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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1998)
i J EDITOR Paula Lavigne OPINION EDITOR Joshua Gillin EDITORIAL BOARD Brad Davis Erin Gibson Shannon Heffelfinger Chad Lorenz Jeff Randall i Guest VIEW False record Sales Allowing record harms integrity of athletics The California Aggie University of California-Davis Davis, Calif. (U-Wire) - When University of Connecticut senior Nykesha Sales stepped onto the court and into the record books Feb. 24, there was an unexpected din of controversy surrounding the big event. tnere were me usual cneers ana sounas heard in celebration of a record broken, a mile stone reached. But there was also the sound of grumbling - complaints about the legitimacy of her accomplishment and the means by which she achieved it. The incident raised questions about the integrity of sports, an ideal which seems to have been trampled amid the quest for person al glory. With professional and collegiate athletes scrambling to land a shoe contract or have their name spit out on “ESPN SportsCenter,” the joy of playing sports and the beauty in watching a game unfold has disappeared. Athletes now wait for their 15 seconds of fame, their fleeting moment of immortality. In a desperate lunge to grasp that immortal ity, Sales fell to earth with a crash and a rup tured Achilles tendon in a game Feb. 21 and faced the prospect of ending her career just one point short of the school’s all-time career scor ing record. Instead of finishing her college basketball career satisfied with all ol’her accomplish ments, Sales accepted an intriguing plan con cocted by UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma and agreed upon by the Big East commissioner and coaches. She would camp under the Wildcats’ basket at the tipoff, guaran teed an uncontested layup. To even the score, Villanova also was awarded a free layup as well. This display of selfishness not only sparks concern over the attitude athletes take to the game, but also cheapens the efforts of those who have played hurt, through the pain, with out the coddling of their coaches. Injuries are a part of sports. Games cannot be postponed or replayed because the star play er called in sick. More importantly, the impact an injury can make on a game - whether it cripples a team or inspires it to soar higher - is crucial to what is at the heart of organized athletics. It was nice to acknowledge and pay tribute to Sales’ four-year All-America career. But nobody “deserves” to break a record, no matter how long she has played or how much she has contributed to a program. And the thrill of such an accomplishment should have been saved for someone who holds more respect for records and the integrity of the game. Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Spring 1998 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the Univerky of Nebraska Board of Regents. Acoiumn is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves 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, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. 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 themselves 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@unlinfo.unl.edu. Haney’s VIEW A. DN LETTERS Drink it up I was very disheartened to read the responses ASUN candidates provided when questioned about binge drinking on campus. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Abel Hall debate, but both COMMIT and VISION can didates seemed to sidestep the issue as reported in Friday’s DN. They agreed that there are dif ferent definitions for binge drink ing; however, every piece of infor mation I have seen defines binge drinking as five or more drinks in one sitting (in some instances four or more for women). li :>ccms a un cuuiuer-enecuve for the university to be applying for a $700,000 grant to combat binge drinking when our student leaders cannot define the term. According to a recent national study, nearly 50 percent of all men and 37 percent of all women on college campuses are binge drinkers, and nearly 70 percent of all violent behavior on campuses can be attributed to alcohol abuse. Binge drinking is a problem at UNL, and ASUN candidates should be looking for solutions to these problems, not blankets from which to hide behind. Andrew Kafka senior finance major Tangled Web I have been reading the exchanges in the DN about the Matt Haney/DN importance of ASUN in a student’s life, etc., and how essential it is to communicate effectively with the general student populace. I looked into the ASUN Web site and sur prise, surprise the president is Eric Marintzer, and Curt (spelt Kurt in the Web site!) Ruwe is still the speaker! The Web site was last updated in November 1996!! Maybe we can have a debate for all outgoing office bearers to find out how important they really think communication is, or if they are only paying it lip service. It will be an interesting change from having to listen to candidates who want to get elected! Giri Chenji graduate student chemical engineering Greek leak With ASUN elections nearing, we are hearing the same things that we hear every year about them. They are just a way for greeks to “pad their resume” or to run the university. The sad thing is, no matter how long we contin ue to say such things, nothing will change until someone OTHER THAN a greek enters the election. So, until that happens, we should concentrate on what the candi dates have to say, not where they happen to live. inougn i am a nongreeis. stu dent, I will still have my say in the election by voting. Sara Russell, presidential candidate for COM MIT, was right in her statement printed Friday. Not only do I know her as a great person, I respect the idea that she can take the time out of her busy college life to care for the university as a whole. That says more to me than her “need” to pad her resume. It’s too bad there aren’t more people like her on this campus (or in the world) to do whatever they can to help their fellow people be heard. Leigh Ramert junior mechanical engineering P.S. Write Back Send letters to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St,, Lincoln, NE 68588, or fax to (402) 4724 761, or e-mail <letters@unlinfo.unl.edu. Letters must be signed and include a phone number for verification