OCT19

rEMEMBERING ENGLISH PROFESSOR GERRY SHAPIRO

Huskers not looking past 1-5 minnesota

Teacher, writer leaves legacy of commitment to great writing, mentorship in Andrews Hall. PAGE 5

Pelini discusses the upcoming road game and the keys for the team. VIDEO ONLINE

wednesday, october 19, 2011

volume 111, issue 040

DAILY NEBRASKAN

LONG TAKES

AS

dailynebraskan.com

AS IT

dan holtmeyer | daily nebraskan

From left, Matthew White, Mikey Prewett and Dylan Bacon sort and organize Occupy Lincoln’s food tent, housing produce, bread and other food donated by supportive Lincoln residents. The camp, numbering about 40 tents Tuesday, gets three free meals a day as it keeps the protest going through the week. “It’s been flowing really well,” White said.

Occupy Lincoln creates committees to organize protests and to support followers in the fight against the 1 percent Dan Holtmeyer Daily Nebraskan

Three men, all in their early 20s and in coats and hats, stooped and crawled in the large, crowded brown tent, organizing piles, boxes and bags of produce and cans onto several small shelves.

“We’ve got lots of food,” said Matthew White with a laugh. He and his friends Dylan Bacon and Mikey Prewett are part of Occupy Lincoln’s food committee and, at this moment, faced the onslaught of food donations from supportive city residents. Gifts have included a fresh-baked cherry pie, more bread than they know what to do with, and “bags and bags and bags of groceries,” White said.

The trio is just one part of a cooperative system that is the heartbeat of this group of more than 40 tents, all camped on the Centennial Mall in front of the Capitol Building. Lincoln residents of all ages, including many students of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, are in

kyle bruggeman | daily nebraskan

Luther Owens (with megaphone) leads a parade of protestors down 13th Street during Occupy Lincoln on Oct. 14.

Owens told a crowd of more than 500 he was a welder looking for a job.

The Occupy Wall Street movement inspired worldwide protests this weekend and made its way onto the streets of Lincoln, bringing residents together for a common cause Dan Holtmeyer Daily nebraskan

A month ago, thousands of New Yorkers launched Occupy Wall Street, an amorphous protest against historic income inequality and the perceived power of wealth over politics that is now entering its fifth week.

Saturday afternoon, Lincoln joined New York, London, Tokyo, Rome, Los Angeles, Chicago and reportedly hundreds of other cities across the country and around the world by hosting its own offshoot of the movement.

Occupy Lincoln drew hundreds of participants,

some with drums, others with signs, American flags with corporate logos as the stars and voices calling out slogans like “We are the 99 percent” – a jab at the top 1 percent of the country that controls a huge share of its wealth and income.

Students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other local colleges made a strong showing, including Forrest Teske, a freshman broadcasting major who started a Facebook page to involve members of UNL’s campus in the movement.

But the protesters, with a variety of connected complaints, came from all ages, from toddlers in strollers to

elderly in wheelchairs.

Many of them charged that corporations use their profits to buy the support of politicians. Some protested simultaneous budget cuts and stagnant unemployment. Others called for the end of the government’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.

The common theme: frustration.

“I feel that politics is no longer about people,” said Ilonka Zlatar, who recently began working on a Ph.D. in biology at UNL. “It’s about how deep in a politician’s pockets do you need to get.”

Sarah Shaw, another

protester who brought her young son along, said the top income bracket and politicians friendly to them are disconnected from everyone else in the recession’s aftermath.

“People like us have to make decisions like, ‘Do I pay this bill or feed my family?’” she said.

A UNL alumna, Shaw said such necessities have left her two months behind on her student loan payments.

“To me, this is a matter of life or death.”

Shaw said she has a job locally but asked for her

lincoln: see page 3

Lincoln’s version of Occupy Wall Street for the long haul.

“I just want to support the movement as far as it can go,” said Jordan Dudley, a senior Spanish and Latin American studies major. “The opportunity for it to happen in the place that I grew up is something special.”

Occupy Lincoln began Oct. 15 with a march around downtown and the Capitol, and coincided with similar Occupy Wall Street-inspired marches in dozens, if not hundreds, of cities around the world. The movement, sparked in Manhattan more than a month ago and buoyed by people of every age and most backgrounds, is to fight a variety of issues, from income inequality to the power corporations exercise over politics.

Here, general assembly meetings are at 6 p.m. each day, after participants return from jobs or school, to update on problems, ideas and

occupy: see page 3

UNL English professor dies during weekend Riley Johnson Daily Nebraskan

Gerald Shapiro, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln English professor and acclaimed author, died unexpectedly in Lincoln on Oct. 15.

Gerald “Gerry” Shapiro, 61, taught fiction writing, 20th century fiction and Jewish-American fiction after coming to UNL in 1987.

Shapiro’s unexpected death shocked many of his colleagues and former students, who remember his generosity, intellect and comedic sense of humor.

“No one is irreplaceable, but Gerry is just about as close as it gets,” said Susan Belasco, chair of the UNL English department.

Belasco said she heard

siddiqui page 4

the news of Shapiro’s death while at meetings in New York City and cut her trip short to be with Judith Slater, Shapiro’s wife.

Slater, also a UNL professor of English, took Shapiro to the hospital Oct. 14 after he had trouble breathing, Belasco said.

