Alumni appreciation
Association will recognize students
EDWARD PAQUETTE is
the executive director of
the Nebraska Alumni
Association.
The Nebraska Alumni
Association binds our great uni
versity's past with its present and
its future, its alumni and you. In a
sense, the association suspends
time, and becomes a place where
members of all classes gather
under one common denominator:
the university. They are loyal to
their alma mater, take pride in its
success and work to ensure its tra
ditions.
So what does the Nebraska
Alumni Association mean to stu
dents?
Good question.
From its humble beginnings in
1874 to the present, the alumni
association has existed to serve the
university. And since you, the stu
dents, are the heart and soul of the
university, the Nebraska Alumni
Association is here to serve you.
But that's not always something
we've done well.
Unfortunately, many UNL stu
dents don't know what the
Nebraska Alumni Association is or
where we're located. To them,
alumni are little, old, gray-haired
men and women who reminisce
■ about the good ol' days and shake
their heads in disapproval of
today's tradition-lacking students.
That's a myth whose time is
done.
In reality, alumni are active
women and men who care deeply
about the university and students'
well-being. Alumni span all ages,
all nationalities and all walks of
life. They are graduates who sup
port the university through their
generous gifts of time and money.
They care about you and your
experiences at UNL.
Starting tonight, we hope the
Wick Alumni Center will be recog
nized as more than a driveway to
turn your car around on R Street. I
will be known as a place which
embraces the spirit and pace of
student life. A place that supports
the community around it. A place
that understands university
involvement doesn't end with
graduation.
There are great challenges and
opportunities for the Nebraska
Alumni Association as it takes an
active part in student life. We musl
overcome a period of general inac
tion, we must overcome the mis
conceptions of alumni, and we
must seize the opportunities to
enrich and perpetuate the
University of Nebraska experi
ence.
Today, that all begins.
Nebraska Alumni Association
staff and area UNL alumni will
board Molley the Trolley for the
first "Homecoming Pizza Pass" at
8 p.m. to distribute Papa John's
pizza and Pepsi to students work
ing on Homecoming displays.
And that's just the beginning.
We're going to continue spon
soring projects such as Masters
Week, when successful alumni
return to campus, and Senior
Sendoff, a spring event for gradu
ating seniors to wish them well on
their future endeavors.
There are plenty of other good
things in the works, too. During
finals week students are invited to
come to the Wick Alumni Center
for a quiet place to study and for
some refreshments. For career-ori
ented students, we're developing a
t student/alumni career networking
program and shadowing program.
Beginning this spring, the asso
ciation will be offering an exclu
sive UNL class ring designed by
UNL students representing all
parts of campus. We're hoping the
class ring will become a UNL tra
dition.
1 he Nebraska Alumni
Association is also proud to help
sponsor the return of the
"Cornhusker" yearbook. After a
25-year absence, the ’’Cornhusker"
will begin recording campus life
during the 1998-99 school year.
Students new to UNL and new
to Lincoln will be able to take
advantage of our proposed Lincoln
City Tours and Welcome to
Campus programs.
These are just a few of the
many ways the Nebraska Alumni
Association is getting involved in
campus life.
Students don't need to become
alumni before reaping the benefits
of the Nebraska Alumni
Association.
Sex Education 101
Cure to complex problem isn't elusive
GREGG MADSEN is a
senior news-editorial
major and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist
Jane Fonda.
Celebrity, wife of Ted Turner.
Workout-video guru. Sex education
instructor?
That’s right, Jane Fonda has
stopped pushing her exercises on
America, and now she wants to push
her views of sex on elementary and
junior high school students.
While she isn’t busy teaching,
Fonda plans to spend her time as a
spokeswoman for the Durex corpora
tion, which makes the nation’s lead
ing brand of condoms. A woman
who has been married three times
and admitted to having several
affairs - who just signed on with a
■?. aifaufaia' rramjcftfchiren 3va n t s .
to tell American children how valu
able safe sex is.
Why not have Timothy McVeigh
teach political science?
Fonda’s desire to teach her safe
sex curriculum comes in response to
the federal government’s approval of
a $50 million abstinence program
that will be taught in public schools.
She has stated that abstinence
before marriage “is based on an
unreal world that isn’t out there.”
It obviously hasn’t been out there
in her world, not before marriage
No.l, No.2 or No. 3. If Fonda wants
to teach a sex education class, it
should be titled Promiscuity 101.
Fonda’s response to the absti
nence education program mirrors the
way many Americans look at the
issue. Not only does she see absti
nence as an unreal solution, she sees
premarital sex as something that isn’t
a problem.
Premarital sex - unprotected or
not - is dangerous. It’s dangerous
emotionally, socially and physically.
There is one solution: Don’t do it.
Abstinence may seem too simple
of an answer to a complex problem,
but the fact is, it isn’t. Abstinence is
too difficult - not too simple - for
Americans to embrace. We are told
to do whatever it is that makes us
feel good, right? Enjoy the moment
now and ask questions later, right?
Using that logic to explain your sex
life just doesn’t work.
Alcoholism is dangerous, isn t it/
It’s interesting that society tells alco
holics the only cure for them is to
quit drinking. In the same way, we
tell smokers their only hope is to quit
smoking. Long-term drinking and
smoking can result in serious health
problems such as cirrhosis and lung
cancer to name a few.
But our cure for premarital sex,
which can result instantly in preg
< ?b
sexually transmitted diseases, is not
to abstain, but to continue - with
protection that always has a chance
to fail.
