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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1993)
01 VION Nebraskan . 1 XV-AL 1 Tu^*v. M«rch 1«, 1993 & ivT • r'f-' Net>raskan v Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Uncoln Chris Hopfensperger..Editor, 472-1766 Jeremy Fitzpatrick.Opinion Page Editor Alan Phelps..Managing Editor Brian Shellito.....Cartoonist Susie Arth..*..Senior Reporter Kim Spurlock......Diversions Editor Sam Kepfield....... .Columnist -3 Draw the line Lack of support dooms good programs Federal law requires the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to provide a sign-language interpreter for hearing-impaired students. But that law does not help the university find or pay qualified signers. The federal requirement has positive intentions, but that is all it has. The government stepped in, required the universities to provide the interpreters for students and disappeared. It was left up to the individual schools to determine how to find, provide and pay qualified interpreters. But coping with state budget shortfalls and competing with schools supported with federal funding have made it impossible for UNL to win that game, and eventually UNL students lose. The problem is not at the university level. The problem is a lack of federal funding. The university has hired 12 part-time interpreters — many who work in public elementary and high schools during the day — to respond to the need for sign-lan guage interpreters. But the university can’t find full-time inter preters because they can’t hire them away from the public schools that can pay them with federal funding and offer benefits. The problem is a perfect example of the kind of waste Ameri cans associate with the federal government. The administration goes half the distance on behalf of the public that needs services and then abandons them. Advocating full federal funding for the interpreters would be an option, but it is an example of the problems the government has | with the American public. People holler for services. They demand spending increases, but they balk at the whisper of a tax increase. Somewhere, someone has to draw a line. If the government is going to take on the responsibility to guarantee services for some groups, it should take on the responsibility of helping to ensure quality programs. Time for justice Deny amnesty to human rights offenders Monday a United Nations commission on El Salvador released a report on the human rights abuses of a 12-year war that killed more than 75,000 people. The seven-month probe laid the responsibility at the feet of both the military and the rebel commanders for a long list of abuses. The majority were committed by the military, according to the report. The U.N. report recommended the removal of all military commanders cited for human rights abuses. It also recommended that all violators be barred from political office for at least a decade. President Alfredo Cristiani asked that offenders be granted amnesty to “close the door to all temptations of revenge or reprisals.” The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, formerly the rebel army, rejected the call for immediate amnesty. During the 1980s, the United States supported a series of rightist governments in El Salvador against the leftist rebels. The rationale for supporting the governments was linked to a Cold War mentality of fighting Communism. Now the Cold War is over and any rationale for supporting repressive regimes is past. President Clinton should insist that human rights offenders in El Salvador be brought to justice, not granted amnesty. Suff editorials represent the official policy of the Spring 1993 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 Dailv Nebraskan. They establish the UNL Publications Board to supervise the daily production or the paper. According to policy set by the regenu, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of iu 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 Deity 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 be published. Letters should included the author's name, year in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Requesu to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Nsfaraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 685*8-0441 -1 Expression In the March 8 issue of the Daily Nebraskan, Chas Baylor gave some really fine examples of how people express themselves through cigarettes or pipes, but he didn’t go far enough. For example, he didn’t mcnuon how smoking a marijuana cigarette can convey rebellion, individuality and scorn for convention and laws. Or how shooting upcan tell people you’re an individualist For years, junkies have shot up as a form of self-expres sion, conveying their sense of misery and despair about it all. It can even express — and cause — sexual frus tration — much better than cigarettes. Snorting cocaine can express a strong death urge. It can also be a symbol of power. Dropping acid can communicate youthful exuberance and a sense of adventure and experi mentation. Many leftists have dropped acid. Walking