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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1997)
_Soma_ HOLLIMON-STOVALL 365*4 ! Black History not l ry Complain, complain, complain. Even if there were an extra two or three days in February, what would we do with them? For example, everybody’s favorite gripe is that Black History Month is too short — as if an extra 72 hours would make all the difference in broadening theii ethnic education. “Oh boy! Now I’ve got time to read that book on Kwaanza I’ve been meaning to get.” Or “Hot diggity! Seventy-two extra hours to rent Malcolm X!” I don’t think so. I think that there should be a r little song for Black History Month — like “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” I even came up with a few verses — like to hear it? Here it goes. “On the first day of Black Histor) Month, my teacher said to me, ‘There once was a dreamer named King.’ On the second day of Black History Month, my teacher said to me, ‘Marshall was our first judge supreme.’ On the third day of Black Histor) Month, my mother said to me, ‘We have actors like William Cosby.’ On the fourth day of Black History Month, my father said to me, ‘We’ve had dancers like sweet Josephine.’ On the fifth day of Black History Month, my granma said to me, ‘The three colors are red, black and green. ...’” “The Twenty-Eight Days of Black History Month,” of course, leap year would ruin everything. February, for all its drab misery, does at least have the good grace to cane in, do what it needs to do and get out. Granted, within that 28 days every graduate school recommenda tion, resume and internship applica tion in the world is due, but hey — it’s done just that much sooner. Life is short, Tom Cruise is short and so are miniskirts. Short isn’t a problem. It’s what gets done with short that matters. So if Black History Month is too short for you, guess what? It’s OK to learn about it in March or April — heck, you could even read about it in June or July. If you just can’t wait, however, I know a few places you could find out more right now. The Afrikan Peoples’ Union meets every Monday night, and if you contact John Harris (472-3755) he’d be glad to tell you where to pick up a calendar of events for this month’s various seminars and celebrations — including the oics that have food. I don’t care what month it is, I know students like food. There are web sites and movies, lectures and plays, but no matter what your preference, you’ve only got 28 days. Hollimon-Stovall is a senior broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. ii So if Black His tory Month is too short for you, guess what? It’s OK to learn about it in March or April — heck, you could even read about it in June or July* I realize I should have had numbers for each day, but you get the idea — besides, YOU try it, in tune, no less. Just think if this caugfrt on — Patrick MACDONALD More than ‘spare’ time Bowling involves both participants, fans If someone were to mention the names Scott Ffost, Grant Wistrom or Ahman Green, almost anyone on campus could say with some certainty that these individuals are associated with the football team. It is easy to see their accomplish ments and those of their teammates. It is also easy to associate the football program with the Athletic Department and how well supported the program is. Now what if you hear the names Rob Renko, Bill Monce, Brian Badillo or TYavis Goodsell? Hew about John Horvick, Scott LeBeau, Chad Oachs or Eric Aslakson? Possibly Rick Volhard or Matt Kingeiy will ring a bell. Certainly a dead giveaway would be mentioning Jeremy Sonnenfeld. Every name I mentioned belongs to a member of the UNL men’s bowling team. mine uio iuuuoii team uuuuiicu to a second national championship in 1995, the UNL men’s bowling team brought home a national championship of its own. This accomplishment is even - more notable since both the men’s TRnT^'Wft^^rtr^nT t»rtrooarirr?« rrtr sports that are supported financially by the UNL Bowling Club. What is unfortunate is that UNL could easily support three men’s teams and two women’s teams at each event if funding were available, any one of which could dominate the competition. In bowling circles, UNL is a force to be reckoned with. Mot’s and women’s teams have continually ranked in die top 10 teams in the nation. Few other universities draw the caliber of bowler that competes at UNL. One of the reasons UNL dominates the intercollegiate bowling circuit is Coach Bill Straub and recently acquired Assistant Coach Paul Klempa. Under their watchful eye, good bowlers are transformed into great bowlers, and great bowlers set new world records. So it was only a matter of time before a 20-year-old sophomore from Sioux Falls, S.D., accom plished what no one prior had — bowling three consecutive 3Q0 games in a sanctioned tournament. “It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, would easily describe my feelings for Jeremy and his outstand ing achievement. He is the epitome of good sportsmanship. He rarely — if ever — complains about anything, cveftjf h&i&ppt fePwJyj&SS well as he WBMfcJ SbflWh “As gpod a player as Jeremy is, he is a better person.” What makes this accomplishment better is the timing. Jeremy bowled his 900 series at a junior tournament in front of aspiring junior bowlers. What a thrill it must have been to see this from the eyes of a child. In seeking a positive role model for today’s youth, few would better fill this position than Jeremy. It is my good fortune that I am also a member of the team. The UNL men’s bowling team is made up of some very dedicated individu als. Like any other athletes, we train several hours a week, attend classes and try to maintain our grades. We have to meet the same eligibility requirements as a member of the football team. Unlike the football team, we have to raise funds to attend tournaments, pay for equipment and other expenses associated with competi tion at the collegiate level by selling raffle