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Wednesday, September 20, 1995 Page 4
Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoin
J. Christopher Main..Editor, 472-1766
Rainbow Rowell.Managing Editor
Mark Baldridge.Opinion Page Editor
DeDra Janssen.Associate News Editor
Doug Kouma...Arts & Entertainment Editor
JejfZeleny.Senior Reporter
Matt Woody. Senior Reporter
James Mehsling..Cartoonist
Speak up *
Domestic violence wrongly unreported
Recent alleged incidents of domestic violence have made head
lines for Nebraska and the Huskers.
What’s most disturbing about these stories is the claim, from all
sides, that a history of abuse existed between Lawrence Phillips
and Kate McEwen.
Everyone who knew them appears to have known about this.
Tom Osborne himself was concerned enough to have offered his
home phone number to McEwen and told her to call him in the
event of trouble.
He went so far as to warn Phillips earlier in the semester that any
trouble would get him lacked on
| the team.
UNL women’s basketball
I coach Angela Beck also knew
j McEwen had been harassed by
Phillips.
The question that comes
immediately to mind is why —
if everyone knew about incidents
of violence — was no violence
reported to the authorities previ
ously?
The example this con
spiracy of silence offers is a poor
one.
Domestic violence is a
profound social problem, in this
state and the countiy at laige.
According to an article in
Omaha’s Sunday World-Herald,
about 3,000 women (victims of
*—*——- 11 Bret Gottschaii/DN domestic violence) sougnt ser
vices from Nebraska shelters and crisis hotlines last year.
A Senate Judiciary report from 1992 states that somewhere be
tween four and six million women in America are beaten in their
homes annually.
And some experts calculate that an American woman has a one
in-four chance of facing some kind of sexual violence in her life
time.
Those odds are intolerable.
Look around you. Count the first four women you pass.
One of them.
How can half the popiflktion of our country suffer from such
terrible odds?
It is only because of this terrible silence that people stand by, and
watch, and do nothing.
By allowing violence to continue under our noses, we abdicate
our civic responsibility. '
Those who observe violence against women, or who have infor
mation regarding domestic violence, have a moral obligation to re
port this criminal activity to the authorities.
We allow the sore of violence to fester if we leave it in the dark.
We foster it, allowing it to spread and grow.
If previous incidents of violence between Phillips and McEwen
were known to Osborne, Beck and others, and yet they did nothing,
then responsibility for whatever further violence may have been
committed rests, partly, on the heads of those who knew, and failed
to act.
Editorial policy
Staff editorials represent the official
policy of die Fall 1995 Daily Nebras
kan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebras
kan Editorial Board. Editorials do not
necessarily reflect die views of die
university, its employees, die students
or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial
columns represent die opinion of die
author. The regents publish the Daily
Nebraskan. They establish the UNL
Publications Board to supervise the
daily production of the paper. Accord
ing to policy set by the regents, respon
sibility for the editorial content of the
newspaper lies solely in die hands of its
students.
Letter policy
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to die
editor from all readers and interested others. Letters
will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity,
originality, timeliness aid space available. The Daily
Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all matajiL'^
submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit iriate
rial as guest opinions. The editor decides whether
materia] should run as a guest opinion. Letters and
guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be re
turned. Anonymous submissions will not be pub
lished. Letters should include the author’s name, year
in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Re
quests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit
material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union,
1400 R St Lincoln, Neb. 685884)448.
—
—
A bad gangsta’ rap
I cannot believe how the Daily
Nebraskan can insert a picture like
the the one shown on the front page
of the Sept. 18 issue under the
headline “Fight erupts following
dance in union.”
In my opinion, the picture is
aimed to portray racism and
stereotypes the black race.
Looking at the picture, the
accused black man is wearing a
bandanna and a hooded jacket. With
his eyes down and his mouth open,
he is saying, “I didn’t do anything,
Officer!”
Ah yes, here we have it, your
typical gangster look and attitude.
Just look at the policeman’s eyes
staring right at him. Yeah, it seems
all police officers know that these
people cause nothing but trouble.
Another neat effect is the mass of
people off in the background. Since
the accused black man can only be a
gangster, the other people at the
dance can only be affiliated with
gangs too.
It only makes sense, right?
Wrong!
Having a background in journal
ism and some knowledge of
journalism ethics, this picture
cannot be ethical.
This picture is biased only to
show that most people in gangs are
black, and black gangsters involved
with fights are anything but new.
Brad Dworak
Sophomore
Computer Engineering
THumphof God
I appreciated the honesty of
Mark Baldridge’s column (Darkness
prevails in society, Sept. 18) in the
Monday paper.
All of us, at times, have felt
ripped off by the world we live in.
Although I know for certain that
this world is part of a grand design,
I must admit that some days are
better than others.
What I do know is that the only
way that I can make heads or tails of
this place called Earth is to look
toward God. Only my intimate
relationship with God can give me
peace in this unpeaceful world.
I am so thankful that God hasn’t
given me some “religious hoops” to
jump through, but an unconditional
invitation to His love.
I hope that all would consider the
God that has prevailed against my
darkness.
Jason Opp
Senior
Business Administration
via e-mail
€
of a very special person — my
mother.
My mom made the decision to
stay home and raise me and my
brother. The investment she made in
my life will never be forgotten.
It took courage to put her own
dreams aside and give her life to the
enrichment of mine.
To the women out there who
“M” is for....
I want to say a few words
regarding the series of articles (last
week) on the accomplishments of
women.
There were definitely some very
great things written, but I wanted to
tell you about the accomplishments
Bret Gottschaii/UN
dream of a great career, I say go for
it!
All I ask is that you not look
down on those who choose the most
selfless career of them all.
Eric Smith
Junior
Music Composition/Pre-Med
...to the
Nebraskan
Send your brief letters to:
Daily Nebraskan, 34
Nebraska Union, 1400 R St.,
Lincoln, Neb. 68588, or Fax
to (402) 472-1761, or email
cletters @ unlinfo.unl.edu.>
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