Zto/yNebraskan
** Since 1901
Editor Sarah Baker
Opinion Page Editor Samuel McKewon
Managing Editor Bradley Davis
Our to-do list
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'Interim'title doesn't mean
Perlman can't have impact
At a time when the University of Nebraska
Lincoln teeters on the balance between sink
or swim, interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman
holds the life-jacket in his hands.
Or at least die whisde to call for help.
After Friday’s rousing State of the
University address, capped with a standing
ovation recognizing his long tenure at the uni
versity, Perlman now stands to make deci
sions which will affect the university long
after his interim position ends.
One of the most prominent issues is the six
positions at the forefront of the university -
two of them being top spots - which are
empty or filled on a temporary basis.
To see those spots filled in Perlman’s tenure
would be a push, but he can still set things in
motion and press to fill them soon.
He faces an imminent decision regarding a
tuition increase for Nebraska students cou
pled with the issue of comparatively low fac
• ulty pay.
To see Although he can’t affect
those spots either of these decisions
filled in directly, the Board of Regents
Perlman’s *s likelyt0 make a swift deci
tenure sion ^ c^ianceUor is out
would be a °n - or both .
sh but The shortfall in university
? 'll money from public sources
e s l, makes fund-raising perti
stanas to nent. Even in his interim
act as a spot, Perlman can actively
boon in work to raise additional
filling funds, and this should in fact
them for be one of his key endeavors.
future If Perlman chooses to sup
years. port domestic partner bene
--- fits for University of Nebraska
faculty, he could s,ee the issue through to com
pletion during his tenure. Lobbying for the
benefits would mean he could leave his mark
in one way, at the very least.
In the spirit of former Chancellor James
Moeser, Perlman should work to reallocate
internally throughout the university,
strengthening, merging and weeding out inef
fective departments.
A focus on the arts also is important. The
university’s dance department has faced tri
als, and it has only recently begun to stand on
its own two feet even while lacking solid facul
ty
Venues such as the Lied Center and the
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery are desperately
underused by UNL students.
Other venues on campus, such as the Mary
Riepma Ross Film Theater, are used by only a
select few. Many students only attend a uni
versity theater production because they are
required to for class.
Promoting all of these facilities’ resources
would raise the level of intellectual stimula
tion students find at UNL
While the university must continue with
out key leaders, Perlman told us Friday that he
is willing to further the university, not just
wait for a new captain of the ship.
He needs to lead us on a course to success -
at least in the interim.
Editorial Board
Sarah Baker, Bradley Davis, Josh Funk, Matthew Hansen,
Sonuei McKewon, Dane Stickney, Kimberly Sweet
LaMars Poicy
the (My Ndmkanw*onm briste, Mere to the editor and guest columns. but does not guar
antee their pubfcadon. The Qely Nebraskan rstaine thereto e<* or fiject any material submitted.
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eubmteslone vrii not be puMahsd. those submit letters must idanWy themselves by name,
year In school, major andflor group aflMion,* any.
Submit material to Daiy Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union. 1400 R9t Lincoln. NE6868B-044&E
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cortonaI roncy
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reflect jha daws of flte Unlvars«y ol Nabraeka-Linooln. as employees. Its student body or the
Uhhareiy ol Nebraska Bmdol Regents. A coUnn is solely the opinion olis author The Board of
Regents acts aa pubkeher of tha Dafly Nabraakan; poicy is sat by the Daly Nabraakan EdMorial
Board. The UNLPtfldcadons Board. eateMbhad by «ia regents, atparvieee tha production oltha
paper. Aooodktg to poicy sat by tha regents. raapanaUky lor the arftorid content of Vie nawape
par las aoWy In the hands ol Be amptoysaa.
School’s back irsl session.
TIME To GET BACK To WORK.
one GKEEK House DOWKJ,
54 To GO.
M»’
NeaiOtairewr/DN
Introducing ms. watson
Aug. 21,2000 - Because
of the controversial and
shocking nature of one of
the Daily Nebraskan fall
columnists, I feel compelled
to explain the nature of what
will follow starting
Thursday, the justification
for it and assorted thoughts
on the author and its materi
al.
i &
The now-completed serial column entitled
petaluma watson: the 17 secret confessions of a
minor character, first materialized in early March
2000 after then-Opinion Editor ).J. Harder received
an anonymous e-mail regarding the possibility of
running such a body of work regarding the life of a
beautiful woman, a woman who considers herself
a proverbial “10” in physical description, as her
introductory column will explain.
Mr. Harder, aware that I would be taking this
job, forwarded her name to me. There was one
face-to-face meeting between her and I, near the
lied Center, on Sunday afternoon, March 26, at 3
p.m. During that meeting, it was confirmed that
she was, in fact, a student at UNL, though the
name on her student ID had been obscured by
duct tape.
This makes her eligible for a continuous
columnist position here, though she will not be
paid, as that requires she appear to fill out the nec
essary paperwork.
As I and editor Sarah Baker are the only parties
to have met ms. watson, only we can validate the
claims of her physical beauty. Explicitly, I’ll say
nothing. But it will become clear, I believe, that it is
quite impossible for any person to have written
with the perception and lucid honesty of petaluma
watson without having experienced these events
directly.
They are too singular, too distressing, too real
to have been faked by a lesser persona or
guessed at by outside observers.
Hence, some of the
descriptions and
subject matters that /.*
follow are not suit
able for all audi
ences, as the stories
of petaluma wat
son are neither
naive nor childish,
nor are they within
the mainstream of
everyday living
that so many uni
versity students
are accustomed
to.
