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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2001)
I ZM/yNebraskan Since 1901 Editor Sarah Baker Opinion Page Editor JakeGlazeski Managing Editor Bradley Davis, Snow Smart School cancellation reflects refreshing consideration Thank you, Interim Chancellor Perlman. By calling off classes Monday night, you saved those of us who live off campus the worry of trudging through icy roads and snow to get to campus. More importantly, you saved us from sitting in class for three hours, wondering whether we would actually be able to make it home. The decision of you and your staff to call off classes after 4 p.m. surprised us. It went directly against actions we would have expected from your predecessor, James Moeser. Moeser’s view? Have class, hell or high water. Those on campus can make it through the drifts. Those who can’t can catch up with pro fessors later. Granted, conditions were bad enough dur ing the infamous snowstorm in the fall of 1997 to call off classes for two days. The storm destroyed thousands of trees and left many in Lincoln without electricity for many days. But, for the most part, the attitude that seemed to flow out of the chancellor’s office was one that catered to those who simply have to cross the street to get to class. In a Daily Nebraskan story that appeared ■mmhhm after the October 1997 snow storm blasted Lincoln, Moeser stated, Tm a firm opponent of closing school.” But he said the conditions of the 1997 snowstorm warranted calling it off “I said I would never close it, but I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. Even after classes were can celed, the university remained open, and Moeser expected all faculty and staff members to iic cfm/ showuptowork. . K, For those of us who live off home from campus> whether it’s five miles class. or50,theideaofdrivingl0miles Whether itS five miles or 50, the idea of driving 10 miles per hour on roads resembling an ice rink is enough to make per nuur on ruaus lesemoimg an ice rink is enough to make us stay home from class. That means that while our on-campus com rades are sitting in class, we’ll have to catch up after the ice melts off and the drifts are plowed. That is, unless we brave the conditions, and in some cases, go against common sense and show up for class. Students surely weren’t the only ones to breathe a sigh of relief after they got the mes sage. Professors, many of whom live farther away from campus than off-campus students, dread the pressure they feel to show up for class when the weather is the worst Putting the university calendar ahead of per sonal safety may not seem like abig deal when it comes to the occasional snow day. But by calling off classes when it’s not safe to travel, the administration showed respect for students and professors who have to travel any distance - in some cases from surrounding towns. We hope professors will follow your example and be understanding when we may not be able to turn in projects that require us to use equipment in university facilities on time, since university buildings close early when classes are canceled. But whatever happens, we’re happy we didn’t have to drive on virtual ice rinks. Thanks for looking out for our safety. Editorial Board Sarah Baker, Jeff Bloom, Bradley Davis, Jake Glazeski, Matthew Hansen, Samuel McKewon, Kimberly Sweet Letters PoScy The My NrimMn welcomes brief Un to the edtor and guest columns, but does not guaran tee their puHcabon. The Daly Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. &<iii>wliii»*«MliminrpirqTwtynftlfflnnly rfctrrtrinimrumorhnmilrnrrl iVinnymnin ■iirniMinniiwlnnthnnirtlTr^rf ',*~^--iJ~--ni1r-r‘Tr1tmTiTrnmtirhTm)f|-t~i—'T‘,inr‘~|--n—t year in school, major and/or group afWalion, if any. SubmkmaterM to: Daly Nebraskan. 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St Lincoln, NE 6858^0448. E-mat Mtefseunlnfo.unl.6du. Editorial Policy Unsized adtortalB are toe opinions of the Spring 2001 Daly Nebraskan. They do not neceasarly rslact the views of the Unkwraity of Nebraaka-JJncoln, Is employees, its student body or the (Mvaraty of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column ie solely the opinion of Re author a cartoon ie aoMy the opinion of to artbt The Board of Regents acts aB pubfeher of the Daly Nebraskan; po» cy is sot by the My Nsbrasksn EdtorM Board. The UNL Pubteabone Board, estabished by the wgrti, supervises the production of the paper. Acconfng to pclcy set by the regents, response bMy tor the edtarW contort of toa newspaper las aots^f In toe hands of ts employees. Hovj To Tea. wh^n 'fou’ve seed ®ksxev UH-J WWW ITlS JUST Mf<\ f mh«.that ky Tawy rt#sT me, «Mj ~im ^y* \ Cohort MUST fa*. j /vWggw* //a Iv) aO f*a- tee/atse. vm ^ Y*M VfSPtKMP Vumwrep-XWST Sti.M H... fr,V6VCttT f&wf #a% tpr Wr'b.wt/ mtjq j Neal Obermeyer/DN Letters to the editor Who did it first? The Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board said in its editorial Monday that the decision to end overseas abortion