EDITOR
Paula Lavigne
OPINION
EDITOR
Matthew Waite
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Erin Gibson
Joshua Gillin
Jeff Randall
Julie Sobczyk
Ryan Soderlin
i-:
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of
the Fall 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do
not necessarily reflect the views of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its
employees, its student body or the
University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
A column is solely Ihe opinion of its author.
The Board of Regents serves as publisher
of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by
the Daly Nebraskan Editorial Board. The
UNL Plications Board, estabished 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.
Ourif ;
\ ■
Daily Nebraskan
thanks all of you
Four the semesters end the Dialy
Nebrasken wood lyke to whish you good lunch
on final’s and to have a happi summer break.
Whoops.
Hey, that’s an error! You can’t do that! How
do you think you can call yourselves journal
ists? What kind of an operation are you run
ning down there?
A student newspaper - that’s what we’re
running.
For every single day of the semester,
whether or not you go to class or decide to skip
out and enjoy die daylight, there are reporters,
section editors, photographers, artists, copy
editors, designers, webmasters, advertising
executives and other students working in our
offices or working on the road from 8 am. to at
least 2 a.m. every Sunday through Thursday
and spending extra time on the weekends.
We could be working for at least minimum
wage. We could be studying. We could be any
where but he basement of the Nebraska Union.
But that dedication is what it takes to bring
you your daily crossword puzzle. And we don’t
want any pity or praise, we just want you to
know that we work hard and are doing our best.
ine goal oi ine uany iNeorasxan, 10
its student staff, is to teach. This news
paper is here to give college students, of
any major, a forum in which to practice
their trade. This is where we get the
experience that could mean our first job.
We give people die freedom to experiment,
they have many of the same opportunities as
their counterparts at commercial newspapers.
And we try to give everyone an opportunity.
There are people here with no experience,
and there are those with years of experience.
We give everyone a chance to learn. New staff
members learn from die student “elders,” and
everyone learns from his mistakes.
Sometimes there’s a misspelled name, a
grammatical error or a glaring typo. We do
more right than wrong, but that doesn’t mean
people are wrong for seeing our mistakes.
Because this is where we have to make
those mistakes - some of them minuscule,
some of them major - so we don’t make them
when get out into the proverbial “real world.”
But that doesn’t mean we are not responsible
for the real world.
To us, this is very real. We treat our jobs
with professionalism and integrity, and we put
pride in publication. Sometimes we fail.
Sometimes we succeed. But always we learn.
The university, the community and our
peers have put their trust in us to be accurate,
fair and responsive - and we try to do all three.
Sometimes there are errors, yes, but we try.
This is a chance to thank all of you for let
ting us screw up every now and then, but still
realizing we are a solid student newspaper. We
appreciate your support.
For the semester’s end, the Daily
Nebraskan would like to wish you good luck
on finals, and have a joyous winter break.
Uttar Policy
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief
letters to the editor and guest columns,
^c^notg^teeMprib^on.
Submitted material becomes property of
the Defy Nebraskan and canrtoTbe
returned. Anonymous submissions will
not be published. Those who submit
tetters must identify themselves by none,
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@unlinfb.unl.edu.
Haney’s
VIEW
rpm. am
Count your blessings
Love is the greatest gift of all
had enough to justify buying a case. I
bought him a trophy of a weightiifter
and had it engraved with his name
and “All-Around Great Guy” or
something like that. I think he was
proud of it
He should have been.
Whenever I went to visit him,
business call. And he’d be netuming
phone calls over the holiday or
checking on inventory. My brother’s
a lot like me in that we’re both per
fectionists, and I could tell how
much harder he worked just to make
everything exactly that - perfect.
With many more miles left to go
in the company car, perfection took a
detour. A few years ago, a condition
developed in his eyes that hindered
his vision. No one could tell him
what was wrong. Surgery didn’t
work. Corrective contact lenses did
n’t work. Eye exercises didn’t work.
For him, not one thing would work.
And he couldn’t work. Not any
more.
Over those few years, he had to
stop working and move back home.
During this entire time, he’s crossed
the country trying to find a doctor
who could help him. This search has
consumed him.
Not one conversation begins or
ends with him that does not include
the problem with his eyes.
