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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1997)
-1 EDITOR Paula Lavigne OPINION EDITOR Jessica Kennedy EDITORIAL BOARD Erin Gibson Joshua Gillin Jeff Randall Julie Sobczyk Ryan Soderlin i— — — '■ 11 Guest VIEW Heinous hazing Allegations of LSU student questionable AUSTIN, Texas (U-WIRE) - Last month, Benjamin Wynne, a pledge at the LSU chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, died after excessive drinking at a Baton Rouge bar. His blood alcohol level was .588, almost six times the level of legal intoxication. Some reports say he consumed more1^ than two dozen drinks, and allegations of forced drinking and hazing are now under investigation by the school and the district attorney. Wynne’s death is regrettable, and it should warn all students to be careful when they drink. In the days following this terrible episode, however, much national attention focused on the LSU campus. A new drama began to unfold. Gavin Fugate of Arlington, lexas, came forward with alle gations that he had been hazed last year as a pledge in the SAE house. His family has demanded that specific fraternity mem bers be expelled, and that all of Gavin’s expenses for his first year of school be refunded. According to Fugate, he was forced to drink repeatedly until he vomited and then forced to drink again. He said he could not refuse and was “pushed” to continue until waking up the next morning covered in his own vomit. Fortunately for Fugate, he was alive; however, he remained a fraternity member. Why, one might ask, did he not drop out then? He eventually did, but only after several more weeks of pledgeship, which he also recounted for the press. In addition to the drinking episode, Fugate says he was forced to crawl across broken glass and was doused in Tabasco sauce, and that fraternity members attempted to sodomize him with a bar of soap - yes, a bar of soap. Some might praise Fugate for speaking oui againsi me iraiernny twnicn at mis time has not been charged with a crime), but one might also question his motiva tion. Why has he waited a full year before alleging this mistreatment? The statute of limitations on hazing is five years, but anyone who is subjected to the abuse that Fugate claims he was probably would have done something about it before now. And why did he remain a member of the frater nity if this activity was occurring? Louisiana, like all other states, has an anti-hazing law. In Texas, Fugate would be just as guilty of hazing for not reporting an incident as he would be if he were the individual who was allegedly on the other end of the soap bar. Fugate has said he does not know how far he will carry his case, stating “I want to wait and see what happens with the case where the guy died.” Wasn’t that the rea son he came forward to begin with - to prevent such an occurrence from happen ing again? Hazing is illegal, and if investigators find that it occurred at LSU, the guilty must be punished. But the attention should be focused on the tragic death of Benjamin Wynne and the prevention of a similar occurrence - not Fugate’s retribu tion. - Daily Texan Ultsrial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the Urwergty of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Beard of Regents serve as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The UNL Piiblicaiions Board, established by the regents, supervises the production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. Loner Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters 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. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will v not be published. Those who submit letters must identify toemsdlves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters@unHnfo.unl.edu. Cartoonist’s VIEW y OKAV... MAVBE j| I "LETS BE REASONABLE" V WAS AN INAPPROPRIATE \ CHOICE OF WORDS V ON NV PART... BUT ujhy ooajY you jvsr put tu^t pkjUtkJG DoujkJ_ LET ME REPHRASE imT ♦ Colored plastic A response to Jan Gradwohl’s “One for all” on Thursday. It is no surprise that a member of the law pro fession is creating conflict where lit tle exists. A Barbie doll has histori cally represented a ditz, love-struck for another piece of plastic - Ken. While considered Caucasian, I am part Native American and were I full blooded Native American or black or oriental, I should be almost insulted to have a Barbie made in my likeness. Minorities are represented at UNL more and more all the time, and probably in the same percentages as in the qualified applicant pool, but any random roomfiil of UNL students would be mostly white. So what is wrong with a white Barbie? Nothing, unless you have a huge chip on your shoulder, and it is these people that create problems and conflict for whatever group they “represent.” Creating a black, red or yellow Barbie does not create equality. Equality can’t be created or legislated: It is a frame of mind. The civil rights laws and reverse discrimination edicts have done more to reverse the path towards equality than forward it. Race is an issue primarily because it is made one by people who benefit from the conflict. Nolan Carson Dental student Demos alive As a UNL student with experi ence in Nebraska Democratic poli tics, I would like to respond to your Thursday editorial “Set Sail For Office.” The three Republican guber natorial candidates are running the race to be in a position of power in Nebraska state government, whereas the Democrats who are considering a run for this position are doing so to represent the people. They are reach ing out, listening to the little people and the voices of young Democrats. Republicans, on the other hand, are more concerned with out-spending each other than reaching out to the DN LETTERS I___1 1 * 'I Aaron Steckelberg/DN people. The decision to run for governor isn’t one that anyone makes overnight (unless the person is Jon Christensen). The Democratic Party has always had, and will continue to have the best candidates; 1998 will be no exception. Running for office is a complicated decision due to the Republican’s proven record of dirty, mud-slinging and high-financed campaigns in an attempt to buy the office. The UNL Young Democrats have worked to increase political aware ness and interest in UNL students. Lt. Gov. Kim Robak, Lancaster County Treasurer Kandra Hahn, Lincoln City Councilman Jerry Shoecraft and state Sen. Dave Landis are four outstand ing examples of elected Democratic officials with excellent records of public service in Nebraska. These four Democratic elected officials spoke to large crowds of UNL Young Democrats last semester, but despite repeated invitations, the Daily Nebraskan wasn’t interested in cover ing them. Jamie Peterson President, UNL Young Democrats Senior Alternative? It never ceases to amaze me at the complete lack of insight of so many people; The type of thinking Matt Peterson expressed in his (column) about being “alternative” (DN, Thursday) is so dangerous. It is that exact mind-set that is leading to the de-evolution of society and culture, as a whole. Some people never seem to realize that societal norms and mainstream thinking are not the end all, be-all of existing. People are bom with differenteyes to look up this world. Most people, however, tend to cover their eyes and take society’s hand to lead them and make their choices. It seems as if his article was moti vated by some sort of aversion to a certain type of fashion, which in and of itself is questionable. I can’t under stand the thought of their being a “normal” way to dress. How does wearing something automatically make you rebellious? By the way, it is people like him that created the world “alternative” and make things trendy in the first place, otherwise they would just exist as a piece of culture. He also seems to be completely obliv ious to the fact that people have dif ferent tastes. He talked about people getting respect in his article, but how can he or anyone else have respect for themselves if they are not following who and what they are. I would also like to thank him for ‘ humbling himself enough to say that he “has biown and loved some of the most alternative individuals.” I am also glad to see he has such great insight into the minds of “alternative” peoples, by surmising that they are simply mad at the world and every thing society stands for. The same question he posed to those that have an “alternative” lifestyle, I have for his “mainstream” lifestyle, “What’s the point?” Cain Grant Junior Psychology . .— — ..... .... . .. P ^ \a f **14*0 Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St., Lincoln, ' 1 Vf Or fax to (402) 472-1761, or e-mail <letter8@unlinfa.nnl.edU. M-j-L t be signed and include a phone number for verification