Opinion
Tough act
to follow
Loss of Moeser is painful, but
new chancellor can better NU
You wouldn’t think a short man would leave such big
shoes behind.
But when Chancellor James Moeser leaves in July, this
university will be challenged to find a successor who can
bolster UNL’s academic reputation and continue to build
programs while addressing important issues on campus.
In his tenure, Moeser championed the liberal arts.
Renowned for his skill in concert performance, Moeser
approached his job as administrator with the same passion
he held for his music.
Yet he did so in an unpretentious manner. Moeser was
willing to consider all sides of an issue, and he encouraged
discussion. As the leader of the academic side of a football
university, Moeser did not blindly cater to athletic wishes.
We need a chancellor
Wp nppri n who can make sure the uni'
we rieeu u versity is known for more
chancellor who than its runnin8 game.
The move to the
can make sure the University of North Carolina
. is an excellent opportunity
university is for M0eser< Wh0 Win now
known for more bead one of tbe best Pubbc
J universities in the nation.
than itS running The choice for Moeser was
clear.
game. Moeser’s departure also
presents an opportunity for
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We have the chance
to find the right leader.
The next chancellor should bring progressive ideas to
this conservative state. As the premier university in
Nebraska, UNL should be setting the example for and
challenging the rest of the state.
Whoever is hired must understand the dynamics of the
NU system and the state that houses it.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is one of three in
the NU system, but UNL is the flagship. This university
should be more than one of three regional centers for
higher education.
The next chancellor must find ways to attract the best
students from our state and elsewhere. Minority students
are also painfully lacking on this campus.
It will also be important to continue to expand the uni
versity’s research efforts and increase faculty salaries.
The next chancellor will have the chance to infuse new
life and direction into this university, but he or she will
have a tough act to follow.
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 sub
missions. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily
Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous material 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 or e-mail to:
letters@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 Neoraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student
body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A col
umn 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, supervises the publication
of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsi
bility 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 coverage; any corrections or
clarifications will be printed on page three.
Obermeyer’s
VIEW
I----3-=.. ....1
I-I-i_/ >__t&Xmaar.A
Letters to the
EDITOR
School is cool
Sam McKewon, because you did
n’t seem to have any main criticism
of the School is Cool Jam, I’ll try my
best to respond to your incoherent
cynicism.
You said “athletes have the abili
ty to motivate.” These kids admire
the athletes for their accomplish
ments on the field, and the athletes
use their influence to deliver positive
messages about making good deci
sions in school and in life.
And they did. Eric Crouch spoke
about the importance of character,
Brian Shaw and Nicol&Kubik deliv
ered an important message about
studying for tests and keeping
focused in school and Sharolta
Nonen gave a moving account of the
importance of persevering through
adversity.
Through your descriptions of the
audience’s behavior, you seemed to
argue that our efforts to connect with
the kids were unsuccessful.
First, it can be extremely difficult
to maintain the attention of 12,500
fifth and sixth graders for an hour
and a half. This is why we work in a
variety of entertainment (the Rope
Warrior, Lil’ Red, singing) to keep
the kids’ attention. You made a good
point - watching Lil’ Red isn’t edu
cating in itself. But it keeps their
attention so they will focus on the
next speaker.
Secondly, I believe our attempts
to relate our message were success
ful. I had the privilege of speaking at
the North Platte Jam, and following
the event, students and teachers
sought the student-athletes and
myself to thank us for our message.
The teachers spoke in detail about
why they thought the messages we
had given were important. And the
looks in their eyes, the smiles on
their faces and the warmth in their
voices were some powerful nonver
bal confirmation that they were gen
uinely grateful.
You’re right, McKewon. The
2000 Jam was not perfect. But the
planners always learn how to make
the following year’s program more
successful from our knowledge of
the past years’ imperfections.
However, you did not contribute
to that process. The attack you
launched on Thursday had little real
substance. You didn’t offer any real
suggestions, which I guess shouldn’t
be surprising, concerning your cyni
cal tone.
And yes, I can hardly wait for
next year’s Jam.
>. . ... . .■ /
Greg Krafka
junior
economics
Golden Key
Best of America Chair
No prostate, no problem
David Baker’s ignorance in
genetics is exceeded only by his
ignorance in sociology. His evidence
for the lack of a genetic correlation to
obesity is supported by his observa
tion that Africa has few obese citi
zens.
A basic genetic lesson is that a
gene or mutation usually gives a pre
disposition for a condition, not nec
essarily a guarantee of it. A simple
example to demonstrate this is that
my father had prostate cancer. So I
may carry a gene that predisposes me
for that, but will I get prostate can
cer? No, because I don’t have a
prostate!
No one is saying obesity is strict
ly genetic, just that it is a contribut
ing factor. We have all known some
one with the opposite condition who
eats non-stop without ever gaining
an ounce. The reverse logic applies to
many obese people.
Baker’s second assertion is that
rich, lazy people are the fat ones.
Wrong again. Rich countries have a
larger population of obese people,
but they are not primarily the
wealthy. In fact, any small amount of
research would have turned up the
fact that weight and income in the
U.S. have an inverse relationship.
Poor individuals are more than three
times as likely to be obese.
There will always be a way to
lose weight by increasing exercise
and decreasing caloric intake, but
genetics does help determine how
much exercise and how little food it
will take for any given individual to
lose that weight.
Tara L.Ward
graduate student
molecular veterinary bio
sciences
University of Minnesota
Insisting interests
Several letters and pieces in the
DN have questioned the findings of
the committee that investigated the
actions of Professor Karl Reinhard.
Many have suggested that the com
mittee somehow acted improperly
and that its decision was based more
on political correctness than on the
thoughtful and careful analysis of
testimony. Why, writers ask, did the
committee come to a different con
clusion than the state patrol or the
government investigation?
The faculty committee’s decision
to censure Reinhard was appropri
ately different from the conclusions
of police or similar investigators. The
main reason is obvious: Being
unprofessional is not the same as
being a criminal.
One can lose one’s tenure for not
meeting one’s classes or one can fail
to receive tenure for not undertaking
and publishing one’s scholarly
research. Clearly neither of these
things is a crime, yet it is a derelic
tion for which one can be denied
one’s job as a professor.
Similarly, falsified research,
research deemed unethical by the cri
teria of a specific discipline, research
that improperly uses human subjects
or other failed research, can be
grounds for dismissal. Freedom of
inquiry must exist within guidelines
- otherwise, anyone would be free to
make up whatever “research” one
wanted.
it is not inconsistent tor a com
mittee on faculty rights and responsi
bilities to find that a professor has
failed in his responsibilities, even
though no crime could be proven
against the professor. Faculty com
mittees are not supposed to replicate
the ethical questions that, while con
gruent with laws, are not defined by
them.
Committee decisions, like the
actions of professors, are certainly
open to question. I would ask,
though, that we not assume that if a
professorial action is not demonstra
bly illegal, it is professional and ethi
cal and should not be subject to any
oversight by the university.
I would also ask that we remem
ber that up until very recently, it was
considered both legal and ethical to
treat the burial sites, funeral goods
and physical remains of American
Indian people in ways that were quite
illegal in treating the remains of any
one else.
Insisting that the bodies and
bones of Indian people are entitled to
the same protection as those of any
human is not special treatment. As
writers question the decision of the
committee, I would ask that they be
very careful not to imply that some
how the protection of Indian bones is
unscientific special interest group
politics, and not the same courtesy
anyone deserves.
Frances W. Kaye
professor of English