Yet they are
worthy, exceed
ingly so,
because in my
estimation, and
that of others
who have
glimpsed at the
proceeding
manuscript, they
cut at the heart of
one woman’s
identity with her
self, and the idea
of creation vs.
reality. And never
has there been a
weekly confession
as real as I have
seen in its raw
form here.
The editing
process, con
ducted largely
over e-mail and
phone conversa
tions, has been
painstaking in piec
ing together the
experiences of
' petaluma watson.
Hundreds of hours
have been put in
to reproduce her
words honestly,
hoping to closely
resemble the original
fashion in which they
arrived.
This experiment begs a question of ethical con
cern regarding anonymity that I would be remiss
not to address.
Put simply, the importance of petaluma wat
son’s experiences outweigh the criticism that I, or
anyone else, may receive at current time.
Additionally, as I am in possession of the entire
series, I can say petaluma watson does reveal her
identity in the final column, as was our deal for
allowing her to write for the duration of the semes
ter. Her reasons for anonymity are aptly answered
within the column. They double as my reasons.
Furthermore, she will answer questions at the
following e-nfiail: petalumaw9hotmail.com. She
has assured me that any and all queries, along with
criticisms, will be answered as promptly as possi
ble. Please send them in the morning, if it is at all
possible.
As some of the issues involved are of such a
personal and psychiatric nature, there may exist
definite concerns about petaluma watson’s well
being, as well as the safe condition of those around
her.
Once her identity was learned by myself,
immediate outreach was made by the Daily
Nebraskan in order to seek the counseling and
assistance we believed ms. watson needed in order
to live a happy and productive existence.
As for die progress of her therapy, it is best left
to her to answer. As always, my prayers and
thoughts, along with the entire staff of the Daily
Nebraskan, are with her.
People can only wish to cross such courage and
vitality but once in their life. I am most fortunate to
have brushed up against it for several months at a
time.
In other words...
God, bless her. For me.
• MfceSemrad/DN
Scouts case
emphasizes
values over
precedent
This summer,
in a highly publi
cized case, the
Supreme Court
.faced an issue of
conflicting funda
mental values:
equality and free
dom.
By a 5-4 major
Jeremy
Patrick
uy, uie unmcnube
’freedom, holding the Boy Scouts of
America had a constitutional right to
exdude James Dale, a gay Scout, even in
the face of a New Jersey law that forbade
discrimination because of sexual orienta
tion.
On occasion, in these so-called “right
to-exdude" cases, liberty has triumphed.
The NAACP once brought suit to gain
admission to a parade by the Ku Klux
Klan. As racial separation is the Klaris pri
mary purpose, allowing blacks severely
compromises its message.
Mostly, equality has won out In the
Courtis first right-to-exdude case, it held
that the Jaycees could be constitutionally
forced to admit women members. Three
years later, it held the same for Rotary
International. In both, and another right
to-exdude case, there was notasingle dis
senting opinion.
The law and precedents seemed dear:
How to explain die 5-4 Dale decision?
Perhaps it can only be explained by
reference to the political orientation of
the judges involved. Not surprisingly, the
five judges voting for the Boy Scouts are
traditionally seen as conservative, while
the four voting for Dale are seen as mod
erate to liberal.
The belief of some cynics that rules
h&ve no weight at all is dearly misguided,
but so is the belief of idealists that laws act
as dear guides for judicial decision-mak
ing.
In close cases, such as Dale, judges
look to their own values first, and find the
“law” to support their positions second.
This approach is not unique to "activist”
liberate or to “hard-line” conservatives -
few ofus can think of conservative judges
that are otherwise flaming liberals, and
vice versa.
The Dale decision involved one of the
country’s most cherished private organi
zations (the Scouts) and one of its most
controversial subjects (homosexuality). It
is not surprising that neither the majority
nor the minority deviated from what
appeared to have been dear legal prece
dent
Which side erred, of course, will be up
to legal scholars and future courts to
determine. From an admittedly biased
viewpoint it seems dear that the majority
stretched the bounds of reason and
precedent to find for the Scouts.
The public accommodations law at
issue in the Dale decision is the same type
oflaw that opened the doors of diners and
buses for blacks in the 1960s.
When these laws were challenged,
courts did not strike them down simply
because die establishment or organiza
tion preferred segregation or believed it
would be better off if the protected class
, were excluded. Instead, courts required
the discriminatory group to have an
important value or message that would
be compromised.
The Ku Klux Klan can exclude blacks,
but the Jaycees cannot exclude women,
as business and professional advance
ment has nothing to do with gender dis
crimination.
The Boy Scouts are closer to the
Jaycees than to the Klan. At Dale’s dis
missal the only Boy Scouts document
denouncing homosexuality was a 1978
position paper, distributed only to the
BSA’s 80-member Executive Council,
which stated: “We do not believe that
homosexuality and leadership in
Scouting are appropriate.”
But the document went on to state
that the Scouts would follow all state pub
lic accommodations laws. More impor
tantly, Scout youths are taught absolutely
nothing about sexuality, much less
homosexuality. Scoutmasters are
instructed to refer all such questions to
parents.
If the Boy Scouts had any view regard
ing homosexuality, its members didn't
know about it
Allowing the Scouts to claim freedom
of association to exclude gays, based on a
never-distributed policy statement,
would be similar to allowing McDonald^
to refuse service to racial minorities based
on die individual prejudices of its Board
of Directors. The Dade decision would
have a much different outcome had he
been excluded because he was blade
“The law is whatever nine old men
and women say it is," according to an old
maxim. But the Scouts are coming under
fire from major funding sources, such as
city governments and the United Wry.
Perhaps, someday, the Scouts will
allow its gay members to practice the
same values embodied in its 1915
Charter, honesty, courage and “kindred
virtues.”