EDITOR
Paula Lavigne
OPINION
EDITOR
Joshua Gillin
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Brad Davis
Erin Gibson
Shannon Heffelfinger
Chad Lorenz
Jeff Randall
—
Guest
VIEW
Freedom
of marriage
Same-sex unions
should be sanctioned
Daily Collegian
Pennsylvania State University
State College, Penn. (U-Wire)- Earlier this
month, some people observed National
Freedom to Marry Day. The event protested
the Defense of Marriage Act, which was
signed into law in 1996. The act essentially
defined marriage as a union between a man
and a woman, and in the event same-sex mar
riage was legalized in a state, other states
would not have to recognize such unions.
The act does nothing to preserve or protect
the institution of marriage. Instead, it merely
singles out gays and lesbians as second-class
citizens and invalidates any relationship they
might have.
To label that which is considered “basic”
for one group “special” for another amounts to
nothing more than discrimination. Marriage is
a civil right, not a “special” one.
Same-sex marriage is about extending
those rights, privileges and responsibilities that
heterosexuals take for granted to a segment of
the population that has long been discriminat
ed against.
Gays and lesbians have long been con
demned for their alleged promiscuity, but
when they ask for the right to establish socially
and legally recognized monogamous relation
ships, their committment jgjibtg^$l Jo bfca threat
to society. ***
Proponents of the act charge that marriage
is an institution already in trouble and that
expanding it to include gays would further
weaken it. Why should gays and lesbians be
punished, when they bear no responsibility for
the weakened system? Marriage doesn’t need
to be defended from people who want to com
mit themselves to lifelong relationships.
Marriage is more than an emotional com
mitment, however. What many people don’t
realize (or take for granted) is that marriage
also is about a host of legal and economic ben
efits currently reserved only for heterosexual
married couples.
A woman can marry a man after knowing
him only a short time and instantly gain legal
and economic benefits and protections. If that
same woman has a committed long-term rela
tionship with another woman, the situation
changes dramatically. If her partner falls ill or
dies, she has no more legal authority than
would a neighbor or roommate.
Not too long ago, our society prohibited
interracial marriages on similar grounds.
The legalization of same-sex marriage is
just one in a long line of steps that can bring us
closer to what America should be - a place
where everyone enjoys equal protection and
benefits under the law.
The Defense of Marriage Act does nothing
but stand in the way.
Edltarial Pallcy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of
the Spring 1998 Daily Nebraskan. They
do not necessarily reflect the views of the
University of Nebraska-Uncoln, its
employees, its student body or the
University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
A column is solely the opinion of its author.
The Board of Regents semes as publisher
of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The
UNL Publications Board, established by
the regents, supervises the production
of the paper. According to policy set by
the regents, responsiwity for the editorial
content of the newspaper lies solely in
the hands of its student employees.
i • . _ ■
Letter 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
not be published. Those who submit
letters must identify ttemselves by name,
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affiliation, if anv.
Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34
Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln,
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letters@unlinto.unl.edu.
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Keep on rockin’
I have appreciated the “Diversity
in History” series published in the
DN in honor of Black History Month.
I hope that you will contmue the
series in March in honor of Women’s
History Month. Women, of course,
are from every country, every ethnic
group, every class, every sexual ori
entation (and) every physical ability.
I look forward to a diverse, rich,
informative series on womemin
'"March. Tor that matter, why not have
a “Diversity in History” series run
every single week in the Daily
Nebraskan, celebrating the accom
plishments of a variety of people not
usually represented adequately in our
curriculum?
Barbara DiBernard
associate professor
English and women’s studies
Keep on rollin’
I appreciate Mark Bauermeister’s
concern in regards to the issue of race
and its coverage in the Daily
Nebraskan. I have to admit, though,
that I found his critique of the DN’s
recent feature on soul music a little
perplexing (“Other papers do it (why
can’t we?),” Wednesday). On the con
trary, I remember reading the article
and being pleased that the DN had
devoted such a sizable and attention
grabbing article to the achievements
of black musicians in America.
I have been impressed by the class
and sophistication of the DN’s new
weekly series on the arts. These
Tuesday features, if I remember cor
rectly, are ALWAYS on the back page
of the DN, whether they cover archi
tecture, jazz or soul music. Unlike
Mr. Bauermeister, I tend to think that
a FULL PAGE on the back of the DN
commands more respect and atten
tion than a smaller article squeezed
between the sports section and the
crossword puzzle.
