Opinion
Net?raskan
Tuesday, October 12,1993
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick .
Kathy Steinauer
Wendy Mott.
Todd Cooper.
Chris Hopfensperger
Kim Spurlock.
Kiley Timperley
Editor, 472-1766
Opinion Page Editor
. Managing Editor
.Sports Editor
. . . Copy Desk ChieJ
.Sower Editor
Senior Photographer
F,t>l I OKI W
Food for thought
Athletes should eat with other students
The NCAA is considering a proposal that would require
student-athletes to spend more time with other students, and
it should be approved.
The proposal would limit student athletes to one meal a day at
athletic training-table facilities. It is intended to help smaller
schools that have a hard time financing training tables.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s training table, located in
the Hewitt Center, provides all student-athletes with two high
caloric, low-fat meals daily. UNL has written a letter to the
NCAA opposing the proposed change.
George Sullivan, UNL’s head athletic trainer, said student
athletes require more calories than other students and could not
get proper nutrition by eating only one meal at the training table.
Sullivan has a good point. Student-athletes do need to eat
properly and get enough calories. But they can be taught to do
that without the need for two meals a day at a special facility. And
if UNL’s residence halls are serving high-fat, low-caloric meals,
then that problem needs to be addressed.
Eating at the training table further separates athletes from other
students. Freshman athletes in the residence halls who eat at the
training table miss the opportunity to interact with other students
and become part of the UNL community.
It is a mistake to isolate student athletes from the rest of the
university. Reducing meals at the training table to one a day
would be a step in the right direction.
() I UKRS* \ II W
From Madison Avenue to Hollywood, images of lesbianism
are pouring out into mainstream America, enticing the
public to embrace the “new lesbians.”
Gone are the days of “macho-looking” lesbians who hate men;
now lesbians, according to the media, arc sexy beings who tempt
both men and women.
But the fact remains that under the guise of acceptance and
assimilation, the media are just exploiting lesbian sexuality.
Since it’s Hollywood, naturally all of these lesbian characters
arc attractive, well-dressed and worried about their looks.
And because these women have no other characteristics besides
their sexual orientation, mainstream America will undoubtedly
think all lesbians must be obsessed with sex.
But they’re not.
In the politically correct ’90s, advertisers and the media arc
jumping on the multicultural bandwagon, stressing their so-called
openness and acceptance of all lifestyles and ideals. Under the PC
umbrella, lesbians arc popping up everywhere in the media, but
their bodies arc still the focal point of every appearance.
Ads, from Banana Republic to New York’s Cafe Tabac arc
using lesbian sexual images to grab attention — and buyers.
Nothing else.
Until lesbians arc made into well-rounded characters in screen
plays and not used as sex objects in print, these new lesbian
stereotypes will flourish and become ingrained into the minds of
men and women as to what lesbianism is all about.
— The Daily
The University of Washington
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I mioui \i I'oi m \
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.
I I INK I'OI K \
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
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Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448
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Homecoming
In a front-page article (DN, Oct.
8), a headline implied that this year’s
Homecoming would “pale” against
its expectations since there is again a
mostly white, mostly greek Home
coming court. Linda Kay Morgan
questioned the theme because no eth
nic minorities were on the royalty
court, since she interpreted the theme,
“United Colors of UNL,” to specially
mean ethnic diversity.
My question is, exactly why are
there no ethnic minorities on the roy
alty court? The process for selection
of the 1993 Homecoming royalty court
consisted of campus and community
involvement, awards, scholarships and
honors received, an individual re
sponse to essay questions regarding
personal experience at UNL, as well
as an interview with a racially diverse
panel of administrators, faculty mem
bers and students. As president of the
Afrikan People’s Union, Linda Kay
Morgan and other student leaders like
her must have the opportunity to in
teract with students of diverse ethnic
backgrounds who are as involved on
campus as the students selected for
the Homecoming royalty court. Why
did they not apply?
Homecoming co-chairwoman
Karen Freimund stated she thought
the makeup of the court was skewed,
although only two minority female
students applied. It has been proven
time and again that you can’t be se
lected for, nor make an impact on,
anything — a job, a scholarship, a
volunteer position — unless you ap
ply
Jennifer Putenscn
senior
business administration, psychology
Green space
I am very annoyed with Chancel
lor Spanicr’s idea to change the park
ing area 17C in front of the union into
a green space.
