Opinion
Nebraskan
Wednesday, January 12,1994
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Rainbow Rowell. .
Adeana Left in .. .
Todd Cooper....
Jeff TLeleny.
Sarah Duey.
Staci McKee.
.Editor, 472-1766
.Opinion Page Editor
.Managing Editor
.. .. . . .—. Sports Editor
.Associate News Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
.Photo Chief
I Dl lOKI \l
No Show
Speak now\ or forever hold your peace
We saw the posters, the advertisements, the newspaper
stories. They invited us — come one, come all —to East
Campus Tuesday to tell Chancellor Graham Spanier how
we felt about his vision for UNL.
Spanier’s Strategic Agenda states that the University of Ne
braska-Lincoln will build a better future through cooperation
between faculty, staff and students.
So he held a forum to seek input from these groups and from
the community. Faculty showed up. Staff showed up. A handful
of reporters showed up.
Everyone came, but the students.
This is a university, and a university’s First responsibility is
always to its students — past, present and future. We help fund
this institution through our tuition and tax dollars.
We are the first to complain when we feel we’re not getting our
money’s worth — when we’re forced to wait in lines, when our
programs or our parking places are threatened.
But if we expect UNL to meet our needs, we need to become a
part of the decision-making process instead of getting angry after
decisions are already made.
When administrators request our input, we should give it
willingly. We should give it even when they don’t.
Spanier asked for our opinions. He hung signs and set up
chairs. And we didn’t care enough to show up.
In the future, UNL’s vision will again be reworked. More
decisions will be made. Let’s hope that next time, Spanier still
cares enough to ask.
At a standstill
Fiji sanctions must be enforced quickly
At the end of last semester, the judicial board levied sanc
tions to ensure that Phi Gamma Delta would never be the
same again.
Some of the sanctions were tough; Fi ji was put on social
probation and ordered to reduce its membership. The fraternity
would have a university-employed resident assistant. All mem
bers would complete hours of community service and alcohol
education programs.
The sanctions were ordered to show this fraternity and the rest
of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that hazing and alcohol
are not allowed on this campus. And they were ordered to
prevent a tragedy silimar to the one that occurred on Nov. 3
when Fiji pledge Jeffrey Knoll fell from a third-story window.
The sanctions were to begin this semester.
So far, the fraternity is under social probation and that’s about
it. A resident assistant has not been chosen. Community service
and alcohol-education programming has not begun. Current
members have not been interviewed.
The Fiji house was allowed to stay on campus because its
members agreed to and even suggested some of these sanctions.
The semester is new and some of the sanctions may take some
time to implement. Other sanctions arc being unnecessarily held
up while Fiji nationals bicker with university officials about
wording.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs James Gricscn said many
of the sanctions would be applied in the coming weeks. Firm
and quick enforcement of every sanction is needed to protect the
strength of the judicial board’s decision.
Although a new semester has begun, with new problems and
challenges, the Fiji house cannot ignore or forget these sanctions.
We will not soon forget what happened to Jeffrey Knoll.
I Dl inui \l l’< >1 K \
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Spring 1994 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 ofthc newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students
l.l III It I'ni It \
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No getting used to guns, death
In the past six years I have lost
many of my friends and relatives
to gangs, guns and violence.
For many years, I have heard com
munity leaders in my North Omaha
neighborhood cry out for help. But
their cries have fallen ujxrn deaf ears.
Although the ignoring of urban
America is a great problem, this col
umn is not going to be about what
mainstream white society is doing to
blacks, but what we arc doing to our
selves.
In a nation where we once came
together to fight against the injustices
brought upon us, why are we now
doing to each other what the Ku Klux
Klan did to our forefathers?
It used to be that we knew who our
enemy was. We knew we were safe
among one another. Today, however,
statistics show that more than 95 per
cent of blacks murdered by gunshots
were killed by other blacks. We’re
our own enemy.
Many brothers and sisters think
carrying a gun, selling drugs or com
mitting acts of violence will give them
a sense of love, power, wealth or
respect — something they may not
have received at home or at school.
“The American Dream” has tricked
them into believing they can obtain
these status symbols only the quick
and easy way.
We rarely hear of the famous actor
or billionaire who toiled through back
break ing labor before making it to the
top. We never hear about how hard
the star athlete practiced day after
day. trying to perfect just one move or
shot. And we never hear about the
obstacles that he or she went through
in order to make it to the collegiate
level, much less the pros.
All we hear about are the quick
success stories. The media leads us to
believe that famous actors and rap
pers such as Ice Cube moved straight
from the womb to instant stardom,
like magic.
By perpetuating these non-truths,
the media encourages youths to reach
for their own “instant stardom.”
Holding my breath, my heart
beating like a drum, I prayed that
the victim of yet another drive-by
was a stranger and not a friend or
relative.
Brothers and sisters must stop glo
rifying human nature’s negative sides
and begin celebrating the positive
aspects of our African heritage.
1 can rememberback in high school,
coming home and heading straight for
the television set to watch the news.
Holding my breath, my heart beating
like adrum, I prayed that the victim of
yet another drive-by was a stranger
and not a friend or relative.
Last summer I visited with a friend.
Dennis Evans.
I saw him at a grocery store for the
first time in more than a year. We
were happy to see each other, but
talked only a few moments. I was in a
hurry and figured I’d see him before I
went back to school. Well, 1 did see
him one last time — at his funeral.
In passing, I heard words probably
not out of the ordinary from some
gang members at Dennis’ funeral.
They spoke of taking revenge on
whoever killed their “homeboy.” But
revenge only complicates an already
difficult problem.
Others at his funeral acknowledged
that the fighting was getting out of
hand. We need people who want to
stop the fighting to come together and
find solutions to end the violence.
Soon the summer was over, and 1
was on my way back to Lincoln. I was
finally able to stop mourning Dennis’
death and start searching for ways to
help fight against guns and violence.
But in October, I received another
phone call.
My roommate called me at my
boyfriend’s place and told me to call
my mother.
“What’s wrong?” 1 asked.
“It’s Tevon,” she answered.
I knew from the tone of her voicJ
that Tevon was dead, but J, a&kqfl
anyway. She replied with a slowl
“Yes.”
I couldn’t control my tears. I haJ
known Tevon Graves for more tharl
15 years. Tevon was a student at!
Grambling University in Louisiana.
He was studying physical therapy so
he could provide for his longtime
girlfriend and their 2-month-old
daughter, Ali Simone.
Tevon was shot several times in
various places on his body, including
his chest — all because of an argu
ment over a car.
Because of a car, Ali has to grow
up without a daddy.
1 found myself back in Omaha
again to pay my last respects to anoth
er friend.
I have spent my life wondering if
another one of my brothers or sisters
will be killed by another black person
— or maybe, will I be next?
Over the years, I got used to the
gunshots in my neighborhood. They
were so prevalent that I no longer
even looked down the street to sec
what was going on.
1 have now realized that it is de
structive to “get used to” anything
negative and deadly. We should not
get used to death, to murder, to vio
lence among our own people.
I know I never will.
Spurlock it a senior broadcasting, news
editorial and English major and a Daily Ne
braskan columnist.
rs:
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