Ohnjon
Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
JejfZeleny.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
Ouch!
Ticket prices gouge students’ wallets
Once again this season, students will have to pay a higher price
if they want to see the Nebraska football team.
But this trend of increasing ticket prices is no stranger to Ath
letic Director Bill Byrne’s three-year tenure at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
In 1992, the final year of Bob Devaney’s reign as athletic direc
tor, season tickets for students cost $48.
Byrne raised the price in 1993 — his first year — to $56 for
seven games. Despite playing one less home game in 1994, the prices
again went up — this time a $19 increase to $73 for the six-game
home schedule.
So it should come as no surprise that Byrne again raised ticket
prices for the 1995 season, as the seven home games will cost stu
dents $87.50 — $14.50 more than last season.
Maybe Byrne is excited that he is at a school where the students
are willing to pay almost any price to watch their beloved Huskers
play, instead of having to pay people to go watch a game, which he
probably had to do at Oregon.
Byrne should recognize there is no Colorado or even UCLA play
ing in Lincoln this year. With the possible exception of Oklahoma,
Nebraska likely won’t play any rated teams at home in 1995.
If Byrne tries to justify the increase by Nebraska winning the
national championship, he should remember just how much the ath
letic department already has made from the No. 1 ranking.
Just because Byrne is finally at a school with a good athletic
program, it doesn’t give him the right to take it out on the pocket
books of students.
Real trooper
Pulling over officers was right move
Kudos to Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Reg Ayers for enforcing
the law against two fellow officers from the Omaha Police Depart
ment.
The Omaha officers, Joe Schenkelbeig and Ron Fyfe, are charged
with careless driving and impeding traffic. The charges stem from a
March 19 incident in which the two allegedly drove side-by-side on
Interstate 80 for about 75 miles while traffic piled up behind them.
Ayers—a veteran State Patrol Trooper from York—said he had
to drive in the highway ditch to get around the police officers to
pull them over.
In a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours world” some out
state officers would be intimidated by policemen from the Big O.
But not Ayers and the York County Attorney’s office.
Because of their willingness to follow the letter of the law, and
the media attention resulting from the incident, Omaha Police Chief
Jim Skinner ordered an internal investigation into his officers’ ac
tions.
Drivers who were heading west on Interstate 80 that day have
since reported that the policemen sped up and slowed down, occa
sionally turned on their red lights and talked on their radios as they
drove down the interstate.
This incident is — and should be — embarrassing for Omaha
police. Let’s hope the officers check their arrogance at the door
when they appear at a hearing in York County Court on April 19.
Let’s also hope they take the bus to York from Omaha.
Editorial policy
Staff editorials represent the official
policy of the Spring 1995. Daily
Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editori
als do not necessarily reflectthe views
of the university, its employees, the
students or the NU Board of Regents.
Editorial columns represent the opin
ion of the author. The regents publish
the Daily Nebraskan. They establish
die UNL Publications Board to su
pervise the daily production of the
paper. According to policy set by the
regents, responsibility forthe 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 the basis of clarity,
originality, timeliness and space available. The Daily
Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all mate
rial submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit
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Requests to withhold names will not be granted.
Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska
Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
Reaganomics
Wednesday evening the House of
Representatives passed the “crown
jewel” of the Contract With
America, $189 billion in massive
broad-based tax cuts.
Reality check. Is anyone thinking
on Capitol Hill? Didn’t we as
Americans go down this tax cut (and
spend) road before? Hmm...
Reagan’s trickle-down economic
policies come to mind.
The (fools’) golden promise of
broad tax cuts, thereby allowing the
trickling down of economic wealth
from the very rich to the very poor,
did not work in the 1980s and is
bound to fail now.
One of the focal points of the
Contract With America is a $500
tax credit to all families whose
household income is $200,000 or
less. This credit would be financed
through massive social program
cuts, i.e. welfare, school lunches,
student loans and Medicare.
Undoubtedly, the lower-income
working American family receives
great benefit from these programs at
a very low cost to the six percent of
Americans who are fortunate
enough to earn more than $100,000
annually.
History is unforgiving to the fool
who does not learn from its mis
takes. Let not President Clinton
commit the errors of Reagonomics.
By casting a strong veto on the tax
cuts of the Congress, President
Clinton will not repeat the economic
failures of the ’80s.
Ryan C. Garton
graduate student
business
NU football
Say it ain’t so, that what I read in
Derek Samson’s sports column
(April 6) isn’t true. Say it isn’t so,
that Tommie Frazier wasn’t quoted
as saying, “I would like to go out
with another one this year, but if we
just go out and have a successful
season, I’ll be happy with that.”
No, Tommie, no. I’m sincere
when I say that you, your fellow
Heisman Trophy candidate
Lawrence Phillips and the rest of the
national-championship Comhuskers
AmySchmidt/DN
are some of the few people that can
give us fans a bright light in an
otherwise dismal state.
I don’t know how, Tommie, but
please try to rekindle that fire that
led your team to the championship
last year. Please.
4
Michael Krings
sophomore
business administration
Homosexuality
I could not help but respond to
Lara Duda’s homosexual respect
column (April 5).
I also have a little voice and even
though I am of the love-the-sinner
hate-the-sin crowd (yes, that is
possible), I must speak out against
the current and ongoing effort to
legitimize homosexuality as just
another lifestyle CHOICE that is
just as loving and wonderful as
heterosexual relationships.
What is the definition of the
politically correct word of
“homophobia”? Oh, now I remem
ber, anyone who sees homosexuality
for what it is, a self-destructive,
chosen lifestyle.
I do not agree with Pastor Fred
Phelps’ methods, as a Christian, but
I do agree that all homosexuals will
stand before God and account for
their sin.
Is it true that Duda can’t under
stand the disgust of homosexuality?
A couple of men engaging in
sodomy is pretty disgusting.
I have compassion for all human
beings, but it is hard to have
sympathy for someone who will
ingly and knowingly engages in
dangerous sex, as all of the AIDS
pamphlets at UNL say it is, and then
want a cure so they can go on
practicing homosexual acts without
the consequences.
I have and always will teach my
children that every one of us is
created equal in God’s eyes. Some
just decide to disobey and will have
to answer for it. (I know we all have
sinned and come short of the glory
of God.)
I believe all persons deserve
respect as human beings, but the
lifestyle of homosexuals deserves
none.
Bill Davis Sr.
sophomore
general studies
Willa Cather
As the university celebrates the
100-year anniversary of Willa
Cather’s graduation from UNL, I
must say I am disappointed. Some
of the money set aside for the three
day event should have been put
toward reframing her picture in the
lobby of Cather Hall. The photo
graph is mounted on such an old mat
(probably from 1895) that it is
covered with large, yellow water
stains.
Instead of patting themselves on
the back for tuning in to “My
Antonia” and attending tree
plantings, organizers could at least
buy a decent frame for the woman’s
photograph.
Julie Connor
senior
news-editorial