tickets, holding tournaments and participating in other fund raising events. I’d best not slight the UNL women’s bowling team, which is also en route to its own national championship this year. With the likes of Brenda Edwards, Kim Claus, Jenifer Larson, Angela Chirpich, Jennifer Daugherty, Kim Ferris, Justine Waitkus, Lori Hillman, Jennifer Davis, Tara Russell, Cally Winters, Laura Keas ana rsicoie uoan, otner teams stana little chance of surviving — let alone defeating the women’s bowling team. (I was required by club law to mention everyone on the “A” teams. Hope I didn’t miss anyone.) The UNL women’s bowling team w mislo Athletic Department sometime this year. That will allow more members of the team to compete and get tournament experience. This can only make the bowling power that is UNL stronger. Until then, I have some raffle tickets to sell. You could win a bowling ball and bag for just a dollar. You could be all the support we need to bring home back-to-back national championships. MacDonald is a freshman electrical engineering major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist Guest VIEW A matter of concern In 1971, when I was in the seventh grade, I made a new friend at Irving Junior High School. His name was Eric Shanks and we went to the Snowflake Ball together at the YWCA. His two wonderful parents Lela and Hughes took us to the event and came to meet my parents Tom and Lu before the ball — an act I now see as a conscious effort to keep waters smooth during racially turbulent times. As an 11-year-old, I was not aware of the reason for their visit, nor the kindness of it. I now see thi it was the differences in our races that prompted suclka kind gesture. The Snowflake was my first ball, and I thought all parents had coffe< together on the way to a dance. While Eric and I have re mained friends, I have actually seen more of his mother Lela — one of our community’s most repsected human rights advocates and valued treasures. Eric has been committed to helping those in need, those without the same skills, opportu nities and talents which he came by naturally. I have come to respect his compassion, concern and insight on issues affecting human rights and racial equality and have admired his choice to make those issues his life’s work. When Eric announced that he was beginning a hunger strike to protest the Sigma Chi Fraternity cross burning ritual, I was deeply moved to know and count as a friend someone who could act upon the courage of his convic tions by challenging something that tore apart many of our hearts. What Eric — and those of us who choose to—can see, is something more than the mis guided acts of a few fraternity men in Lincoln. It is something historically imbedded in the social conscience of thousands of similar young men across this country who have experienced this ritual as a part of a national fraternal initiation process. While we need to take responsibility for this event in our own communtiy—let us not be so naive as to think that this ritual occurs only in Lincoln. Having dealt with a national orgainzation for the sorority of which I am an alumna, 1 know what tight reins the national organizations hold over their local fraternities and sororities. I am certain that if the Sigma Chis in Lincoln were holding a secret ceremony that their nationa organization had explicitly forbid den, they would have lost their national charter much faster than the cross burned. It is the lack of vigilance by the national organiza tion of Sigma Chi which further fuels my concerns as to the nation wide pervasiveness of this terrible ritual. It is not just the local fresh eyed pledges, caught up in the intensity of the initiation process with their desire to become a part of a closely knit fraternity, who deserve our reproach. It is those preceding them in this initiation rite — the alumni — who must assume the responsibility of - assuring that these rituals do not contain an inflammatory social 6i_ It is extremely disturbing that this talented and influential group did not confirm that a ritual re vealing such obvi ously racist and inflammatory symbolism had been totally re moved from the initiation pro cess.93 message beyond their purported narrow purpose. Sigma Chi alumni are judges, legislators, educators and elected officials in the state and around the country. They are charged with providing the social con science of the fraternity, the source of wisdom, experience, values and historical perspective. It is extremely disturbing that this talented and influential group did not confirm that a ritual revealing such obviously racist and inflammatory symbol ism had been totally removed from the inflation process. It is equally disappointing that only the accidental public disclosure of this rite triggered the recognition of its outrageous implications. Eric Shanks took an important and courageous step to bring focus on the obviously still pervasive issues of racism and the symbols of hateful speech. By his hunger strike, Eric put his life on the line in order to ask student groups to denounce racism. While the student organiza tions have prepared a statement which will presumably satisfy Eric Shank’s request, I would hope that for the sake of our broader interests in this issue, that enough calls could be made to the national Sigma Chi office to compel them to denounce racism and to expressly forbid the use of such an inflammatory ritual from their intitiation process nationwide. I After so many lessons in • • multicultural behavior and diversity, a statement denouncing racism should seem as controver sial as an announcement promot . ing oxygen when breathing, but we evidently have made little . progress. Please call or write the | Sigma Chi office to ask them to take a step as simple as breath ing. Please do it for Eric, for Lincoln, for each of us. Guest columnist Patty Pansing Brooks is co-founder of the Brooks, Pansing Brooks Lawfirm and past co-chair of the Lancaster County Republi can Party.