Take on
the day
King s message should be
remembered on a daily basis
On Monday, people across the nation will take a day off
work and school to commemorate the life of one of the great
est civil rights leaders who ever lived.
It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Members of a university planning committee have spent
months coordinating events between the university, the city of
Lincoln and other organizations so students and members of
the public can spend the day honoring King.
They even came up with a catchy slogan - “Remember!
Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not A Day Off.”
The not-too-subtle slogan reminds students that the day
away from class has a purpose other than catching up on sleep.
The slogan shows the committee knows UNL students
It s too bad that
the university
committee has
to remind
students that
Martin Luther
King Jr Day is
“a day on.”
well. Without a reminder that
Martin Luther King Jr. Day exists
and has a purpose, many students
would go on without thinking
about how King’s efforts changed
their lives.It’s too bad that the uni
versity committee has to remind
students that Martin Luther King
Jr. Day is “a day on.”
It’s also too bad that the cele
bration of King’s ideals is limited
to one day.
King is famous for helping to
secure equal right for all people
under the law, and we should take
time out to recognize that fact on
Monday. King’s legacy is one of activism and not being con
tent with the status quo.
Students should continue the work that King began and
leave a legacy of their own.
On Wednesday, King’s oldest daughter quoted her father
to a crowd in Tennessee: “This is no time for apathy or com
placency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
King’s words still ring true. There are no fewer problems
today than when the civil rights leader was alive.
Problems exist on this campus, in this community and in
this state that students could have a powerful role in fixing.
Unfortunately, too many of us get caught up in our day-to
day lives, becoming bogged down in homework, jobs and
extracurricular activities.
Monday should be more than a day to reflect about the
things King did for us. It should be a day to think how we can
be activists in our own circle of influence. It should be a day to
dedicate ourselves to carrying on a tiny piece of the legacy
King began.
Perhaps then it can really be called “a day on.”
Editorial Board
Josh Funk (editor) • J.J. Harder • Cliff Hicks • Samuel
McKewon • Dane Stickney • Kimberly Sweet •
Lindsay Young
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Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the spring 2000
Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views
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student body or the University of Nebraska Board of ' " ■
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policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The
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three.
Obermeyer’s
VIEW
I IT & OUR Job to S&R^
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Bon voyage
Study-abroad program to be exciting, unique opportunity
I Semester
' at Sea
: ■, ; f f'T .
A <■. Ms$oln* Nebraska, USA
:. • "' > /
My anticipation is rising as I
count down the number of days until
I set sail. Soon I will be leaving for
the opportunity of a lifetime, to trav
el the world on a ship.
The University of Pittsburgh,
along with The Institute for
Shipboard Education, has designed a
semester-abroad program that allows
students to live, eat and study abroad
on a 23,500-ton vessel. We’ll be trav
eling around the world and earning
college credit, forming the world
famous program Semester at Sea, as
seen on MTV’s “Road Rules.”
It is no booze-cruise, though.
Unlike on “Road Rules,” I will be
required to focus on my studies and
take full advantage of the opportuni
ties presented. I probably won’t be
taking a lot from the classes I’m in.
I’ll be learning by traveling to
faraway lands.
The ship is scheduled to set sail
on Jan. 22, from Nassau, Bahamas. I
will travel to 10 other wonderful
countries, such as Cuba, South
Africa, Malaysia and Hong Kong
before returning to Seattle, Wash.
This is something I have been
dreaming about doing since high
school. And I know a few other par
ticipants of Semester at Sea that will
be traveling on my voyage. So I’m
not alone with 598 strangers in the
middle of the ocean.
The procedures that I have had to
go through to help prepare for the
voyage have been timely. I had to be
fully vaccinated, since many of the
countries.I will be visiting are infest
ed with things we are not used to in
the United States.
I received shots such as
Hepatitis A and B, plus things like a
polio booster, a flu shot, malaria pills
and many more. This has left me
with sore arms over the past couple
of weeks. But the nurses in interna
tional at the Health Center were
great.
Before I could visit some of the
countries on our route, I was
required to apply and obtain visas
from a few of these faraway places. I
now have visas from Brazil, India
and Vietnam which have really
added to my passport book.
Besides the classes taught by the
professors from around the world, I
will be able to participate in field
studies to help focus on what is
1 will have the
chance to go on
an African safari,
do a village
home stay with
natives of an
area, fly in a hot
air balloon over
Kenya, see the
Taj Mahal and
even visit a
Cuban cigar
factory in
Havana.
being taught onboard. I will have the
chance to go on an African safari, do
a village home stay with natives of
an area, fly in a hot air balloon over
Kenya, see the Taj Mahal and even
visit a Cuban cigar factory in
Havana.
I’ve nervous about my being so
far away from home, not knowing
anything about my roommate or
even where he will be from and even
experiencing culture shock.
I know I will have a wonderful
time and that the experience will be
amazing, but I’m afraid of the lan
guage barriers or even not being able
to find my way, since I have never
been to any of the countries I will be
visiting. I am sure that I will be fine,
and that what I learn will be more
than I could by staying in Nebraska.
Keep reading as I offer updates
from around the world.
Andrew Broer is a sophomore secondary education major and a Daily Nebraskan
columnist
