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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 1994)
Opinion Nebraskan Tuosday, April S, 1994 Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska Lincoln Jeremy Fitzpatrick Rainbow Rowell Adeana Left in. Todd Cooper JeffZelenv. Sarah Duey William Lauer . . Editor. 472-1766 Opinion Page Editor Managing Editor Sports Editor Associate News Editor Arts Entertainment Editor Senior Photographer EDI I OKI VI. Ticket trouble ASUN should respond to $17 price hike he athletic department has again demonstrated its disre gard for student interests and needs. Last week, the department announced that students would have to pay $73, $17 more than last year, for football season tickets. This comes a year after its decision to move students to poorer scats at football games. The athletic department is a part of this university, not an independent fund-raising entity. The University of Ncbraska-Lincoln exists to serve students. Yet, time and again the athletic department has made its decisions with dollar signs, not students, in mind Gary Fourakcr, assistant athletic director for business, said marketing surveys had shown that about the same number of students would still buy tickets at a higher price. Just because the athletic department can rip students off without losing money doesn’t mean they should. But students don’t have to just sit in their bad scats and let the athletic department do as it will. Although nothing can be done about this year’s price hike, students can make a difference next year if they let their voice be heard. If the athletic department knows that students care and will let their displeasure be heard and felt, they may not be so hasty in their decisions. Association of Students of the University of Nebraska President Andrew Loudon said students would not be ignored in future athletic department decisions. The student body should make Loudon live up to this statement. Money matters Health care reform needs to show cost Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Ncb., spent Monday in Lincoln with people involved in public health nursing. During his tour, he summed up the most important issue involved with reforming health care in the United States. “You still, bottom line, get down to the question: How arc you going to pay for it?” Kerrey said. Too often in the health care debate we hear about HMDs, single-payer plans, health care providers and other medical terms that aren’t explained. Too rarely do we hear politicians willing to discuss the bottom line of how much health care is going to cost and who is going to pay for it. Bill and Hillary Clinton have done admirable work pushing to provide health care for all Americans. The Clinton administration has rightly made this a national issue. But to keep alive the Clintons’ hope of universal coverage for all Americans, they need to explain more clearly how it will be paid for. It may seem heartless to discuss money when we arc talking about health and well-being. But it would be irresponsible for this country to adopt a health care plan without first knowing how it will pay for the plan. Health care is such a complex issue that few people probably understand it completely. But before this country goes down the road of government-mandated health care, we should demand a clear explanation of how reforms will work and how they will be financed. No one has done that yet. Until someone can, health care reform should be put on hold. I m mm m I’m k \ Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Spring IW4 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board Editorials do not necessarily rcllcct the views of the university, its employees, the studcntsorlhe NU Board of Regents Editorial columns represent the opinion of the author The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan They establish the UNI, 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 l.h I 11 K 1*01 It \ The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others Letters will be selected Tor 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 I he editor decides whether material If should run as a guest opinion. JLetlers and gyesl 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, il any Requests to withhold names will not be granted Submit material to the Daily Nebraskan, .14 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb 68588 0448 womtsEWTStt AMERICAN \WW,TAE SAVE. VJWWEDO. PAl LA LAN KiNK Easter brings trip to bathroom There I was again, ducking flying objects and diving into the bathroom—the only safe h aven because i t had a door that locked. Maybe throwing a globe at my brother’s head wasn’t the most intel lectual thing I've ever done, but it fell like justice to me. This wasn’t the first time I’d felt my siblings’ wrath. 