Opinion
/M/i Nebraskan
Since 1901
Editor Sarah Baker
Opinion Page Editor. Samuel McKewon
Managing Editor Bradley Davis
Go Alamo
NU's bowl game better fit
than Dallas, Cotton
You could practically hear the groans when
Nebraska football fans first learned that the
Huskers would be playing in the Alamo Bowl on
Dec. 30.
It is, after all, the Alamo Bowl, roughly one
notch ahead of such tradition-laden games as
the insightcom and galleryfumiture.com bowls
and about 12 million appearance dollars from a
Bowl Championship Series berth.
But give San Antonio and the Alamo another
look. Upon further review, the leftovers
Nebraska landed actually appear more attractive
than the more highly regarded Cotton Bowl,
which spumed the Huskers in favor of Kansas
State.
First, there is the exciting Husker opponent
Yes, Northwestern. The Wildcats have one of the
nation’s most high-powered offenses and one of
the nation’s weakest defenses. Couple that with
_ NU's own high-powered attack
and mediocre defense, and the
game sets up to be a high-scoring
affair.
Judging by Northwestern’s 8-3
season, it’ll be an extremely close,
high-scoring contest. The
The Cotton,
on a
Monday,
would
cause some
problems as Wildcats were the^ Big 10’s
most have
to return to
work on
Jan. 2.
Airline
tickets are
also much
Cardiac Kids in 2000, beating
Wisconsin 47-44 in double over
time, Minnesota 41-35 and
Michigan 54-51 in possibly the
most exciting game of this sea
son.
Hopefully, everyone will be
treated to a close, well-played
cheaper on game between two good teams.
The teams will square off on
Dec. 30, actually a good time to
do so. While a New Year’s Day (or
later) bowl is college football's
status symbol, the eve of New
Year’s Eve will serve both the team and its fans
much better.
Dec. 29
than Jan. 1.
Trust us. We
checked.
ror Nebraskans noping to travel to tne game,
the starting time is ideal Husker fans can leave
on Friday night or Saturday morning and return
home on Sunday a nice weekend trip for those
with jobs. The Cotton, on a Monday, would
cause some problems as most have to return to
work on Jan. 2. Airline tickets are also much
cheaper on Dec. 29 than Jan. 1. Trust us. We
checked
The Saturday night game also means a
national television audience for NU’s matchup
with Northwestern. ESPN will broadcast the
game to a nation full of potential Husker recruits,
budding fans, even 2001 Heisman voters. It’s
never too early to get the Eric-Crouch-for
Heisman campaign cranked up again.
These viewers are almost guaranteed to tune
in if they’re sitting in front of the television -
“Walker, Texas Ranger” probably won’t pull
many away.
Contrast that with the audience for the
Cotton Bowl, which is slated to start at 10 am. on
Jan. 1. Yes, a Husker nation would turn its bleary
eyes to the early telecast from Dallas. The coun
try, though? The West Coast? At 8 am.? Ouch.
Even if the nation could drag itself out of bed
in time, NU would have competition in the form
of the Citrus Bowl, which also starts at 10 am.,
and the Gator Bowl, which begins at 11:30 am.
It seems strange to the college football purist,
but it’s true - the Alamo Bowl is better for NU
than the good ol’ Cotton. Now, if we could just
figure out how to swap with Oregon State and
play in the Sugar...
Editorial Board
Sarah Baker, Bradley Davis, Josh Funk, Matthew Hansen,
Samuel McKewon, Dane Stickney, Kimberly Sweet
Letters Poficy
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reflect the views of the University of Nebrasfca-Lincoin, its employees, its student body or the
Untareity of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opWon of its author a cartoon is
solely the opinion of As artist The Board of Regents acts as publsher of the Daily Nebraskan; po*
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6^?
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HS/USlCQO
NealOtameyer/DN
Letters to the editor
A new focus
I know it is unlikely you will publish this letter to
the editor because it involves neither homosexuals
nor Kearney, nor homosexuals in Kearney.
However, I think we should shift our attention
away from such issues and concentrate on an issue
that involves the student body as a whole.
I’m speaking of the movement of this university's
adnpnistrative establishment towards socio-classifi
cation of the masses. Our university is literally under
siege, with elitist sorority and fiat rows buffering die
east and south edges of city campus, and the elitist
athletic department covering the north. Any claim to
be an "enlightened institution of higher learning" is
absolutely false when we divide ourselves by eco
nomic rank.
Any institution affiliated with UNL should not be
given a "membership only" status particularly based
on economic background when the basic existence
and funding of such endeavors is made possible by
the tuition and tax dollars of students and citizens,
without whom an institution would not exist
This includes sororities and fraternities, or any
athletic program. I clearly see we are not entitied to
the same privileges as those who live a stone's throw
away from the union.
Or those who directly or indirectly use our institu
tion as a status symbol For God’s sake, this is the 21st
century. But I guess little has changed over the course
of500years. Still the nobles and the peasants.