News of Shapiro’s death from cardiac arrest brought back Belasco’s first memories of the Kansas City native.

Shapiro helped recruit Belasco to come to UNL in 2000. Shapiro loved the university and pushed hard to bring the best and brightest to the English department, Belasco said.

Shapiro’s own work shined brightly across the

country.

In his career, Shapiro received many awards for his work including the Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction for “Little Men,” the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for “From Hunger” and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction “Bad Jews.”

His stories also appeared on the big screen and through the airwaves.

In 2004, he co-wrote the screenplay for “King of the Corner,” adapted from a collection of his short stories, focusing on the place of secular Jews in contemporary American Society, according to a press release.

In 2008, Shapiro wrote a

music online

story about Hanukkah for National Public Radio, airing on the network’s “Hanukkah Lights” program.

Even with all of his fame and notoriety, Shapiro treated everyone he met with kindness, Belasco said.

From the chancellor to the office staff, everyone received his generosity, she said.

Leann Messing, the English department office manager, said she had to delete her lunch appointment Tuesday. Shapiro and Slater planned to treat the entire office to lunch, which Messing said they did multiple times each year.

The couple would bring in their two dogs and plenty of food, she said. Messing

said she and her coworkers always looked forward to the lunches.

“It took you out of the workplace and into a family environment,” Messing said.

On Oct. 14, Shapiro called Elaine Dvorak, an English department secretary, to schedule the lunch, Messing said.

Messing remembered hearing nothing but laughter coming from Dvorak during the call.

The group did not schedule any luncheon or get-together for Tuesday, Messing said. Lunch with Shapiro couldn’t be replaced, she said.

Dvorak said even when the group didn’t meet for lunch, Shapiro would drop

football page 10

shapiro: see page 2

Weather | windy

You’re still on top, America

Lincoln call and response

Opportunity knocks

an open letter to a nation gripped by fear of decline

music festival shows off local talent over long weekend

Rome, d-linemen prepared to fill in for injured crick

@dailyneb | facebook.com/dailynebraskan

off his cooking for the staff – be it pesto, meats, cheeses or matzo balls. Shapiro was a “sweetheart,” she said.

“He would say, ‘Oh I had some leftovers and I thought of you guys,’” Dvorak said.

Grace Bauer, a professor of English and longtime friend of Shapiro, said he always brought a smile to her face with his quirky sense of humor.

While attending graduate school at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with Shapiro and Slater, Bauer noticed Shapiro’s strange baseball cap. Instead of a sports team’s logo, the cap bore the name

48°27°

2

wednesday, october 19, 2011

Daily Nebraskan

UPC receives Museum fossil event brings reimbursement kids, scientists together for concert Elias Youngquist daily nebraskan

After weeks of rushing around and frantic planning, the University Program Council found a source for reimbursement from the $6,000 it spent to fund the homecoming concert.

Three weeks ago UPC hit a snag in the funding of the Josh Gracin and DJ Miller homecoming concert planned for two weeks ago. Confusion arose between the Residence Hall Association and UPC on how much money RHA was going to contribute. The $6,000 UPC originally planned on receiving turned into nothing after RHA took a look at their budget and voted down giving a smaller amount.

After RHA’s decision, UPC went to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Juan Franco.

Franco then found $5,000 in the Pepsi Endowment Fund.

“It is a fund that we get from the Pepsi contract,” Franco said. “It helps fund nightlife in

general, and I had a contingency fund for whatever arises.”

The contingency fund is used for new ideas that are brought forward by students or in cases such as UPC’s.

“If you came up with a really good idea that would serve a number of students on campus and if it makes sense, we would fund it,” said Franco. “It’s for emergencies, yes, but also for additional ideas.”

Keith Zaborowski, the associate director of Residence Life, also brought forward $1,000 from Residence Life for the cost of the generator.

Despite tense communication between RHA and UPC on Oct. 11, RHA decided against allocating money to UPC and plans have been set forward to repair the bonds and prevent future issues like this one.

“UPC and RHA have a meeting scheduled after fall break to discuss what happened,” said UPC adviser Karen Wills.

Eliasyoungquist@ dailynebraskan.com

Maren Westra Daily Nebraskan

Even with University of Nebraska-Lincoln students setting the books aside for the weekend, families from the community flocked to Morrill Hall Sunday for fun with fossils.

The latest “Sunday with a Scientist” event, an ongoing program that gives visitors the opportunity to interact with scientists knowledgeable in specific fields, focused on fossils and coordinated with National Fossil Day on Oct. 12 and the American Geological Institute’s National Earth Science Week, which ran from Oct. 9 to Oct. 15.

Inside Morrill Hall, the museum contains 1.5 million different specimens in its research collection, according to Gregory Brown, a researcher at the museum. Brown noted Morrill Hall’s accessible programming.

“We do a lot more with the public than a lot of museums do,” Brown said.

Multiple scientists handled specific areas of fossil research on Sunday. Brown showed children several things, including how to paint bones by using a plaster replica. Though none of the fossils at his table were real, other scientists in the room had displayed recovered fossils for visitors to examine. George Corner, another researcher and collections manager at the museum, said this could be the only opportunity some people ever have to touch and hold real fossils and it’s an important opportunity because it shows that fossils aren’t only effective on display and that there are real things to learn from them.