I agree with Mr. Bauermeister’s
assertion that something as subtle as
an ill-placed article on soul music has
the potential to impede positive race
relations as much as it advances
them. But in this case, I don’t think
that anything even remotely insidious
is going on. (What a relief - one scan
dal fewer to worry about!)
The DN has done an admirable
job in forwarding the dialogue on
race this year, and the feature on soul
was just one more indication of its
tenacity. I found it mildly ironic that
Mr. Bauermeister’s letter, which
accused the DN of cavalier disrespect
for minorities, found itself between
DN \
LETTERS
articles on the Asian Student Alliance
and LUPAE. And did he forget last
week’s coverage of the Big XII Black
Student Leadership Conference?
It is true that we need to do a lot
more on this campus to chip away at
discrimination, whether it is painfully
blatant or skillfully veiled. We are
justified in holding the DN to the
highest standards of intellect and sen
sitivity in regards to diversity issues.
.But before . we criticize, Mr.
Baueirmeisterfwe should ask: If we
measured ourselves as individuals by
the same standards with which we
judge our newspaper, how would we
size up?
Keep the dialogue on diversity
rolling, DN - we need all we can get.
Kara Slaughter
junior
international affairs and
French
Ask those who know
I applaud your efforts to tackle a
prickly subject like academic rigor and
look forward to the series as it unfolds.
I am, however, disappointed that
so far you have chosen to represent
mainly the voice of the administra
tion rather than that of the faculty.
The administration has one view of
this subject, a view that tends to speak
to concerns of students and the pub
lic. This is not necessarily the prob
lem as perceived by those of us in the
trenches... who must face the issue of
rigor every day and every semester, in
all of its complexity and prickliness.
Rigor is not an issue in isolation,
and the problem of grade inflation to
which it is constantly being attached
is only one facet of a more complex
phenomenon. Rigor occurs in the
context of teaching, so it is first and
foremost an issue for teachers. If you
are to take the “in-depth” look
promised in your first article, then
you need to go talk to faculty.
Talk with ALL of the faculty and
not just those who are most visible or
available. Talk to members of the
Teaching Council who have made a
mission out of teaching, its improve
ment and reform. Talk to members of
the Teaching and Learning Center
who have done more than most to
keep teaching on the front burner of
academic concerns all these years.
Talk to members of the Distinguished
Teaching Academy. Talk to selected
members of EVERY department in
this university community, not just
the standard and obvious depart
ments
Then and only then will you have
derived a true picture of this signifi
cant issue. That is the kind of careful
ly constructed truth that your reader
ship, mainly students, undoubtedly
deserve.
Sean Courtney
associate professor
vocational and adult education
Actually, he’s German
Klaus Marre, regarding your
Friday article “Bring it on home:
Update the Husker state with sex,
dnigs, and rock ’n’ roll,” I have never
been more disgusted with a fellow
human being - an American no less -
than I am with you.
You have been given a rare oppor
tunity. You have been given a whop
ping half-page in a newspaper in
which to write. You could write about
anything. ANYTHING AT ALL. And
yet, you chose to write drivel. You
chose to make a mockery of the First
Amendment. At least, I assume it was
you who chose to write about making
Nebraska “the bong of the world’s pot
basket” because I highly doubt that
your editor came to you and said,
“Klaus, we really need you to write
about this - because it’s crucial that
UNL students and faculty hear it.”
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you are just entirely uncreative, or you
just smoked a little too much last night.
Anyone could come up with some
thing better than the delusional crap
you wrote between trips to the refriger
ator to satisfy your “munchies.”
Why-don’t you look to Malcolm
Kass for topics? He seemed to have
something fairly important to say
about grades at UNL. Or ask some
one on the street, “What pisses you
off the most?” and write about that.
Ask one of your professors what he or
she worries about on a daily basis -
what bothers him or her? Write about
that. Maybe you should write about
the epidemic-scaled tendency among
Americans to take their constitutional
rights - especially the First
Amendment - for granted.
Write about what you think about
that. Write about anything, but for
God’s sake, writer about something
RELATIVE to the REAL WORLD
instead of a ridiculous fantasy that
begs the question, “Who the hell’s
gonna hire this brain cell deficient
pot head when he graduates?”
Martha R. Stockinger
Lincoln