Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick. .;.Editor, 472-1766
Kathy Steinauer..Opinion Page Editor
Wendy Mott . .Managing Editor
Todd Cooper.. Sports Editor
Chris Hopfensperger...Copy Desk Chief
Kim Spurlock... . .. Sower Editor
Kiley Timperley.Senior Photographer
Forced benefits
UNL pushes insurance on foreign students
Some international students at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln are finding an extra bill on their tuition statements.
These students have to buy UNL-approved health insur
ance or else get billed in order to pay for the university’s student
insurance plan.
Kunle Ojikutu, director of the University Health Center, satf
this policy is enforced because many international students don’t
know how expensive health care is in the United States.
' “We are not forcing foreign students to buy the insurance, we
are acting for their own benefit,” Ojikutu said.
But these students are indeed forced to buy the insurance. It is
included on their tuition statements if they don’t prove they have
insurance approved by the health center.
The university is just starting to keep the health of these
students in mind through this policy. Health insurance has been
required for international students since 1953 but has only been
enforced since last year.
And the university is right to look after the health of these
students while they are in this country and attending this universi
ty. But what about American students who aren’t insured?
If UNL requires international students to have insurance, all
students should be insured.
One international student said this policy implies that interna
tional students are not capable of making their own decisions on
this matter. But by not requiring all students to have insurance,
this policy picks out international students only, when it should
apply to all who attend UNL.
All students should be forced to buy insurance so that all
students, international or not, are treated equally. If not, no
students should be forced to buy health insurance.
Mission possible
U.S. forces need definite goal in Somalia
A pre-dawn raid on a house in Somalia on Monday clearly
showed the problems U.S. forces face in the country. The
U.S. troops patrolling in Somalia have no clear mission,
and their lives are being placed at risk for a goal that has yet to be
adequately defined.
The two-story villa that was raided by 50 helicopter-borne
American soldiers was supposed to have been occupied by forces
loyal to fugitive warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
It was not.
' It was instead occupied by nine U.N. employees working for
the U.N. Development program. The U.N. employees were
' bound, put into helicopters and transported to a U.S. military
hospital and then to a detention center at U.N. headquarters.
After they were questioned separately for about 30 minutes, the
U.N. employees were finally released.
Maj. David Stockwell, chief U.N. military spokesman, said
despite the fact that the wrong building had been raided, the
mission had gone well militarily. He said it was “a textbook
example of how these operations should go,” using “lightning
speed and overpowering force.”
Unfortunately, the overpowering force was not used on the
right target And that sums up the problem in Somalia that the
United States has previously faced in other countries. U.S. forces
do not know who the enemy is or where to find him, and therefore
they cannot win.
Somalia is a time bomb waiting to happen. President Clinton
needs to set a clear mission for U.S. forces and a clear timetable
for them to leave. If he does not, the chances that more U.S. lives
will be lost there grows every day.
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1993 Daily Nebraakaa. Policy is set by
the Daily Nebreskaa 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 Daily Nebraakaa. 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.
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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 Nebraakaa 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, jfaay. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68388-0448.
:
tern,
Jconm^L,
Happiness found through money I
I stared at the unmatched splendor
of God’s creation. Birds sang and
swooped across the sunset. The
air was still, crickets played a minuet,
all was at peace. One thought filled
my mind: I needed money! And lots
of it.
A vast, disposable income is the
answer to all my problems — and I
write this as a deep thinking, sensitive
guy. I’ve had my share of angst, of
spiritual trauma and indentity crises.
But if I had money. I’d know who I
am. I’d be rich. Money makes people
smile. Politicians are perpetually hap
py people — watch how our presi
dents can play golf and smile through
our country’s darkest hours. Imagine:
Courage you can fit in your wallet—
what more could I ask for? Embark
ing on a career as a big-dollar politi
cian was the only solution. Cash from
the PACs, extravagant gifts from cor
porations, fancy dinners in Tokyo
skyscrapers: All could be mine as a
Jacobson, leader of the right-wing
terrorists Alumni for America.
