- OPINION
Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick Editor, 472-1761)
Kathy Steinauer.Opinion Page Editor
Wendy Mott Managing Editor
Todd Cooper.Sports Editor
Chris Hopfensperger.Copy Desk C hief
Kim Spurlock Sower Editor
Kiley Timperley..Senior Photographer
Material things
Student regents puss on issues for idiocy
The four student regents made some of their opinions well
known at Saturday’s NU Board of Regents meeting.
The student regents chose to make a stand on the critical
ly important issue of whether they would be going to the Orange
Bowl.
UNL Chancellor Graham Spanicr came under tire from the
student regents when he said not all student regents would be able
to go to the Orange Bowl, as they have been able to in the past.
After a heated discussion on the topic, all four student regents
will be attending the game in Miami. But the fact that this topic
took up time at a regents meeting is absurd.
While the rest of the regents are working to deal with budget
cuts and a lack of hands for important needs, our student represen
tatives arc much more concerned about where they will be spend
ing New Year’s Day, regardless of where the funds will come
from to pay for their vacation.
Apparently the student regents, who we students voted into
those positions, choose to voice their opinion on a trivial problem
concerning only themselves.
Perhaps it is unfair that while student regents arc allowed to
discuss topics during meetings, they cannot make their opinion
count during actual votes. But when student regents take a stand
on an issue that affects only them, it’s no wonder they arc not
allowed to vote. These representatives arc elected to speak for the
student body and their thoughts on issues, not to better the perks
that come with their positions.
Liar, liar
Presidents ’crimes should be remembered
If people want to know why Americans fail to trust their
government, they need look no further than men like
Ronald Reagan and George Bush.
A soon-to-bc-rcleased report by Iran-contra prosecutor
Lawrence Walsh says Reagan set up an atmosphere in which top
aides felt free to maneuver outside the law. The Associated Press
released details of the report Sunday.
Walsh’s investigation also concluded that George Bush was not
telling the truth when he said he was “out of the loop” and did not
know about important aspects of the Iran-Contra situation when
lie was Reagan’s vice president.
Lawyers for Bush and Reagan denied the allegations made in
the report. Griffin Bell, Bush's attorney, said Walsh should “fold
up his tent” on the investigation.
But Reagan and Bush should not get off that easily if the
allegations in the report arc accurate. Even if the two only allowed
others to break the law without doing it themselves, they arc still
responsible.
The president is the lone representative of all the people. The
White House has become the center of our government. And
when the president lies to the people, he is betraying everything
the United States is supposed to stand for.
If the people do not trust the government, it cannot function.
Without credibility, a democratic system is helpless.
If Reagan and Bush allowed people in their administration to
break the law and then lied about it, that should be how they arc
remembered. Not as a great communicator and the man that
followed him, but as two men who hurt the credibility of the
government and hurt the country as well.
SUIT 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 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 arc 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 ofthe 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 to the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
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Thanks
After having been to nearly every
thcatcrproduction at UNL for the past
five years, I thought it was about time
I wrote to thank and congratulate the
UNL Theatre Department for the
wonderful work itdocs. From Thcatrix
to mainstagc productions to Nebraska
Repertory Theatre, the quality of pro
duction hasalways been nothingshort
of exceptional.
I am in particular a great fan of
Thcatrix. with its minimal ist approach,
intimate settings and more alterna
tive, often experimental works. Peo
ple like Devon Schumacher have been
giving us great theatrical fare in
Thcatrix. as well as the other UNL
Theater formats mentioned, for a long
time now.
Allow me to extend my sincerest
thanks to the UNL Theatre Depart
ment faculty, administration, actors
and technical artists for giving to UNL
and the state of Nebraska true excel
lence in theater. The educational, cul
tural and entertainment value of the
work you do is immeasurable.
Dan Hull
senior
English
Conduct
As newsroom manager of KOLN/
KG1N-TV, I feel the need to respond
to your theater review of the Off Broad
way. On Lincoln Theater performance
(DN, Nov. 8).
The news release clearly stated:
“Performances on the weekend of
Thursday, Nov. 3 through Sunday,
Nov. 6 arc for press members only."
The invitation was issued to all mem
bers of the media, not just the print
media.