Both Brown and Corner believe in the value of educational programs that promote paleontology.

“There’s a lot more to

paleontology than dinosaurs,” Corner said.

Brown pointed out the importance of fossils in a historical context.

“We collect fossils from Nebraska that tell us everything we know about the history of (the state) before humans,” he said.

He estimates that between 95 percent and 99 percent of all fossils displayed in Morrill Hall come from Nebraska. Ellen Stepleton, also a researcher, agrees.

“Nebraska is very important in paleontological sciences,” she said.

Though the event is advertised as being educational for children and families, the researchers agree it can serve as a powerful learning opportunity for people of all ages. “(It’s a) great chance for kids to talk with scientists,” Brown said. “Adults too.”

Part of what makes it such an important opportunity,

Brown said, is the accessibility of the scientists present. He addressed the perception many people have of seeing scientists as “untouchable and aloof” and that the program enables curious visitors to get past this by speaking directly with a scientist. This ability to interact in direct dialogue also gives curious people a chance to ask any questions they have and get them answered.

The goal of the program is to interest and educate children on a variety of scientific subjects.

“If (Sunday with a Scientist) turns a kid on when it comes to science,” Corner said, “I think that’s a good thing.”

Upcoming “Sunday with a Scientist” topics include viruses on Nov. 20 and minerals on Dec. 18. The price is included with regular admission.

MarenWestra@ Dailynebraskan.com

shapiro: from 1 “Kafka.” She said she knew right then he was an interesting man.

When Shapiro’s health started to decline in recent years, Bauer asked him if he wanted to take a medical leave of absence. Shapiro couldn’t. He loved the classroom too much, she said.

As a teacher, Shapiro rarely received negative teaching evaluations and won the College of Arts and Sciences distinguished teaching

award in 1997, Belasco said.

And Bauer remembered hearing how much students loved his courses. In one instance, the entire class gave him a standing ovation after the final lecture, she said.

One of Shapiro’s former students, Lee Martin — now a professor of English at the Ohio State University — said when he decided to attend UNL for his doctoral writing program, Shapiro wrote him a letter.

“Come to Lincoln, and

we’ll make a party for you,” Martin recalled the letter saying.

As Martin’s dissertation director, Shapiro helped Martin shape his writing and give spirit to his characters. Martin said he admired him as an adviser and mentor, but also as a close friend.

“Gerry left behind a great body of work,” Martin said. “For me, he left behind a legacy of how to be a generous teacher.”

On Oct. 12, Shapiro and Bauer sat at a creative writing meeting, planning for next semester and next year. Shapiro expressed his desire to continue working with his colleagues and the students and be a part of the creative writing department, Bauer said.

“He just loved what he did and did it to the end,” she said.

The English department will celebrate Shapiro’s life on Dec. 2 from 3 p.m. to 5

p.m. in the Andrews Hall’s Bailey Library. Services are pending.

Bauer said when she went with Slater to the funeral home to make arrangements, she thought about a short story in Shapiro’s “Bad Jews and Other Stories,” that takes place in a funeral home.

Bauer smiled.

“If Gerry were here, he’d be laughing,” she said.

RileyJohnson@ DailyNebraskan.com

courtesy photo

F or more a bou t Ge r r y Sh a piro se e pag e 5.

Community desk Fall Interview Day for Educators when : Wednesday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m. where : Nebraska Union Ballroom what : December and May graduates are encouraged to sit down for job interviews to work at school districts from Lincoln, Kansas City metro and Omaha metro schools.

Dress professionally, bring a resume and be prepared for the interview. contact : Becky Faber at 402-472-3145 or rfaber1@ unl.edu UAAD October General meeting when : Wednesday, Oct. 19, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. where : East Campus Union what : Meeting to learn about the UNL Center for Civic Engagement and the opportunities it offers students. For more information, visit http://uaad.unl. edu.

‘Conformational changes during the life cycle of flavi and alpha viruses’ lecture when : Wednesday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. where : Beadle Center, Room E103

what : Lecture by Michael Rossmann from Purdue University. Reception beforehand, 3:30 p.m. cost : Free and open to the public contact : Barbara Gnirk at 402-472-2635

Faculty artist: Karen Becker When: Wednesday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: Kimball Recital Hall What: Cello recital by Karen Becker Cost: Free and open to the public Contact: Mike Edholm at 402-472-6865 or medholm2@unl.edu 2011 Undergraduate Women in Physics Conference when : Thursday, Oct. 20 until Saturday, Oct. 22. where : Champions Club what : Conference for undergraduates to present research and interact with peers and faculty. Visit http://wophy.unl.edu. contact : Terese Janovec at 402-472-2716 Critical Black Studies in a Globalized World round table discussion when : Thursday, Oct. 20, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

where :

Andrews Hall, Bailey Library what : Roundtable discussion to help celebrate the African American and African Studies 40th year celebration event. cost : Free contact : Nancy Knapp at 402-472-1663 or nknapp@ unlnotes.unl.edu Voices of Hope Open House and Candlelight Vigil when : Thursday, Oct. 20, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. where : Voices of Hope building at 2545 N St. what : Open house includes facility tours, refreshments, raffle to benefit services for victims of domestic violence and information about Voices of Hope. Candlelight vigil will raise public awareness about domestic violence with a speaker and readings.

