I confess. I already voted. My absentee ballot came in the mail on Thursday and I put it back in the mail today, a circle filled for every contest and even a few write-ins.
What a truly remarkable privilege voting is. The pundits suggest that this election will have the one of highest turnouts among 18- to 25-year-old voters that our nation has seen. I hope they are right.
The ancient Greeks thought that the art of politics was a gift from God. Given the obtrusiveness of this two-year presidential campaign, that Nov. 4 will actually get here might seem a much better gift from God. Nonetheless, men were allowed to practice politics through rhetoric and argument in the assembly, which was their form of direct democracy. They called it the polity, which literally translates as community. According to the Greeks, participation in polity was the highest, most ethical of human activities.
So here we are today, less than two weeks away from our chance to participate in polity. It’s what we’ve fought wars to protect. It’s what will prevent us from fighting unnecessary wars in the future. It’s our chance to vote.
It’s what these citizens of other nations fervently celebrated.
This Iraqi woman raises her purple-stained finger after the nation held its first free election in half a century.
Thousands of South African citizens lined the polls to vote after the nation's apartheid government fell
May we remember the joy of these nations during their elections when we have ours on Nov. 4.
It’s the campaign that now seems to be unending-the 2008 presidential campaign. Its coverage has been ever present for nearly two years. But now with the election drawing nearer, perhaps the greatest issue facing university students across the nation is a simple two-step process.
First, registering to vote. Second, remembering to vote.
In my household, the privilege of voting was also considered a responsibility. I remember my envy during the 2000 election when my oldest brother voted. Those same feelings flooded back in 2002 when my both of my brothers voted. Finally, in 2004, I had my chance, and what a privilege it was. I have voted in every election since, primary and general.
Now, I haven’t always been on top of requesting my absentee ballot on time, which has caused me on more than one occasion to drive 75 miles from Lincoln to my home south of Columbus just to vote. To me, it was a small price to pay for the most powerful exercise in democracy.
With just about a month before the nation heads for the polls, the time for students to follow the two afore-mentioned steps is running low.
The deadline to register in Nebraska by mail is Friday, Oct. 17. If you haven’t yet registered for Nebraska, click here. It’s simple. Fill out the form and mail it in.
The next step is hard to forget if you are planning to vote at the polls on the day of the election. Few people will be able to escape the attention given to the election on Nov. 4. Just be sure to turn on a TV, read a newspaper or talk to another human that day, and you’ll remember
However, if like me, you are unable to go to the polls on the day itself, registering for an absentee ballot becomes the next important deadline. You must request an absentee ballot from your county clerk. In Nebraska, the deadline is Oct. 27. Click here for a copy of the form needed to request an absentee ballot. You must have it postmarked by Nov. 3.
Pundits tout the 2008 election as one of the most important in our lifetime. For many college students, it’s the first presidential election in which they’ve been eligible to vote. Regardless of the outcome, the greatest loss our nation will face that day are the unheard voices-the voices of those who don’t vote.
It’s the longest standing tradition in college football, the annual bell exchange between Nebraska and Missouri. While millions of fans have witnessed the bell change hands over the years, few know the history of the victory bell and its tradition on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s campus.
The bell dates back to 1892, when it was taken from a church in Seward by members of Phi Delta Theta and Delta Tau Delta. At the time, the members of the two fraternities occupied the same house. When the two groups moved into separate houses, there was a dispute over who should keep the bell. Annual scholastic or athletic contests were held, with the bell being used as a trophy. This rivalry abated, yet still the ownership of the bell was left in question.
In 1926, the athletic director at Missouri, Chester D. Brewer, suggested an annual award be established for the annual Missouri-Nebraska football game. The bell was selected to be the prize to end the conflict between the fraternities, and an ‘M’ and an ‘N’ were engraved on opposite sides of the bell. The exchange was coordinated by UNL’s Innocents Society and Missouri’s Q.E.B.H. Society. Missouri won the first game in 1927 7-6, and the scores from the games are engraved on the bell stand.
For the 2008 game, the Q.E.B.H. Society brought the bell to Nebraska. Members of both societies met on the field before the game to exchange the bell. Watch the bell being exchanged.
