OPTNTON Nebmskan
J \ £ I Iy/1 H Wadnaaday, April 27,1994
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Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick.Editor, 472-1766
Rainbow Rowell.Opinion Rage Editor
Adeuna Left in.Managing Editor
Todd Cooper.Sports Editor
Jeff Zeleny..Associate News Editor
Sarah Duey.Arts & Entertainment Editor
William Lauer.Senior Photographer
Monday surprise
ASUN’s timing of UPC bill questionable
Tonight’s ASUN meeting will be filled with heated debate on
a bill that would give ASUN the power to select the Univer
sity Programming Council’s executive committee, which is
made up of UPC’s president, vice president and programming
secretary.
Andrew Loudon, Association of Students of the University of
Nebraska president, said the bill would make UPC more account
able to students. UPC programs received more than $98,000 in
student fee money last year.
Lia Jensen, UPC president, said the move was an attack on her
group by ASUN. She said the bill would hurt UPC’s minority
programming.
There is not much doubt that ASUN has the authority to appoint
UPC’s executive committee. They can do so under policy set up by
the NU Board of Regents.
But the way ASUN has chosen to try to take control of UPC is
certainly questionable.
UPC’s executive committee was only told about this bill Mon
day after it already passed ASUN’s Special Topics Committee.
Two days was not enough time for them to prepare an adequate
defense of their present organizational structure.
And why did senators choose to bring this bill up in the last
week ASUN will meet? Wouldn’t it be wiser for student leaders to
give everyone involved time over the summer to come up with new
proposals to structure UPC?
ASUN’s “Monday Surprise” is not good policy. This bill should
be tabled at tonight’s meeting and considered next year.
Don’t back down
Gay marriages deserve legal recognition
Last year, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that denying
homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual couples
appeared to violate the Hawaii Constitution.
This ruling could make Hawaii the first state to legally recognize
homosexual marriages.
But the Hawaii Legislature has moved to counteract that ruling
by legally defining marriage as the union of a man and a jyoman.
Hawaii should accept the court’s ruling. It is time for the United
States to begin recognizing homosexual marriages.
Long-term, monogamous homosexual relationships arc much
like heterosexual marriages. Individuals make the same attach
ments and sacrifices. They have many of the same expenses.
They should receive the same benefits as heterosexual married
couples. They should be eligible for spouses' insurance policies.
They should be able to file joint tax returns. If one partner in a
homosexual couple dies, the living partner should not have to fight
to keep the assets and belongings they shared.
Legalizing same-sex marriages will not encourage or discourage
homosexuality or long-term homosexual relationships; it will
simply give homosexuals the same rights as heterosexuals. It will
give them equality.
Hawaii should set an example for the rest of the nation to
follow.
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Suy THE MWn\
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MOTION! IS
ReteH HOOSE 1
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UPC concerns
As event directors on the Univer
sity Program Council, we have knowl
edge and experience that is beneficial
to the future of programming at the
University of Ncbraska-Lincoln.
Four obvious problems that could
result if the Association of Students of
the University of Nebraska takes over
UPC through Bylaw A arc:
1. The structure of UPC would be
changed so that it would not be repre
sentative of the entire university com
munity.
2. Because the members of ASUN
have no experience in programming,
they would not be able to accurately
represent the programming concerns
of minority students. The events UPC
has sponsored have appealed to a very
broad and diverse student population.
3. Because ASUN has such a poor
relationship with minority students, it
is unlikely that ASUN would ad
equately reflect the concerns of mi
nority students.
4. Most importantly, ASUN,which
is not trained in providing program
ming to college students, would over
see UPC. Therefore, UPC would no
longer benefit from working with
trained professionals in the Office for
Student Involvement. These profes
sionals negotiate and sign contracts,
which students, including members
of ASUN, arc not allowed to do under
university policy. Without these pro
fessionals. who w ill legally bring pro
gramming to UNL?
Also, students will no longer have
the opportunity to learn publicity and
marketing techniques and to develop
organizational and leadership skills
from the extensive background of the
professional members of the Office
for Student Involvement.
' We suggest UNL students contact
the ASUN office and express their
concerns about an issue that clearly is
of such magnitude to all students that
more time and consideration is defi
nitely prudent.
