OPT W |T)M Nebraskan
y_ J 1 X JL 1 XVyX 1 Tuesday, November 30, 1993
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.k.'opy Desk Chief
Kim Spurlock.Sower Editor
Kiley Timperley.Senior Photographer
s
Standard time
New requirements will improve quality>
A few years ago, the UNL teachers college established more
selective admission standards for its elementary program,
and those currently seeking admission into the college arc
the first ones affected by these standards.
But the new requirements have been criticized by some as
elitist. Mike Walker, a professor of elementary education, said
UNL’s goal should instead be to provide opportunities for every
one.
“The cream of the crop can already go to Harvard, Yale or
Princeton,” he said. “We need to serve the needs of the state.”
The new standards require those wanting to enter the program
to submit a portfolio in their third semester of college showing
their special talents, academic achievements and experiences with
people from diverse cultures.
Some of the requirements seem to be slanted to benefit middle
and upper class students. Not all college students have the time to
dedicate themselves to making an outstanding, diverse portfolio.
Many students must work part-time or full-time jobs and go to
school full time in order to pay the bills. They may have trouble
taking the time necessary to make a top-quality portfolio.
But requirements to get into the teachers college need to be
more demanding. The new plan requires elementary education
students to complete five semester-long practicums, which means
more hands-on experience. That is one positive step to making
UNL’s teachers college more respectable.
Requirements such as a portfolio may seem elitist, but they are
one way to make sure that those admitted to the teachers college
are truly dedicated to the idea of becoming high-quality teachers.
Walk the talk
Israels refusal to meet deadline stalls peace
The Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel resumed
talks over their peace accord Monday, but stalling is
threatening the agreement.
The PLO is demanding that Israel pull its troops out of
Jericho and the Gaza Strip by the Dec. 13 deadline set down in
the recent peace accord. But Israel says a delay of a few days or
weeks would not violate the agreement.
The Israelis are stalling. When they signed the peace accord
Sept. 13 in Washington, they agreed to begin withdrawing their
troops by the Dec. 13 deadline. Israel’s refusal to abide by its
word is weakening an already shaky agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said reaching a sound
agreement was more important than meeting the deadline.
“This isn’t the same as a treaty with an Arab country and we
draw the line, and we say we arc on this side and you are on the
other side,” he said. “Here the situation is more complex ... first
of all from our point of view, security is important.”
Rabin has a point. Violence between Palestinians and Israelis
has eroded support for the peace accord in Israel. The agreement
can succeed only if it has the popular support ot both the Israelis
and the Palestinians.
But that is not an excuse for slowly backing out of the agree
ment. Israel should stick by its word and start withdrawing its
troops by the deadline. The United States should pressure Israel
to abide by the agreement and not kill the slim remaining hope
for peace with the Palestinians.
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Tail 1993 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board Editonals 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 UNE
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'he 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
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 he
published Letters should included the author’s name, year in school, major and group
affiliation, if any Requests to withhold names will not be granted Submit material to the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb 68588-0448
0 95 AKRON
TRADE W»S
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‘Tedious'
The article on gay grccks (DN,
Nov. 23) was an interesting final word,
at least I hope we’re through with it.
of the spate of pro/anti grcck letters in
recent weeks. I hope people noticed
that the article said:
1. Some fraternities and sororities
arc not as supportive an environment
for all members as their supporters
claim, but
2. some are, and
3. ignorant bullheads exist through
out campus and society, irrespective
of their living quarters.
I truly do nope this can be the last
word because, while I have never
lived in grcck housing, the sniping
against them has gotten tedious to the
point where lectures on nuclear phys
ics would seem exciting. Please, can’t
we all just get along, or do I have to
come knock some heads?
Trevor McArthur
senior
Teachers college
Greek debate
I have been following the greek
debate during these past several weeks
and as a result, two questions have
emerged in my mind.
First, what is the purpose of bash
ing greeks? Do you expect us to read
your letters and suddenly throw our
hands up and shout,“Ohmigosh! I just
realized we’re all a bunch of lem
mings that dress alike!” and then flee
from our houses? Don’t hold your
breath.
Second, what if a member of a
sororityor fraternity wrote in the Daily
Nebraskan, “I am confused as to why
anyone would want to stay in a dorm
where no one has a life, nor a future,
nor a good meal to cat.”?