Black Studies in the Age of ‘PostBlackness’ when : Friday, Oct. 21, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. where : Andrews Hall, Bailey Library what : Lecture by Lisa B. Thompson from the University of Albany with book signing after the lecture. cost : Free and open to the public

contact : Nancy Knapp at 402-472-1663 or nknapp@ unlnotes.unl.edu

Open Studios when : Friday, Oct. 21, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. where : Richards Hall what : Art display featuring the work of 19 graduate students. Chance to meet the artists. Raffle tickets cost $1. cost : Free and open to the public contact : Emma Nishimura at 402-613-6777 or emma. nishimura@gmail.com ExoPlanets Abound when : Friday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. where : Nebraska Union what : Lecture by Jason Wright of Penn State University. Wright will speak about the history of looking for planets orbiting other stars. contact : Kevin Lee at 402472-3686 klee6@unl.edu 4th Annual Lollapa Lincoln Ultimate Disc Association Breast Cancer Benefit, Ultimate Frisbee Speed-Point Hat Tournament when : Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m. where : UNL East Campus Fields

what : Tournament to benefit Liz’s Legacy and the University of Nebraska Eppley Cancer Center. Registration is from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., games start at 9 a.m.

Martin Luther King, Labor and The Long Civil Rights Movement when : Saturday, Oct. 22, 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. where : Nebraska Union, Heritage Room what : Lecture by Michael Honey from the University of Washington-Tacoma.

Book signing will follow the lecture. cost : Free and open to the public contact : Nancy Knapp at 402-472-1663 or nknapp@ unlnotes.unl.edu Faculty artist: Paul Barnes when : Saturday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. where : Kimball Recital Hall what : Piano recital by Paul Barnes. cost : $5 general admission, $3 student/senior, available at the door one hour before the performance. contact : Mike Edholm at 402-472-6865 or medholm2@unl.edu

‘On Jews and Fashion’ symposium when : Sunday, Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m. to Monday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m. where : Jewish Community Center of Omaha what : Two-day symposium.

For more information, visit http://www.unl.edu/judaic/. contact : Betty Jacobs at 402-472-9561 or bjacobs1@unl.edu Choral Sampler when : Sunday, Oct. 23, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. where : Kimball Recital Hall what : Performance by UNL Choral. cost : $5 general admission, $3 student/senior. Available one hour before the performance. contact : Mike Edholm at 402-472-6865 or medholm2@unl.edu ACLU Student Chapter meeting when : Sunday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. where : Nebraska Union what : Meeting to focus on kicking off the ACLU voter registration drive and the club’s Know Your Rights training program.

— Compiled by Kim Buckley community@ dailynebraskan.com

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wednesday, october 19, 2011

Daily Nebraskan

lincoln: from 1 employer to remain unidentified for fear of losing her job, as did several other marchers.

The column, stretching several blocks, marched from the north steps of the Capitol to downtown, then back around to the Governor’s Mansion south of the Capitol. Megaphones, drums and chanting filled the air, with honks from supportive traffic and cheers in response. Several police watched from the Capitol’s steps without incident.

The march is only the first of many, according to several participants. The movement has the necessary permits to hold a similar rally every Saturday for the rest of the year, they said, and Centennial Mall, a stretch of grass and sidewalk that connects the Capitol building and UNL’s campus, will be “occupied” by protesters camping out legally and indefinitely.

Katelin Brennan, 20, helped organize Lincoln’s protest and recently returned from two weeks in Manhattan, the original home of the movement. She said she hopes to bring back some lessons from working with the logistics team there.

At its home, she said, the protest has become an “incredible” enterprise of cooperation, with hundreds of volunteers handling food, donations and all other requirements of a month-long sit-in.

Occupy Lincoln has a way to go to match that sophistication, Brennan said, including improving focus and communication. But she’s not too worried, she said.

“I think that this is brand new,” Brennan said. “We just have to teach everybody.”

Back at the Capitol’s north side, the protest took on a more festive air, as the drums kept an energetic cadence for several protesters who danced as the crowd chanted in unison. Afterward, many participants attended a “general assembly” to create goals, ideas and committees for necessities like food, sanitation and community outreach.

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would pass through Nebraska’s Sandhills, was a common enemy. Many marchers saw developer TransCanada and its relationship with the State Department, which must approve the pipeline, as Exhibit A of corporations’

power over politics. During the past several weeks, observers have charged the department with several conflicts of interest, which it has repeatedly denied.

Daniela Garvue, a junior history major at UNL who carried a sign reading “Occupy Earth,” took a global perspective.

“A lot of corporations make more money than some countries,” Garvue said. “So I think it goes beyond just the pipeline or the Fed.” History points to the protest’s success, Garvue added.

“You see these patterns over and over again,” she said. “This is just the beginning. Eventually the power shifts.”

Rae Cooper and a woman who only gave her first name, Sjaan (pronounced Shawn), said they planned on camping on the Centennial Mall to show their frustration with being “shoved down for someone else’s profits,” as Sjaan put it. She has a flexible job at a fabric store and plans to continue working. Both said bluntly how long they planned to stay: “As long as it takes.”