Newspaper reviewers were criti
cal of our television camera being
there, saying it was intrusive and un
professional. Yet it was understood
that this was a performance for the
media only. In order for us to do our
jobs, we must often use lights.
Producer/Director Ron Silver told
me after the show he had no problem
with our camera being there and was
thankful for the coverage. That was
his intention in sending the release.
He also said he did not promise any
one with the press that they would get
a private showing.
Speaking of professionalism, per
haps we should consider the conduct
of the Daily Nebraskan reviewer who
verbally assaulted and made obscene
gestures to our photographer during
the performance. To most
theatergoers, that would be consid
ered extremely intrusive.
Diane Gonzolas
newsroom manager
KOLN/KGIN-TV
‘Animal House’
It is a sad day in America when
“Animal House” instills a no-alcohol
policy. Rising insurance costs are cit
ed as the reason for many houses
turning to no-alcohol policies. And
that makes me sick. We are reducing
our society to a bunch ol saps afraid
that if they do anything they will get
sued. What kind of America are we
creating if we let this nonsense con
tinue?
Mark Longrcn
junior
mechanical engineering
James Mehslmg/DN
Social issues
Yes. pink triangles and green spac
es probably take too much time away
Iroin loftier academic pursuits but, as
Andrew Sigerson correctly points out
(l)N. Dee. 1). “When you’re coming
into the university, you’re going to
deal with social issues—that is one of
the important aspects of college life."
A university experience is often
oneofthe first times in a student’s life
that offers the opportunities to actual
ly think about those issues. That in
itself is a potent complement to more
traditional academic learning. I cer
tainly can’t imagine Sigerson is going
to approach the practice of law in a
purely academic way and not take
into account the contextual influenc
es social issues will bring to bear on
his legal strategics. And I certainly
hope his law professors don’t expect
him to function in such a vacuum
either.
James F. Hcjduk
associate professor of music
Football
Although 1 enjoy the game of foot
ball and enjoy watching a game on
occasion, it turns me off in many
ways. Why do we worship football
players and ignore other athletes who
work equally hard? Why do we call it
Nebraska football? Aren’t a good
portion of the players from out of
state?
Many people form theirentire iden
tity with football. Strangely, many of
these people couldn’t even play a
quarter without keeling over. Beer
companies cash in on their depression
and tell them that beer and football
will make them complete. Could you
imagine what a great country this
would be if people spent half their
football time helping society or the
environment?
Equally disturbing is that although
it is our school, students get second
class scats at the games. Also, why is
alcohol of such great importance at
the games?
Above all it disturbs me to see
these huge masses of middle- to up
per-class white people cheering on
these often predominantly black foot
ball teams. It seems the only area we
allow blacks toobtain large-scale.suc
cess is sports. How many of these fans
are willing to work for equality of
blacks m other areas? No doubt many
don’t recognize that black people are
also quite competent intellectually.
Keep up the good work. UN L foot
ball team! Although I don’t care to
make football a priority in my life. I
hope to sec you win the Orange Bowl,
in fact I think I’ll even watch you win.
Paul Koester
senior
soil science
‘Illegitimacy''
Oh Sam, you frighten inc in so
many ways that it is difficult to know
where to begin. The first problem
with your column (DN, Dec. 1) was
the use of the word “illegitimate.
The word is evil and outdated. Wom
en do not go through nine months of
pregnancy and countless hours of la
bor to produce a being that is anything
less than legitimate and very real.
Now let’s move on to your warped
impressions on parenting. You wrote
“The bottom line here is that single
motherhood has become easier than
ever, fed by an increasing lack of
stigma from society.”
You are obviously a fairly well-oil
single man who has absolutely no
clue about what it means to be a
parent. Being a mother is not an easy
job. It would even be so bold to say it s
much more difficult than being a grad
uate student in history. 1 would invitc
you to try to be a parent for a day. hut
as a mother it would not be responsi
ble of me to recommend that you he
placed in charge of the care of small
children.
The lack of stigma that you wrote
about should be in reference to the
hundreds of thousands of men who
are not interested in their children s
lives and do not pay child support,
you arc truly concerned about the
status of single mothers and their a -
fccts on society, I suggest you roun
up the men who arc not paying chi
support and make them help feed an
clothe the children they helped cr
ate.
Becky Boswell
senior
teachers college