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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1994)
Thursday, August 25, 1994 Page 4 Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln . . ..Editor, 472-/766 .Opinion Page Editor .Managing Editor .Associate News Editor .Columnist/Associate News Editor .Photography Director . . .... Copy Desk Chief ... Cartoonist Kill IOUI \l Cramped quarters Freshman housing should he top priority Two years ago, it would have been a dream come true for university housing officials. Now it’s more like a nightmare. It seems no room is left in the inn for University of Ncbras ka-Lincoln freshman. Residence halls are full, and 300 students are left without shelter... well, almost. Housing officials have given 186 freshmen temporary room assignments, such as the TV lounges of Abel Residence Hall. Staying in rooms with carpeted walls might seem like an adventure, but it actually could spell trouble for new students. It is challenging enough fostering an academic environment living on campus, but if students don’t have a room in which to study, academic problems begin. JeffZeleny... Kara Morrison. Angie Brunkow. Je ffrey Rohh . . . Rainbow Rowell Kiley Christian. Mike Lewis.... James Mehsling i he first semester or classes is critical to tne success or any student. Freshmen are busy buying books, finding their way around campus and getting used to living away from home. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether they will have a place to sleep at night. The university doesn’t promise students they will get the classes they request or an easy ride through university bureau cracy and red tape, but it did promise freshman a place to sleep. The housing nightmare needs to be solved immediately, before students’ academic careers arc affected. In the future, adequate room must be made for freshmen, even if that means putting a cap on uppcrclass students living in other residence halls. Misguided focus Gun debate misses crime bill target As the crime bill nears a Senate vote, questions coming out of Congress arc as unhelpful as the partisan banter. So far, the biggest debate on the bill has been on whether every American ought to be able to own a semi-automatic assault weapon. The name “assault” weapon says it all. Hunting and self protection arc not the issues. Allowing private citizens to unrestrainedly possess weapons made for the sole purpose of killing people defies all logic. So what arc the issues? The $30.2 billion crime bill contains $8.8 billion for 100,000 new police officers, $6.9 billion for crime prevention programs and life in prison for three-time violent felons. There is much to debate other than conservative Republicans’ insistence on assault weapons. Guaranteeing each American the right to an assault weapon has nothing to do with solving crime. Nor have Congressional debates shown much commitment toward finding long-term answers. I DlliiKI \l I'OI l< \ SUIT editorials represent the official policy of the Fall I *W4 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 of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its students. I I I I I l< I’OI It \ The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters 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 are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material should run as a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property ofthe 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, if any Requests to withhold names will not be granted Submit material to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448 NjtfKSK I'.h I II I<S m I III I Dl low Accountability Like most students, I am growing weary of the constant bickering between the University Program Council and the Association of Students of the University of Nebras ka. I feel both UPC and ASUN arc ignoring student needs by the ongoing debate on who should choose UPC members. It seems to me that this debate is progressing on two different levels, and this is the core reason that the sides cannot come to a consensus. ASUN wants more accountability for students. This is the reason many senators have given for their action last semester. ASUN consulted Dick Wood, the University of Nebraska’s legal counsel, and he suggested this action was appropriate and necessary to increase UPC’s accountability to students. This, to me, is a bold stroke for ASUN to increase accountability and to look out for student fees. UPC, on the other hand, has challenged this as a bold stroke to negate the programming UPC has done in the past, and it has said the change would destroy UPC. They suggest amjn members, as elected officials, are not able to be account able to students’ needs the way UPC has. I cannot disagree more, however. UPC docs not have the accountability that ASUN does. The only account ability that UPC has is by means of ASUN’s throwing money UPC’s way. This is not accountability. The Daily Nebraskan (that is clearly not a “unit” of ASUN that UPC suggests it will become) has its Publications Board appointed in a similar fashion as ASUN suggests for UPC. UPC must have more accountability to students — this is not a challenge to credibili ty, but a challenge to listen to the voices and needs of students. As it stands now, I would never have the access to UPC that I would to my senators. This is why I find it incredulous that UPC docs not wish to be accountable to the students it serves. If ASUN appointed its senators by interview and not by election, there would be an uproar. Already, the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Nebraska at Omaha appoint their programming the way ASUN proposes. I can’t sec why UPC would not want a more public process to appoint its members, unless that process was exclusive. Many would challenge that ASUN is not accountable. However, if UPC or any other organization or person feels that way, they should quit their complaining and do something about it. ASUN is far from perfect, but it is up to the student body to vote. Each student has a voice in a vote. If they failed to express that voice last election, they should look to do so in the future. However, if they are to challenge what their government does for them without taking the five minutes out of the entire school year to vote, they should act in the future to make student government account able to their needs. However, at least there is a mechanism there for the students’ voice that is clearly lacking in UPC. James A. Collura senior biological sciences 1 f. ■" — Bret Gottschall/ON “Who Cares?” In response to Shane Tucker’s column (DN, Aug. 23,1994), his 18 paragraph-Iong whimpering com plaint about how fifteen Delta Upsilon boys will have to go out each day searching for parking spaces with the rest of us — all because of the new green space — left me thinking, “who the hell cares?” Probably about 15 of your readers. It appears to me that this incident has badly scarred Mr. Tucker so much that it has forced him to stoop so low a as to mock Chancellor Spanicr’s name seven times. Such wit! Names lik^ “Grammy Spammy” prove that originality and imagina tion arc unnecessary to become a Daily Nebraskan columnist. It also pushed Mr. Sucker toward threaten ing the very livelihood of the beauti ful green space by suggesting that the unfortunate DUs park there. I hope Mr. Tucker and others who feel so strongly about this devastating event will be able to get on with their lives and maybe even face some real problems. Brice Sullivan sophomore general studies Takeover The University Program Council was subjected to an attempted takeover by the Association of Students of the University of Nebras ka during dead week last spring. Because of the timing, UPC had little opportunity to respond and inform the student body about what was happen ing. Although ASUN’s bylaw change was passed, giving ASUN the power to select the membership of UPC, the fight over this issue is not dead. UPC voted to refuse to rccogni/e the proposed changes to its constitu tion and selection process as mandat ed by ASUN’s legislation based upon legal counsel. The fact is, ASUN did not have the authority to lake such action against UPC. now, AbUN is trying 10 torcc UPC to submit to this unjustified and damaging action by taking it to Student Court. Since the original takeover attempt was orchestrated to exclude as many students as possible, now would be a perfect opportunity for those who were left out before to voice their opposition to ASUN. UPC needs the students to show their support for UPC and let ASUN know it was not acting on their behalf when it took this action. ASUN’s arguments for taking over UPC hinged on Andrew Loudon’s misinterpretation of the NU Board of Regents’ policy and ASUN’s own constitution. The decision made by the senators last spring was railroaded through without giving UPC an opportunity to adequately defend itself. Although ASUN supporters used the word “accountability” as justification for taking this action, the truth, as UPC and the Nebraska Civil Liberties Union have interpreted it. is that ASUN is attempting to control the programming offered on this campus, and in effect to violate the right to free speech. 1 encourage all students who do not want ASUN censoring the type of programming offered on this campus to make their voices heard by calling ASUN senators and writing the Daily Nebraskan. ASUN is under your control if you take action. David Bolkovac UPC financial manager