Danholtmeyer@ dailynebraskan.com

occupy: from 1 plans. Committees for food, peacekeeping, outreach and sanitation meet on their own. Many with houses or apartments nearby have volunteered to provide showers, laundry and dishwashing facilities.

Signs for recycling, compost and trash adorn dumpsters and boxes. Another proclaims the site alcoholand drug-free. Three free meals are served every day at the food tent, nicknamed the “Really, Really Free Market,” as volunteers bustle in and out of the front flap. Monday, dinner included chili, soup, salad

and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

As Dudley spoke, cars honked in the distance – other occupiers held signs on either side of K Street with frequent honks of support from passing traffic.

Many drivers donated blankets and sweaters, which are in high demand as the weather begins to chill.

Chad Novacek, who works in town but is searching for other prospects, waved an American flag, the stars replaced with corporate logos, on the sidewalk and remarked on the positive reaction.

“This movement touched a nerve, I think, with a lot of people,” he said.

As occupation life hummed along into the evening, several participants said things at the campsite were going smoothly. And it’s growing, with many pointing out new faces around camp.

“I am just so impressed right now,” said Katelin Brennan, 20, who was in Manhattan’s protest for two weeks before returning to Lincoln. “Look at this dinner!”

Danholtmeyer@ dailynebraskan.com

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Opinion DAILY NEBRASKAN

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page 4

wednesday, october 19, 2011

DAILY NEBRASKAN editorial board members ZACH SMITH

IAN SACKS editor-in-chief ANDREW MCCLURE

opinion editor

copy chief

RHIANNON ROOT

HAILEY KONNATH

assistant opinion editor

news assignment editor

our view

RHA monetary decisions faulty, $30,000 remains

Homecoming was nearly two weeks ago. And everything, except the first half of the football game, seemingly went off without a hitch.

The Josh Gracin concert Oct. 6, though, wasn’t originally going as smoothly. The Daily Nebraskan covered the problem on Sept. 28. To recap, the University Program Council (UPC) and the Residence Hall Association (RHA) had an agreement for $6,000 toward the funding of the concert from RHA funds. Due to timing and communication issues, RHA was unable to come up with the funding.

In a series of motions at a Tuesday night RHA meeting on Sept. 27, two successive motions to allocate smaller amounts of money to UPC failed. UPC was forced to look elsewhere for the funding – and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Juan Franco and Residence Life associate director Keith Zaborowski delivered.

But what about RHA? While the DN has already criticized RHA for its communication problem with UPC, last week’s RHA meeting revealed that out of its $33,234 budget, only $2,500 had been spent.

That means RHA had more than $30,000 left to spend on other priorities. $6,000, to be sure, is a fifth of that, and a considerable sum proportionally. But $1,000, which UPC needed for a generator?

“Today is the halfway mark in the semester and quite a bit of money still remains in our budget,” said RHA treasurer Ryan King at RHA’s Oct. 11 meeting. He then told RHA members to brainstorm more events.

Here’s a novel idea: Instead of not spending the money in your budget, RHA, spend it on the UPC concert. You were on the hook for $6,000. The least you can spare is $1,000.

opinion@ dailynebraskan.com

editorial policy The editorial above contains the opinion of the fall 2011 Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 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; policy 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, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of Daily Nebraskan employees.

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dan buhrdorf | daily nebraskan

Milestones don’t always bring maturity

S

ometimes I can’t help but think all of our lives are just a series of check-off points and accomplishments that you have to rack up in order to save face.

You have to get through high school and graduate, acquire your college degree while trying to do an internship or a bunch of extracurricular activities, find a job, find a house, find a significant other and have a family (or if you don’t want a family, dedicate your life to a career). There are dozens of other checkpoints that you have to strive for or replace with something else. But have you ever found yourself reaching an accomplishment, an event that you thought would bring great emotional fulfillment and sense of maturity — but you didn’t feel anything?

I’ve had many moments like this throughout my life, especially in relation to school, and wondered where this lack of fulfillment came from. When my senior year of high school ended, I expected a sense of closure tied in a neat little bow, with an acknowledgment of “This is it. This is the end.”

Instead, we all went to class, we took our tests or just sat around and talked – and then we went home. I waited for the emotional punch, and it never really came. Perhaps other people found their closure one way or another, but I still find myself waiting for my high school self to be finished.

It’s a complicated issue I think everyone deals with, but the best way I can simplify it is that there’s a disconnect between when everyone expects you to grow up and when you actually do (whatever that looks like these days).

It’s like looking at those pictures with a mass of colored dots – someone keeps

erica bartz telling you there’s a boat in the picture, and other people see it too, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t see the boat.

Some of the people who tell you there’s a boat in the picture are the media. As an avid consumer of movies, I know I must have gotten some of my expectations about life from romantic comedies, coming-of-age dramas, Disney cartoons, musicals and so on, despite my delusion that I haven’t accepted the messages of anything I’ve seen. Mediums like television and books sneak expectations onto you as well, with family sitcoms (which have expectations for adults AND children) and dime-store romance novels. Even news sources unintentionally tell you to grow up with articles like “Is going to school online worth it?”

Our society’s need to be productive and efficient also contributes to this pressure to grow up fast. Now that our economy is in a slump, you have to make decisions about which school to go to that gives you the best education for your interests, and will prepare you for the highest paying job you can possibly get.

