EDITOR
Doug Kouma
OPINION
EDITOR
Anthony Nguyen
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Paula Lavigne
Joshua Gillin
Jessica Kennedy
Jeff Randall
Erin Gibson
DN Quotes
OF THE WEEK
“The gift of Mood is the greatest gift
of love anyone can give.”
—Jessica Phillips, a 10-year-old who
receives blood transftisions because of leu
kemia
“Eighty-four percent of rapes are
committed by someone you already
know.”
— Katie Koestner, speaker, regarding
her personal date-rape experience
“It was kind of a nuisance that you
would have to drive out of town. It was a
pain in the ass, now that I think about it”
—Ralph Tomonelli, senior mechanical
engineering majpr, on driving out of Lin
coln on Sundays to buy alcohol
“It knocks the monkey right off your
back. But If the monkey feels like he wants
to climb back up there, he’ll climb back
up there.”
— NU center Mikki Moore after the
Huskers upset Iowa State 74-69 Saturday
“I’m going to go to Barry’s, and I’m
going to have a couple of beers and my
hands will be shaking and my guts will
feel like they're falling out.”
— Nebraska Coach Danny Nee after
the Huskers’ victory over Oklahoma State
Wednesday, keeping their hopes for an
NCAA Tournament berth alive
“I graduated from college and had to
do something.”
— Sam Spilker, founder and owner of
Spilker Ales in Cortland, on why he became
a brewer
“One other time my friend’s room
mate drank too much and puked over the
side of the loft, almost directly hitting my
friend’s head.”
—Jacob Crabb, a junior theater major,
on drinking in excess
“We need to have an animal inside
guarding them, and we couldn’t find one
on our bench.”
— NU Coach Angela Beck following
the Huskers’ loss to Iowa State on Sunday
“He’s taken conviction to a new level,
and that’s a bad thing for his enemies.
He’s like a pit bull—he bites on and never
lets go.”
— John Harris, special assistant to
UNL’s vice chancellor for student affairs,
on Ernie Chambers
“1 don’t expect justice, but I continue
to work toward it I never burn out be
cause I never thought there was going to
be success. Success for me is doing what
is available for me to do.”
—Chambers
“They’re the Donald Trump of the
Plains.”
—Loraine Livingston, manager of the
Big Red Shop, on the Athletic Department’s
venture in building the university-owned *
store Husker Authentic in the new parking
garage
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Mehsling’s
VIEW |
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DN
LETTERS
Good Sheep
I am writing to offer a pat on the
back for your editorial “Black
sheep” (DN, Wednesday) regarding
the recent successful cloning of a
sheep. As a scientist, I was very
happy to see you avoid the slippery
slope that many others in journalism
seemio have been applying to this -•*
subject.
This breakthrough does not
necessarily mean that anyone who so
desires can just crank out carbon
copies of themselves — there are
huge benefits to be reaped in both
agriculture and medicine with this
new technology.
I agree that great care must be
taken in the advancement of this
knowledge. I also commend you for
pointing out that environment is
what makes us who we are as
individuals, not just genetics.
I do have one criticism of the
article. This technology is NOT
“creation.” Creation implies
bringing life from nonliving entities.
This technology simply manipulates
the genetic information in an egg,
which must still grow, develop and
be bom.
The egg had the capacity to make
a lamb all along, the scientists just
altered the DNA content. If this
technology is labeled as “creation
ism,” then artificial insemination,
surrogate motherhood and embryo
splitting (done regularly in the cattle
industry) would have to fall under
the same category. These techniques
do not create life from the nonliving.
Louise Baskin
manager, molecular genetics lab
animal science
Perpetuating Myths
Anthony Nguyen said it himself,
“the ignorance of racism/sexism
(can’t) be overcome.” And in
writing his column “Not a smooth
move(ment),” (DN, Wednesday) he
actually helped to encourage it by
reaffirming several of the MYTHS
regarding affirmative action.
Nguyen stated that he doesn’t
“expect or want to be chosen on the .
color of my skin,” but how does he
feel about NOT being chosen based
on the color of his slan?
With affirmative action, those ;
who are discriminated against are
MattHaney/DN
given an opportunity that one might
not have had because of the igno
rance that still exists in this world.
Affirmative action is not “an effort
to create justice,” but to create
opportunities for those who are at a
disadvantage because of years of
injustice by our ancestors.
Another favorite myth is that
affirmative action favors minorities
and that it unfairly takes away the
position from better qualified white
males — a “punishment” because of
their ancestors’ actions.
Nowhere in the definition of
affirmative action does it state
anything about quotas of hiring “less
qualified” individuals, nor does it
involve “preferential treatment.”
It only involves the recognition of
the preferential treatment received
by whites — which still exists today
even with affirmative action. It
offers a chance far those who cannot
change their economic status, where
they grew up or the education or
lack thereof that they received.
These “less qualified” individuals
deserve a chance to emerge from
their backgrounds — created by the
injustices of our ancestors.
In a perfect world, we would all
have an equal chance. In this
imperfect world with the majority of
minorities at a disadvantage when
bom, we need policies like affirma
tive action. Otherwise, those who
oppose it must grapple with further
ing injustices — by taking away any
chance that these minorities here in
this racist/sexist world would have.
' Priya Nataraj
freshman
'■'« biochemistry
I
Individual Change
In response to Sonia Hollimon
Stovall’s “Leveling the field,” (DN,
Wednesday) I agree with some of
your idealism underlying your
approval for affirmative action.
However, all you seem to be
working with in this column is a
vague notion of affirmative action.
You dance around solid facts and
throw in emotionally charged
anecdotes that don’t amount to
much.
Affirmative action, as the
promoting of diversity in an envi
ronment devoid of it, is, in my
opinion, a good idea. It lends to the
sharing of perspectives and the
gradual elimination of discrimina
tion.
' I personally enjoy learning about,
several cultural viewpoints. But have
you seen this working anywhere
today? College applications don’t
ask for a cultural background
summarized in an essay. All they
ask for is a box, checked next to
some ethnic group.
This is demeaning because it
assumes that having a certain skin
color means you have a certain,
different, not-white culture. Is this
true? Of course not.
You state that “affirmative action
was implemented to correct an
inherent flaw in our country’s
system of employment and educa
tion.” What is this inherent flaw?
Are you saying that our system of
education is inherently, unfixably
racist? I don’t believe that at all.
You want to provide opportunity
where there was none. HOW?
Quotas? Preferential treatment?
What? I can think of no system that
ensures opportunity to any group
without cutting out some benefit,
whether that benefit is the opportu
nity for others or in simple lost
talent.
If we want to “level the playing
field,” we each must take it upon
ourselves to be not discriminatory
and to discourage discrimination
when it occurs. Large, overbearing
laws and principles create an
environment perfect for witch hunts
and unfounded resentment. It is the
individual we want to change, not
the institution.
Jacob Glazeski
freshman
music/computer stience/math
