Opinion
Net?raskan
Wednesday, April 13, 1994
^_L.
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Rainbow Rowell
Adcana Left in.
Todd Cooper
Jeff Zelenv
Sarah Duev
IVilliam Lauer
Editor, 472-1766
Opinion Rage Editor
Managing Editor
Sports Editor
Associate News Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Senior Photographer
Better reforms
Bill may get people off welfare, into jobs
In the Senate, a bipartisan welfare reform bill would require
families to sign a contract when they arc enrolled. The
contract would outline exactly when benefits would stop and
how to find and keep a job.
The contract would also allow families to save more of their
earned money. Currently, in most states, when a family member
earns money, money is taken out of the family's monthly benefit.
This bill is just one of many recent government efforts to
reform welfare, mainly the Aid to Families with Dependent
Children program.
It may be one of the better reform ideas. Signing a contract
would increase welfare recipients’ understanding of the system It
would ensure that those who received benefits understood that
AFDC should not be a lifelong program.
Also, many welfare recipients arc discouraged from getting a
job, because any money they cam is taken out of their checks.
Their work seems to be for nothing because they cannot get
ahead.
If they arc allowed to keep more of their earnings, they will
have incentive to get jobs, smoothing the transition off welfare
and into the work force.
Reforms that will reduce welfare rolls without taking help from
those who need it should be welcomed. But voters and lawmakers
must remember that the United States’ economic troubles arc not
caused by welfare recipients. These disadvantaged people arc only
symptoms of a greater problem.
( ) I III l<s- \ II N\
President Clinton’s plan to charge immigrants S130 to apply
for political asylum would deter many legitimate applicants
without reducing the number of applicants who must be
processed.
The fee is not being proposed for those wanting economic
asylum.
Legitimate political asylum seekers often have to leave their
countries with nothing. They qualify for political asylum because
their lives arc in danger back home. By requiring an application
fee. the United States is effectively placing money over human
lives.
Moreover, requiring a fee for political but not for economic
asylum seekers creates a problem when deciding who will qualify
to have the fee waived.
Take, for example, applicants from Cuba and Haiti. Because
the U.S. government opposes the political regime in Cuba, Cuban
immigrants would be more likely to be granted political asylum
status and thus have to pay the fee.
In contrast the U.S. government would like to portray the
situation in Haiti in economic terms, not political ones. A Haitian
immigrant would not have to pay the fee.
Thus legitimate applicants may be denied a fair hearing before
they arc able to apply for political asylum.
Charging immigrants who seek political asylum is unnecessary,
unfair and should not be implemented.
— The University Daily Kansan
University of Kansas
I Di mm \i I'm i< \
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English major
I am writing in response to Jim
Rose’s letter about the creative writ
ing program and English department
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
(DN, April 1, 1994). The letter said
that a student was “all but guaranteed
an A” if he enrolled in a creative
writing class.
This is not true.
I have been an English major for
two years, and I have taken three
creative writing classes.
I can honestly say that any student
will find himsclf/hersclf doing two
things: working very hard and spend
ing a great deal of time not only creat
ing a story but revising one as well.
Many rewrites arc to be expected if the
work is going to someday be publish
able.
As far as quality work being turned
out in class, well, I personally have
written half a novel in one class. I also
have a fiction publication forthcom
ing thisspring in ajournal. I have had
three public readings of my work (one
on public radio), and the best is yet to
come.
I owe it all to the English depart
ment and the creative writing pro
gram at UNL.
Further, I have met many famous
authors who have come to read and
ofTcr that much-needed inspiration to
promising young authors.
Any student must be made aware
that he/shc will have to develop deter
mination, dedication and a strong will
if survival is expected in the world (in
or out of Nebraska). Neither campus
nor any department can meet every
student’s expectations when it comes
to perfection. And, quite frankly, it
should not be expected to please ev
eryone.
I am happy, encouraged and thank
ful that my husband and I arc attend
ing UNL and that I am working in the
English department in creative writ
ing. I am sure manyothersarc as well,
or they would not be here. After all, we
are living in (he United States, a free
country, and everyone is quite free to
leave.