Why?
Because we’ve fallen into the
trap of thinking abstinence is solely a
moral issue. We shy away from talk
ing about the nasty a-word because
we’re afraid we might be overstep
ping our bounds. What right do we
have to tell people the truth about
sexual activity? A person’s sex life is
his or her own business, right?
Wrong. It’s everyone’s business
when more than four out of 10
American girls get pregnant before
turning 20, and 45 percent of first
births in the United States are to
mothers who are either teen-agers,
unwed, or lacking a high school
diploma. It’s everyone’s business
when thousands of people contract
AIDS through sex - unprotected or
not - out of wedlock each year, and
the government spends millions of
our dollars searching for a cure that’s
already been found.
It’s not just a moral issue. It’s an
issue of using your brain.
What is so moral about practic
ing the only 100 percent effective
cure for all STDs and unwed preg
nancies? It doesn’t matter if you
abstain because of your faith, your
morality or any other reason. If
you’re not a fan of morality, that
doesn’t mean you have to practice
stupidity.
premarital sex is a dangerous
activity. It demands a cure. We
would be better off trying to make a
three-sided circle or a round triangle
a circle than trying to make unwed
sex “safe.” It cannot be done. The
cure is right before us, it involves
self-discipline, respect and responsi
bility, among other things. It’s not
easy, but it’s worth it.
So now we have Jane Fonda tak- '
our kids that she’s done well m her
life because in all three marriages
and affairs, she practiced safe sex.
Oh, and by the way, a great condom
to use would be one made by Durex.
How convenient, free advertising.
This is a bogus message.
The safest sex possible is not
with a condom or any other safety
device. It happens between a wife
and husband who have both prac
ticed abstinence before marriage.
We won’t be hearing that mes
sage from Jane Fonda or the Durex
corporation, but hopefully we won’t
be hearing it at all in our public
schools.
In your face
Jobs don't need T-and-A
KAY PRAUNER is a
senior news-editorial
major, copy desk co
chief and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist.
Last week yet another virtual
victory was rendered for women
in the workplace. L
Turning heads and accelerat
ing pulses, a horde of ladies -
donning T-shirts with what
appeared to be an “OTE” embla
zoned across their chests -
marched on Washington, and suc
cessfully bounced awry an equal
opportunity group’s effort to dash
what these women carry close to
their hearts.
And now 204 collective estab
lishments, both nationally and
internationally, will continue to
display service not only with a
smile, but with a Swedish endow
ment.
So for all you men out there,
until you can brandish a pair of
Newton’s Law-defying, breath
snatching breasts, give it a rest.
You’re not qualified.
1 d say it s about time, finally,
all my fellow ladies, our mam
maries have, uh, single-handedly
managed to mar the face of Equal
Opportunity legislation.
I’d say this move has been
quite a development. But for
whom?
Basically it’s for the men
behind the mindlessness of burg
ers, brew and breast-excess: the
owners and managers of Hooters.
But wait men, even if you’re
not in management you still have
a chance: Hooters currently
employs 3,000 men; however,
these boys are strictly back-door
because they have virtually noth
ing to offer up front.
Ironically, this move has been
one of the first major sex-dis
crimination cases to hold its own
weight. And all for the sake of a
business busting out.
The owners of Hooters claim
that hiring mostly women caters
to their mass-marketing savvy:
Busty broads are theirs to bring in
and yours to behold.
In an article by Time maga
zine, Hooters spokesman Mike
McNeil said, “Our business is
female sex appeal, and in order to
have that, you’ve got to be
female.”
Personally, I think it’s OK that
women are winning simply
because they’re sexy - pri
marily because it’s almost
a joke on the persons
who buy into the
business.
And who’s to say
I wouldn’t check
out a place that
specializes in
scantily clad
men?
I’d be more
than happy to
take my place
in line to slurp
some suds
scope some
studs.
Really,
what place
wouldn’t suc
ceed under the
premises that
sex sells
and
the
customer is always right?
According to the Time article,
just this mentality brought
Hooters $325 million last year.
This is a place that has both lus
cious and lucrative appeal.
So who are Hooters’ primary
employees to complain? Their
cups are more than half full -
optimistically and literally speak
ing. They earn their wages simply
for serving pom-pom-squad plea
sure.
Who could ask for more?
Women could.
The V that should headline '
our supposed sex-discrimination
victory merely precedes vindicat
ed rights on the basis of sex. But
for us, not for them.
So why can’t we - for once -
step above being recognized for
our sexuality? Isn’t it our right to
request a little more respect when
it comes to hiring practices?
I’m all for equal-employment
opportunities. And I don’t
begrudge buxom babes who are
lucky enough to earn their keep
with their physiques. Some
women truly enjoy jobs like these
- and they have every right to do
so.
But as for the rest of us, why
can’t we obtain our wages and
places within a more prestigious
working environment? Wbyean’t
we have achieved gdvermnent
recognition for i
fies women for our lesser-recog
nized, uh, assets?
And most of all, when will we
put to rest the waning equal
opportunity trend? Jobs are jobs,
and there always will be a better
candidate for a certain position.
It’s sad, but true.
Equally sad and true, I have to
apologize, men, that some restau- -
rant had to go tit for tat as far as f-~'
discrimination goes and keep you
from jobs. But nonetheless,
you’ve still won.
Because once again you’ve
used our T-and-A to keep us in
our place.
Matt Haney/DN
