dn the
UNL mourns death of Mandela
dailynebraskan.com
Layla Younis DN The Afrikan People’s Union will host a candlelight vigil Friday at 6:30 p.m. outside the Nebraska Union to memorialize the life of Nelson Mandela. Mandela, the South African politician and activist, died of complications from a lung infection Thursday at the age of 95. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was the first black president of South Africa. He spent 27 years behind bars for his antiapartheid leadership and speaking against racial discrimination and segregation. Barakah Ibisomi, an international student from South Africa, was skeptical when she saw a tweet about Nelson Mandela’s death Thursday afternoon, but when Jacob Zuma, current president of South Africa, confirmed his death, she was saddened. Ibisomi, a senior finance major at the University of NebraskaLincoln, said she knows South Africa as a nation is grieving. “He’s at peace because he’s been through a lot,” Ibisomi said. Dawne Curry, an associate professor of history and ethnic studies at UNL, met Mandela in South Africa twice – once at an awards ceremony in 2002 and a short time later at a Civil Society conference. “I will always remember his humanity, his graciousness, his dignity,” she said. “And the spirit of ubuntu – the soulful humanity that he possessed- that I feel I
friday, december 6, 2013 volume 113, issue 068
Inside Coverage
Moving mountains
Friendship, fast
Ski and snowboard club loves the slopes
Speed Friending invites students to converse
4
have tried to aspire to as a professor and a person to my friends and loved ones.” Curry, who published a book in 2012 about apartheid in the South African township of Alexandra, said Mandela’s death will be a terrible loss for the people of South Africa. “But I think people will find comfort and honor what he stood for,” she said. Curry is hosting a study abroad program this summer to South Africa. Louisie Buzi, president of the African Student Association and a senior child, youth and family studies major, found out about Mandela’s death right before her night class. “It’s sad to see him go because he did so much,” Buzi said. Mandela has had health issues in the past, which is why Ibisomi said she had to double check that his death was real. In 2001, at the age of 83, Mandela was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Eleven years later in 2012, Mandela was hospitalized for stomach problems. Robert Perry, a graduate student who teaches ethnic studies classes, researched and created a website project to inform UNL students about the 1966 Nebraska protests against apartheid. “His death should touch the lives of every Nebraskan,” Perry said. Perry said he was interested in researching UNL’s connection to South Africa because he focus-
3
The Daily Nebraskan asked students: What was your reaction to Nelson Mandela’s death?
“I was kind of waiting for him to die. He was 90-something and sick for such a long time. Do I feel horrible about it? No, not really. I guess I’m just jaded.” Graham Swanson freshman english major
“I found out through Snapchat, actually. It was a sad face with the caption, ‘Nelson Mandela died.’ It was a shock, ‘cause he was healthy again (after being hospitalized earlier this year).” Rousol Aribi
freshman architecture major
“It’s a really huge loss because of what he did, leading South Africa out of apartheid. Not a lot of leaders are as loved as he was.”
mandela: see page 2
access for all
11:13
T HE P R IC E OF T E XT BO O KS
20% Textbook prices have risen by
812% since 1978.
of a textbook price goes to the store where it was purchased, while
75%
In contrast, tuition and fees increased between
Congress introduces new bill to make textbooks digital, free
goesto the publisher.
A
The average student spends
$655
559%
between 1985 and 2011
70%
Ian Chapo
senior political science and economics major
a year on textbooks.
students admitted to not buying all their required textbooks due to cost.
Sources: The American Enterprise Institute, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, National Association of College Stores, U.S. News & World Report
story by Melissa Allen | art by Inge Johannsen
bill introduced in U.S. Congress last month aims to make textbooks and classroom sources available online for free. The “Affordable College Textbook Act” was introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Al Franken, D-Minn., and would create a grant program with the intent to provide free online textbooks and other educational sources for students. Some universities have already begun implementing free or reduced-price online sources and textbooks. The National Science Foundation granted the University of California, Davis $250,000 for faculty to develop a free online textbook accessible to anyone and can be easily updated with new information. The bill would b e built o n a
similar concept by using competitive grants from the Department of Education to fund online source databases. Since 1978, textbook prices have increased by 812 percent according to the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics – three times the rate of inflation. Seven out of 10 undergraduate students admit to not buying all their required or recommended textbooks, according to a 2011 U.S. Public Interest Research Group survey. Along with free online sources, the act would implement pilot programs for grantee university faculty in leadership on educational materials. Grantees would have to submit annual reports of improvement and share it with other universities. Every year, updated information renders older editions of books useless, said Brian Moore, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor of music education. Tuesday, Moore provided training sessions for students and faculty on how to publish online textbooks and integrate them into classroom settings. “The big advantage with something like this is that information online can be updated quickly,” Moore said. “It can also be more interactive, which is huge for me. You can have other links, audio, images and cross-references.” Moore said he teaches his courses
books: see page 2
Recycling plan aims to increase Lincoln’s low rate City’s solid waste committee proposes garbage haulers offer curbside recycling for convenience nam tran dn The Solid Waste Advisory Committee wants to make it easier for people in Lincoln to recycle by taking a different approach to raising recycling rates. The committee has created the Solid Waste Plan 2040, part of which suggests that garbage haulers offer curbside recycling services. The city recycles about 18 percent of its waste, just more than half the national average of 34 percent, said Miki Esposito, direc-
4
tor of the Lincoln Public Works and Utilities Department. “In convenience, we do a lot of education already,” Esposito said. “We do offer the multi-material drop-off centers, and we think we have probably reached the capacity on those two things. The one key missing piece is that convenient curbside recycling for people.” The talk of having garbage haulers include recycling options has been around for a while. Other cities such as New York and Seattle require residents to recycle, separate and maintain their wastes and pay attention to the way they treat their garbage. In these cities, waste inspectors come to residents’ houses and charge fines if they aren’t managing their waste. The committee doesn’t want to force residents to recycle but rather have garbage haulers offer the service, Esposito said. “The committee was driven by how low Lincoln’s recycling
spencer myrlie | Dn
Mike Philpot, an employee at Recycling Enterprises, gets bales of cardboard ready to be shipped manufacturers. Recycling Enterprises can process anything, such as 3,500 pound bales of tin cans. rate is,” she said. “The advisory committee spent close to two
years meeting, coming up with some recommendations and one
of those recommendations was Lincoln, on the other hand, had that in order to increase recycling a recycling rate of 51 percent in rates, we need to make it a little 2012, and the national college more convenient for people and campus average is 26 percent, acthat is for haulers to provide or cording the UNL Recycling weboffer curbside recycling services.” site. At this point, But the univerthe plan is still sity’s recycling rates conceptual and were comparable The one implementation to Lincoln’s current key missing is uncertain, Esrate in 2002, said posito said. While piece is that Prabhakar Shresthe Solid Waste tha, one of the UNL Management plan convenient Recycling coordinawill make it more curbside tors. convenient for “A couple of recycling.” Lincoln residents things have gone to recycle, the our way,” Shrestha Miki Esposito committee wants said. “First of all, director, works and utilities to make sure resiwe keep track of evdents know that erything so we have it’s not mandagood database mantory. agement and good statistics. We “The plan doesn’t mean that keep track of everything going a resident has to participate,” Esout of the University of Nebraskaposito said. “The mandate is realLincoln. Because as a university, ly on the haulers’ side to provide there’s different entities and difand offer that service.” The University of Nebraska-
more Inside Coverage:
Public universities should be free Schools are for learning, not for profit
10
At home with the Huskers Offensive lineman Mike Moudy makes impact known
@dailyneb | facebook.com/dailynebraskan
recycling: see page 3