1 can remember countless instances when l was pinned underneath a 200-pound male who was tickling me past the point ofCPR recovery. My mother would walk by, mutter something like “Leave your sister alone,” and leave. One of my three brothers would pause to readjust his grip and give me a taste of carpet cleaner I’d never forget. Oh,did 1 forget to mention the time they left me, an innocent two-year old, abandoned in a cabin in Colo rado, or the time they lured my dog into the swimming pool with a Zesta cracker? Growing up, I was involuntarily stuck in one of the worst situations an American female could be. I was the tail end of the family and the sole female, with three older brothers to make my life a laugh riot for all too many years. They were much older and much stronger than me, which made for an interesting time when one of them tried to teach me how to box. I ended up, again, in the bathroom. So, over the years, I learned how to stay out of their way and play with my little imaginary friends who were much nicer and weaker than my broth ers. For a long time, I was an only child and the existence of three elder siblings was like a Greek myth. Aside from the fact that one of them believed he was Zeus or some thing, they remained a myth. By the time 1 was in high school, al l three had graduated from college. Even though 1 groan about the torment they put me through, I don’t think I received the full brunt of the sibling experience. I mean, I have a friend who I ives w ith al 1 her brothers. A trip to their house is like a trip to the Koresh family reunion. Premeditated For a long time, my brothers didn’t think of me as equal. It was more like I was just another family pet. Our German shepherd generated more respect than me. murder, larceny, assault and battery — you name it, she’s contemplated it. Do I dare say 1 missed sibling rivalry? Well, yeah, just a little. 1 didn’t miss the rivalry, but I did miss the siblings. Being a genetic “accident,” 1 was nine years younger than my youngest brother and, of course, female. People even mistook my oldest brother as my father. This eliminates the mutual friends, hand-me-downs and family vacation battles normal siblings have. Fora longtime, my brothers didn’t think of me as equal. It was more like I was just another family pet. Our German shepherd generated more re spect than me. 1 had nothing in common with them. Growing up, our only shared experiences were a doll and “Holly Hog.” There was this "life-sized" doll with a red dress and eyes that would close if you put her on her back. Well, we would alternate turns taking the doll, placing some sort of weapon in her hand whether it be a kitchen knife or a razor blade, and putting it in somebody’s bed. We’d wait up until the unlucky sibling got home to find this possessed doll waiting up for him. Wait, it gels better. Holly Hog derived from a low-fat eggnog product. The package, which ofeourse was supposed to read “Holly Nog,” was misprinted and read “Holly Hog,” so we stuck a pig nose and tail on it, and it became one of those “you really had to be there" moments. During my “formative” years, these were about the only things we talked about aside from my mother’s zany mowing fixation. Then, as things usu ally do. our relationship changed. I’ve heard storiesofsiblings grow ing apart as they got older, educated and employed. Well, in my ease as it usually goes, the reverse was true. My brothers finally realized that girl who kept sending them birthday and Christmas cards wasn’t the Avon lady. She was their blood relative, and she didn’t drool and gurgle anymore. I picked up the phone one day and had a revelation. My brother and ! actually had a conversation about something more serious than “What time is Mom having dinner?” or “Is it cold out there?” We talked about personality traits, politics, relationships and all that fun stuff for more than 30 seconds. And, for the first time in ages, I stopped tell ing everyone I was adopted. We reached a point of mutual intelli gence, but this didn’t mean we all became squares and slopped acting like little brats. Although we were a bit closer, we were still just as likely to tear each other’s throats out. “Yeah, well at least I can hold a relationship longer than a preseason football game,” I yelled at my brother during Easter Sunday brunch. Bagel in hand, I was determining the trajec tory it would take to clock him square in the head. Looking at me with a piece of pineapple dangling out of his mouth, he just smiled and nodded. He’s going to kill me now. OfT to the bathroom, once again. l.avtf at It ■ frnhaua oewt-edhorlaJ ma jor aad a Dally Nebraska* columaist. P.S. Write Back The Daily Nebraskan wants to hear from you. If you want to voice your opinion about an article that appears in the newspaper, let us know. Just write a brief letter to the editor and sign it (don’t forget your student ID number) and mail it to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 ‘R’ Street, Lincoln, NE 68858-0488, or stop by the office in the basement of the Nebraska Union and visit us. We're all ears, so pick up a pen and write.