into a room with a hand gun is a form of self-expression as well. It conveys power and control. Walking in with guns blazing can say, “I’m really upset.” People like John Wayne and Sylvester Stallone have used their big guns to portray manli ness, toughness and sexual prowress. Suicide is the ultimate form of self-expression. It can indicate ennui, angst, depression and hopelessness. Whether you do it with a gun, or an overdose, or poison yourself slowly with cigarettes, it’s all the same in the end. It’s a great way of saying, “I don’t give a damn." Amy Wilson senior classics Apathy In regards to the story "Studentson David Badd«ra/DK Faculty In the time of a huge budget defi cit, when everywhere there are lay offs and focus is on cutting spending, we find several members of the fac ulty in the name of guaranteed tenure are enjoying a jolly good life. The state exchequer is thus depleted and the ordinary people bearing the bur dens of heavy taxes face the financial crunch in their pockets out of unfail If©}. KSfeHTyHoHB.ThtReS yjt 1 KWTTE.R More India It is unfortunate that Mark Baldridge, who in his article (DN, Feb.25,1993), wrote that Indiastinks, only got to see the poor side of the country. I always held an opinion that people here are broad minded and had appreciation for a lot of things. Also, would it make sense if people from countries laughed at the customs and rules of the United States? I feel sorry for him, since he didn’t gel to know more about India. It appears he wanted people to know that he tours internationally with little perspective. Baldridge, I suggest you contact tour ism departments before you travel anymore and before you take off, try to explore some of yourcountry. Don’t think America is Lincoln. VenkatP graduate student entomology East Campus say apathy over election abounds,” I would like to share a few thoughts. First, if you are going to discuss why people who are in the ag field are apathetic about the elections, talk to an agriculture student. Don’t have a restaurant management major take a stab at other people’s reasons. Second, what is wrong with being concerned with agricultural lopicsthat will affect our future? How many people out there really believe if VOICE or PARTY wins the most political positions that wii haffec t their cafeer fOor 20 years from now? Let’s be realistic. Finally, in the new era of symbol ism over substance, what’s the big idea of the direction rose graphic de picting East Campus as some big weird thing off to the east? Remember we are part of UNL, we do know it is the nineties, we do know how to speak in complete sentences and if you did not know that, come over and visit us sometime, we always have to visit City Campus. Klint G. Stewart senior agronomy ing reverence. There are no publications of their research efforts. The quality is so poor no research grants are secured. Not many graduate students arc selecting them as supervisors. There are fre quent tours in the name of attending scientific conferences without ever presenting a paper. In addition to that, there are sabbatical leaves for sight seeing delights. The leaching loads are passed on to the spouse in the form of nepotism, providing rotten educa tion to innocent unsuspecting students. Each faculty should be teaching at least two graduate and undergraduate level courses and supervise at least two graduate students every year to claim a pay check. A survey should be immediately conducted as to the num - ber of papers published, number and amount of outside research grants se cured and number of students gradu ated in the last five years. Those who fail to produce any results should get the pink slips like anybody else and make room for the young and creative faculty. That is the only way to keep high standards in the cosily higher education of the state. Dave Crouse Lincoln ‘Requirements’ Residence Hall Security, a remem brance of the past! University housing has slowly but steadily decreased their part time student security officers to the bare minimum of none. With this came the implementation of a new plan, or should 1 call it a new policy! Community Service Officers, as they are called, working for the UNL Po lice Deparanent. These comprise mainly of prior RHS guards who were able to work on a full-time basis. They had better reap the benefits of being a full-time UNL employee, for it is sad for the so many foreign guards who were dumped to go find something else. RHS or CSO, what’s the difference? They seem to be performing the same duties. Of course, the prior being part time, and the latter being full time. Due to immigration policies, for eign students automatically are not eligible for the CSO job. Sorry! No luck. Go add your name to the waiting list in the library, or better yet, you know you will have a smiling face awaiting you at the City Union Cater ing Department. With so much vandalism and loot ing present at UNL, I wonder whether the CSO plan was implemented to start a better security system for hous ing or to just set up stricter require ments from hiring security personnel. Amaar Hyder senior business
