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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1993)
OPTNTON Nebraskan X^/l 1 1 IVy/l 1 Tuwday, March 30,1993 Net>raiskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln t 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 Park it Raising fees won’t solve parking dilemma The students have been heard. Their cries and pleas for better parking have been answered by the university. After months of bemoaning the issue, the solution has arrived. A fee increase. Actually the solution is somewhere on its way. On March 3, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska ap proved the Parking Advisory Committee’s proposed budget. The plan was then approved by the parking committee on March 11, and it has been approved by John Goebel, vice chancellor for business and finance. What the solution amounts to exactly is an 8.7 percent increase for the 1993-94 school year followed by a matching increase for 1994-95. The change, which jumps parking permit prices from $54 to $58 next year, should raise $237,000 in extra revenue over the next two years, money that will be used to improve parking cm City and East campuses. It seems strange that ASUN, a body that was so intent on holding student fee increases to 0 percent this year, would be willing to approve the increase in parking fees. After all, student fees offer some true returns — the University Health Center, the Campus Rcc Center and University Programs Council among others. The increase in parking fees offers what? A lottery. On City Campus it amounts to a chance at a spot in a proposed lot at 19th and R streets or in one of the improved gravel lots. On East Campus, students who pay for the new, improved parking permit can vie for a spot in a lot tentatively located near the Law Col lege. Of course both of the new lots still require approval from the regents. Maybe someone should fund bike racks outside every class building. Face the changes Reform more important than controversy Monday, the Clinton administration took a first difficult step toward health care reform. Vice President A1 Gore opened the first public meeting of the White House task force on health reform. Gore promised that the Clinton administration would give Americans “freedom from fear” about medical bills. The task force is attempting to put together a comprehensive health care reform package to submit to Congress by its self imposed May 3 deadline. The U.S. health care system now costs 5940 billion annually. “Fixing the system will not be easy,” Gore said. “But the American people have demanded that we fundamentally reform a system that costs too much and serves too few.” The health care task force has generated a great deal of contro versy over the past weeks. That is understandable. Any attempt to reform a system as entrenched as health care is in the United States is bound to generate controversy. But that controversy should not be allowed to eclipse the real issue of health-care reform. Too many Americans today must live in fear that financial ruin is only a serious medical problem away. The controversy that has surrounded Clinton’s health care task force is sure to grow more heated in the weeks ahead as the commission begins to finalize its reform package. Americans should not let those opposed to much-needed health care reform confuse the issue with sideshow controversy. Suff editorials represent the official policy of the Spring 1993 Duly 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 regenu publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL Publications Board to supervise the daily production of 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. -■ .;i 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 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 Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. ORBHIWE.'WM WKTIN, CCWU)MCAi “ COMER SOUR OU> Wl FOR NCDOFVE VOWRC, liri/rn^V^ l'>v • • . » Small world trek kills patience Patience is a virtue. This I know, for my fortune cookies tell me so. “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.” “You may have to be patient now.” “Be patient — good things will come your way soon.” Stupid cookies. My patience meter is on zero. The next person who tells me to, “Take a chill,” is going to have his or her head removed in a violent, twisting motion with my bare hands. Haaaa ha ha ha! I was never like this before. I used to be a calm, cool and collected woman. Gandhi’s blood boiled more than mine. Then I went on spring break. Day One: After wailing for my traveling com panions to arrive, waiting few others to get breakfast, waiting for someone else to go to the cash box, and waiting for everyone to go to the bathroom, millions of years later we finally pile into two cars and begin our exodus to warm, sunny Florida. Doing 90 mph somewhere in Mis souri, my muffler explodes and rips the back tire. A bearded man offers to change my tire for two live hogs or $15. Lacking swine, I pay cash. The other car asks us to "keep it below 75." Thus, the “our car” vs. “their car” game begins. To play this game, bitch about the people in “their car,” then disqualify any nasty com ments bv saying, “But don’t gel me wrong. I like so-and-so.” Repeat of ten. Somewhere down the road, we lose “their car.” When “our car” arrives in Chattanooga, Tenn., we find “their car” is settled in and proposes that we get another room, as if large rodents roamed the floors at night. “Our car” grumbles, whines and mutters down the hall to “our room." Day Two: “Ourcar” hits the road earl v, doing 77 mph — damn their limits! — and arrives in Florida first. Victory is ours! After setting up camp in a hotel room, we watch TV, procure some alcohol and lottery tickets and promise to give * ■ ■■■— ■ —^— At day’s end, we trudge back to the communal car as if Mickey and company had beaten all the fun out of us with a large stick. Disney was a sadist. everyone in “our car” $1 million if one of us should win. And “their car?” Screw ‘em! Haaaa ha ha ha! Day Three: “Our car” and “their car” gallivant off to EPCOT for a day of fun and frolic in one big happy commune of friends and soulmates. And I grew wings. „ None of us can agree on what to do, where to go or how long to stay once we got there. We are so intent on having fun that we forget to be kind, considerate and loyal and help small children cross the street. Instead, everyone is caught up in mass Disney hysteria. Like lemmings rushing to a cliff, we run over little kids trying to get on the rides, even though most of hem are kind of silly. The rides, not the kids. Sorry, kid! It’s every Mouseketecr for himself. Haaaa ha ha ha!. Day Four: During the day, it’s separate cars, separate worlds. At night, we have a great time together until someone’s comment hurts someone’s feelings. Maybe it was rude, maybe it was just misunderstood, or maybe we all should have iust killed each other right then and there. Day Five: Beach, beach, beach! We’re all lying together on a pile of sand, no pets, no topless sunbathing and no bitching — topless or otherwise — allowed. Then it’s time to leave, and everyone does, except me. Good thing I’m within sighting distance. Plus, I have the car keys. Haaaa ha ha ha! Day Six: An intercar (gasp) group heads to Disney World for a day of fun and frolic and five-story drops on a water ride. Again, lemming syndrome hits us all. The “It’s a Small World” ride makes some of my companions want to pop the eyeballs out of the singing dolls. I want to pop the eyeballs out of some of my companions, but I remain calm, cool and collected. At day’s end, we trudge back to the communal car as if Mickey and com pany had beaten all the fun out of us with a large stick. Disney was a sadist. Day Seven: The same people who have stayed in the same hotel room pile into the same car and start the same bitching, the same whining and the same irritat ing habits that I’ve lived with for SEVEN DAMN DAYS! Visions of handguns dance in my head. Luckily for me and them, they sleep through most of the trip. Day Eight: Finally, I gel home—ALONE AT LAST — and kiss the carpet in my apartment. While spitting fuzzies out of my teeth, I vow that I will never again in all my gosh darned life EVER, EVER take a trip somewhere for so long with so many people, no matter how much we wax nostalgic after ward. Gandhi, I’m not. Paulman is a senior news-editorial and history m^Jor and a Daily Nebraskan colum nist and photographer. M W HIM B M f HlHIBIWBjIliiM - *f ■—-nr-- — ■ •• . _ « ‘Plastic models9 This letter is for Biology 101 stu dents; you do not have to take the life of an innocent creature to pass this class. Each semester in Biology 101 part of the requirement is to have each table of four to five students cut into a freshly killed rat in order to see what a freshly killed mammal looks like inside. I say this is wrong. I refused to do it, was given the alternative of writing a paper on animal experimentation— which was much more educational— and still got a good grade. I know many feel like 1 do about this, but we are brought up not to make waves or stand out of the crowd in this society. First of all, there is no reason that students should have to do this in an introductory class; a very high per centage of these people will not be {going to medical school or continuing in a biological field. Secondly, this practice is inhu mane and wasteful! Every year about 2,000 students attend this class, which means that around 500 rats per year will be raised exclusively for dissect ing purposes. Thirdly, if local Mexican restau rants can have plastic models of chimichangas,enchiladas and burrilos that literally make your mouth water, the biology department can surely order models so realistic they would make those with the strongest stom achs feel ill. Why needlessly kill when there are alternatives? I think it’s time we change our attitudes toward animals. To me, a true appreciation of biology is to ap preciate and respect life, notdestroy it when there are viable '* is. Koester senior agronomy