The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 21, 1993, Image 1
Students say learning should replace grades Minority teachers ' are also needed By Jeff Zeleny Senior Reporter_j___ Too much emphasis is placed on grades and lest scores in school, a Nebraska Wesleyan University student told a National Educational Goals Panel that met in the Nebraska Union Tuesday. “We really need to change the focus to learning,” Charles Lieske, a NWU political science and commu nication major, said. About 25 students from the Uni versity of Nebraska-Lincoln, NWU, Union College, Southeast Commu nity College and Lincoln Pius X High School offered similar suggestions to panel members Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson, Colorado Gov. Roy Romcr and Carol Rasco, chief domestic ad viser to President Clinton. Romcr said he agreed that grades played too heavily in education. He compared education to his pilot train ing and said experience was a bigger part of education. “No one was concerned about grades,” he said. “The pilots’ license was the important thing.” College admittance revolves com pletely around grades and competi tion, which doesn’t necessarily help the students, he said. “Grades become the object,” he said. “I ’ ve got to put my brother down inordcr to get in—society should not be that way.” Rasco said competition could still exist without hurting the students edu cationally. “There can still be that competi -«■ . There can still be that competition without having to see who gets so many A's and so many B's. —Fiasco President Clinton's Chief domestic adviser ■ ■ ' ' ' fti - lion without having to see who gels so many A’s and so many B’s,” she said. Nelson also said testing was looked at too much in higher education. One reason is because it is an easy, yet not always effective, way to gauge where students stand academically. W V “We know how to measure test scores,” Nelson said, “Are we teach ing people to be good citizens or to get good grades?” See NELSON on 6 Neighbors glad to see downfall of Cherry Hut By Andrea Kaser Staff Reporter he time has come for the Cherry Hut’s last hurrah. The party hall at 421 W. Dawes Ave., a common sight for student parties, will be tom to the ground by the end of the month, its new owner said. “When it happens, the neighbors will all cheer and the students will all cry,’’ said Bill Kennedy, a homebuilder who bought the land. One neighbor is cheering already. Ted Koperski,33l W. Dawes Ave.,said the newsof the doomed Cherry Hut made his day. “It’s been a big pain in the neck,” Koperski said. He said he had been left to clean up after the partygoers for the 12 years he had lived in his - home. They would leave beer bottles and other litter in his yard, he said. “If sagood riddance, because underage kids were drinking in there,” Koperski said. White the neighbors look forward to the demolition, students arc trying to find alterna tive sites to party off campus. Andy O’Connor, a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, said the Cherry Hut was a good place to have parties where two or more houses converged. His house had more parties there than in bars, he said. But now his fraternity has little chance of finding a comparable site. “All of a sudden, it’s ‘boom’ — they close it down, then it’s back to the bar scene,“O’Connor said. Although O'Connor said he didn't condone underage drinking, freshmen like himself and sophomores were shut out of the bars and „ wouldn’t be able to celebrate with their uppcrclass friends on occasions such as pinning ceremonies. But the ne w owner said the sale wasn ’ t a ploy against students having a good lime. “I’m trying to build houses for families,^and that (partying) has nothing to do with it,” he said. Kennedy is always looking for places to build houses, he said, and after seeing the empty lots across from the Cherry Hut, he thought he would make an offer to its owner, Tommy Jelsma, who also owns the Royal Grove Nile Club. Jelsma said the hall was the original Royal Grove, opened by his grandmother in the early 1930s after the end of Prohibition. The building is old and decrepit, and the roof is sagging, he said. Jelsma said the Cherry Hut wasn’t making . enough Phoney, and he wanted to save himself from the expenses of lawn care and real estate taxes. “We feel it’s probably time to get the build ing tom down," Jelsma said. However, he said he was aware that students would miss the building. “Quite a few students will have a lot of good memories there,” he said. A fraternity will have the last party there Saturday, Jelsma said, and the property offi cially changes hands Monday. Kennedy said he planned to clear the building that week. The price is not yet public record, and Kennedy declined to say how much he paid for the property. Kennedy plansto build 16moder ately-priccd houses, he said. KMey Timpen«y/DN Ken Dewey, a meterology professor at UNL, uses his weather-chasing as an educational tool. “I am literally living my field of study," he said. Storm chaser Weather keeps professor running By Steve Smith Senior Editor Ken Dewey is a weather weenie. No.no, it’sOK. He doesn’t mind the title. In fact, he gave it to him self. A weather weenie, the UNL geography professor and department co-chairman said, is someone who loves to follow severe weather to decipher how it works and what it can do. “Webelongtoa‘quasi support group’ of weather weenies,” he said. “Offi cially, so it sounds good, we call ourselves storm chasers.” Dewey and fellow storm chasers travel all over the country in search of violent storms and wild geographic occurrences, such as mudslides or floods. He’s raced after tornadoes and thunder storms. He’s studied the effects Hurricane Hugo had on Puerto Rico. He’s even been to Atlanta to sec a bliz zard, Arizona to witness flash flooding and California to check out a massive mudslide. He’s worked as a consultant for the Weather Channel and recently had the op portunity to tour the cable television station. Yep. He’s seen just about every natural and weather event known to man. And it’s all in the name of education. Unlike some weather weenies, who Dewey says chase after hurricanes and tor nadoes for a personal high, the professor passes on his experiences chasing severe storms and bizarre geographical occurrences to others — namely, his geography, clima tology and meteorology students at UNL. Fair sponsors working to stir earth awareness Eco-fair to educate using bands, speakers, displays By Doug Kouma Staff Reporter Environmental awareness will take center stage Thursday as several UNL organi zations observe Earth Day 1993 at an “eco-fair” around Broyhill Fountain. “It’s an educational blitz,” said Dave Regan, director of the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln Environmental Resource Center. “Education is a year-round thing, but this is a time when you can get everybody all at once to start talking about something in a more coordinated way.” _44_ If you don't take care of where you live, someday you might not have a place to live. —Wray Ecology Now treasurer W V The fair is sponsored by Ecology Now and the ERC. The theme is “Stand Up for What You Stand On,” and the fair will feature special displays, guest speakers and entertainment from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gov. Ben Nelson will speak on environmen tal issues affecting Nebraska at 10:30 a.m., while Glen Schumann, assistant director of UNL Housing, will speak on residence hall conservation programs at 7:30 p.m. If it rains, both presentations will be moved to the Nebraskan Union Ballroom. Exhibits featuring an electric car, high-effi ciency light and a solar motor will be displayed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other organizations that will have exhibits include Ecology Now, the UNL Wildlife Club and the Nebraska Vegetarian Society. Local bands — the Yardapes, Tadpole Paddy wack and the Penguins of Destruction — will play from 3:30 to 7 pjn. m Galen Wray, treasurer of Ecology Now and an organizer of the fair, said he thought it was important for people to take part in the events. “Ifyou don ’ t take care of where you live,” he said, “someday you might not have a place to live.” He stressed that young people in particular should be concerned about the environment. “I think it’s important for college students to be involved because they are old enough to take responsibility for their actions, and they arc young enough to have a stake in it," Wray said. '‘Basically, they are protecting their future.” In addition to the fair on campus, Wray said, an “Earth Track” hike will take place at Chet Ager Nature Center in Pioneers Park from 6 to 7:30 p.m.