Be careful, people. The majority
of the nation’s leaders today were
once greeks themselves. The students
you arc insulting today will someday
be running the world.
Ryan Horner
freshman
accounting
Answers
In response to Shawn Carlson’s
letter (DN, Nov. 23), I would like to
clarify that his questions about the
real purpose of the greek system were
answered because 1 personally an
swered them.
Yes, Shawn, do you recall our 45
minute conversation where I mature
ly and politely answered every ques
tion you had about the greek system?
From questions about the rush selec
tion, parties, philanthropies to even
going as far as explaining how you
could go about organizing a party for
ASUN elections, I think I more than
explained the purpose of the greek
system on this campus and in the
community.
We all chose to bcassociatcd with
the greek system, and 1 am proud to
say I am greek. 1 am also proud to say
that grccks are mature enough not to
write letters in the DN that stereotype
a certain dormitory or the indepen
dents as a whole. Living at home,
being a freshman and never experi
encing any aspect of greek life docs
not give Carlson the knowledge to
print letters such as those that have
been printed.
Kim Bourn
junior
arts and sciences
James Mehslmg/DN
Fans
What an embarrassing display of
immaturity. Friday at the Nebraska/
Oklahoma game Nebraska fans were
stripped of their good reputation as
thousands of people trampled onto
the field before the game was over.
These morons embarrassed coach Tom
Osborne, the team, the civilized fans,
and if their mothers were watching,
they embarrassed them, too.
I he players have given us a great
season, putting us at No. 1, and those
idiots who ran out there slapped them
in the face with disrespect. For those
injured parties, like our All-Ameri
can Trev Alberts, who wanted to watch
his teammates finish off what he
helped them start, and those players
who had suited up for their last game,
they have been left with disappoint
ment. i
The importance in maintaining
sportsmanlike conduct is not only for
safety reasons but also to keep in mind
that it is only a game. Whether you
win or lose, it is how you play the
game that counts.
For those of you that joined in the
stupidity of running out onto the field
before the game was over, next time
don’t enter the playing field unless
you are suited up to play the game.
Sandra Fournier
senior
food science and technology
Science
Mr. Fulton, in your letter (DN,
Nov. 15) you attribute to me a “belief
in Jesus Christ and the Messiah.” I
have no such belief, nor have I had
such in the past. I consider Jesus to
have been a false Messiah. Did I
mislead you with something that I had
written? I did not intentionally mis
represent myself.
You close your letter with a curi
ous statement: “Being in a scientific
field, it saddens me to sec people use
their gifts of knowledge and reason to
challenge the truth when instead it
was to be used to find it.” Science is a I
matter of constantly challenging al- ,
leged truth, right? This is not Sunday
School.
Robert J. Tobin
graduate student
geology
Beliefs
I am writing because I am con
cerned about a new buzz word that is
going around: mental illness. As a
psychology major, 1 have a particular
interest that this word is not being
over- or misapplied. Sadly, it is.
What makes a person mentally ill?
Ask anyone in the psych department
and you’re apt to get many answers.
Differences in culture and religion,
however, ought not to be among them.
Nor should altruistic, pro-social be
havior and simple differences in be
liefs and values. These things are
means ofdivcrsity we all should cher
ish as UNL students. However, those
enjoying the freedom to be diverse
and those who take advantage of such
offered opportunities are also being
called “mentally ill" by some less
tolerant individuals who hold various
capacities to enforce their assessments.
One such person is a senior pastor
in an off-campus church I started at
tending. I was told to leave for being
delirious and mentally unstable. Why?
Because my apocalyptic theology dif
fered from his and because I expressed
views and beliefs indicative of our
diverse cultural population on cam
pus, ideas learned by talking with
Asian and Native American students
and professors.
Mental illness can refer to many
things, but it is not to refer to differ
ences of theological or cultural opin
ion. There is absolutely nothing wrong
or abnormal about a person being
Native American or Chinese or what
ever and practicing their culture. Nor
is there anything deviant, subversive
or anti-Christian about an American,
regardless of faith, holding or respect
ing the same cultural and religious
val ues practiced by non-Western peo
ple. Diversity of opinion is not mental
illncss.it is mental health. Those who
think otherwise should stop consider
ing themselves “liberal and open
minded.”
Laurel Rockefeller
junior
psychology