“Bob, hire me! I wanna be a poli
tician,” I said. “I’ll be the best ugly
baby-kisser you’ve ever seen. I’ll de
nounce Pat Robertson as a flaming
liberal, compose dance remixes of the
William F. Buckley Show — you
name it!”
“Patrick,” Jacobson said, “I don’t
know. You’re a little flaky. Remem
ber when you translated the 1992
presidential election into a nutritional
allegory for an essay? You called
Clinton a rice cake, and said President
Bush was rich in fiber. That’s just
didn’t make it any less true,”
I retorted.
Jacobson shook his head. But then
a gleam lit in his eyes.
“I’ll give you a chance,” he said.
“For months I’ve been trying to prove
there is a connection between Gra
ham Spanier and Yaz. If you find the
missing link, you’re hired.”
“What do tney have in common?”
I said.
Money makes people smile.
Politicians are perpetually hap*
py people—watch how our
presidents can play golf and
smile through our country’s I
darkest hours.
“I hate them both!” Jacobson
yelled. “That’s all the connection you
need!”
I shrugged. A job is a job. “How
much do I get paid?” 1 asked.
Jacobson looked at me in a pecu
liar way. “Nothing. You work for
free. Alumni For America is a volun
teer Republican collective working
for the common good.”
I was disgusted. “You pinko! What
kind ®f Republ ican social ist nonsense
is this ‘work for free’ stuff? Would
Ayn Rand approve?”
Jacobson grimaced. “Ayn Rand
was a nut.”
“At least she wasn’t a volunteer!”
I retorted. “I hope the invisible hand
of the free market slaps you upside the
head! I’m going to go work for Frank
Jelpers at the Daily Nebraskan! Put
that in your Cuban-commie cigar and
smoke it!”
“Traitor!” Jacobson shouted.
“Keynesian!” I yelled back.
In the newsroom, I slammed my
fist on Jelpers’s desk. “Frank, make
me a stool-pigeon to the masses, a
newsie!" I cried.
“Uh-huh.” Jelpers mocked. “Re
porter of what? Do you have a good
knowledge of current events?”
“No.” I admitted.
“How about sports?” he asked.
“Nope."
“Arts and entertainment? Do you
know what’s happening in America,
musically?”
“You mean like the J. Geils Band?”
I asked.
“Forget it,” said Jelpers. “You're
useless.1*
Quickly, desperation gwoway to 4
inspiration.
I said, “What about me? I could ■
write about me!"
“What?" said Jelpers.
“I know a lot about me." I ex
plained. “I could write about which
comic books 1 like, and why I hate
standardized tests!"
Jelpers leaned back in his chair and
stared into space. “Kind of like Dear
Abby, except you’re writing to your
self?” he asked.
“Right!" 1 said.
“Yeah, I can see it...” Jelpers said.
“A young college student, babbling
about his life and trying to analyze
international problems. With a real
flavor for pretentiousness.”
“Way pretentious!" I promised.
He nodded. “An adolescent * intel
lect with a rubber mallet’ column?"
“Yeah!” 1 said. “Only more so!”
1 began to dream of the fortunes I’d
someday make in mass media. Piles
of green, greed-inspiring American
currency! Money, an escort service
for the the ego; a zoot-suit for the
mind; a sugar high for the soul!
Jelpers snorted. “Who’d want to
read drivel like that? A self-indulgent
column by a barely educated teen
ager? So what?"
He put his arm around my shoul
der. “You know Patrick," Jelpers said
kindly; “I’ve heard Plasma, Phones
and Pepperoni is hiring.”
Hicbnchtli i MpbaMora —wri
al Major tad a Daly Nabraakaa colaMabt.
and mail it to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 ‘R’ Street, ■
Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, or stop by the office in the basement of the
Nebraska Union and visit with us. We’re all ears._ | ]