Even if you do get a decent-paying job, chances are you have to try to move up or earn additional skills

because you may not be useful to your employers after a while. You have to think farther and farther ahead in order to keep your head above water in terms of debt, whether you’re a student or start out in the workforce. Unfortunately, life is not kind to those who need more time to consider what they want to do, and what they’re ready for.

I’m not trying to say that we shouldn’t grow up, or at least try. As much fun as it would be to have a bunch of Peter Pans in the world, I’m certain that would create more problems than solutions. Growing up can be an enjoyable experience because it can give you a path of exploration that you never thought of before. Being able to drive by myself for the first time is probably one of my favorite rites of passage, because it meant I could start to be trusted to make my own decisions. More importantly, going to college has helped to me understand everything I love more, and love those subjects more as a result. If I hadn’t decided to make that leap to a more mature way of learning, I wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilled.

What does need to happen, however, is we all need to consider individual growth instead of trying so desperately to make everyone progress at the same pace. So much emotional stress comes from thinking we aren’t good enough, that we haven’t reached enough goals at the right time. Maybe we could be a bit happier if we allowed ourselves at least a little time to think about what we’re ready for instead of making almost instantaneous choices. If we stop straining to see the boat, we might actually see it on our own.

erica bartz is a senior film studies major. reach her at ericabartz@ dailynebraskan.com

America’s imminent demise not so imminent

A

merica, We get it, you’re hurting.

After all, you’re now 3.5 times more likely to believe in alien kidnappings than you are to approve of your Congress. Scores of the youth and unemployed (among others) are sacrificing proper bathroom etiquette in cities across the country to show their disapproval of – something. All too often, you find yourself hopelessly yearning for the change-seeking Barack Obama of 2008, who was promptly stuffed in a White House linen closet immediately upon inauguration.

Things aren’t looking up.

Leaving aside his anti-immigrant electric fence, a rogue pizza mogul (Herman Cain) looks to shake things up with a SimCity-inspired tax plan equating revenue with the evil of Darth Vader. And a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania (Rick Santorum) thinks he can take the highest office on a platform of hatred, bigotry and the notion that “gays have enough rights.”

Oh, and the Bachmann campaign, well, still exists.

But America, you’re better than this. Sure, you’ve been bigoted before. And you’re no stranger to giving foreigners and dissenters a hard time. You’ve certainly been unfair, too, committing countless war atrocities across the globe and even on your own soil.

But self-deprecating? That’s not you. That’s a title reserved for Canada, the U.K and the countries that wouldn’t stand a chance without

your mere existence.

Until now, at least. Lately, it seems like you’ve fallen into a sort of elementary depression. Now you find yourself in constant fear of an age when mighty China will reign superior, and, aided by a nuclear Iran and a super-Russia, ostensibly wipe you off the map.

But don’t give up hope just yet.

Maybe the glory years are behind us. The roaring `20s … they roared by. The beat generation played on until the Religious Right, who basked in the glory of supply side economics, reduced it to a pulp.

The dot-com bubble burst and the Internet enabled millions of Americans to put their creative minds to work in a fledgling industry that would eventually reward college dropouts with disgusting amounts of wealth.

A few years later, the economy plunged into recession, the national debt soared and two major international conflicts soured foreign relations and America’s general perception throughout the world.

But a decade of negative growth can’t be all it takes to dismantle 200 years of prominence and relative superiority. You’re a proud nation, America, so why are you so afraid?

We’ve lived in abject fear since the Department of Homeland Security implemented that step-based system telling us just how threatened we should feel at any given moment. You know, the colorcoded scale where green meant tense up and refrain from taking pleasure in the mundane and red meant “cue the cyanide-assisted

faiz siddiqui death, die honorably.”

But a basic look at the facts proves that you, America, have little to fear in the immediate future. Even popular humor site Cracked.com knows your demise is anything but imminent. An Oct. 10 article, “6 B.S. Myths You Probably Believe About America’s Enemies” proves we’re far from seeing the day when the United States is anything short of the biggest superpower.

Let’s first assess defense threat no. 1: Iran, Bachmann and Santorum’s favorite punching bag.

It’s no secret Iran is an oppressive theocracy keen on seeing an end to Israel. But the idea that Iran poses a defense threat to the United States is about as ludicrous as the idea that “Parks and Recreation” star Aziz Ansari poses a defense threat to famed street fighter Kimbo Slice.

Iran’s $9 billion defense budget is laughable when compared to the United States’, which chimes in at an almost-sickening 76 times that, $685 billion.

That’s like if Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were to square off in a prizefight where 75 exact

clones of Tyson were waiting behind the original to see the opponent to his brutal end.

OK, so Iran’s out of the picture.

But the economic threat widely predicted to be the next global superpower, China, isn’t messing around.

Obviously, China owns a good percentage of America’s debt.

That’s why images of the future are quickly tainted by a perception that our communist friends from the East will eventually come banging on our doors. Picture that “where’s my money” scene from “Family Guy.” But realistically, China’s portion of the debt is dismissible, at least in the larger picture. Of the $14.3 trillion national debt, about 8 percent, or about $1.2 trillion, is owed to China. And if they were to come knocking, a world of economic hurt would await.

It turns out the United States is responsible for a sizeable portion, about 7 percent, of China’s GDP. The country depends on the United States to see that its massive pile of sweatshop-made goods is actually exported somewhere.