counseling made the editors squirm and that it was divisive. Was it divisive in 1993 when Clinton instated the funds for counseling? I don’t remember hear* ing an outcry over that. It seems as if now that we have a conservative president, all the liberals and the press are upset when conservative decisions are made. Bush should not have talked about unification, even if it was his intent because now, for the first time in my life, the press is actually making a candidate live up to his campaign promises. (See: “I will end welfare as we know it." - Bill Clinton, 1992 Presidential Election Campaign). And the feet that the United States contributed to millions of lives lost through abortion overseas for the past eight years makes me squirm. It is as if not enough life was destroyed over here, so we had to go to other countries to satisfy the need. David J.Knaus psychology major junior The President Bowl circus i Something stinks, badly. The circus has come to town, and all of the poo from the animals is rolling in with it The circus that I’m allud ing to is thelbiletbowl. How appropriate for poo place ment Actually, I mean die Super Bowl, but man, it still stinks. Maybe 1 should compare this bowl of superness to a Hollywood flick - a horren dous one at that * Karen Brown If we break down the elements, it’s all there. The plot is boring and rehashed (but that’s what people love, I know), die opening scene is extravagant (How many millions were spent on fireworks that ale currently deteriorating the ozone with their noxious fumes - or were the fumes from Britney Spears' mouth?), and we know how it’s going to end The good guy will win. Or the bad guy will win. And either way, it doesn’t matter. None of this showbiz is for the love of die game. As we all know by now, it's for money. Commercials that market to sell cross-market Yeah, yeah, yeah. The game isn’t for us, and nary do die players get looked upon as really real (they are characters in this movie) even when they encourage the crowd to “raise thereof" It is an empty, hollow threat because litde do the players know they’re raising the roof for 7-Up or The question is, “What do I think about football?” This question could be synonymous with, “What do I think about die presidential election?” Do I have a choice in replying that they both involve men in tights (what you don’t know about Gore...), they both involve bad pop music sensations (asopposed to die myriad of good ones) and they both involve the utter complacency of the United States. Or I should say the “bamboozling of us.” Yeah, that sounds like a good theory. Now allow me to explain. rade. All of tins leads me tp yet another question. Can anyone tell me wno won the Super Bowl last year? Or what is the sacred ancient Super Bowl roman numeral indicating the number of seasons the game has been “time honored” and “cherished?” And lastly, can you tell me who really cared who made it to the Super Bowl and who won? Sure, maybe an avid New Yorker who just dies every time his beloved Giants lost in die past would fly out to see “his” team play, but there’s a problem. Public seats are no longer available. The lowest price for a ticket is $325 and for a skybox seat, it’s $400. The grand conundrum here is, why not spend that $75 extra dollars for the skybox? I just don't know the answer to that one. You could buy a whole lot more weiners and nachos with the saved money, I suppose. Anywho, this complacency is the same thing that went on with the presidential election. First of all, we don't have much of a choice between who, ultimately, we choose as leader of this nation. What I mean is, in this nation, were Gore and Bush the best we had to offer? How embar rassing. Between the two twee d 1 e - dumbs, we picked tweedle-dumber. Was anyone truly psyched to the max with either choice? Nah, and if you say yes, you were either dead for die debates or you were asleep. It basically comes down to this: If you're a Democrat, you vote for Gore, and if you’re a Republican, of course you vote for Bush. You vote your label End of story. Who won the Super Bowl? Who cares? The sponsors got their word out Who won the election? Who cares? The sponsors (La the Radical Right) got their word out Alter an mis lamoasung, 1 just want to say mat i m sorry for always dissin’ the Huskers. Why? Because I hate football, not because our state doesn't have anything else to da I mean, if people refuse to take it into their own hands to go see the Roller Skate Museum, is it my fault or the Huskers’? Hell no, I’ve been there, and I went with all the Huskers. I will no longer dis the Huskers (unless it’s for a really good reason, like, yet another one has liaisons with a 14-year-old girl) because it is still about the game. The fans are loyal to the spirit of the game, the players and die atmosphere of a home-state crowd. ' Why, even if Nebraskans can’t make a game now and again because Pops is out planting com and Ma is in the kitchen making popcorn, they’ll still turn on the radio to get in touch with