Thursday, March 23,2000
Page 4
Editor: J.J. Harder
(402) 472-1768
NU on Wheels
true to its word
Service over breaks something
to consider for the future
NU on Wheels may have hit a bump in the road. It was
called St. Patrick’s Day.
Apparently when the founders of the program conceived
NU on Wheels, they decided not to provide rides to inebriated
college students when school isn’t in session. St. Patrick’s and
New Year’s - two of the biggest holidays for drinking - happen
to fall during vacation times.
Oops.
They figured most students wouldn’t be around during the
break. And while most were probably partying like rock stars
in Padre or Panama Beach, the bars were still packed last
Friday night.
Because NU on Wheels closed up shop for Spring Break,
hundreds or even thousands of students got drunk and had to
drive themselves home. People all across the city feared for
their lives, as intoxicated college students were raging around
town without consequence. These drunks flew down residen
tial streets, ripping children from their Big Wheels and the
elderly from their walkers. Cats and dogs living together -
mass hysteria!
Well, at least that’s what some may have us think.
Chances are NU on Wheels’ sabbatical didn’t cause
interanimal habitation, and panic did not ensue. But more
intoxicated drivers were probably on the street because the
program took the week off. However, we shouldn’t point the
finger at the program - the coordinators explicitly stated (and
advertised in the DN) that NU on Wheels wouldn’t run during
vacations. It didn’t break any promises by offering no rides
last week.
In fact, the program is doing more than hoped for. In the
beginning, coordinators budgeted for 45 rides per week. They
average more than eighty right now. In fact, they are $9000
over budget. NU on Wheels is far exceeding our expectations,
and they deserve a pat on the back - not a public outcry for
those who want to ride the tipsy train.
But it’s obvious what they should do next year.
NU needs to be dn its Wheels for the big drinking days. It
needs to run more days for longer hours. And it needs a bigger
budget. These are all areas that the coordinators have said
they’ll take into consideration for their sophomore perfor
mance.
But perhaps the biggest lesson learned is that, in a few
short months, this is a program that people depend on. So
keep making more suggestions on what should be changed
next year.
But don’t complain because you couldn’t get drunk last
weekend. Maybe that’s the point NU on Wheels is trying to
make.
Editorial Board
Josh Funk (editor) • J.J. Harder • Cliff Hicks • Samuel
McKewon • Dane Stickney • Kimberly Sweet • Lindsay
Young
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three.
Obermeyer’s
VIEW
in A TEXAS prison, where inmate Atrmio iAM
US£P BENlAi- R.0SS 1o BREAK OUT OF HlS CBLL...
IaELL; since U/E KNOW
We CANT trust Sou
With PEN7AL FLOSS,
You'll onlS & *Bie
To CL^hl yWR
with this IWiflieRi
\ CHISBL, AW VRlLL.
Letters to the
EDITOR
Clinton demo derby
If you watch the news on any
given night, you might assume that
gun violence is at an all-time high.
But if you read actual FBI Uniform
Crime Report statistics, you will
learn that gun violence is at a 10-year
low.
Why the discrepancy? The
national media has an anti-gun agen
da. So what’s new?
The Clinton administration refus
es to enforce gun control laws that are
currently on the books, while
demanding a never-ending plethora
of new laws. The goal here is for the
gun-control crowd eventually to say,
“Look, these gun laws just aren’t
working. We need to ban guns.”
Don’t be fooled. This is a slow
and relentless erosion of rights. It is
nothing new to the Clinton regime.
You may ask, “Hey, who cares? I
don’t even own a gun.” But what
rights are you willing to sacrifice
next? Because this Bill Clinton
Freedom Demolition Derby just has
begun. Smokers already know this.
Drinkers? Meat-eaters? Violent
movie-watchers?
You are all in his sights.
Tom Eads
computer labs manager
Information Services
Aussie stats
I’m tired of hearing that gun con
trol is the answer to all of our crime
problems in America. It is time for
some real facts about the gun-control
issue.
It has now been 12 months since
gun owners in Australia were forced
to surrender 640,381 personal
firearms to be destroyed, a program
costing the government more than
$500 million.
Now the results are in: In
Australia overall, homicides are up
3.2 percent, assaults are up 8.6 per
cent and armed robberies are up 44
percent (yes, 44.0 percent). In the
State of Victoria, homicides with
firearms are up 300 percent. Figures
over the past 25 years show a steady
decrease in armed robbery with
firearms (changed drastically in the
past 12 months). There has been a
dramatic increase in break-ins and
assaults of the elderly.
Australian politicians are at a loss
to explain how no improvement in
“safety” has been observed after such
a monumental effort and expense was
expended in ridding society of guns.
I’m willing to bet you won’t see this
data on the evening news or hear your
governor or members of the state
Legislature disseminating this infor
mation.
It’s time to state it plainly: Guns in
the hands of honest citizens save lives
and property and, yes, gun-control
laws only affect the law-abiding citi
zens.
Matt Glenn
senior
chemical engineering
Union to Brooklyn
Regarding the indecent depiction
of Mary in the Brooklyn Museum of
“Art,” (the one decorated with ele
phant dung and images of female
genitalia), I must say we seem to be a
numb generation that has been de
sensitized to the point that we just
stand around and watch as others do
unmentionable filth.
I remember as a young man still
in school at Union College, a small
Christian liberal arts college in
Lincoln, the school had an extremely
liberal art department. Our art depart
ment was going to open an exhibit in
the Administration Building. Our col
lege’s maintenance supervisor, where
I worked during the afternoons, said
the show included some nude draw
ings and paintings.
Many of us were incredulous!
“Here on a Christian campus, where
you can’t even hold hands or kiss in
public?” We were aghast! I asked him
if he had a couple of cans of chocolate
brown paint so I could take care of the
problem. He discouraged any rash
action, but after I went to look at the
paintings I was sickened. Yes, there
they were, nude paintings and draw
ings. What sickened me even further
was the picture of a little nude boy sit
ting on his nude father’s lap. It haunt
ed me the rest of the day as to what to
do.
That night at my job as night
watchman, I placed a large garbage
can in the middle of the art exhibit
showroom. I promptly placed each
desecrating unmentionable in the
garbage can. I didn’t smash the trash,
I didn’t bust it to bits, I didn’t even
soak it with chocolate brown paint. I
just made a statement and placed the
offensive articles where I felt they
were better suited.
1 he next morning there was quite
a stir. I was questioned as to whether I
saw anyone suspicious there during
the night when I made my rounds. I
said, “No, no one suspicious.” (Hey,
I’m not the suspicious-looking type.)
I felt kind of bad to be so misleading.
But I just wanted to make an artistic
expression of what I thought of that
particular kind of art, particularly in
an art exhibit at my Christian college.
They never did figure out just who it
was who placed the nudes in the
garbage.
And it’s probably good I don’t live
closer to Brooklyn. I might get a little
insensitive myself. And this time, I
think I’d opt for the chocolate brown
paint.
Ron Reese
Canton, N.C.
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