EDITOR
Erin Gibson
OPINION
EDITOR
Cliff Hicks
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Nancy Christensen
Brad Davis
Sam McKewon
Jeff Randall
Bret Schulte
Our
VIEW
New
lessons
Black history noted
all year in courses
Today is the first day of Black History
Month, a month that brings worthwhile cel
ebrations as well as controversies over
whether we, as a diverse country, should cel
ebrate the history of one particular race.
The truth is, black history, as well as the
history of anyone living in the United States
who wasn’t white and wealthy, was swept
under the historical rug for centuries. That
truth is well-documented and is mainly one
effect of who was writing history and run
ning the country for most of U.S. history:
wealthy white men.
The result of teaching white-centered
history for centuries is millions of misedu
cated Americans who need to learn about
black history through a month of special
attention to the topic - even if they feel black
history is getting rammed down their insen
sitive throats.
But instead of focusing on the wrongs of
white-centered history this year, we instead
would like to praise those who enact change.
Look no further than our own history
department.
Many pro/essors there are including
more diverse perspectives in their courses
than were included a decade ago.
Because change takes much more work
and dedication than teaching the same les
son plans for 20 years - and because that
change is seldom rewarded by the grinding
university finance machine - those profes
sors must be commended by the community.
One example of their commitment to
change: No “Jacksonian Era” course is
taught here anymore.
It’s been reworked and renamed
“Antebellum America,” so as not to cele
brate only the questionable Andrew
Jackson. Now the course educates students
about the truths of a tumultuous era in which
a diverse population lived and worked.
Also note, even in the large, more stan
dardized Western Civilization courses,
required reading now includes social history
- an area of history where the role of
women, average households and the poor
provide a more varied look at old times.
1 tie department also otters important
courses on the African Diaspora, American
Plains Indians, Latin America, Islam and
modem Mexico.
Such courses dispel many stereotypes
and advance a more educated version of his
tory than what students may have learned in
high school.
Of course, relatively few Nebraska stu
dents are required to take more than the
bare-bones history courses. Getting a thor
ough education is still a choice here, and it
doesn’t automatically accompany a degree.
But the professors who still work to bet
ter educate students by using a multi-per
spective approach to teaching their courses
should be acknowledged during Black
History Month.
- i
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of
the Spring 1999 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.
Latter 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.
Lupo’s
VIEW
t i?
'pre sn
| — LEVER, js
TO ACTIVATE- 1
FOPE^VoWeR. c
Ev £j
_ y
s6fr 5
rroM g
>NCK *
AND * " °F "*** ***>
^ TO ACT WAT £ ^
V'E PLORJ60S UNOHV^
WASCCR-T! ^
^-w _fcsj
/UOOK OTHERj (&§
\P0UTlCAt~f ACTION L n
\ FIGURES- COHiNOileg
DN
LETTERS
No fair for long-hair
When reading the article on the
long-haired law student, I was
angered and frustrated. I was angered
that an elected official, in particular,
would discriminate against anyone
for his appearance.
I am not a long-haired person, but
I can sympathize with Mr. Glenn.
I am sure Gary Lacey would not,
in an opening statement of a trial, say
to the jury: “Look at the defendant.
He must be guilty; look at his long
hair.” Mr. Lacey would follow a strict
procedure of evidence gathering and
trial preparation, neither of which
would focus on the defendant’s
appearance, but on the evidence in the
case that would prove guilt. So by act
ing as judge and jury in Mr. Glenn’s
case, he is a hypocrite. Before con
victing Mr. Glenn of being unsuitable
material for the courtroom, maybe he
could look at his records and past
work to determine if he himself is
suitable for the courtroom. I hope he
does not use the same logic when
prosecuting criminals, or our county
would be in serious trouble.
William Kirkland
Lincoln resident
Goodbye, John
Dear colleagues and friends,
I have written many letters over
the years to the Daily Nebraskan, but
none more significant than this one.
Why so significant, you ask? Because
this is my last letter to the editor as an
employee of the university. This is my
parting shot, and like many of you
would attest, when I have an opportu
nity to get a word in, I am going to
take it. So, here goes.
First, to my friends and foes,
thank you for making my time at UNL
worth all of the ups and downs I have
experienced. It has been agony and
ecstasy at the same time. I will cher
ish the great joys and many friend
ships I have had here. It has been a
blessing for me to have been able to
share this short time with you. I
appreciate each one of you.
A special thank-you to the stu
dents who have allowed me to serve
them. Students are the primary reason
I have worked at educational institu
tions since I graduated from college.
It’s true - look at my pay stub. The joy
I have had challenging students to
/ t M
look at themselves, and then beyond,
is overwhelming; to watch them
develop intellectually and mature
socially, and then graduate. That is
what it is all about.
Second, to this community, my
work here has been to help people see
that we are much better together than
we could ever be apart. Dr. King said
it this way: “We must learn to live
together as brothers (and sisters) or
we will perish together as fools.”
Frankly, I would rather live together.
However, I understand that many on
this campus still see concepts like
injustice, inequality, discrimination
and racism merely as buzzwords.
These insidious concepts are reality,
and people continue to use them. The
words are not the problem; the people
are, and they must be stopped. Keep
working to make UNL a place that
everyone can call home. A place
where alumni, particularly “alumni of
color,” would be proud to return and
bring their families. This should be
that kind of place. No, it must be that
kind of place.
Third, to the administration, with
which I have been associated for more
than seven years now. Remember
institutions Idee UNL have two specif
ic purposes relative to helping stu
dents: first, to help the person develop
intellectually, in and out of the class
room, and second, to help the students
mature socially, expand their knowl
edge of self and those in the world
around them. I have seen too many
confrontations that pit the administra
tion against the students. It does not
have to be that way. Remember, if
there are no students, there is no uni
versity. You might as well call this a
research corporation where everyone
' \jvtm Haney/DN
has meetings all day and drinks Pepsi.
Students give the university life. I
know the money is tight and UNL is
asked to do more with less. Just do
your best to maintain and preserve the
collegiate experience for the young
people. These years should be among
the best years of one’s life.
Finally, and I will shut up. UNL,
like many other places, still has a long
way to go to convince people that it is
serious about diversity. I have seen
countless faculty, staff and students
working hard in the name of diversity,
community, harmony, whatever you
want to call it. Yet, it seems like we
take one step forward and then two
steps back. That has to change. The
leadership of this institution has to
show some real guts and make the
tough decisions necessary to con
vince people that UNL is serious
about diversity. Stop trying to cover
your butts, when all that is necessary
is a forthright apology. (Native
Americans, bones, repatriation ring a
bell?) This university has to have
greater integrity and do what is right,
not simply for public relations pur
poses. It is high time that the universi
ty was seen as a friend to the greater
Lincoln community and not as a bully
pushing its way through without
regard for anyone else.
It’s been a great being with you.
UNL will always be a part of me, and
I trust that you will think about me
every now and then. Stop by the
Nebraska Union where I will be hang
ing out periodically as a transient, at
least until 6 p.m.
I wish you all God’s richest bless
ings and say farewell for now.
John L. Harris
^ 9 [A/r i+o _„ Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St., Lincoln,
* * _ ^jpK^ofor fix to (402) 472-1761, or e-mail <letters@unlinfo;unl.edu.
K ~-L litters must be signed and include a phone number for verification
---^_;..- . . .