Ben Kruse
anthropology
freshman
Nothing new
What would the world or the President learn
“new" about visiting Lincoln or Omaha. That you
have a football stadium?
What the national media and the world will expe
rience is that there is life west of Lincoln and a com
munity that is thriving and growing in tourism and
education.
Barbara Amundson
graduate student
UNK
Take criticism lightly
I have to admit that I am not normally a fan of die
Daily Nebraskan’s editorial column. However, I did get
a kick out of “Gome, Bill, Coma”
People really begin to show their true dose-mind
edness when they try to show other people theirs. Let's
get real - I’m sure Clinton doesn’t really care about
Memorial Stadium, and I’m sure he doesn't care about
our art collection.
But that doesn’t mean that it should be trashed.
The Sheldon does have a wonderful art collection.
Granted, it may not be world class, but no one was
claiming it is.
As for the architectural wonders our Iowa friend
mentioned, he really should have some knowledge in
the subject area before he comments. My professors
(who know slightly more than he does) have told me
how nationally known our capitol building is.
The arch is a whole subject I’m not even going to
get into, mainly because I’ve never been there. See
how easy it is not to comment on somethingyou don’t
know about? There are readers out there, probably
even reading this now, who need to take a note on
that
Be offended. Fine. But please don't cry every time
a newspaper points out a political motive. We would
n’t want the Platte to flood and cause damage to the
readers’ precious monument
Deidre Martin
architecture
snnhnmnrp
Attendance policy detrimental
The words are there, on
page 14 of next semester’s
bulletin:
"Students.are expected to
attend all lectures, recita
tions, quizzes and laborato
ries regularly. The university
has no regulation which per
mits cutting class.”
There are some qualifica
Jake
Glazeski
tions to tnis oroad policy,
applied to all students of the
university, which allow for some absences as long as
they are properly cleared with the instructor. But in
any case, this attendance policy, along with the way
it is often applied within the context of courses, is
too severe and; ultimately, saps the university’s abil
ity to produce students of high caliber.
An example: This week, one of my professors
will be concluding classes for the semester early as
he goes to attend an international conference,
effectively presenting the class with two “absences”
(in addition to one or two “absences” from earlier in
the semester). Now, the university does not go to
extra lengths to stop him from doing so, nor do I
think it should because allowing the professor to
take these “absences” allows him to further his cred
ibility as a professional in his field and (in the case of
one of the absences) allows the department to host
important conventions on campus, which furthers
the national credibility of the department
So, ultimately, my education gains value in
allowing the professor to take a few absences within
reason to further his professional credentials.
The university’s policy and some professors’
policies on a student’s attendance, however, are
often detrimental to the value of a UNL degree.
We’ve all had the sort of classes where you can
miss maybe one, two or, if you’re lucky, three class
es, but alter that you will be penalized by grade sub
tractions, regardless of your performance in the
class on objective measurements. In many English
classes, for example, it doesn't matter whether you
turn in an exemplary portfolio - if you miss too
many classes you could get a B, C or even worse.
This policy puts some students between a rock
and a hard place, especially when dealing with
courses outside of our major department, which are
less likely to be taught by professors who are sympa
thetic to our pre-professional needs.
Another example: As a music major and as a
prospective graduate student, I frequently have to
choose between class and auditions or “gigs.” I have
periodically been approached by professional
music organizations in the Omaha and Lincoln
areas for playing gigs which occur during class time,
typically about 10:30 a.m. Going to these gigs is just
as educational, if not moie>o, than my participa
tion in classes or ensemble rehearsals because it
will expose me to other professionals, it will expose
me to a higher standard of playing, and it will begin
to teach me what life is like as a professional musi
cian.
Thus, by taking such gigs, I make myself more
marketabl^as a musician with a UNL degree/and if
I make the most of this marketability, my associa
tion with UNL through my degree will ultimately
reflect positively on my degree and the institution
which granted it It is, thus, in the university’s inter
est to encourage my taking of such opportunities.
But it isn’t easy to convince your professors of
this. Music professors can be lenient because they
understand, but some music professors can be
doggedly strict about attendance, particularly when
a university ensemble is involved. For non-music
professors, though, the gig is just that - a gig, an
opportunity to make money, and not in and of itself,
more important than class.
Next semester, this problem will be compound
ed as I will be traveling to Minnesota in January for a
competition and will be touring the East coast audi
tioning in February and March for grad schools. By
almost any professor’s attendance policy, the result
ing number of absences will be enough to assure
that I get no higher than a B in my classes. And that
is completely outside of my work as a contracted
and free-lance musician in Lincoln and Omaha.
Granted, this is no excuse for not completing
course requirements, and in some classes, atten
dance is an important part of the learning process.
However, professors often seem to overestimate the
value of their lecturing or the amount actually
learned in class participation. In these cases, as
well, attendance policies shift the weight of impor
tance from quality of participation when one is
there to simply one’s presence.