It has gone beyond the physical
impediments and has dragged him
down into something less positive
than die brother I knew only a few
I don’t know why his eyes hurt. I
don’t know who can help him. I’ve
tried. I’ve failed. And this time I’ve
disappointed him. I think we’ve all
come to a point where we’ve
exhausted our research abilities.
I know it’s hard for someone so
driven to succeed to accept that. I
offer examples of people who have
led very successful lives with more
severe physical impairments than
him. ’• ;w''C
He won’t listen. Those people
aren't him, he says, because he has to
be the best. It seems like all or noth
ing, and there’s not much to go
around.
% ■ His aptitude still is stellar. Top
graduate from his university.
Accomplished in his field. A pool of
good, practical advice on legal, busi
ness and financial situations.
But his attitude is poor.
And he’s losing altitude.
Now, I’m almost afraid to talk to
him. Last Christmas, I confronted
him about his negativity, and I was
severely rebuked. I came to the point
of telling him that his family and
friends can help him in ways other
than finding doctors or drugs. We’re
not useless. We’re not against him.
We’re still proud of him. There is so
much to life that people have to offer.
I wanted him to realize this.
I wanted him to give me my
brother back.
I found out in November that
there might be a chance for that. My
brother is now considering a corneal
transplant. Removing the cornea, or
part of it, is an hour-long surgery that
requires several stitches and 100 per
cent precision.
The cornea is responsible for
two-thirds of the eye’s focusing
power. The host can reject the donor
cornea, which can lead to decreased
vision and even blindness.
My brother is at a disadvantage
because he has had previous surgery,
but he is at an advantage because he
is young and will receive a cornea
from a young donor.
Even if the operation goes well,
the recovery is not immediate.
Stitches will remain in his eye for
three months ami may cause chronic
irritation. He may not see his vision
completely improve for at least six
months and up to a year, which can
make simple tasks difficult, such as
reading or driving.
Pm told it^ a long process, and
people often become impatient. But
if the procedure works, it means my
brother has his vision back and his
eyes don’t hurt.
And that will be the best present
my brother could ever receive.
In the meantime, there’is not
much I can offer him other than a
sympathetic ear and an open mind.
Pm sorry, Mike, but what you
really want is not indie catalogs. Itls
not at the mall. It’s not in the mail.
Santa can’t bring it to you, and nei
ther can I.
. You’ll just have to accept some
thing else from me. Pm not going to
wrap it, and you don’t get a receipt.
Whether or not it’s what you want, I
challenge you to give it back.
I wish you a Merry Christmas
from a sister who still dearly loves '
you.
Have a better new year.
■i
senior news-editorial
major and the Daily
Nebraskan editor.
The Christmas gift I offered to
my brother last year sat umvrapped
until late February. It then showed up
in my old bedroom.
I guess it wasn’t what he wanted.
I don’t really blame him. I mean,
I was the one who kicked the frame
in on his office door during my first
day home for the holidays. It was
either that, I feared, or have my fin
gers jammed. It would have been
rather difficult to play “Joy to the
World” on the piano with a swollen
hand.
Whether or not I played anything,
it was doubtful my brother would
join the rest of us for a glass of egg
nog. He doesn’t like Christmas, or
any holiday, anymore. At this point, I
don’t think that even a real Santa
Claus could give him what he wants
- or even understand what he needs.
It bothers me a lot, actually,
because I always looked up to him
ever since I was a little pirl and I’d
watch “M*A*S*H” and “The
IWilight Zone” on the television in
his room - even when our mom
knew I should be in bed.
When I was a freshman in high
school, depression and doubt hov
ered over me like a black cloud. But
one of the few things that forced me
to pull my chin up was knowing that
if I gave up, I'd disappoint my broth
er.
When I was a freshman in col
lege, I wrote a column about my
brother and a piece of wisdom he
shared with me, which was: It’s your
attitude, not your aptitude, that will
give you the most altitude.
I always thought my brother was
rather wise. I figured he knew wjiat
he was doing because he was obvi
ously doing it well.
Several trophies on top of the'
entertainment center boasted of tus
accomplishments within die corpora
tion for which he worked. He almost