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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1994)
Opinion Net)raskan Monday, February 28,1994 Jeremy Fitzpatrick Rainbow Rowell Adeana LeJ'tin . Todd Cooper. JeJfZeleny...... Sarah Duey. Willian Lauer . Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska Lincoln .Editor. 472-1766 .Opinion Page Editor Managing Editor .. Sports Editor Associate News Editor Arts & Entertainment Editor .Senior Photographer Kill IOKI \l Enough already UNL doesn't need new grading system Yet another proposal to change the University of Nebraska Lincoln grading system has been submitted to the Academ ic Senate. This time, Don Jensen, a psychology professor, suggested that a letter grade be given for each credit hour of a course. Rather than receiving a C in a three-hour course, a student could receive a BCC, a CCC, a CCD or other combinations of three letters. In the past few months, there have been suggestions to add minuses and to convert to a number system of grade points. These proposals were rejected or tabled. UNL’s current grading system is imperfect and flawed as any possible grading system would be. Assigning a grade is a diffi cult, often subjective and always imperfect process. But the recent rash of suggested changes is unwarranted. Professors should spend less time suggesting changes and revisions and more time making sure the grades they do give arc as accurate and fair as possible. Professors may be limited to nine possible grades, but the methods they use to devise a student’s grade is completely up to them. They can do all the revising they like within their own courses. The current system has its weaknesses, but an overhaul would be unnecessary and potentially more confusing. Cold war over? U.S. should reconsider giving Russia aid Some members of Congress arc calling for a review of U.S. aid to Russia in light of charges that a CIA agent may have been spying for the Russians since 1985. The FBI says CIA intelligence officer Aldrich Ames received SI .5 million first from the former Soviet Union and later from Russia. Ames is accused of leaking some of the most sensitive U.S. intelligence secrets, including the names of American agents working in the Soviet Union. If the charges arc accurate, Ames was spying for Russia even after Cold War tensions had been reduced. If proven, the charges would mean the Russian government was continuing Cold War activities while it was being strongly supported by the United States. Ames will have his day in court to answer the charges against him. His trial should shed new light on exactly what — if any thing — he was doing for the Soviets and the Russians. If Ames is guilty of spying, the U.S. government should make it clear that aid will not continue to help prop up a regime that is continuing Cold War activities. If the Russians want our help, they must be willing to take actions to show they deserve it. Sen. Mitch McConnel. R-Ky., has suggested that the $900 million in aid slated for Russia next year should all be reviewed. “Whatever (Russian President Boris) Yeltsin wants is our policy. I think that’s really naive,” McConnel said. President Clinton has tied his Russian policy heavily to Yeltsin’s government. Clinton should use some of the influence he has with Yeltsin to resolve this matter before it docs permanent damage to U.S. and Russian relations. Kill I OK I W 1*01 l( \ Stall editorials represent the official policy of the Spring 1004 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Hoard 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. 1.1 III U 1’ni l< N The Daily Nebraskan welcomes bricfletters 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 maleriul 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 to the Daily Nebraskan, .14 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. it V \l I kOKS I I R Prairie dogs in nature’s plan One hundred years ago their communities flourished, mov ing across the prairies as a communal entity. These unique, mo bile ecosystems supported over 160 vertebrate species and were a major contributor to the formation of the productive prairie soils. Yet ironical ly. the prai ric dog has become a scape goat in the productive land it essen tially created. Within 100 years the prairie has been devastated, basically turned into a meat farm. Nebraska alone has over 10 million cows and pigs, and 80 percent of its main crop, com, is used as l ivcstock feed. As a result of our lust for animal flesh and our lack of under standing or concern for our ecosys tem, the prairie dog has been reduced by 98 percent in Nebraska. These same factors have caused the complete ex tinction of the black-footed ferret in this state. Ninety percent of the fer ret’s diet was prairie dogs. Abuse of the prairie dog affects the entire sys tem. Although believed to be extinct nationwide, nine black-footed ferrets were found in 1981 in Wyoming. Numbers then increased, but by 1984 disease set in, and the remaining 18 were removed from the wild to be saved, bred and later reintroduced. Breeding is difficult, and after re introduction, only 10 percent survive. These predators arc the only native North American ferrets, and they need a considerable acreage of prairie dog ecosystem to survive. Wyoming is the only place where the ferrets have been reintroduced, and