Also granted, attendance policies are essential
in teaching freshman and sophomores a profes
sional attitude with respect to their studies and
their major, forming good study habits and assuring
adequate opportunity to address classic introduc
tory-level learning problems. But these reasons are
less applicable for juniors and especially seniors,
some of whom are in the process of becoming pro
fessionals, so they don’t need to be force-fed these
values in the classroom
At a time when we are considering the effects of
our grade scale and grade inflation in the value of
our degrees, we need to consider how else the uni
versity helps to devalue its own degrees. It does so
through a strict attendance policy that treats us
more like high school students than adults with a
vested interest in educating ourselves and founding
a career. We should have more autonomy in the
decision of whether we should attend class.
It only makes sense.
Weekly props
at the end
of semester
Fin de Siecle:
Literally,“end of
the century.” Term
used to describe
the art and litera
ture of the 1890s,
signifying a sense
of malaise or
melancholy (of
feeling as if one is
at the end of
Dane
Stickney
something rather
than at its beginning) that is seen in works
produced at that time. Fin de siecle artists
(for instance, the Symbolists) often looked
inward for their subject matter (e.g., to
dreams), or to timeless ideas (e.g, myths)
rather than to everyday reality.
- UNL art history professor Andrea
Bolland
She peers.
God, how she peers. Around die cor
ner of the picture, out from the black
ness, drawing me in. She’s “At the Moulin
Rouge” in the late 1800s.
In the far back, ladies swoon across
the dub. Just behind her, at a table, three
men and two women huddle around a
table that has a bottle on it, possibly filled
with absinthe, the crack of die day.
Henri deToulouse-Lautrec is theonly
one who would know for sure.
But, as I look, I am drawn to her, peer
ing at me. Her ghastly green skin sharply
contrasts with her orange-blond hair.
Her face is turned up, showing her nos
trils. She looks tired, depressed, like she’s
given up. I think Bolland said the woman
might have been a prostitute. I bet she
disappointed people.
Especially herself
I picture what I would look like in the
picture at the end of my own century
with tests and writings to do. With sleep
at a premium. Would I be ghastly, a pros
titute to the modem world.
Education. Job. Death.
With things stretching out the sun
rays as they near the horizon, they are
about to disappear. I'll be in Wales in a lit
tle more than a month. Thinking about
here right now is hard to do. I shouldn't be
writing this - but a paper about piety in
King Lear instead.
I look over at a poster ofThomYorke
on my wall. He’s just standing there like
an arrogant British son-of-a-bitch. I bet
he says bloody. I wonder if I will
I wonder what he does when people
think his music sucks. I’ve seen his agitat
ed face next to a microphone. I bet he
takes criticism hand.
I cant take it at all. 1 shut down when
people tell me that my writing sucks, but
many da I want it to be my life. I want to
be good, but a large part is acting the part
Without confidence, I cant act
I just lay down and stare for a while,
thinking of how the end of something
makes me emotionless. I have no pas
sion. I could have dyed my hair green,
supported Nader and defied big busi
ness. Instead, I sat around. Or lay around
as I'm doing now.
It's still kind of cold in here, but, as
someone once said, warmth is an illusion
of sorts. But I pull on a heavy blanket and
listen to the bass bounce through the
ceiling. Some hip-hop queen or boyband
again.
I wish I could shoot laser beams out
of my eyes and bum holes in the ceiling.
Maybe I could blow up her stereo above
me, making noise. That thought makes
me depressed because I actually just
wish I could think of fresh endings for
short stories, which makes me remem
ber King Lear.
I fade into a scene where I'm in a
small room at the intersection of two
long, white cement halls. Voices echo
back and forth. One voice is especially
dear. It's my friend Dustin.
“Did you tell him about Canter?"
Dustin says with a smile on his face. He’s
looking down the hall, but I cant see at
what
“Oh, yeah,” a faint voice says.
“Stickney, Canter was baggin’ on your
column in class today.” It's my friend
Chuck's voice. I can’t see where it’s com
ing from Somehow I know he’s referring
to a fictitious UNK political stience pro
fessor.
I follow. His voice. To a bathroom.
He’s slicking his curly hair. Back on his
head. It’s reddish-brown. He gives. A big
smile.
“Which column?” I ask.
“The one about Fin de Siecle,” he
says.
“It couldn’t be that one; I haven’t
started...”
i stare at his face in mirror but it
begins to fade he becomes me i become
him things meld i feel like purging these
feeling i run toward the toilet things fade
The phone rings. I try to lift my
cement head. I reach out, fumbling the
slick, black phone in my hand.
*Tiello,” I barely get the words out
“Hi, this is professor Greg Kuzma call
ing for Dane.” He sounds happy as usuaL
His poems were great He’s an idol
“Yeah, tins is Dane,” I say, still half in
the dream but trying to sound awake.
“Oh, I did I wake you up? Sorry.”
“No, no,” I say. “I was up.” I hate lying
to save face, but it’s the Fin de Siede, so I
guess it’s all right