Opinion
Pag^^^^ilyNebr^kanFii^Septembej^OO^^
/>»/(Nebraskan
Since 1901
Editor Sarah Baker
Opinion Page Editor Samuel McKewon
Managing Editor Bradley Davis
Quotes of the Week
“The feeling is that another one has aban
doned us, and we’re still here carrying the
torch. It seems to be going smoother so far
because of the outstanding faculty, and the
interim assignments were all solid.”
Sheila Scheideler, UNL Academic Senate
president on the departure of Chancellor
James Moeser and other high-ranking UNL
staff members
“It’s something to do. Road trips are the
best.”
UNL senior John Gloe on the trip to the
Notre Dame-Nebraska game
“It’s kind of like a kick in the face when
(ASUN President Joel Schafer) gets all his
tuition paid for, and I get nothing.”
ASUN First Vice President Riley Peterson
on the lack of compensation for his position
in UNL’s student government
"People are going to look at the candidates
for Senate, and there are just two names there
- Ben Nelson and Don Stenberg, just the two
of us. IVe been dealing with the issues, while
my opponent has been trying to figure out
who his team is. I'm going to be an independ
ent voice for Nebraska.”
Nebraska Republican U.S. Senate candi
date Don Stenberg, on his upcoming race
against Ben Nelson
"Is there anybody in Nebraska who doesn’t
know I’m a Democrat? I’m not only a
Democrat, but (Stenberg) may only be a
Republican. He shuts out 40 percent of the
people of Nebraska.”
Nelson, on his independence from the
Democratic Party
"I wouldn’t say there was a day out there
where we totally devoted to Nebraska. But
every day we did some things, and from a
defensive standpoint, our offense does some
things like Nebraska. So it wasn’t like we had
to totally shift gears.
"Just about in every practice we did some
things like Nebraska. I am not sure we did it
quite as well as Nebraska, but we tried to do
some things.”
Notre Dame Coach Bob Davie, on prepara
tion for the Nebraska game this Saturday
“It’s as if there was an IV directly from your
young, vital veins, into the arteries of the fail
ures of society - the old, the poor, the sick. The
government takes money from every pay
check you earn and gives it to others - others
who haven’t earned it, who don’t deserve it.
And you simply don’t have a choice.”
Daily Nebraskan columnist Jake Glazeski
on the burdensome ethic of the unearned in
the United States
“In Moeser’s absence I can think of only
one man who has the courage to carry on and
try to pen the next alma mater for this presti
gious university. That man is myself. This
alma mater will be sung to the tune of ’The
Flintstones’ opening song.
“Huskers! We’re the Huskers! We’re a third
tier university. From the, town of Lincoln,
education at a cheaper fee.”
Daily Nebraskan columnist Tony Bock on
a new alma mater
Editorial Board
Sarah Baker, Bradley Davis, Josh Funk, Matthew Hansen,
Samuel McKewon, Dane Stickney, Kimberly Sweet
Letters Policy
The Daly Nebraskan welcomes briefs, letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guar
antee their publication. The Daly Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted.
Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous
submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name,
year n school, major and/or group affiliation, if any.
Submit material to: Daly Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln. NE 68588-0448. E
mail: lettarsOunlinfb.unl.edu.
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 2000 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily
reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Uncoln, its employees, its student body or the
University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author, a cartoon is
solely the opinion of its artist The Board of Regents acts as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; poli
cy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The UNL Publications Board, established by the
regents, supervises the production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, reeponsi
bity for foe editorial content of the newspaper See solely in the hands of its employees.
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Letters to the editor
Real goals count
A common criticism of the report of the Future
Nebraska Task Force has been that its goals are too
ambitious. Or, in the words of the Daily Nebraskan
story from Sept 6, “too lofty.”
This criticism is short-sighted. Would we prefer
that UNLset modest goals, mediocre goals? Would the
students and faculty of the UNL of 2020, when they
gather to celebrate die 150th anniversary of the uni
versity, be best served by less-ambitious aspirations?
Are the citizens of Nebraska best served by a “just
good-enough” attitude? I think not. Excellence is a
matter of attitude and effort, not just resources.
Reactions to the task force report have confirmed
my sense that there is substantial resistance to the
goal of excellence at UNL For some, perhaps there is a
fear that establishing the goal of excellence admits
that we now have something less.
For others, perhaps it is easier, more comfortable
to avoid the effort Whatever the reasons for the resist
ance, we must strive to improve, strive for excellence.
