Black History Month celebrates, remembers
Spotlight aims to paint
positive yet truthful view
of African Americans
By Laura King
Staff Reporter
“The celebration tends not to promote
propaganda, but to counteract it by popu
larizing the truth. ...for what the world
needs is not a history of selected races or
nations but the history of the world void of
national bias, race hate and religious preju
dice. ’’
— Carter G. Woodson
One man’s efforts to give African Ameri
cans a time to celebrate their history and
recognize their achievements led to the cre
ation of Black History Month in 1976.
Carter G. Woodson is the father of Black
History Month, which is being observed this
month.
Greg Williams, an education specialist
for African-American students at UNL, said
Woodson wanted to change the misrepre
sentation and dispel the myths about blacks
and black history.
“Slavery left many people with the per
ception that blacks were inferior,” Williams
said.
People need to know about African
American struggles today and in the past, he
said.
James Anyike, author of “African Ameri
can Holidays,” describes in the book ways to
celebrate each week of Black History Month.
During the first week, he wrote, people
should focus on the contributions of Afri
cans to world history. Attention should be
given to the fact that all races came from
The following events are scheduled as part of
lINL’s observance of Black History Month.
■
■ Today - Students serving food at the City
Mission, sponsored by the Black Law Students
Association, 4:30 p.m., Law College.
■ Feb. 21 - Soul Food Dinner at Selleck Had.
Free for ad students living on campus.
■ Feb. 22 Black Student Government Big 8
Oklahoma City. Participants from
23.
Source: UNL Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs |
African ancestors, he wrote. With this trib
ute, respect for African heritage and com
mitment to the Africa’s future is shown, he
wrote.
During the second week of February,
Anyike wrote, memorial programs should
be held to remember the millions of Afri
cans who died as a result of slavery, lynch
ing and race riots. Children of African
American families must be told about their
ancestors who died fighting for freedom, he
wrote.
During the third week, African Ameri
cans should recognize important people in
African history, such as inventors, athletes,
entertainers and artists.
John Harris, special assistant to James
Griesen, the vice chancellor of student af
fairs, said Black History Month was a time
to say to African Americans, “This is who
you are. These are people like you who have
done something.”
A Rites of Passage program is part of the
last week of the month. This training, which
takes youths about 16 into adulthood, may
be an opportunity to pass on family, reli
gious and cultural values, according to
Anyike.
Harris said students should not rely on
others or the university to educate them
about African history during February or
the rest of the year.
“The university should be mindful of all
cultural communities and show an effort to
provide resources, enhancing the achieve
ments of all students,” Harris said.
Williams said Black History Month gave
African Americans a sense of identity and a
sense of history and achievement.
“By seeing these African-Americans who
have achieved so much, blacks can gain the
self-esteem to also achieve,” he said.
Both Williams and Harris said they hoped
to see the time when there was no need for
a Black History Month because it would be
a part of all history.
Harris said he did not expect UNL to be
responsive to more diversified curriculum
because it was not historically an African
American institution.
“At historically Black institutions. Black
History Month is not an issue,” Harris said.
But the responsibility of diversifying
curriculum does not belong solely to the
university. Harris said anyone who thought
programming that enhanced, taught and
shared a that culture was significant should
step up.
“It would be nice if UNL responded, but
the responsibility is mine,” Harris said.
- -— : :---—»■■■ .. ■■ ■-— ! ; — e ; ■„ - ■■ y I
Residence hall rate hike has some students up in arms
By John Fulwider
Staff Reporter
Some students returning to the residence
halls next year aren’t happy about the $60
increase in room rates.
Ryan Olson, a freshman general studies
major, is one of them.
“It’s not right that people who don’t even
have computers have to pay for the whole
thing,” Olson said. “I don’t even own a com
puter.”
Some students were not aware of the in
crease, which would pay for improved access to
HUSKERnet in the residence halls. Others did
not understand what the improvement involved.
Jenn Elliott, a sophomore psychology ma
jor, said she would like to have improved
access, but she couldn’t use it because she also
didn’t have her own computer.
“I think it’s kind of unnecessary,” she said;
“Are they going to provide me with a computer
to hook up?”
Olson said he planned to move to an apart
ment at the end of this year. He said the rising
cost of living in the residence halls, including
the planned increase, was a large factor in his
decision to leave the halls.
“It’s cheaper to move into an apartment
than it is to live in the dorms,” he said.
Other students said they felt the housing
office had broken its promise to them not to
raise rates for returning residents.
Douglas Zatechka, former director of hous
ing, said the increase was justified because it
was a system-wide improvement. Increases in
returning students’ rates are allowed, he said,
when such an improvement is made.
Zatechka said new residents would shoul
der most of the increased costs. Of the $205
increase for new residents, he said, about $90
would cover their share of the network access
improvement.
Diane Peterson, a sophomore pre-physical
therapy major, thought the housingoffice should
have surveyed residents to see if they wanted
improved access to HUSKERnet.
Zatechka said there wasn’t enough time to
do a survey of individual residents. Residence
hall governments were surveyed, he said, and
they wanted the improvements but at the lowest
possible cost.
Peterson also said she wondered whether
the $60 increase would be just for next year or
if it would continue into other years.
Zatechka said room rates would not go up
after next year, barring an unforeseen circum
stance.
“The plan is not to keep that jumping every
year,” he said.
The NU Board of Regents will vote on the
new rates at their meeting on Saturday.
ASUN ballot referendum
seeks union project input
By Melanie Branded
Staff Reporter
When students vote in next
month’s ASUN election, they won’t
just be electing next year’s executives
and senators.
They also will vote on whether to
support the proposed expansion of
the Nebraska Union using student
fees.
A referendum asking students if
flgllift- they would back
the proposal will
ibe placed on the
ballot.
A preliminary
copy of the refer
endum was ap
- proveu oy asuin
senators on Feb. 1. A final copy was
completed this week.
The first part of the referendum
will ask students what they would
like included in the proposed expan
sion. A list of nine possible busi
nesses that could be housed in the
union will be provided for students to
choose what services they would want.
The second and third sections ask
students if they would support the
proposed expansion using a 20 per
cent increase in mandatory student
fees each semester to pay off the bonds
that would be used to complete the
project.
ASUN President Andrew Loudon .
said the referendum was necessary
because the plan needed to have stu
dent input.
“We need to get a good indication
of how students feel about the union
expansion,” he said. “The best way to
do that is through a referendum.”
James Griesen, vice chancellor for
student affairs, said he thought the
referendum would play a major role
in determining whether the expan
sion project would be approved.
“The vote of those who come to the
polls in the spring elections will be an
important indicator of student sup
port, but it won’t be the only gauge by
which we’ll judge student support for
the project,” he said. .
Because most students would not
receive the benefits of an expanded
and renovated union, administrators
were planning to defer a student fee
increase until the project was com
pleted, Griesen said.
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