer Ernissc. Your column (“Choice key to sustaining rights,” DN, Nov. 4) was one of the most thoughtful, accurate and elo quently stated arliclcsuboul the abor tion debate. In your column, you very astutely point out that the real issue is not abortion; rather it is the issue of per sonal freedom and the Constitution of the United Stales. Under theConsiitu lion, it says you cannot control my thoughts, my opinions, my properly. And yes, our bodicsarcour properties and our business. Just as you staled, if weehoose locata Big Mae.runamile or not reproduce, it is the individual’s business and no one clse’s. This is not a pro-abortion state ment. In fact, as your column points out, education is the key in order to circumvent unwanted pregnancy, be it through abstinence or contraccp tives. But somehow some members of our society ignorantly believe that talking about sex promotes having sex. Oh yes, the lecture I had last week about possible outcomes of drinking and driving caused me to run right out and cruise down O Street alter slam ming five shots, just to see if what I learned was really true. Clearly keeping our society igno rant because we arc scared w hat they might do is not only counterproduc tive, but also destructive. It is about time we look at the real issue. And that issue is choice. No one is for abortion. We all should be vigilant in embrac ing and protecting our constitutional rights. If we lose those, what else do we really have? Wendy Gordy senior ^ special education