To the ASUN senators, we would
ask that you postpone judgment on
this legislation until you arc able to
make a well-informed decision.
Michelle Jensen
Dorene Johnson
UPC event directors
‘Utterly repulsed’
Scott Knutson(DN, April 25,1994)
was utterly repulsed by the apathy
students displayed after learning a
rich, 81-year-old ex-president was
dead.
Well, I’m utterly repulsed by the
glorification of politicians.
It is obvious to me now more than
ever that the American flag has little
to do with respect fbr human life,
contrary to what Knutson seems to
believe. It is nothing more than a tool
and representation of patriotism. „
Lowering the flag to half-mast is
reserved solely for tragedies involv
ing the government. How many times
have we seen a lowered flag for any of
the “ordinary” Americans who arc
killed every day by violent crimes? It
is obviously selective about which
human life it respects.
Knutson should not be surprised
that others have more inclusive be
liefs. Don’t look at a flag to represent
humanity. It doesn’t, and it's not sup
posed to.
Scott Ferguson
sophomore
Spanish. English
I_ IV - ' * lMHi
Amy Schmidt
Go away Lil Red
At first I thought it was a clever
prank ... an inflated, impish figure
bouncing across the field at Memorial
Stadium ... a figure frozen on the
evol ul iona ry sea Ic somew he rc between
the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Little
Boy Blue,
Subsequent games proved, how
ever, that this was no prank — per
haps a begrudging concession by the
Athletic Department to some eccen
tric (and rich) alum — but no prank.
Now it seems that “Lil Red* is lobe
a permanent addition to football Sat
urdays and other local events (DN,
April 19, 1994).
While "Herbie Huskcr is not the
most endearing figure one could imag
ine as a mascot, he docs have a certain
substance and character about him.
One look at “Lil Red” evokes images
ofk iddic pools, used-car lots and some
tired, hot teen-ager standing on a
median, flagging traffic for a S9.95
bucket of cnickcn and fresh-baked
biscuits.
Mascots should promote pride and
enthusiasm, not derision. Nebraska
already has a difficult time maintain
ing national respect without this air
filled embarrassment hopping across
the field every few minutes.
Rent “Lil Red” to birthday parties
and use the proceeds to lower student
ticket prices. Otherwise, recycle.
Colin Croft
Lincoln
Editor's note: Ahmer and fellow
graduate student Abbas Ali trav
eled to Bosnia in October 1992,
bringing humanitarian assistance
to a number of cities, including
Mostar and Gorazde. Ali went back
to Bosnia three months ago, while
Ahmer continues to raise support
here.
Help out
As I am writing now, hundreds of
innocent men, women and children
arc being mercilessly killed. They arc
being hunted likeanimals in the streets
as they run for cover, and they arc
being killed in their homes, churches,
mosques and in the very institutions
set to provide relief, the hospitals. On
April 20, a Serb tank fired into the
emergency room of the Gorazde hos
pital from a distance ofonly 500 yards.
As the world watches in shameless
stupor, scores of women and girls as
young as 10 arc being raped — right
now!
The Bosnian Serbs have massa
cred, tortured and raped their own
neighbors. I shudder with the thought
of what awaits the ones who have
managed to escape death and rape,
especially when they have committed
a sin graver than being a non-Serb.
They have resisted the Serbs for two
years, a sin a Serb will never forgive.
Do you know that two years ago.
funds were raised from the University
of Ncbraska-Lincoln, that students
personally took those funds to the
war-affected areas, and that they al
most paid with their lives for “doing
something”?
Dear faculty, staff and my fellow
students, of all that went into that
effort, together, we did make a differ
ence. All ofyouwho donated,encour
aged and prayed for the cause, were
and arc a part ofi t More than $350,000
was raised from UNL and other places
and was transferred in the form of
food, clothing and medicine. More
than $35,000 worth of supplies were
sent to Gorazdc last May. Doesn’t it
give you a little comfort to know that
you were part of that effort? An effort
that brought a little relief, a little hope
and a few smiles to the people who, i n
their own words, arc facing “hell,
horror and terror.”
We have done it before, and we
intend to do it now. Come and share
this undertaking with us —- again!
. Sulcman Ahmer
graduate student
electrical engineering
