EDITOR
Paula Lavigne
OPINION
EDITOR
Kasey Kerber
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Brad Davis
Erin Gibson
Shannon Heffelfinger
Chad Lorenz
Jeff Randall
i
Our
VIEW
Voices
carry
Successjul pleas prove
administration listens
UNL students learned this week that
when they speak up, people listen.
More than 1,000 students signed peti
tions sponsored by the Residence Hall
Association urging administrators to hire
Bill McLaughlin as a permanent employ
ee.
McLaughlin, winner of this year’s
Outstanding Educator Award and a visit
ing instructor from St. Joseph, Mo., taught
chemistry and chemistry education class
es that were well-liked by many students.
Some students said McLaughlin was
the best teacher they had ever encountered
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Even with strong student support,
administrators said there would be no
money to hire the instructor when his one
year term expired this August.
They said even if money were avail
able, it was necessary to conduct a search
to find the best possible candidate and to
fulfill affirmative action requirements.
But student opinion should count more
than the opinion of a search committee
because students in the classroom are bet
ter prepared to evaluate teaching than a
committee in a boardroom.
The ratings students gave McLaughlin
- illustrated his commitment to the class
room - he secured the highest student
Despite tins student support, adminis
trators initially said no.
But students wouldn’t take no for an
answer. Through protest, the support of
student government and media attention,
administrators realized that if their com
mitment to undergraduate education was
real, they had to act.
Administrators finally listened to the
students. They should be commended for
this because it puts our education back into
our own hands.
We were trusted to know a good
teacher when we saw one.
Can't keep your
opinions to
yourself?
Be a Columnist!
Apply this week to be a fall Daily
Nebraskan columnist. Applications
are available at the newspaper office.
34 Nebraska Union, and are due
Friday at 5 p.m.
-—i
Editorial Ptllcy
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
erraioyees, its student body or the
University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
A column is solely the opinion of its author.
The Board of Regents serves as pubfisher
of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Tne
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.
__.au<? v.
Latter Ptl Icy
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The Daily Neoraskan retains the right to
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Submitted material becomes property of
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Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34
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aM atirjUfirte
Haney’s
VIEW
I .
Abuses of power
Women should defend against harassment
PAULA LAVIGNE is a
senior news-editorial
major and Daily
Nebraskan editor in chief,
“You’re such a lying bitch.”
Pow.
“You can’t do anything right.”
Smack.
“Everyone hates you.”
Slap.
“You’re looking rather dumpy
today.”
Punch.
“A woman can’t be trusted to do
this job.”
Knockout.
You don’t see any bruises, do
you? There are no broken arms,
black eyes or split lips to convince
you.
It is hard enough for women who
are physically abused to see justice
even with their physical scars. For
women who are being verbally
abused, sexually harassed or discrim
inated against because of their gen
der, the invisible bruises are even
harder to prove.
Now is the time to make those
bruises come to light. March is
National Women’s Month. While I
think some women’s issues are exag
gerated, I will say women still need
to fight in the arena of justice.
Women who are physically
abused, and have the scars to prove
it, have a very clear-cut case for vin
dication. But it still remains that in
some cases, even if die physical
abuse is obvious, the woman has to
fight for due process.
If women being physically
abused are ignored, imagine die ram
pant dismissal of women who are
sexually harassed, verbally abused or
discriminated against. It’s much
harder for them to prove abuse if
they can’t show someone a black
eye. The case boils down to her word
against his.
Being stung by words may seem
insufficient to deem abuse. Words
are just words, right? They can’t real
ly hurt us, true? These types of social
mores have told us that abuse is
always tied to physical violence. It is
time to realize those mores are
wrong.
If you are intimidated. If you feel
trapped. If you are scared. If you feel
threatened. If you are hopeless. If
you are desperate. If you are hurt. If
you are silenced. If you always
defend yourself. If the only route you
have is to escape.
You are being abused.
You do not need to wait for soci
ety to validate your feelings. You do
not need a policy to prove your emo
tions. You do not deserve to live with
hostility.
You do need to act.
If you don’t, you are showing a
poor example to those around you.
And you may be endangering your
self because verbal abuse can turn
into physical abuse. Abuse in any
form is wrong. It is a crime. Believe
me, do not wait to see if it gets better
because it will not.
At the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, here is what you do.
If you are a student being
harassed or abused by another stu
dent in any setting, you can Hie a
complaint in the Student Judicial
Affairs Office at (402) 472-2021.
According to the Student Code of
Conduct, die person has to be
warned the behavior is inappropriate,
after which time disciplinary action
can be taken. You may be referred to
die Women’s Center, Victim Services
or the University Health Center.
If you are a faculty member,
administrator or student being
harassed or abused by a faculty
member or administrator, contact the
Affirmative Action and Diversity
Office at (402) 472-3417 or the
Department of Human Resources at
(402) 472-3101.
If you want a more private forum
for abuse or harassment outside the
university, the Rape/Spouse Abuse
Crisis Center can help you at (402)
476-2110, or through the crisis line
at (402) 475-7273.
You may want to contact a lawyer
if you are not getting any results
elsewhere. If you are a student, you
can start at the Student Legal
Services on campus at (402) 472
3350 for free consultation.
Document in writing everything
you feel is abuse. Or get actual proof
- tape it. In Nebraska, only one party
must be aware a conversation is
being tape recorded. (That one party
is you.)
Do not expect people to under
stand. Both physical and verbal
abuse, harassment and, oftentimes,
discrimination happens in private.
If a family member, fellow
employee, coach, friend or another
student is abusing or harassing you -
or if you feel someone in the work
place has discriminated against you
because of your gender - that is all
the validation you need.
Always remember everyone is a
human being and everyone’s right is
the same as the other person’s. No
matter how liked or respected some
one is, if you feel that person is abus
ing you, your feelings are valid.
During National Women’s
Month, remember that an abuser has
the same face if he is your uncle, the
president of a fraternity or die chair
man of a department. It is not
uncommon for an abuser to be some
one in power or someone with influ
ence. The more power a person has,
the more secure he is in his position
and the more willing he is to abuse
you.
It does not matter if your rela
tives, co-workers, classmates and
others do not believe you. You have
to believe in yourself.
You may lose a few “friends.”
But you will find your dignity.
H:
I s
r
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