Opinion
Thinking
conventionally
Omaha s push for convention
center is in right direction
Enough talk - it’s time to take some action. The idea’s been
debated time and time again, and now it’s in the hands of citi
zens. So let’s put our money where our mouth is.
Omaha is now making a heavy push for a new convention
center, and it’s about time. For almost a decade, people have
been complaining about how the big concerts never come to
Nebraska.
To catch some of the best musical acts out there, people
had to drive somewhere else - Ames; Kansas City;
Minneapolis; Denver - and it was annoying.
Sure, the fun of a road trip can’t be beat, but after driving
the road five or six times, it gets old. The idea of driving six
hours each way for a concert fails in comparison to driving
— under an hour. —
i ne urnanci
Civic Center
was fine for its
time, but times
change. Cities
change. States
change.
Thisisn t to say Nebraska doesn’t
get some great concerts already; most
of us have seen great shows in both
Lincoln and Omaha. However, many
of the big festivals and giant tours
don’t stop here, simply because the
state doesn’t have a place to put them.
More than just concerts would be
at the new convention center. It would
also be used for exactly what the
name implies - conventions.
Nebraska’s rn the heart of the
country, the perfect place for everyone to travel to a fair mid
way point, and with a convention center that could hold thou
sands more, Omaha would bring in many more travelers every
year.
And travelers spend money.
Those who are against the new convention center are gen
erally thinking in the short term: “what we have is fine” and
“we can’t afford it” are their central arguments.
But what we have isn’t fine. Any college or high school
student can tell you that. When the big bands go on tour, we
want them to ha*ve a place to play in Nebraska. When an
organization is thinking of a place for its next convention, we
want them to think of Nebraska.
The Omaha Civic Center was fine for its time, but times
change. Cities change. States change.
Is there going to be a short-term price to pay? Of course.
But the best things in life aren’t free. They take work, deter
mination and sacrifice. By the time the new convention center
is finished, many of us might not be in the state anymore, but
we can’t afford to think in such short-sighted terms.
This convention center is for the betterment of the whole
state. Not only do we want it, we need it.
Editorial Board
Josh Funk (editor) • J.J. Harder • Cliff Hicks • Samuel
McKewon • Dane Stickney • Kimberly Sweet • Lindsay
Young
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■ / ■ - '
Obermeyer’s
VIEW
&IVEN 7H£ PFFICULT-y IN CHMG-IN& ALL THE JUceS Ulffl
"53UAW" IN TH&IR NAMES, THE STATE HAS INSTEAD vecwev
-TO &ve OTHER LANDMARKS equally offensive Titles.
PENIS~OFTHB PLAINS HIOBRMA WS VEFB&NS StoNY NIPPLE'*
(obviously)
Memorial vulva
Letters to the
EDITOR
A Bone to Pick
I am astounded by Frances Kaye’s
letter in defense of the Academic
Rights and Responsibility
Committee’s recommendation to end
my career.
The ARRC behaved more like a
witch-hunt mob than Kaye’s depic
tion of a committee concerned with
“thoughtful and careful analysis of
testimony.” I am describing some of
my experience with ARRC so that
other faculty know the truth about
this bizarre component of the UNL
system.
The ARRC has made errors at
every stage in its investigation. I
became aware of the “investigation”
by Susan Miller in the fall semester
of 1998 through former Vice
Chancellor for Research Priscilla
Grew. Grew provided documentation
to Miller and copied this documenta
tion to me. I saw at the time that key
documents were not provided to
Miller.
I suggested to Grew that Miller
come to me for full documentation so
she would have a balanced investiga
tion from the start. This did not hap
pen. Consequently, Miller did not
have documents relating to the termi
nation of the Ponca component of a
grant, my record books which show
what work was not done, correspon
dence related to the termination of
work on Ponca remains, administra
tive negotiations with the Ponca and
other issues.
Thus, from the start, key docu
ments were not obtained by Miller
that would have placed the ARRC in
some reality base.
The complaints took a truly sur
real turn when Miller included in her
complaint the following documenta
tion: My “interference with the spiri
tual persons associated with those
physical remains is also troubling. I
have to work in a building that
adjoins Bessey Hall. Every time I
come to my office, I must pass the
part of the building where a red-dirt
woman and her baby were scattered
about. I fear for their spiritual well
being and for mine in that climate.”
“Red-dirt woman” is a figment of
oral tradition that has emerged during
the last two years. Therefore, Miller’s
complaint is based on imagined fig
ures, and it is impossible to defend
myself with any documentation.
Pamela Starr states in her report
of the ARRC that I took no part in my
defense. In response to Starr’s asser
tion, my attorney wrote: “Nothing
could be further from the truth. I per
sonally mailed the Grimit and state
patrol reports to Pamela Starr. Yet, I
was told that Dr. Reinhard could not
have an attorney.”
In addition, I mailed documents
and a witness list to Starr well in
advance of the due date. These
included letters from colleagues and
former students, a summary of my
experience in repatriation, documen
tation of administrative policy of
diagnostic testing and publications
on my philosophy concerning repa
triation. It was Starr who chose not to
include these documents and the wit
ness list for consideration.
It is a significant point that I was
denied legal counsel. Starr told me
that lawyers slow the process. The
defendant has no right to counsel, but
the ARRC does have this right. I was
also told that if I chose not to appear
at the hearing, I could have an
“observer,” but I could not choose an
observer from my colleagues. The
ARRC would instead assign an
observer from its committee.
The facts that the ARRC pro
hibits counsel and objective observa
tion of its hearings is suspiciously
similar to fascist kangaroo courts.
For a witch burning, you sure as hell
don’t want two sides expressed. That
might lead to “thoughtful and careful
analysis of testimony.”
So Kaye’s rhetorical question can
now be answered: “Why, writers ask,
did the committee come to a different
conclusion than the state patrol or the
government investigation?” Because
the Nebraska State Patrol collected
all the data, talked to all of the char
acters and took their time. So did the
County Attorney, Bob Grimit and
Terry Ford of the State Ombudsman’s
Office.
I
I don’t mean to defame any of the'
players above. However, I do wonder
why such a group of people should be
so interested in burning me, especial-1
ly when the documentation shows'
that I was a promoter of repatriation
and reburial long before repatriation'
became PC.
_i n 1_i
i\ai 1 iwiuuai u
professor of anthropology
Give ‘Em a Hand
I just wanted to take a moment to
express my thanks to a special group
of UNL students. My daughter,
Michele, had a bicycle accident out
side the stadium, and several students
stopped to help and offer comforting
words. I am extremely grateful to
these students for their concern for
Michele.
Actions such as these, even in
light of the tragedies of Columbine
and Oklahoma City, restore my belief
that if a person can offer a helping
hand, it will make all the difference.
Today’s society and media focus
so much attention on the negative for
the sake of sensationalism that we
overlook many acts of kindness. I
didn’t want to let the actions of these
students go unheralded. Thank you
and God bless.
Sean Putnam
Lincoln
PS. Write Hack
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NE 68588, or fax to (402) 472-1761, or e-mail letters@unl.edu.
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I <
S&UAW Row