Most of us want UNL to be great and are suffi
ciendy self-confident to strive openly for greatness.
Let’s all work together: students, staff, faculty and
administration, to achieve the most ambitious goals
possible. Let’s adopt the hopes and vision of the
Future Nebraska Task Force. May the UNL of 2020 be
the best it can be.
Alan Kamil
Biology and Psychology Professor
Future Nebraska task force
More 20/20
The DN reporter misinterpreted remarks I
made regarding the 20/20 Vision report discussed
yesterday (Hiesday) at the Academic Senate meet
ing. The vision statement calls for a commitment to
excellence.
Nobody disagrees with that vision. The goal is to
place “UNL among the leading research and land
grant institutions in the country within 20 years.”
How we will accomplish that goal, and how realistic
of a goal that is, is worthy of debate.
I pointed out that we already have some pro
grams that could be considered excellent. I also
pointed out that Nebraska’s Institute of Agriculture
and Natural Resources (IANR), specifically the agri
cultural experiment station, out competes some of
the members of the so-called “aspirant family" of
universities (those universities serving as a refer
ence or aspiring group).
In fiscal year 1998 IANR obtained more compet
itive funding, a major component of national rank
ings, from USDA and other federal agencies them
agricultural experiment stations at the Universities
of Minnesota, Georgia and Illinois, and Penn State -
all Tier 1, US News, Top 50 public institutions.
In our desire to emulate the top research uni
versities, it is important not to overlook our own
unique strengths.
Thomas O. Powers
Associate Professor of Plant Pathology
Believing in love, not God
«
There is a brief moment today when my sister
comes toward me to open the screen door.
She is holding a big greasy cheeseburger, the
bun as round as her face. Her smile is so bright; she
doesn’t know how breathtakingly beautiful she is,
aoesn t realize how her love
reaches out to pull us in, two
stragglers, Mom and I, com
ing back from chemo.
We three stand and
share a hug in the kitchen.
This moment I just feel
happy to be alive. Happy
rasmin
McEwen
uuu my mum nas siavuu uu
cancer for yet another
moment. *
We are laughing, smiling
- we are angels we three -
and we love each other more than love itself.
I thank God/fate/life for this moment. I thank
them for the sunlight of this love that I will bottle up
and save to wrap around me when she is gone, and
I am cold, but today we are warm; we are golden.
I said I would talk about religion and fear, so let’s
waste no time. In 1995, my mother was diagnosed
with cancer. This was during a time when I was
heavily submerged in my halo-shiner status and my
God-has-a-plan-for even-the-pink-tulips-in-the
backyard-and-if-they-sway-to-the-beat-of-the
breeze-wrong-they-might-end-up-melting-in
sun-hell thinking.
I wore my young halo-shiner badge with blind
honor and went at least three times a week to a
church - a large active church with a large campus
membership. This church was and continues to be
attended by very loving and good-hearted individ
uals.
And the boulder starts to roll... I began to be
very angry with God once I saw the personal hell
that cancer brings when it descends upon a person,
when it hovers its looming spaceship of suffering
over a family.
Now I’ve seen hardship all of my life, and I’ve
kept my faith strong and unwavering through many
obstacles, but an anger began building in me that
was so strong. When I spent days and weeks and
months in the hospital in the chemo rooms - men,
women and children, all of them innocent.
There was a boy who was maybe 20, maybe 21.
He had a brain tumor, and to look into his eyes and
still be at peace with God, and to look into my
mother’s eyes and still be at peace became down
right impossible.
She, by the way, has never lost her faith. I have
gone on to lose mine over and over again. I began to
examine who I was as an individual.
If I was so godly why did I judge my very own sis
ter just for smoking? Why, if my soul was so pure,
did I judge anyone at all? As my ears perked up in
church meetings, I was shocked to suddenly see the
big business of it all - the almost sale of religion - as
the plans were laid out:
Befriend lonely campus dwellers, reel them in,
get them hooked and then make your quota. How
many nonbelievers can we all catch a week?
Fast forward to 2000. These meetings are still
taking place and “nonbelievers” are still being
preyed upon.
But I am no longer on that side of the fence, and
my faith that God may not know exactly what the
hell he or she or it is doing is unwavering, unflinch
ing.
I took a walk one night under the stars on the Ute
Indian Trail, 10,000feet up, and the clouds moved
through me like white dreams, and the blue-black
sky cloaked Gbd’s presence as I looked down at the
world sleeping below me: tall pine tree forests, lazy
mountain lions lost in dreams.