God. I mean, Tom. Really, do I even need to say his last name? Sawyer. All of this is to let you know I have a heart Husker fans know the sport isn’t a circus like the Super Bowl and die presidency. But just in case the Huskers turn into a circus (lit erally, I’ve seen it happen - Newcombe is now a goat), I still won’t buy season tickets. After all, I know they’ll win. We’re Nebraskans. We’re winners. Now where’s my endorsement check? Jerry Morgan/DN Thank God we have Senators I’m no politi cal science major (I wanted to become a success in life after col lege), so I don’t follow Dolitics as closely as I ^ should, but I have TOliy noticed some BOCK interesting things in our own state legislature this year. I heard about a bill that made me so mad I could've spit It’s called LB273. Introduced by Senator Ed Schrock of Elm Creek, it calls for the legalization of industrial hemp. Our state is actually considering legalizing hemp? Has every one lost their minds? I don’t care that hemp could be a potential cash crop for our struggling farmers. I don’t care that the Declaration of Independence was printed on hemp paper. Drugs are bad, end of story. Don’t let these hippies or state legisla tors try and tell you otherwise. I get my information from a far more intelligent source: PRIDE (Parent Resources and Information on Drug Education) Omaha and its executive director, Susie Dugan. Commenting on the bill, she said, “Is it worth the risk? Are we going to fight drugs or.promote them?” (Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 24,2001) She believes if this bill passes, it will send the message to children that drugs are no big deal I don’t think she’s going far enough, and I have some ideas for new legislation to protect the children. I say poppy seeds need to be banned in our state. Many evil drugs come from the poppy, and what kind of message does it send to our chil dren if we let little Johnny have poppy seeds on his bagel? Many small-minded people out there always ask me what the difference is between caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. It’s simple: I let the govern ment decide what is right for me to use and what isn't If the government says that cigarettes and alcohol (which have killed millions) are okay for me, but marijuana isn’t (Which has killed. Well I’ve never actually heard of anyone dying from it but it’s evil, end of story.), then that’s fine by me. Speaking before state senators, a stu dent obtaining his masters in botany said that industrial hemp is not marijuana. Susie Dugan said “marijuana is not a distant cousin of hemp. It’s the same thing.” (Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 24,2001) Who are we to believe? Well, what does someone getting his or her masters know anyway? If you want to see an unre alistic look at the drug war, go see the movie “Haffic.” I didn’t really get it I think it was sup posed to be a comedy. The message of the movie seemed to be that the drug war is a giant failure and drugs should be treated <* as a health problem, not a criminal one. I had a good laugh about that Sen. Schrock contends that the level ofTHC (the chemical in marijuana which makes people go crazy) in industrial hemp is not high enough to affect the brain. Well, I’m sure marijuana addicts feel ing the effects of “reefer madness” would probably find some industrial hemp plants and smoke ’em until they felt something. Idon’t even want to knowhow people use drugs. What good could come of edu cation on die issue? Drugs are bad, end of story. Just when I thought everyone over at the Capitol had lost their minds, I was glad to see this: Penalties for MIP’s would stiffen if a bill introduced by Senator Mark Quandahl of Omaha passes. According to LB114, police would be able to arrest minors who are drinking alcohol and who are in the proximity of alcohol even if the they don't have any in their possession. Guilty minors also would pay a large fine, have their driver’s license suspended and would have to write a note to their parents explaining their crime. Finally, some common sense was put into a bill Opponents of the bill seem to think the first part - arresting minors who are in the proximity of alcohol - is too vague. ioo vague; us simple: aiconoi is ille gal for minors and they shouldn't be put ting themselves in the position of getting in trouble. If Dad decides to have a beer at dinner, and his son is at the table with him, is he in the proximity of alcohol? Yes, and it is the father’s duty to make his son go to his room. The bill also leaves much of the enforcement to police discretion. I, for one, am sure that the police in this state would never use different standards of enforcement for someone of a different race or someone that just “looked suspi cious.” It all comes down to a matter of responsibility. If you’re younger than 21, are you responsible enough to have a beer? Absolutely not; you’re just gonna have to wait out your time on the firing range. Thank God we live in a society of responsible lawmakers.