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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1995)
. Daily Nebraskan Ecfitoriai Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln ' JeffZeleny....Editor. 472-1766 Jeff Robb.Managing Editor Matt Woody...Opinion Page Editor DeDra Janssen.Associate News Editor Rainbow Rowell.Arts & Entertainment Editor James Mehsling..Cartoonist Chris Hain...Senior Reporter No comment Chancellor’s refusal to talk disturbing ^ For a while now, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Graham Spanier has been eerily silent. Through his silence, he has deceived the students, faculty and staff oi mis university, as well as all Nebraskans. Ever since March 7, when it was reported that Spanier turned down the presidency of the University of Washington, the chancellor has been silent about the offer and his future at UNL. Now reports are surfacing that Spanier is seeking the job of president of the Pennsylva nia State University system. And what does Spanier have to say? Nothing. And that’s the whole problem. It is bad for a university when its leader is reported to be looking to leave. It is even worse when the leaderwon’tcomment on the situation one way or another. We understand the academic worldcan be very transitory. Spanier shouldn’t be criticized if he wants to leave. If that’s the case, he should just say so. Loose lips are said to sink ships, but in this case, the silence is stirring up the waters. Interestingly enough, Chancellor Spanier is supposed to be off campus beginning this afternoon for “spring break activities,” accord ing to UNL spokeswoman Phyllis Larsen. He couldn’t have picked a better time. When speculation and rumors are spreading like wildfire, what does Spanier do? He fans the flames with his absence. Spanier told some news reporters Tuesday that the media had been sloppy in its coverage of his employment. It is unfortunate Spanier feels this way. However, the chancellor must remember he answers to the people —not himself. The Graham Spanier that has run UNL since late 1991 has shown strong leadership, whether or notpeople liked what he did. He always faced his criticism head on. It is time for Spanier to talk again. Another view Nebraska has two options when it comes to water regulations. It can compromise with other states or go to court. State Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln is offering somegood advice by urging the state to compromise. Beutler warned that Nebraska could face an expensive court judgement if it doesn’t adopt a law to jointly regulate the use of groundwater and surface water. The state of Kansas is ready to sue Nebraska for overuse of water in the Republican River Basin in violation of an existing water compact, according to Beutler. The lawsuit could result in tens of millions of dollars in damages. ' The cost could be more than just money. A court ruling could determine how much waterNebraska can use in the Republican River Basin. With a compromise, Nebraskans can have a say in how much water is used. _ island Independent Editorial policy Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Sprang 1995. Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board Editori alsdonotnecessarilyreflect theviews of the university, its employees, the studentsortheNUBoardofRegents. Editorial columns representthe opin ion ofthe author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL Publications Board to su pervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the edito rial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its students. Letter policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publication on thebasis 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 ma terial as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material should run as a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to die newspaper become the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be pub lished. Letters should included die author’s name, year in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submitmaterial to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. ■ I Send your brief letters to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, Neb. 68588. Or fax to: (402) 472-1761. Letters must be signed and include a phone number for verification. ,v w Discrimination In regards to Todd Meedel ’s letter (March 14), back in the fall there was a career and graduate school fair for everyone at the Devaney Center. I thought it was well publicized. If Meedel would have had the foresight to attend it then, instead of waiting until the last minute, maybe he wouldn’t be so outraged at one of the few services the university is trying to offer to its minorities. And, personally, I would encourage Meedel to show up at the minority fair. I hope no race police are going to bar any from entering if they’re not a minority. But it seems the issue goes deeper than just gaining admittance to a job fair. The ideas underlying affirmative action have always been controversial. Although I don’t completely agree with those ideas. I’ve asked myself why we have minority services. Why do we have the women’s center? Are we discriminating against males? Why do we have all-male or all-female schools? Are we discriminating against the other gender? A simple, superficial answer is that we still have a ways to go before achieving gender and racial equality. Unfortunately, a real answer, which involves historical understanding and empathy, is impractical at this point — that is, it won’t get you an automatic invitation to a minority job fair. It’s deplorable that reverse discrimina tion exists, but unless you are a minority, you can never know how much more discrimination you can be faced with. Kobporn Lulu Cha senior chemistry ‘Turn the page’ For all you people that have a problem with the “Strip Pool” ad that is being run in the Daily Nebraskan, I have a few creative suggestions for you. If the ad in the Daily Nebraskan bothers you so much, then just turn the page. If the subject matter of what is on a television show offends you, change the channel. If the morning radio station’s DJs aren’t up to what you consider a professional standard, then change the radio station. If a movie’s subject matter isn’t morally correct, then leave the show. If the content of a book is offensive, then, stop reading. Get off your high horse and request your 88 cents back. Give me a break, people. If you’re that upset, then simply do not read the Daily Nebraskan. Steven Crandall junior arts and sciences i ' ITimiMli iMiillilil iM—nT'~.!■».I BretGottschall/DN Gqrs in military I must first disqualify myself by saying that I am not a member of the armed forces or a homosexual. Rather, I am a “typical” American who tries to look at social issues with a just eye. In this capacity, I hope others can relate to my opinions. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is the Clinton campaign promise that brought hope to previously banned gay U.S. citizens who desired to serve their country. The military openly acknowledges its belief that homosexuals are bad for morale and erode preparedness because heterosexuals are wary of working with them. The policy allows gays to serve in the military provided they don’t engage in homosexual activity and keep their sexual orientation a secret. We are preparing our soldiers with the most advanced skills, techniques and technology in the world. Yet, the military relieves that our country’s best cannot handle working with each other unless they are all of the same sexual orientation. If you could imagine being a heterosexual in a world of inverted sexual orientation, you could better understand what gays face in die military. I would like to see the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy turn over. The military possesses the most current technology, why can’t it possess ethics that are several years old? Dave Ahlman sophomore French and marketing Lied lecture When I heard about Martin E. Marty’s conference on fundamen talism, I decided not to go to the Lied Crater because I believed that he would accuse Islam and Mus lims, like many other recent events. Closing my eyes and ears seemed good for me to keep living calm. Later, I changed my idea and decided to go to the lecture in order to see how the accusing would be done. My decision was totally correct, although I had a prejudice. I learned about real fundamentalism on March 9 from an expert. Thank you, Professor Marty and support ers of the lecture. Ahmet Uhidag graduate student agronomy
