*
A wresting
of control
University-run campus media
takes away necessary freedom
Student media are meant to be for the students, by the
students and of the students. The last thing they need is the
university to come and take them over.
At Texas Tech University, the chairman of the School
of Mass Communications has made a proposal to fold all
of the student media on campus - the University Daily, the
campus newspaper; KTXT-FM and KOHM-FM, the cam
pus radio stations and KTXT-TV, the campus television
station - into the mass communications department.
What this means is that the benefits of independence
from the university would shrivel up and fade away.
According to the University Daily’s reports about the
We are the
student voice,
not a
laboratory
newspaper.”
proposal, the student editor
would be replaced with a “non
student staff member.”
In essence, the newspaper
would no longer be student-run.
A teacher would be calling the
shots.
The responsibility is lost.
Those of us who toil away at
the Daily Nebraskan have long
reveled in our independence
from the university. We’re the student voice, not a labora
tory newspaper.
And there’s nothing wrong with laboratory newspa
pers. We have one on campus - The Journalist - and it ful
fills the function a laboratory newspaper should.
Students get some required experience working for a
newspaper, and there’s still a safety net in case they make
a mistake.
We here at the Daily Nebraskan prefer to shoulder the
responsibility ourselves. We have the freedom to take
risks, and the ultimate responsibility lays in the editor’s
hands - an editor who is a member of the student body.
With administration control comes a lack of freedom.
No matter how open-minded advisors are, they will be
more cautious than the students.
Impetuousness of youth is an asset for a young jour
nalist, however. It gives drive and ambition.
To take the responsibility that encourages such dedica
tion away would hamper the quality of the paper - some
thing we’re sure every student working for the University
Daily is well aware of.
If Texas Tech thinks it needs administration-controlled
media, that’s fine. Administration can make some new
outlets, not take over those that already exist.
We’re with you, UD.
Editorial Board
Josh Funk (editor) • J.J. Harder • Cliff Hicks • Samuel
McKewon • Dane Stickney • Kimberly Sweet • Lindsay
Young
Letter 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
submissions.Submitted material becomes property of the
Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous mate
rial 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, 20 Nebraska Union,
1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448 ore-mail to: let
ters@unl.edu
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the spring 2000
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 acts as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan;
policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The
UNL Publications Board, established by the regents, super
vises the publication 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.
The Daily Nebraskan strives to print fair and accurate cover
age; any corrections or clarifications will be printed on page
three.
Obermeyer’s
VIEW
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Letters to the
EDITOR
Cool Cards
I would like to commend the A
Team on Wednesday’s advertisement.
I supported all points except one.
Credit card solicitation should not be
abolished on campus. Too often,
credit cards are blamed for debt.
Actually, unwanted debt is caused by
the irresponsible behavior of con
sumers. Credit cards are not a blank
check and must be repaid just like any
other bill.
I was unable to obtain a credit
card without a co-signer until I was
enrolled at UNL in 1996. Being a col
lege student guaranteed I would be
able to start my own credit history
that would help secure a loan for a
home in the future. I also wanted a
credit card to gain the benefits of
insurance, ease of use almost any
where, free extended warranties on
larger purchases, itemized monthly
statements, etc.
I have never incurred a finance
charge in four years and do not plan
on one unless an emergency arises.
You have free will, students - don’t
buy into A-Team’s jargon that a booth
on campus forces you to get a credit
card and run up a high bill.
Brett Otte
senior
finance
Steak Stats
If I were writing an article on veg
etarianism in a state that is ranked
first in beef export and beef slaughter
and tied for second in total beef pro
duction, I would not use sources that
were dated from 1995. Unfortunately,
Jeremy Patrick did not do his meat
homework.
The American Council on
Science and Health stated that two to
seven percent of all Americans are
vegetarians. Of those, less than one
percent completely explude meat,
poultry, fish and shellfish from their
diets. Foods derived from animals
contribute 70 percent of dietary pro
tein, 40 percent of dietary calories
and 30 to 40 percent of dietary thi
amin, Vitamin A, iron and magne
sium.
In concurrence with the dietary
guidelines for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, con
suming animal-derived foods is an
important nutritional contribution to
healthful diets. A Penn State
University study concluded women
from age of 60 to 80 had immune sys
tems nearly as strong as those of
women age 20 to 40 when protein,
iron, Vitamin B12 and folic acid (all
animal-derived) were included in
their diets.
As for the wonderful insight into
veal production (sarcasm intended),
contact the American Veal
Association and examine the pages of
requirements and objectives needed
to be a certified veal producer.
Animal scientists, veterinarians and
the Animal Health Committee of the
American Veterinary Medical
Association support the industry
practices based on their special
understanding of a calf’s nutritional
needs and behavior, and the tendency
for young calves to develop disease.
My words of advice to you and
any student who is involved in pro
moting animal rights is next time, do
your homework. Attempt to present a
strong argument, not one that is
pulled from 1995 sources or items
that you have “heard.” Now, if you
will excuse me, I have to go cook a
steak.
Jaclyn Wilson
sophomore
agribusiness and agriculture
economics/public policy
Painful Issues
Jake Glazeski uses selective argu
mentation and flowery language to
attack animal rights. Unfortunately, in
his word play, he never addresses the
issue. As to the “illogical” philosophy
behind animal rights, I fail to see
where Glazeski ever attacks the logic
himself.
Animals feel both physical and
emotional pain the same way we do.
Any rudimentary dabbling in biology
or psychology will reveal this. Why,
then, can we cause them pain? What
makes our own comfort sacred, yet
atlows us to boil them alive or slit their
throats? This issue is never addressed.
The question we must focus on is
simple: If pain is bad for us, what
gives us the right to inflict it unneces
sarily upon other beings that experi
ence it? We are never given an answer.
If you think you can provide an
answer, Glazeski, I’d be happy to
debate it publicly. The reason I sup
port animal rights is not because of
emotion. I support it because I have
yet to find a logical answer to this
seemingly simple question.
Jason Nord
senior
philosophy and English
president of Students for
Animal Rights
Emotional Ethics
The animal-rights arguments pre
sented by Jeremy Patrick are weak at
best. I have a hard time believing eat
ing meat will lead to lung cancer or
alcoholism. It makes me question the
motives of the “expert” cited.
The ethical arguments presented j
by Patrick also were poor. The i
philosopher cited obviously is not
informed on the issue and is basing
his ideas completely on emotion. One1
of the main goals of livestock produc
ers is to reduce stress in animals to!
promote growth. They strive to’
increase the well-being of the ani
mals. i
I think the most discrediting part
of the article was the comparison
between someone eating a Big Mac *
and teenagers stomping a puppy to
death. I have tried to remain open-1
minded on the issue, but generaliza-*
tions and emotional pleas like that
seem to be the only basis for animal-'
rights activists’ arguments.
Evan Lewandowski
senior
agribusiness
Real Racism
Does anyone else see anything
wrong with the bill LB 1379 (DN Feb.
16)? It is a bill that would continue to
use state funds to support a scholar
ship that actively discriminates
against every ethnic group except for
“black, American-Indian and
. Hispanic students.”
Using state money for a scholar
ship to help underprivileged students
is not a bad idea, but saying it isn’t
good enough to have the need, you
have to be a certain color or heritage,
is a bad idea. It happens all the time,
yet I bet you wouldn’t catch a senator
introducing a bill that uses state
money to fund a scholarship for stu
dents of western European heritage
only. Here’s a real example of racism.
Mary Cornelius
sophomore
anthropology