It was there above the world where I reached up
to touch, and he reached down to hand me his blue
plans.
Then God laughed and blew his frosty breath
into my ear:"You think I'm finished, look at all the
eraser marks."
Then He disappeared.
So if there is a plan, I guess I don’t want to know
about it. I don’t really want to know exactly when I
or my loved ones are going to die, and I’d rather live
instead of running around like an engineered
mouse in an imaginary maze.
If there is sin in having fun, well hot damn and
hell fire, show me where the party is.
Shame, guilt - they’re no longer friends of mine,
and when they come around from time to time, I
say get the hell away.
My faith in life and humanity has grown a thou
sand-fold since 1995. Those who are still consulting
their handbooks instead of asking and thinking for
themselves will someday want to get their lives
back and retrieve, open and turn on their own sub
conscious and turn off the co-pilot.
Some days I believe in God. Some days I don't.
Some days I believe in fate. Some days. But I always
believe in Love. Love. Love of life, love in others, love
in myself, and that’s really what gets me through.
But if they can’t... I’ve got better things to think
about. Life, unlike religion, is not an organized
event. I
Blue plans are for sissies.
There are two ways you can come to live your
life, through fear or through love.
What’s it gonna be?
A support group for those who have loved ones
with cancer is available on Thursday nights from 6
7 in the UNL Women’s Center. All are invited.
Right move
produces
unintended
heartaches
I meant no
harm. I did
what I thought
was right. I
made a deci
sion against
those I loved.
Ana still love, l
didn’t mean to
spite them. Or
hurt them. I
made a deci
sion for me. And me alone.
I moved in with my boyfriend four
months ago. We had known each
other for nine months. Thirteen
months now. I chose to live with him
despite what those close to me want
ed. Not because I didn’t love them. Or
respect them. Not because I wanted
to hurt them. Or embarrass them.
Because it was right for me. I meant
no harm. Though I knew there would
be.
I respected their positions but
didn’t choose them. I was torn. But
determined. Not to spite them. Or
others. But to follow through with
what I had decided. This was not a
light decision. 1 had thought about it
at length. I knew what was right for
me. And for our relationship. Living
together before marriage was right
Emily
Moran
tor us. Mayoe
not for others.
But for us.
I was raised
Catholic. I had a
simple child
hood. Focused
on education.
And God. I had
12 years of cate
chism. I received
First
Communion.
And
Confirmation. I
read the Bible.
On rare occa
sion. But I knew
the Catholic reli
gion for the most
part. I went to
Mass. I believed
in God. I was
proud to be
Catholic.
I had a best
friend at Mass.
She and I had
been best
Sometimes I
want to
change
what has
happened. I
think it
would be
easier if I
had only
done this.
Or that. But
then I don’t
want to.
Sometimes I
miss what I
was used
to. What I
was
comfortable
with.
mends tor 18
years. She was religious. More so than
I was. But I respected her faith. She
was bright. And focused. She winked
at me during Mass. I winked back.
I called her four months ago.
Before I called home. I told her about
my decision to move in with him. She
cried. She said I was damned. That I
was committing a mortal sin. She
cried so hard. She was confused. And
hurt. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I didn't
want her to cry. But I knew she would.
I cried, too.
She never called me back. But
sent a letter two months later. She
apologized. But refused to support
me. She had her other Catholic
friends. She didn’t have a void. I did. I
went home one month ago. I needed
to see her.
I met her for breakfast. Small town
diner. She had juice. I had coffee. She
looked around.
I wanted to flick scrambled eggs at
her. She would have laughed. But I
didn't. She talked about the weather. I
talked about my brothers. I didn’t
mention my boyfriend. She didn’t
mention God. That was the last time
we spoke.
I miss laughing with her. I miss
her freckles. I needed her support
then. And I need it now. I think she
knows this. But for whatever reason,
she couldn’t then. She can't now.
Sometimes I want to change what
has happened. I think it would be eas
ier if I had only done this. Or that But
then 1 don t want to.
Sometimes I miss what I was used
to. What I was comfortable with.
When I could call her and talk for
hours for no reason. But I can’t reach
out now. Too much pride. Too many
hurt feelings. Too much resentment.
I did what I thought was right.
What I know is right. Though not a
Catholic right.
I regret hurting those I did. And
those who fear for my future. I ques
tion those who pray for me. Those
who want me to move out.
It’s sad to some. Not to me. I can
be found with him. Just fine.
Catholicism brands me a sinner.
I am not Catholic.
I live with my boyfriend.