The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, February 05, 1997, Page 4, Image 4
Mehs ling’s VIEW JttNOTW OP «l , sui'ies.... EDITOR Doug Kouma OPINION EDITOR Anthony Nguyen EDITORIAL BOARD Anne Hjersman Paula Lavigne Joshua (Min Jessica Kennedy Jeff Randall _Our VIEW 25 or 6 to 4 University needs long-term chancellors When students start staying at a uni versity longer than the administrators, there's a problem. It’s almost as if the ad ministrators are using their time at UNL as !•-; resume filler—much like the students who pay to oe nere. While the Univer sity of Nebraska-Lin coln has been going through administra tors faster than it takes to get a degree, the University of Ne braska at Omaha has had more stability. When UNO Chancellor Del Weber announced his retire ment Jaa 16, he ended 20 years of service to the University of Ne braska. In that time, \\fcb|r became a highly regarded mem ber of the entire NU system. Weber did not use his esteem to work his way up the administrative ladder. He used it to turn “West Dodge High” into a strong university fueled by technology, and attractive for business investment. He also brought in quality faculty members, booked. the college’s aftentiwi^o Jiw.ai^perfoBn-;: ing arts and oversaw improvements to the appearance of the campus itself. The “University of No Opportunity” became a nationally-known institution with Weber as its leader. Weber, a Nebraska na tive, could not have made this transforma tion without getting to know the institution, the city, the structure and the students as he cfofcv _ •. And it took him more than just four years. Weber’s success with UNO should be a signal toNU President Dennis Smith, mem bers of the UNO-chancellor search commit tee, UNL Chancellor James Moeser and any other university administrator. During the recent search for a UNL chancellor, one of the most important ques tions was, “How long is he or she going to stay?” No one wanted to hire someone who would use the job merely as a steppingstone to somewhere else. A university needs someone who has a vision for the institution and plans on stick ing around long enough to see it through. Moeser isn’t facing the moniker of “West O High,” but UNL’s publicized na tional clout ends at the 50-yard line. So if Moeser wants to make “Football U.” rank like Harvard U., he’d better put in his 20 year lease for the Memorial Stadium skybox before it’s too late. UNL has been going through adminis trators faster than it takes to get a degree ' ■'■■■■■ * ■■ -v Editorial Policy Unsigned editorial are the opinions of the Fall 19% Daily Nebraskan. 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 die 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 Policy 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. Submit ted material becomes the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or v group affilia tion, if any. Submit material to: Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 RSt Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters @unlinfo.unl.edu. DN LETTERS Five-alarm Raise Go to any grade school gnd you’ll . find rnaijy children hoping to one da$r grow up to be a firefighter.' However, to do so they will have to experience a cut in pay from their previous part-time job at the local fast-food chain. It sounds ludicrous, but as stated in the article “Firefighters may get higher pay,” (DN, Thursday), it is true. Currently, Lincoln firefighters have a minimum hourly wage of $6.12. This starting wage is “less than those of an employee at Amigos.” This extremely low starting wage is a slap in the face to the individu als who on a daily basis brave the elements to serve the community. Often times these individuals risk their own lives in order to help save the lives of others. How does Lincoln show its gratitude to these men and women? By fighting the proposed wage increase for almost two years. I believe it is time for Lincoln to show its respect for this difficult position and for a job well done. The best way to do this is to raise the minimum wage of firefighters so that it is competitive with those cities comparable to Lincoln. Aaron Ludwig junior biology Balanced Scales I would like to commend the staff of the Daily Nebraskan for their view on the outcome of the Riley Washington case. It seems that all too often, especially in the case of well-known people, the only thing decided by a trial is whether or not prison sentences will be served. Whether or not the person is guilty seems to be decided by the public before, during and after the trial. One of the basic values of America is that every person living here is entitled to a fair, unbiased trial in a court of law — and they are innocent until proven otherwise. Riley Washington was acquitted of the charges brought against him, therefore he is innocent. Mike Kimmel freshman biological systems engineering Beer Run On Jan. 27, the Daily Nebraskan printed an article “Bill would allow vendors to sell liquor until 2 a.m.” I found this article very interesting and a good idea. Since the Iowa casinos have opened, Nebraskans are crossing the state line and taking their money with them. This is not ^ good fa* our state and the businesses in Omaha. We need to keep our money in Nebraska and help our local.businesses stay open. Although LB242 is a good idea, it should only take effect in Omaha. As Sen. Hilger said, he is not catering to college students who want to party. The whole idea of selling liquor one hour later is to help the bars in Omaha bring in more business, not for the college students who want to party for one more hour. Nic Douglas freshmaa pre-mortuary wmi t r t t ■■■■l . Matt Haney/DN