Sure, China will be an economic superpower in the near future, but that doesn’t mean the United States will spontaneously combust upon seeing it. In April, the International Monetary Fund predicted than China’s economy would surpass America’s (in terms of spending power) by 2016.

But a rapidly aging Chinese population will all but halt the country’s economic growth. According to a July USA Today article, the

single-child policy instituted in 1979 will cause the aging population to skyrocket, potentially spelling economic disaster.

And as far as education goes, yes, China is messing around. As the Cracked.com article states: “As for China’s educational superiority, it’s definitely true that China kicks America’s ass in educating its children, and they even produce more college graduates than America.

It’s just that their colleges suck.

One Chinese professor said that the average Chinese engineering graduate may not know more than a typical auto mechanic.”

Yes, America, they’re still mortal.

And you, America, you’re still competent. You still boast the world’s largest economy and will for years to come. You’re still the most powerful and destructive military force the world has ever seen. You’re innovative, hosting the likes of Google, Facebook, Apple, you name it.

But you’re also stubborn. You subscribe to a dangerous mantra of superiority in a volatile global economic climate where few emerge as victors.

We get it, America, you’re a nation of “if you’re not first, you’re last.”

Thing is, you’re still first.

Act like it.

Signed, An enlightened citizen formerly possessed by a visceral fear of America’s imminent downfall.

faiz siddiqui is a freshman newseditorial major. follow him on twitter at @faizsaysthis and reach him at faizsiddiqui@ dailynebraskan.com

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DAILY NEBRASKAN

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tudent ife

Remembering Gerald Shapiro Gerry 1950-2011

dailynebraskan.com

wednesday, october 19, 2011

“I think we find our humanity most profoundly in our moments of failure. We get to heaven not by what we achieve but by what we yearn for, I think. I hope my characters are interesting failures, because I think that’s the best that most of us can hope for.”

-Gerald Shapiro In the awful hours right after Gerry’s death, when I couldn’t concentrate on anything and was wondering how I was going to get through the night, much less the rest of my life, it occurred to me that the one thing I could do was reread Gerry’s stories, and they comforted me so much. It was like hearing his voice. Talk about the power of stories... Gerry loved stories, and he loved teaching. Throughout his teaching career, and that included this semester and even last week, he would always reread the stories and novels he was going to teach that week, even if he’d read them a dozen times before. He was always saying, “This is such a great story! I love this story!” I think his enthusiasm and passion made his students fall in love with literature, too. He was always so modest that I’m not sure he ever knew how great his own stories were. It’s the gift of my life to have been married to Gerry. Our friend and former colleague Marly Swick wrote me to say, “Without Gerry there is less humor, brilliance, and goodness in this world.” She’s right.

Judith Slater Author, UNL professor

Gerry’s classroom was both a place of magic and of commonsense in a way I had never before experienced, and haven’t since.

We read I.B. Singer, Calvino and other writers who might be considered fantasists or fabulists; but we also read realists — or minimalists as they were known then in the late 1980s — like Raymond Carver and Mona Simpson.

Gerry’s passion for the work swept us up, thrilled us. He was able to communicate to us how every aspect of the story worked — from its emotional cadences to its technical devices. But he didn’t dispel any mysteries; the stories were even richer and more compelling having been filtered through Gerry’s interpretation. Yet, at the same time, his analysis was precise and practical. I’m still invigorated by those classes.

Timothy Schaffert Author of “The Coffins of Little Hope,” UNL professor

for more anecdotes: see page 6

art by Bob Al-Greene Emily Danforth The last time I saw Gerry he was standing in our dining room in Lincoln and arguing with me, in a very good-natured sort of way, about whether or not he should take his ramekin with him.

He and Judy (Slater) were in the process of extracting themselves from our graduation party (mine and Kelly Grey Carlisle’s), and since I knew they’d be on the road to Oregon practically the next day, and my wife and I were selling our

“Brimming with keen insight into the psyches of hilarious, even lovable, losers, the wacky brilliance of these remarkable stories marks Shapiro as a writer to watch.”

-Publishers Weekly

house and moving east just as fast as we could, I didn’t want to end up having to ship the ramekin back to Lincoln from Providence. That seemed silly.

So I told him to go ahead and take it with them. The problem (as we both saw it), was that the ramekin in question still held quite a large quantity of this incredibly delicious cheese spread he’d whipped up before coming over. (“I just used whatever was in the cheese drawer,” he’d told me, when I’d asked for the

“Gerald Shapiro casts an incisive eye over his own contemporaries.”

-The New York Times

recipe. “There is no recipe – just put it all in a bowl with some Worcestershire and green onion.”)

I should probably mention that he’d made this cheese spread after spending two hours “hooding” me during the graduate commencement exercises, or, to be more accurate, after spending two seconds hooding me and one hour and 58 minutes telling me amusing commencement stories from all his years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to pass the

“Shapiro shows his readers the way home both emotionally and spiritually with his abiding compassion and tightly wound humor.”

-Booklist

time. And I should also mention that he’d been diagnosed with pneumonia not a week before graduation. And there he was, in my dining room, telling me to “Just keep the ramekin. This is not my grandmother’s porcelain, Emily. They’re $2 from Target. Keep it.” So I’d told him OK, and gave him a hug.