opposition by ranch ers has been strong. The Endangered Species Act docs not adequately pro tect a species that no longer inhabits an area. More than 200 ferrets now await reproduction, and Nebraska is not a candidate because it has a 1943 law that requires all prairie dogs to be exterminated each year. The Nebras ka Legislature will soon vote on LB935,abill to abolish the 1943 law. Until this bill is passed, the black Until I see the sportsman enter the prairie dog community na ked, strangling the little fellas with his bare hands, I will have no respect for his “sport.” footed ferret will have no hope of returning home, and the slaughter of the prairie dog ecosystem will contin ue with the law’s full blessing. This is a beautiful country, and its attitude toward wildlife makes me sad. In South Dakota, millions of dol lars are brought into the state by blood thirsty prairie dog hunters. In the 1990 prairie dog shoot in Nucla, Colo., 2,956 prairie dogs were shot. What fun! This sport puts the prairie dog at a disadvantage, for it has only claws for digging and sharp incisors for clip ping grasses. The hunter, on the other hand, has a high-powered semiauto matic rifle and often a warm pickup to sit in. Until I sec the sportsman enter the prairie dog community naked, strangling the little fellas with his bare hands, I will have no respect for his "sport.” Prairie dogs arc not only very cute but also very sociable and intelligent, with many distinct calls for different predators. Prairie dogs even use dif ferent tones in their calls for different researchers with whom they become familiar. Prairie dog ecosystems arc a vital part of the prairie. Normally, hoofed creatures such as bison prefer to stay in prairie dog towns, where the short er, young grasses arc more nutritious and palatable. In turn, the prairie dogs build their towns where the bison go, because the short grasses enable the prairie dogs to see their predators. (This same preference for short grass es attracts prairie dogs to the grazing land of Nebraska ranchers.) The nat ural system is well-adapted, and 60 million bison once lived in harmony with 50 times as many prairie dogs. Many species such as coyotes, bad gers, snakes, rabbits, burrowing owls and eagles depend on the prairie dog, and a lot more species live in the towns than the surrounding areas. The prai rie dog towns moved with the roaming bison and carried with them unique species of plants. These plants added nutrients to the prairie soils. Through the burrowing activities of the prairie dog, the soils were con stantly mixed, aerated and fertilized. Many species, such as the burrowing owls, snakes and rabbits, used aban doned prairie dog tunnels as their homes or as a place to escape preda tors and the bitter cold of winter. Although people enjoy killing prai rie dogs, there is no justification even from an agricultural standpoint. No evidence indicates even large towns reduce grazing potential more than 4 to 7 percent. Rotating grazing on cat tle ranches so grasses are not clipped so short effectively prevents large prai rie dog colonics. Placing simple bur lap barriers on the land will also keep pra irie dogs away because they cannot sec their enemies. If prairie dogs do reduce grazing potential, then we need to pay more for our luxury food, beef. In my book, wiping out an ecosystem because con sumers arc unwilling to pay the envi ronmental costs of their lifestyles is wrong. Koeiter ii a unior toil science major tad a Daily Nebratkaa columnist. I.i 11 m<s m i m Kim iok LETTUCE to the editor In the beginning, the function of the LETTUCE party was to bring to light various problems associated with the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska and the A SUN election process. During a Feb. 19 interview with a DN reporter, we spent five minutes discussing voter apathy and the dearth of quality candidates for the March 9 election. Interesting ly, no mention of this was made in the article about LETTUCE in Tuesday’s DN. This is only one of several snubs LETTUCE has received in the past week. Thursday, the ASUN Electoral Commission rejected our request to participate in the upcoming debates. The debates were an opportunity to voice the relevant and valid concerns of hundreds of Uni versity of Nebras ka-Lincoln students— to articulate a point of view starkly contrasting to those of the mainstream parties that will be allowed to debate and to reveal the conspiracy under way in the seem ingly innocuous ASUN offices, locat ed opposite the ofl-lukewarm water fountain in Nebraska Union. Students have responded to our pure and impassioned message as if they had drunk from nothing but that water fountain. They have had their first taste of ice-cold truth and are refreshed. Clearly LETTUCE can con tribute to an exchange of ideas and contribute abundantly. One must won der, then, why the ASUN Electoral Commission, founded to ensure fair elections, would ban LETTUCE from the debates. The DN has seemed indifferent to LETTUCE and the obstacles it has faced. In the eyes of the DN, the candidacy of David Lettcrman, whose votes will not even be counted, is more newsworthy. Clearly, it has become a trivial election, having nothing to do with student representation. Matthew J. Brinkman LETTUCE second vice presidential candidate sophomore international affairs
