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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1998)
EDITOR Erin Gibson OPINION EDITOR Cliff Hicks EDITORIAL BOARD Nancy Christensen Brad Davis -• Sam McKewon Jeff Randall Bret Schulte Out VIEW The road less traveled No need to drive to campus; take a hike Another year has found another slew of complaints about on-campus parking. It’s the same old whine: When I drive alone in my car to campus, many other dri vers who don’t carpool have already taken my space. Only we have it better than many col lege folks in medium to large cities. On many campuses, parking is so difficult and expensive that students don’t even try. They find other means of getting to cam pus. But, here, it is actually possible to park on this campus and to park affordably. And, because it’s possible, too many students attempt it - students who are young and don’t need the car to zip from full-time job to campus, or between their countryside home and family and their city workplace. Such students have no reason to forgo the handy gas guzzler and learn the campus shuttle and city bus schedules. They have no reason to invest in a bicycle or inconve nience themselves by walking a mile or two. They need a reason, and it must start with education - perhaps a better coordi nated ad campaign to get the convenience of city and campus shuttles and buses into the student mindset. But an extra punch will be needed to get Nebraska natives. Takings, bos is-Qreek to many of them. They grew up with the con venience of cars, wide-open highways and big, big parking lots at the end of every trip. They will have to be forced to learn about alternative solutions by having to use - them, and this must happen during their first college year. Several college campuses prevent true freshmen, most of whom must live on cam pus, from parking a car on campus their fresh man year. We think this would work for UNL. Their collective time spent on campus and at campus activities would better unify the campus community and make them integral parts of it. And the space freed by their cars’ absence - those cars that sit idle for days beside residence halls - would allow older students and faculty members who must drive between work, home and campus in midday to be able to park. As a result of this action, and the dis tance between these lots and campus, the hours of shuttle and bus operation would need to be extended and their frequency would need to be increased. Regardless of whether this tack is taken, it’s high time students and faculty members stop complaining about the inevitable lack of parking in the crowded campus and downtown areas and spend that energy addressing alternative solutions. Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Spring 1998 Daly Nebraskan. They do not necessarfy reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Unooln, its employees, its student body or the Unweiky of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as pubflsher of the Daily Nebraskan; poKcyis set by the Daly Nebraskan Editorial Board. The UNL Publications Board, established by the regents, supervises the production of the paper. Accotdjng to policy set by the regents, responstoity for the edtonsl content of the newspaper lies solely in i i latter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their pubfication. The Dtdy Neoraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be relumed. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if anv. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St Lincoln, NE. 685884)448. E-mail: letters@urMo.unl.edu. Mook’s VIEW f IF AT AHITDAE p J|W)U& N£B€ 1UU \ ( ft tee dteATBSEb sim on Re£iBw*i*a»- 1 i WftUA back vim m M V rheqt #t> ml tfr scst mt A3a&a*to./~va| 1 jM&S* You say you want a revolution Generation X needs to prove it can carry America ADAM KLINKER is a sophomore English and his tory major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. It’s time for a revolution in America - somewhere, sometime. If you go by popular historical hypothesis, our nation undergoes a rebirth about every 30 to 40 years. By last count, 1968 was the last big year in American history. Conceivably it might be the final intensely turbulent time in our America. Perhaps there is not much else in the life of our nation that strikes the average American as being overly dis jointed or problematic. This generation has, for the most part, escaped the scathe of war. The Vietnam, Korean and World Wars have been but history to us. Generation X in a war would be congruent to our great-grandparents ’ generation walking on the moon. Itls inconceivable. Also remember the generation of 1968. Our parents protested war and fought for racial equality. How much have our parents evolved and thereby influenced us? In 1968, America was embroiled in not only the Vietnam War but the con troversy surrounding it. Race riots broke out all over the nation. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. It was a much different place. The American people, as a whole, were not wholly free. America was in the midst of what might have been its last grow ing pains. Until now. Thirty years later-the benchmarked years surrounding 1998. Maybe it will come, but maybe not Maybe it’s already hoe. . A revolution is a self-test of a gen eration to determine whether it can withstand the pressures ofhandling an ever-changing world and pass it on to future generations with as little dam age as possible. There is certainly sufficient evi dence to lay claim to the fact that an information revolution has been pro tracted by tiie slackers of Generation X. Beyond that, no riots, no wars, no significant upheaval. Maybe never. Maybe soon. Every generation must one day face a firebrand, a deciding moment upon which all the future of the vsorid will hinge. As Americans, that future usually hinges on us. This is not a doomsday proposi tion. It’s more like a pep talk. Ask yourself if you’re ready for a political/social/economic revolution. The Generation X answer is: “I don’t know.” Maybe a few finite answers would incite upheaval - the “Rage Against the Machine” mentality. What is^palled for is not a revolu tion against society, but a revolution to change society. Look at what society has become since 1968 - the kinder, gentler world era of, among other things, nuclear weapons and, thankfully, the fear to use them. The world community has attempt ed to prolong this race of humanity for as long as we can, or perfect it to the point where upheaval is obsolete. But that is impossible. Hardship and revolt is a vicious cycle that will never be broken. No matter die size, small uprisings will gradually evolve into bigger ones, eventually leading to a change in poli cy, politically/economically/socially. What have our small revolutions been? What will they be? Can our current prosperity and har mony remain forever? Is the world a kinder, gentler place? Is this the calm before die storm? The American cycle is quite often predictable, but mysterious nonethe less. Periods of economic opulence are inevitably intemipted by sudden down tums of the market Times of economic troubles are characteristically bettered by military buildup and waning action. Perhaps the most definmg charac teristic is America’s absence from many world affairs. As it stands, the world stage could not make a more inviting atmosphere for its citizens. Of course, isolated areas are facing problems: war in the Balkans, economic discord in Russia. However, in our American scope, the world looks good. But our isola tionism has caused problems before. Therein lies a coming crisis. Because America has chosen to block itself out of many work! affairs as it did in the 1920s and ‘30s, who knows what might come about now? The world is a much more danger ous place. There are newer, more effi cient and deadlier weapons and more governments with the potential to not only wield them, but use them. To say the very least, a nuclear rev olution would not be ideal. Something along the lines of the approaching year 2000 technology enigma seems to be more in line for our generation. Maybe it’s the aid of a democracy, as they tend not to last long and by recent bleaches of executive trust, Americans certainly are disheartened by their leaders. However, though you might be able to select a revolution, you can’t pick your zero hour. We have had a very prosperous trend in our country - call it die Auspicious ‘90s. But are they really? Does this affluent period translate into a greater time to come? Or does it mean upheaval, as might be consistent with the cycle? Americans can rcasonaoiy expect two things: the continuing boom, not only in the economy, but in world affairs, or this proposed revolution. Of course, it will be the latter that shapes our generation. Out of this adversity can come only triumph, regardless of whether this generation is ready for it or not Generation X is far advanced, beyond any preceding generation. We have implemented, perfected and elab orated the tools of our parents and can use them better than anyone else. Generation X can avoid war. We can be diplomats. We can make peace and keep it But we also can have a rev olution. We will eventually demand it, directly or indirectly. Without it, Generation X cannot become what it so longs to be-the American assur ance, that all will be well, left in Generation X^s hands. © C U/i^i‘f/9 raskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St., Lincoln, ' vf..f fXS-r-j to (402) 472-1761, or e-mail<lfitters@ttnlinfo.xmLedti. Pgcfl must be signed «nd inchtie a phone number for verification