Weren’t there already plans to
change the block over by the Temple
Bu ilding into a park? Why do we ijced
to change the area in front of the union
into a park, also? Couldn’t the money
earmarked for this project be used for
something else? Forexample, it could
be spent on the programs that were cut
during the budget cuts. Also, if we let
Chancellor Spanier have his way now,
then who is to say he will stop there?
Maybe in a year or two, his next target
may be something else besides a park
ing lot. Instead of actually fixing
Richards Hall, he could just tear it
down and make a park there. Or he
could target Memorial Stadium or
something else just as meaningful.
I’m sure many proponents of the
“green space” will tell me to walk,
ride the busor bike to,class. That is not
a viable option for me. My class and
work schedules do not permit me
enough time to do so. I work all the
way across town, and riding my bike
to work will not get me there in time.
The buses are usually late and arc not
a reliable source of transportation for
me.
1 know my opinion will have little
or no effect on the decision. I needed
to voice my opinion to the bigwigs
who run this university. In the event
thatChancellorSpanicr actually reads
this, I hope he will realize that there
are many people opposed to his idea.
Melanie Chin
junior
elementary education, early child
development
David Badders/DN
‘Greenpoint East’
I have a suggestion for a win-win
situation. All that needs to be done is
to declare the parking lot immediate
ly north of the student union
Greenpoint East. The merits for this
idea are many. Some consider it ugly.
As a mobile (ever-changing in ap
pearance) piece of art, it would pro
vide the other end of the spectrum to
the set-in-concrctc rigidity of
Greenpoint. Considering the vintage
of many of the cars in the lot, there
would be ample hint of the dead-car
color, rust, that is so popular in art on
this campus. It would reflect the daily
struggles of the masses to eke out a
living as contrasted with reaching for
higher ideals. And finally, it would
put UNL in the forefront for a new art
form.
I realize the simplicity of the idea
may not be acceptable to all, so I
suggest an alternate if needed. The
artist with the most creative ideas of
how to park cars in Greenpoint East
would win $ 10,000. An example might
be combinations of various colors of
cars in sometimes conflicting and
sometimes complementary arrange
ments of geometric designs that make
use of a multicolor parking surface.
This design would have to be appar
ent from ground level since not all
people would be able to fit in the
chancellor’s office for viewing. Even
tually, glassed-in viewing areas for
dignitaries may be required as the
idea catches on in the art world and
the general public.
There may be such an abundance
of ideas that more parking lots on
campus may be needed to fully devel
op the art form. Fortunately, there are
still green spaces left for upgrading.
Darryll T. Pederson
professor
geology
Punishment
When 1 read Mark D. Mercer’s
letter on the death penalty (DN, Oct.
7), I literally started cackling like
Beavis. One has to laugh when some
one mentions God and morality and
still supports the death penalty all in
the same paragraph. Obviously, Mer
cer forgets the fifth commandment
clearly states, “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”
First he brings up the old “deter
rent” argument. If the death penalty is
a deterrent, then why have murder
and other v iolent crimes become more
prolific since its reinstatement in 1976?
Ironically enough, statistics suggest
that states with capital punishment on
the average have higher violent crime
rates than those that don’t. Therefore,
the argument that the death penalty
deters violent crime is a myth.
Then Mercer is concerned about
the cost of keeping these criminals
imprisoned. The appeals process that
every death row inmate goes through,
and has a constitutional right to, even
tually costs us taxpayers six times
what it would to incarcerate them for
life.
The death penalty is dished out
unfairly. Minorities arc more likely to
get the death penalty than arc whites.
Obviously, the criminal justice sys
tem thinks whites, the well-to-do and
police officers count more than any
body else when their lives arc taken.
No, I don’t condone in any way the
despicable actions of people such as
Harold Otcy, John Joubert or Michael
Ryan. I also don’t condone the way
their lawyers are making a mockery
of the appeals process. These murder
ers should be punished appropriately.
Unfortunately, the majority of people
in this state feel that jolting 2,200
volts of electricity through their bod
ies will justify what they did. Life
sentences without parole would be
much more humane and fair if not
economical in the long run.
Although many Nebraskans are
sickened that we haven’t fired up the
chair in more than 34 years, it is a
statement some of us are proud of, and
we hope it continues.
Scott Carpenter
junior
English