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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1998)
EDITOR Paula Lavigne OPINION EDITOR Kasey Kerber EDITORIAL BOARD Brad Davis Erin Gibson Shannon Heffelfingei Chad Lorenz . Jeff Randall Our VIEW Planning diversity Fair representation necessary for change Last week, UNL students, faculty mem bers and staff told federal investigators about the racial climate on campus. The representatives from the U.S. Office for Civil Rights ruled the university had broken no laws, for which it should be com mended. But the news wasn’t all good - investiga tors said UNL’s climate was not welcoming to minorities, and the government has charged the university with drafting a plan to improve race relations. During the next two weeks, the affirma tive action office, along with administra tors, will discuss what the University of Nebraska-Lincoln can do to change its atmosphere. for tne discussions to be productive, though, UNL’s student population must be fairly represented. In the talks last week, only students invited by the affirmative action office could share their experiences with the fed eral investigators - and most of them were minority students. It was appropriate for most of the com ments during last week’s talks to come from j experienced ait UNL first hand. But during the talks throughout the next two weeks, all students should be allowed to participate in drafting a plan to change the campus climate. Because more than 90 percent of stu dents on this campus are white, they too should be involved in discussions about racial climate if the ideas are to become reality. With all the talk of “diversity” at UNL, certainly true diversity is achieved only when all people can contribute to the race relations discussion. The Office for Civil Rights fairly identi fied three areas in which UNL needs improvement: its racial harassment policy, the investigation of harassment complaints and the need for diversity training. • For the university to improve in these areas, all segments of campus must pledge to work toward a more welcoming environ ment. And all segments of the campus popula tion - including whites - must be a part of the discussion. 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 University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column 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 auarantee their pubfication. 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 DN LETTERS A future Nebraskan? My name is Jessica Gay. I go to Clarendon School. Miss Eppley is my fifth grade teacher. I have three dogs; one of my dog’s name is Oso. My mom and dad have two dogs. I live in a house. I like TV. When it’s time to go home from school, I go home to see my dog Oso. My birthday is the first of July. I live in Arizona. I’m writing a report about Nebraska. Please print my letter in your newspaper so readers will see it and send me information. P.S. When I’m 16,1 might go to college in Nebraska. write to: Jessica Gay c/o Miss Heather Eppley Clarendon Elementary School 1225 W. Clarendon Ave. Phoneix, Arizona 85013 A question of drinking I thought maybe the death of Laura Cockson at the hand of some one under the influence would change a few minds. As I read Shawn Meysenburg’s commentary about his first experi ence getting drunk in the April 15 edition of the Daily Nebraskan, I was given the impression that “drunkenness may be fun from time to time.” This statement not only con dones the action of drinking, but the nature of the column assumes that everyone can learn from his/her first experience with alcohol. Well I have news for your Shawn; I never had my first experi ence with alcohol, and I don’t plan on ever having it. I represent the silent group of students who do not drink, and it would be nice if NOT drinking was given as an option in the war against alcohol-related problems. What is drinking responsibly? Is 1 ^h^dn! it hanging a ribbon up in memory of Laura Cockson and then getting drunk? If we are ready to combat the problems of drinking, we need to stop. That is the only way women will _x_x_l_l_xi_• n__ r» uvi iapwu unuci me 1111 iuciice ui alcohol, people will not get killed in alcohol-related accidents and vio lence under intoxication will come to an end. Joshua Cramer freshman sociology major A lot of thanks and no bull The second ahnual Burr Hall Bull Fry was not eating Bull Fries, playing volleyball or dancing to Full Choke, it was an opportunity to unite individuals from many differ ent backgrounds and living units to help a friend in need, Adrian Regier. We are pleased to announce, that with your help, we raised $2,100 to present to Adrian and his family. The Regiers are an'amazing family who personify courage and hope through adversity and display humility with all the thoughts, prayers and dona tions that they receive. We would like to thank everyone who attended either the dance, at the Pla-Mor Ballroom, or the Bull Fry this last weekend. It was an event that had a sub stantial impact on many people and especially the Regier family. We were honored.to have Nebraska Football Receivers’ Coach Ron Brown attend Saturday’s festivities and give inspirational insight to the Regiers and others in attendance. We wish that we could list each person involved in the Bull Fry so they could get the recognition that they deserve, but since there are numerous people, we will extend a sincere mid heartfelt thank you. Our gratitude cannot be summed up in words alone, but we will offer a sincere thanks to everyone froip Burr Hall and the Ron Regier fami iy. ' Philip Erdman Burr Hall president '5