Human relief
Professor heads city effort to aid Cuba
By DeDra Janssen
Staff Reporter _
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sociology Professor Robert Ben ford
and Pastors for Peace are providing
human relief to Cubans because the
system doesn’t
On July 19, the U.S.-Cuba Friend
shipment Caravan to Cuba will arrive
in Lincoln to pick up aid donations for
Cuba.
Lincoln is one of 12 U.S. routes
through 110 cities organized by the
national Pastors For Peace organiza
tion, based in Minneapolis. Bcnford
is the coordinator of the Lincoln ef
fort.
“There are many concerned peo
ple in the U.S. who are generous with
their lime and money and arc willing
to reach out to people beyond their
borders,” Bcnford said.
More than 200 volunteer drivers
will pilot 80 trucks loaded with 100
tons of material aid destined for
churches in Cuba, where the aid will
be distributed to natives. The trucks
will meet in Laredo, Tex., then cross
the border into Mexico where the aid
is loaded onto a Cuban ship. The
drivers will meet the ship in Cuba and
help unload the supplies.
But, because of the U.S. trade
embargo against Cuba, enacted in
1960 and strengthened in 1992, the
caravan may have problems gelling
the aid to Cuba, Bcnford said.
* The first carav^Ho Cuba in 1992
was initially not permitted locross the
border into Mexico. In a day-long
stand-off with U.S. customs officials,
the drivers of the caravan were ac
cused of violating the trade embargo
of Cuba, but after world-wide con
demnation and extensive press cover
age, U.S. officials allowed the cara
van to pass without issuing a license
under the terms of the embargo.
Bcnford said the reasons for the
Fricndshipmcnt Caravan to Cuba arc
twofold: human and political. *
“We want to provide human relief
— we want to provide for their needs
because the system doesn’t,” Bcnford
said.
But the caravan also wants to call
attention to and openly defy the U.S.
tradeembargoof Cuba, Bcnford said.
He said there were a lot of prob
lems with the logic in maintaining the
embargo.
“It’s a social construction of evil,”
Bcnford said. “This is the last vestige
of the Cold War. What are we con
cerned about? There is no threat to the
U.S. or to U.S. interests.”
He also said continuing the embar
go may worsen U.S. relations with
Cuba and that a moral question is
involved as to whether the U.S. has a
UNL Sociology Professor Robert Benford
right to interfere in the internal affairs
of a sovereign nation.
*To continue the Cold War is a
dinosaur. I see no benefit that the U.S.
could gain,” Benford said. “It’s im
moral to hold 11 million people eco
nomic hostage and deprive them of
the quality of life they’ve worked so
hard to achieve; it’s in the U.S.’s
interest to have a normal relationship
with Cuba.”
-44—-^—
It's Immoral to hold 11
million people eco
nomic hostage and
deprive them of the
quality of life they've
worked so hard to
achieve.
—Benford
UNL sociology professor
-ft -
Benford also has an interest in
having a normal relationship with
Cuba.
With a long-standing interest in
social change, teaching classes on the
subject and doing research, Benford
said he has always wanted to go to
Cuba.
“The more Pvc learned about U.S.
foreign policy, the more I’ve come to
distrust anything my government tells
me,” he said. “I thought I should go
take a look for myself to see what life
is really like in Cuba.”
What Benford found surprised him.
“I never saw the kind of oppressive
social control measures that are re
ported in the U.S. press and by the
state department,” he said.
He said he didn’t see any soldiers
with automatic weapons walking
around anywhere.
“I expected to find an oppressive
society. Clearly Castro is a dictator,
but I found not only a high quality of
life but a great regard throughout the
society for human dignity,” Benford
said.
Yet, because of the collapse of the
Soviet Union, Cuba’s chief source of
trade, and the strengthening of the
U.S. embargo, Cubans have fallen on
hard economic times and suffer from
shortages in practically everything,
Benford said, which is why the
Friendshipment Caravan is so impor
tant.
Benford said the most acute short
ages were in currency and petroleum,
which affect everything else, such as
industrial production, agriculture,
transportation and electricity.
“when I was there, I saw a family
of four on a single bicycle,” he said.
And the diet iR Cuba is even more
scarce, Benford said. Each person is
allotted five pounds of rice, three
pounds of beans, two pounds of fish
and fruits and vegetables for one
month.
And While the caravan provides
some aid, it is still not enough, Benford
said.
“It’s helping, but in a country of 11
million people, it’s like spitting in the
ocean,” he said. “The direct aid pro
vides help to specific human beings,
but it’s only a band-aid. There’s such
a great need now.”
Still, the people appreciate it.
“When you tell them your with
Pastor* for Peace, they think you’re a
hero,” Benford said. He said people in
Mexico line the streets and applaud
when the caravan goes through.
Sun
Continued from Page 1
more than 18, even on cloudy days.
• Avoiding the sun during peak
hours between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Realizing that just an umbrella
or hat will not provide full protection
because ultraviolet rays are reflected
off of most surfaces, including sand,
metal and even porches and decks.
Heal exhaustion is another prob
lem associated with the summer
months, LcBcau said. He said heat
exhaustion isonly part of a conunuum
that also includes heat injury and heal
stroke.
LaBeau said (he most common
form of heal disorder is the heat inju
ry
“In this situation, a person may
feel nauseated, tired and experience
cramps," LaBeau said.
With heat exhaustion, which is the
next step on the continuum, a person
may experience profuse sweating,
fatigue and shutdown of the kidneys,
LcBcau said.
Labeau said heat stroke was the
most serious of die three heal disor
ders.
“With heal stroke, a person goes
into shock and loses blood pressure; I
think this situation definitely requires
hospitalization,” LaBcau said.
LaBcau stressed that to avoid fall
ing victim to heat disorder it is impor
tant to drink plenty of water. He also
recommended that people should not
push or overwork themselves when
theyarc not yet used to the typical hot,
humid Nebraska weather.
UNK
Continued from Page 1
student leaders and have a whole se
ries of meetings for fact finding,” she
said.
Massengale said Johnston had “fa
vorably impressed members of the
UNK faculty, students, staff and ad
ministrators.
“The feedback I received from
those on the Kearney campus and in
the Kearney area who had the oppor
tunity to meet with her was over
whelmingly positive and enthusias
tic,” Massengale said.
Johnston, who received her Bach
elor of Science degree in History from
Cheney University in 1963, earned
her Masters degree in 1969 in Educa
tional Administration from Temple
University.
She was also awarded a Doctorate
from Cornell University in Philoso
phy with emphasis on Organizing
Theory and Behavior in Educational
Administration.
Massengale said she was well pre
pared to help lead UNK.
“Her background and experience
are outstanding, and we believe these
combinations of qualifications will
serve her well in her work as chancel
lor,” he said.
Along with her time spent at
DePaul, Johnston has served as dean
of the College of Education at Arizo
na State University and chairperson
of the Department of Management at
Rutgers University.
Johnston said her new position at
UNK will be more demanding than
the previous jobs she has held.
“I think this job will be more com
plicated in a positive sense,” Johnston
isaid. “There are different constituen
cies between the public and the uni
versities.”
As for moving to central Nebraska
from Chicago, Johnston said she is
anxious for the change.
“Every place is unique,” she said.
“The Midwest is definitely middle
America; I’m more than excited and
look forward to it”
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