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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 1996)
EDITOR Doug Kouma OPINION EDITOR Anne Hjersman EDITORIAL BOARD Doug Peters Matt Waite Paula Lavigne Mitch Sherman BethNarans OUR VIEW If you’re a dreamer With a little resolve, anything is possible This is the year. This is the year everything will go as planned. All homework will be done — early. There will be no drop-outs. This is the year everyone will have plenty of time to party. But no one will suffer a hangover. And every addic tion will be obliter ated. This is the year no one will drive drunk. « This will be the year of no regrets.” Everyone will wear a seat belt. No one will be afraid to be out alone at night. This is the year there will be ample park ing at every hour of every day in every cor ner of the campus. The parking patrol will have mercy on coinless students and students who are just too busy to plug their meters. Gas prices will be reasonable. This is the year no one will go broke. Everyone who wants to be employed will be. All bills will be paid in full and on time. This is the year the Comhuskers will get only good press. The football team’s hard work will not be overshadowed by a few players’ lack of self control. There will be no need for apologetic press conferences in front of overzealous reporters. This is the year there will be no violence. The student body will live in harmony. No students will die. This is the year everyone will get into a good relationship, or out of a bad one. People will practice safe sex. The AIDS virus will be stopped dead in its tracks. This is the year all students will exer cise their right to vote. The fall election will bring out the best in American democracy with a president who can be respected and a Congress that always does “the right thing.” Everyone will dedicate some time and money to a good cause. This is the year everybody will eat right and exercise regularly. * No laundry will go undone. Everything will be perfect. OK, so maybe not. But it’s worth a shot. Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 1996 Daily Nebraskaa They do not nec essarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its stu dent body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is soley the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Edito rial Board. The UNL Publications Board, es tablished by the regents, supervises the pro duction of the newspaper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. Letter Poucy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief let ters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Sub mitted material becomes the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be re turned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affilia tion, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. E-mail: lettera@unlinfo.Mri.edu. MEHSLING'S VIEW Afe Doug PETERS Wisdom from a wise guy Seasoned student says experience is the best teacher I read my first Daily Nebraskan Back to School issue seven years ago, on Aug. 24,1989.1 was a wide-eyed freshman, and as such, I was obliged to wear my backpack over both shoul ders, ask older students “where’s Broyhill Fountain?” and get trapped in the Union’s revolving doors. Back then, George Bush was less than a year into his presidency. “Mem bers Only” jackets had been left in the wake of fashion history* as had aqua “Miami Vice” blazers, but just barely. They had been replaced by the outra geously stylish bendable rubber sun glasses with neon earpieces. “Beverly Hills 90210” was still just an idea in some greedy little Holly wood brain, and computer literacy meant being able to write a Basic pro gram that made any dirty saying of your choice fill the screen in an endless 30 GOTO 20 loop. In other words, a lot has happened since then. Seven years ago, DN columnist Bob Nelson wrote the welcome back col umn. Bob went on to launch a wildly popular, but unsuccessful, write-in campaign for UNL homecoming king that year, by the way. Keep that in mind when October rolls around. My memory isn’t what it used to be, so I had to dig out the fall 1989 bound volume from the bowels of the DN of Fice. This is what the Daily Nebraskan told me back then, four days before my college career began: Tiffany and New Kids On The Block were set to perform at the Ne braska State Fair. Their shows sold out before the Back to School issue hit the stands. Enrollment rose despite—surprise! —tuition increases. Students flocked to residence halls in record numbers. « You’re not in the Ivy League, but big deal. There’s an education to be had here. A good one.” Nobody cared about student gov ernment, and student government wanted to know why. Now, as we welcome the class of 2000 to UNL, enrollment is increas ing despite—you guessed it—tuition increases. The residence halls are over crowded for the third straight year. And llie only people who care about student government are the people IN student government. In 1989, the Big Red football faith ful were wondering who would be the next Steve Taylor (who was, of course, the next Turner Gill). Now, we wonder who will be the next Tommie Frazier, who was, thank fully, much more than “the next Mickey Joseph.” But back to Bob. He welcomed us freshmen to “one of the least selective universities in the country.” “Combine this fact with the general triviality and materialism of college students today,” he wrote, “and you and all of us enrolled here today could go down in history as the lamest simple tons ever to receive college degrees.” And, lo, after four, four-and-a-half, five years, a fair number of lame simple tons received degrees from UNL and became the lamest simpletons ever to occupy entry-level jobs in corporate America. BUT... many transcended the lame simpleton label. They sought education —in and out of the classroom—and found it. They made friends, not con tacts. They went to parties AND classes, and they learned about failure as well as success. They are now teachers, soldiers, engineers, doctors-to-be, husbands and mothers. They aren’t glued to the couch watching “Singled Out” (at least not all the time), nor are they permanent fixtures in their offices, watching the stock market repots and counting then dividends. True, much has changed here at UNL since I was a freshman. But more has stayed the same. So if you’re just getting to UNL, take heart: You’re not in the Ivy League, but big deal. There’s an edu cation to be had here. A good one. You probably won’t find it in the bottom of a beer can, but you won’t find it locked in your room with your nose in the books, either. Some of the most important lessons here come from everyday experiences outside of the classroom. Only a lame simpleton would tell you otherwise. Peters is a graduate student of journalism and Daily Nebraskan managing editor. ebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St., Lincoln, fbrfax to (402) 472-1761,ore-mail<letters@unlinfo.unLedu. rs must be signed and include a phone number for verification