The 41-6 score from the 2007 Missouri-Nebraska game and 52-17 score from this year’s game are among the worst losses for Nebraska in the history of the victory bell exchange.
The Innocents Society is the chancellor’s senior honorary society. Founded on April 24, 1903, and uniquely Nebraskan, the society has worked to lead campus in all aspects and to promote school spirit.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s homecoming “Journey through the Decades” ended Saturday night with a 52-17 thumping by the Missouri Tigers. Despite a football game that Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini called embarrassing, homecoming week sparked energy and enthusiasm throughout campus.
The homecoming parade, now in its third year of revitalization after a 20-year hiatus, once again had increased participation from student groups. Attendance, however, dropped sharply this year compared to last year as fewer people lined the streets and greek houses to watch.
Homecoming coordinators also planned a pep rally following Friday’s parade, but scheduling conflicts with two of the pep rally’s featured entertainment, the pep band and the Bathtub Dogs, ultimated led to the rally’s cancellation.
The final event of homecoming week, the crowning of the queen and king, provided a brief bright spot for the Husker football game. Katie Madsen, a business administration and pre-law major, and Carlos Lopez III, a psychology, computer science and pre-law major, were crowned the 2008 homecoming queen and king.
Homecoming week kicked off on campus with the block party hosted by the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska and the University Program Council.
Free food from Sbarro’s Italian Eatery, Qdoba Mexican Grill and ASUN attracted a crowd of more than 300 students to the space north of the Campus Union. Greek houses, residents halls and student organizations competing in the homecoming points contests also received one point for each person who attended the event on their behalf, up to 30 points.
UPC sponsored VH1 comedian Melissa Rauch, who performed for nearly thirty minutes to the surprisingly uninterested crowd. The challenging outdoor venue coupled with a lurid, unenthusiastic performance further debauched what was meant to be a highlight of the evening.
The homecoming week will continue Monday with Monday Night Live, a series of skits performed by student groups competing for homecoming points. Held at the Lied Performing Arts Center, Monday Night Live starts at 8 p.m.
Nothing beats seeing your fellow students make fools of themselves on main stage. I will be there performing with the few shards of pride I have. Hope to see you there.
Enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln rose once again this year, an applause-worthy accomplishment.
The increase of 962 students during the past four years has, however, strained the university’s capacity to provide both housing and classrooms. It has also led to an influx of enrollment in some 100-level classes, such as Biology 101 and English 150, needed by most students. In turn, some professors are teaching more sections of the same class throughout the week.
Chancellor Harvey Perlman told the Omaha World-Herald last week, “We have faculty members instructing the same courses too many times a week, and that’s not an efficient way of teaching.”
He’s right.
But the solution proposed by a university consultant to build a 400-seat classroom, two 300-seat classrooms and four 100-seat classrooms isn’t right. In the quest to be more efficient with faculty and teaching, one question gets lost. What happens to learning in these large classroom settings?
Students tend to agree that the best learning environments exist in smaller classrooms. “I think that a majority of people would learn better in that environment,” said Kristen Koch, a recent UNL graduate now in law school. “I think class participation increases and so does one-on-one interaction.”
According to Bill Nunez, the university’s research and planning director, about two-thirds of UNL’s current classrooms seat 50 or fewer students. This is a trend the university would do well to continue.
Without a doubt, the university must plan for increased enrollment by providing space for student learning. The best plan, though, is one focused on learning quality, not teaching efficiency.
Friday marked the celebration of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, thrusting students across campus and their “mateys” into a frenzy of “argghhs” and “ahoys.”
“Argghh matey, it adds some spice to my day, which is usually lacking. It also provides an opportunity for me to showcase my mad lingual abilities,” said Sarah Williams, a sophomore international studies major.
Williams said she and her friends tried to use pirate language, but they weren’t going to dress up.
Although the number of students who actually recognize the day is low, those who do truly seem to enjoy it. The Lincoln Journal Star even paid homage to the day with an article describing its origin and its celebration.
Personally, I wouldn’t talk like a scallywag for all the loot in the world.
The Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center groundbreaking Friday marked a significant step forward for the university in its efforts to promote diversity.
Jackie Gaughan pictured next to a drawing of the building that shall bear his name.
