Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1993)
OPINDN Friday, Octobar «, <MS 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 ChieJ Kim Spurlock.Sower Editor Kilev Timperley.Senior Photographer Untrue colors Homecoming theme doesn’t reflect court Next week during homecoming festivities, students should wonder how the theme, “United Colors of UNL,” can possibly represent the royalty candidates. All of them are white, which docs not exemplify the homecom ing theme even remotely. Misty Callcroz, a member of the Mexican American Student Organization, said homecoming was not a popular activity and did not have a good reputation in the minority community. That’s not surprising considering how they have been represented among the homecoming candidates this year and in the past. But minori ties also need to get involved to included among the candi dates. Linda Kay Morgan, president of the Afrikan People’s Union, said the group did not receive a letter requesting representatives for the homecoming committee. She said she received a call two days before the screening committee was to meet informing her of the meeting, but was not able to send a representative on short notice. Had APU been involved with the committee, perhaps the homecoming royalty candidates would be more symbolic of the actual student body of UNL. ivimumy Muuciii giuups iiucu iu pu>u iu pwy a p<m in iiuuic coming at UNL. They should make their voices heard so they can be included. And the UNL Steering Committee should think twice about themes in the future. A theme should represent the student body, not point out problems in the homecoming royalty selection process. *7 guess the biggest gratification I can get out of my father not being here today Is that he saw my last basketball game. " — Chicago Bulls' star Michael Jordan, announcing his retirement from basketball “I was declared not guilty. My point of view is that the whole thing has been a big mistake." — Former UNL professor Clifford Walton, who was acquitted Tuesday of sexual assault eharges brought by UNL student Josh Werger *7 kind of assumed the man would be acquitted. I didn't have enough evidence against him. (The county attorney) clearly flat out told me it would be very hard to prove." — Werger "It's dumb to have the theme since there are no minority students on the court. The only color that is going to be happening is their hair." — Karen Friedmun, Homecoming royalty co-chairwoman and vice president of the University Program Council, commenting on the Homecoming theme of"United Colors of UNL" "‘The United Colors of UNL' Is a very generic term. It doesn't have to deal with multicultural issues." — Andrew Loudon, Homecoming royalty co-chairman, who said some Homecoming applicants had indicated on their applications they thought the theme referred to UNL s football team Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 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 Daily Nebraskan. 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. The Daily Nebraskan welcomes briefletters 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, ifany. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material tothc Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. (VO You rm\C\ 6-OMEtDl iFftR? y .._ Health care Todd Meedel is not in such a “unique”position as he imagines(DN, Sept. 30). I also have lived in England and have experienced both the British and the Air Force health-care sys tems. I stayed with a friend who gave birth in an English hospital where she received much more humane treat ment from the English midwives than she or I previously received from military doctors. It is true, however, that the British system is not all it could be, having been underfunded for many years, especially during the Thatcher era. The British are well aware of the shortcomings of their heal th-care sys tem, but in the seven years 1 lived there, I never once met a person who would trade it for an Amcrican-stylc system. Most are horrified that a “ci vilian” country would deny basic care to children, pregnant women or any other citizen because, through no fault of their own, they find themselves without health insurance. Finally, and most importantly, an American health-care system need not be based on the British model. Germany, Holland and Canada all have quality national health-care sys tems. Germany in particular has ex cellent facilities and doctors and doesn’t have lengthy waiting lists for elective surgery as they do in En gland. And remember that Germany has for many years been one of our toughest economic competitors. We can afford basic care for all our citi zens and we have the moral obi igation to do it. Kathy Acklin junior women's studies Tailhook I am in 100 percent agreement with the Daily Nebraskan’s call for a loud and clear message to be sent to all who would sexually harass people, be they in uniform or not. However, in issuing this clarion call in response to Secretary of Defense Les Aspin’s decisions to not fire the Chief of Na val Operations, certain facts were left unsaid. F irst. Admiral Frank Kelso offered 1 ast year to resign because the Tail hook scandal had occurred on his watch. His offer was refused. Aspin decided that firing the Admiral would amount to the equivalent of a late hit in foot ball. It would send a message, but not necessarily one aimed at sexual ha rassment. Second, Kelso has been strongly pushing to lift the Congressional ban on women serving on combatant ships. Women currently sail on non-com batants, like oilers and cargo ships. These non-combatants, however, steam side by side with the combat ants, so at present, women face the same dangers on ships less capable of self-defense. A lifting of this Con gressional ban would open all billets for competition to the best person, regardless of gender. Tailhook was reprehensible, and the Navy has learned a hard lesson from it. It is taking positive steps. Cdr. W. Britt Watwood Naval ROTC n—p— tt'—i James Mehsling/DN Foreign policy Ah Sam, you’re losing it. You’re becoming your own worst enemy. Like your mentor. Uncle Rush, you occasionally start out with a legiti mate gripe and after a few inane at tempts at sarcasm and enlightening “facts,” you trash your own credibil ity. Your latest attempt at shock jour nal ism (DN, Oct. 6) showed no change in this course of action. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would disagree with youon the present condition ofOperation Restore Hope, but do you really think all those starv ing babies are now shooting and danc ing in the streets? Nuking them back to the Stone Age would sure show 'em. 1 bet they will think twice about starving next time. As tar as the “facts” you state, it was most interesting to learn that our misguided foreign policy gurus “have nothing but contempt for the men who are dying in Somalia.” That is quite a claim* Sam. Do you really believe they— including Gen. Colin Powell —have no regard at all for the person nel there? Think before you write, Sam. Un cle Rush blames his “talent” on God, who is guiding you? Alan Green junior political science Gays in military Upon reading Jason Grundmann’s letter regarding in the military (DN, Oct. 6), I could not help but feel an intense need for clarification on a few of his rather poorly substantiated points. How do you calculate this 80 per cent estimate regarding the amount of military affairs that are kept secret? It doesn’teven make sense! How do you classify something as a military “go ing-on?” If so many of them arc shrouded insecrecy, how do you count them? Furthermore, you admit that gays have always served in the military, and then you retract this statement, claiming that a gay soldier would destroy that “special trust and broth erhood only in ... the armed forces.” Why can’t you trust homosexuals? Why deny them brotherhood? What did they ever do to you? The crux of the problem here is not homosexuality’s presence in the mil itary, but rather the ignorant and homophobic views held by society. Joe Chin junior physics Parking When I began my master’s degree in 1966 at Indiana University, one of my professor’s wives was complain ing about having to pay $5 per month for an up-close space to the music building. That’s $60 per year. While teaching at the University of Wiscon sin-Madison two summers ago, I had to pay $6 a day for a permit that allowed me to park in a garage about four blocks from the music building. Here at UNL, I pay less than $60 a year for an unreserved space next to our music building. Clearly parking fees here are incomprehensibly low. Now the chancellor is having to take astronomical degrees of neat about his green space proposal, and the idea of an on-campus parking garage is once again being mentioned in hushed, cautious tones. I’ve seen rather attractive parking garages around the country. Goodness knows, several are more visually fetching than some of the characterless or de rivative examples of architecture that 3' t our campus. I suggest that we an “attractive” parking garage with several subterranean levels with an above-ground height of no more than three levels. However, instead of rooftop parting, we should install a green space. We are blessed with an incredibly resourceful and imagina tive grounds staff who could make such a venue attractive, inviting and. I’m sure, gamer no small amount of good PR lor UNL. Yes, this is a fanciful idea. Howev er. the bottom line remains that all of us are grossly undercharged for the privilege — not the right in most of our cases — for convenient —7 or inconvenient, if you will — parking. James F. Hejduk associate professor of music