Eileen Lauren
senior
English
English classes
Sadly, the budding debate surround
ing the value of introductory composi
tion courses in the English depart
ment seems to have been convoluted
by Mark Kovarik (DN. April 6,1994),
James Finley (DN, April 8,1994) and
the like.
They apparently feel that by resort
ing to attacks and blame-laying, they
can gloss over the true issues raised by
Jim Rose’s criticisms of introductory
writing courses (DN, April 1,1994)—
namely that, despite all the
psychobabble, ivory tower education
al hypotheses and a definite degree of
student apathy, beginning composi
tion and composition/literature cours
es remain absurdly easy and shame
fully devoid of challenge and actual
improvement of writing skills.
Of course, the degree of worthless
ness depends on the instructor. Some
obviously actually do provide a worth
while education.
However, in most cases, instruc
tion consists mainly of “freewriting”
(unstructured journals) and “discus
sion sessions” (unstructured groups
supposedly discussing these unstruc
tured journals in an unstructured
way).
Amy Schmidt/DN
In theory, as Finley pointed out,
this should be OK because “many of
the greatest writers ... use this tech
nique.”
But in practice, we arc not dealing
with the world’s greatest writers. In
stead, these classes arc generally pop
ulated by students attempting to fulfill
their comp requirement.
In most cases then, introductory
comp classes arc the only contact many
will have with the English department
and the only opportunity they will
have to substantially improve their
written communication skills.
As for Kovarik’s criticisms, it is
true that Rose makes no mention of
literature and 1 inguistics courses. This
is simply because these are not the
courses he is criticizing.
The sad fact remains that until the
denizensofpolitical correctness,class
room indoctrination and the path of
least resistance arc refuted, the Uni
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln will con
tinue to be viewed as “brain-dead,”
comp courses will continue to be rec
ommended as “pud” and non-English
majors will continue to be robbed of
the immense opportunities for literary
exposure and writing improvement
that a well-taught and reasonably
structured composition course can
encourage.
Greg Anderson
junior
English
Police state justice
I’m confused how Sam Kcpfield
can describe the flogging of Michael
Fay as “justice” (DN, April 7, 1994).
Fay is to be given five hard lashes
with a cane. Should he fall uncon
scious before this so-called just pun
ishment is finished,those who are ad
ministering hisbeating will wait until
he wakes to continue the flogging.
He will undoubtedly wear the scars
from this beating for the rest of his life.
All for spray-painting a few cars.
This type of justice may be com
mon to people of Singapore, but it
appalls me how many people in this
country agree with such excessive
punishment.
I’m not saying that we should sym
pathize with Fay. His actions were
stupid and wrong, and he should be
punished appropriately for them.
Have him spend four months in
prison or pay for the mess out of his
own pocket. Better yet, have himerase
every inch of his graffiti with a tooth
brush. But for Pete’s sake, is a glam
orized beating with a cane really nec
essary?
I used lo shake my head at tnosc
who suggested the only way to deal
with deviant behavior was to do some
thing equally as sickening and stupid
to the offender. Now that isn’t even
enough. “An eye for an eye” must not
cut it anymore. Apparently, the pun
ishment supporters’ new motto is “two
eyes for an eye” or the entire head, for
that matter.
Why must we insist that the only
two ways todcal with society’s wrong
doers are to either slap them on the
wrist or. on the other extreme, beat
them senseless (or in the case of cap
ital punishment—kill them outright)?
Kcpficld is somewhat right. We
must get tough on criminals, but not
Singapore tough.
Singapore is a virtually crime-free
nation. This is because one can be
fined, jailed or, yes, even flogged for
the slightest infraction against soci
ety. Would Americans really like such
police state tactics here?
And furthermore, would these pun
ishment-hungry people be so support
ive of flogging if it was their kid or
their friend who was about to be
wh ipped w i th a cane? I suspect most of
them would be pleading like Fay’s
mother is.
Scott Carpenter
junior
English