The building’s location in the middle of campus will serve as a visible symbol of the commitment to diversity, said Juan Franco, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Construction of the $8.7 million building began Friday morning, with the opening of the building planned for 2010. The 30,000 square foot center will provide meeting rooms for student organizations, computer labs and a multi-purpose room. Its location symbolizes the importance of students having interactions with different cultures and perspectives.
Chancellor Harvey Perlman called the Gaughan Multicultural Center a priority of his and an important step in securing and expanding the progress made in diversity.
It’s certainly refreshing to hear Perlman’s oral support of the project. The question is, where is his monetary support?
In 2006, students passed a referendum to increase their fees by $12 per semester to pay half the cost of the building. Private donations, such as the one from Gaughan family, covered the remaining cost. Absent in this picture is money from the chancellor or from the administration.
Hats off to the student leaders, such as former student body presidents Katie Weichman and Omaid Zabih, who made the student fee referendum a success. Thank you to the University Foundation for securing the donations to make the other half of the project possible. What about a donation from the university itself?
On several occasions including his State of the University Address, Perlman has talked about the multicultural center as a success of the university and thus a success of his. Sure, Perlman consented to the building and its location, but the leadership came from students, whom he unfortunately failed to recognize.
The real heroes on Friday’s groundbreaking were the people in the audience–the students who wrote the check.
Silent and stunned, I stood unable to grasp how this single act of violent fanaticism would change my life and the world in which I lived.
Do I remember where I was seven years ago on Sept. 11? How could I forget? How could we forget?
Certainly, the past seven years have dimmed the details of that day in my memory. But what time doesn’t fade are the lessons of humility, tolerance and unity that flooded the depth of my conscience immediately after the towers fell.
As each year blurs the details for all of us, my hope is that that time will sharpen our focus on these lessons – our focus on the way we interact with our neighbors at home and our neighbors abroad.
In an insightful article in the Sept. 8, New York Times, Michael Slackman reports the perception of 9/11 among Arabs in Egypt and the rest of the Middle East. He found persistent belief among the region that Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda could not have been solely responsible for the attacks and the belief that the United States and Israel had to have been involved in the planning.
Such an idea seems ludicrous. But as Slackman pointed out, “That such ideas persist represents the first failure in the fight against terrorism – the inability to convince people here that the United States is, indeed, waging a campaign against terrorism, not a crusade against Muslims.”
It’s not impossible to understand how such an idea flourished. How often does our president refer to our war against radical Islam? How easy would it be for Al-Jazeera, a prominent Middle Eastern news source, to lose the word radical in translation? The message transforms into an American-led war on Islam.
That’s the perception that exists, churning from a lack of tolerance, a lack of humility and a fear of dialogue among us all. The “we don’t negotiation with terrorists” notion forces isolation and desperation. Where there is no dialogue and no exchange of ideas, maleficence thrives.
Unquestionably, known perpetrators of death and destruction deserve justice, and we have been judicious in our enforcement. But we must be equally judicious in the war of ideas.
On Sept. 11, 2006, Omaha attorney David Domina published a personal reflection on the hompage of his Web site saying:
“They say we are decadent. How can they be wrong? Have you heard of ‘Sex in the City’? Have you dressed down, when it would be nearly no more effort to dress ever so easily better? Have you noticed our national obsession with artificial alterations to our bodies and to eating when we should be walking?”
“We say they are fanatical. How can we be wrong? Have you heard of suicide bombers? Have you seen women relegated to chattel status when they could contribute as equals? Have you heard religion used to justify extreme behavior?”
Humility, tolerance and unity create understanding. Understanding spawns a greater appreciation for the universal human experience.
In a brilliant TV episode written to memorialize the events of 9/11, West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin used his characters to promote understanding. In this clip, first lady Abbey Barlet chronicles the beginning of this global conflict. Perhaps, understanding the beginning is the first step to a future of global understanding.
Note: Although not a direct campus issue, the events of 9/11 have and will continue to shape the current college generation. The event will forever merit our reflections.
It has been the focus of two posts already, and I don’t mean to dwell. But for the sake of fairness, we should include Parking Services in our dialogue. Click here to participate in the customer service survey and provide your feedback directly. Afterall, parking can’t fix problems it doesn’t know about.