And then he left. And we ate the cheese dip. All of it.

Gerry was my dissertation

“This exception combination of hardheadedness and dreaminess marks Gerald Shapiro as an able writer with a great faculty for splendid craftsmanship.”

-Jewish Journal

danforth: see page 7 “You will be a prisoner of the musty brown recliner, the beanbag, the breakfast nook, the backyard swing – gone for hours with Shapiro and his tales, spinning.

Swerving. High velocity mayhem!”

-Lincoln Journal-Star

pagE 5

Noah Ballard Two days before professor Gerry Shapiro passed away, he composed an email that changed my life.

Since taking his capstone course for my English degree, I had communicated with Gerry asking for a letter of recommendation for graduate school. Presumably, I wanted to pursue an MFA in creative writing.

I thought of Gerry for some favorable comments he made on some of my class assignments, and I had also been especially amused with his collection of short stories, “Bad Jews,” as I am probably one of the Jews in question.

In class, Gerry had been soft-spoken, often wearing the same fleece vest and perpetually refilling his Lipton iced tea bottle he carried with him throughout the day at the water fountain by the door in Andrews Hall. One on one, he was warm and a real mensch when I’d needed his understanding and discretion. Yes, he was the perfect candidate for a quality letter of recommendation.

But perhaps that was all a pretense. As I analyze my actions now, it’s clear that I just liked being around him. For Gerry was not only a teacher — nodding along during class discussions, smiling widely when someone made a point he hadn’t considered — but a virtuoso of the craft. He was a writer, for any college-aged dilettante, of the most enviable sort.

Beard and all, Gerry was living the kind of life I wanted for my future: a tenured professor who penned the kind of stories I’d thought of writing — about our families, our personal shortcomings, our love — but was too afraid to hand in, for fear they’d come off as slight and unoriginal.

Somehow, Gerry managed to forget all that nonsense when he sat down to write.

And even with all this talent, Gerry never subscribed to the inaccessibility often associated with literary types.

More than writing, it was clear that teaching had become that unfinished masterpiece he’d spent years working on. During one quiet afternoon earlier this semester, I caught Gerry filling his bottle with water. I asked him how his classes were going, how the capstone was shaping up. As humble as ever, he said he’d learned a lot from our class, and he was sorry that I didn’t get to participate in this revision of his syllabus. I was shocked. That class had been a near-perfect blend of individual work, class discussion and selfdiscovery – appropriately, a capstone of the work I’d done in the department.

ballard: see page 6 “Ample comic gifts ... funny, accomplished ...

Shapiro’s own ear is so good, both for dialogue and for pungent exposition.”

-San Francisco Chronicle

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wednesday, october 19, 2011

Daily Nebraskan

ballard: from 5

anecdotes: from 5 Two traits make for a fascinating and invaluable friend: a person who can hold his own in a fight and a person who can cook meals that make you forget you ever argued.

Gerry was that man, a wonderful bundle of contradictions and complexities, who wrote with a wit that put Woody Allen to shame and made the rest of us weep and laugh all at once. I never had a bad meal, no, I never had a bad morsel of food if it came from his kitchen. And he made me a better person and a better cook, too. Gerry and I were often in competition, although I don’t think either of us understood that.

It was just in our natures. We even competed for one liners, jokes and I always conceded to him. He was truly funny.

And the food… just imagine anything your heart desires and Gerry could create the dish with no visible effort. I often thought of asking him if he was secretly running out to some underground caterer the rest of us didn’t know about. How could one person have such a range of culinary tastes? I tried to take him on for a couple of years when the faculty was holding informal teas with home cooked soups and sandwiches and cookies and so on. Gerry soon rose to the top, of course, preparing not one, not two, but three dishes, each beautiful, each with its own handprinted sign.

How fair was that? I didn’t even own a bundt cake form.

I tried to compete, I did, but my cakes rose and fell like the Rockies and somehow I never had all the ingredients Martha Stewart demanded for her appetizers. The only thing that could redeem those events was the excitement over getting to eat his concoctions, which were always good.

Very, very good.

Gerry, in fact, was always that good. No matter what, he made us all grow bigger and better than we might have been, students, faculty, staff and friends. And we will miss him terribly. Thank goodness he gave so much of himself to his writing, too, and we have only to read his stories to delight in his famous humor and wisdom on those days to come when we recognize just what has gone missing from the world.

Jonis Agee Author of “The River Wife,” UNL professor

Gerry Shapiro was passionate and committed to his work, to the English Department and creative writing program. Students would

often tell me how he took such careful time with their writing. He was genuinely invested in their progress.

He will be missed.

Amelia Maria de la Luz Montes, Ph.D, Author, UNL professor

Before I set off from Ohio State to begin my Ph.D at UNL, one of my teachers, Lee Martin — who also did his Ph.D here — told me I had to take a class with Gerry Shapiro. Being engrossed in poetry instead of fiction, I regret that I never did. Thankfully, I got to know Gerry in other ways. When I took up the roll of a department committee chair I went to Gerry for advice, and he sat me down in his office’s talking corner, in the comfy chair next to his comfy chair, and with uncanny honesty and graciousness gave me every little insight he had and put me at ease. I suppose that’s what everyone will say about Gerry — graciousness and ease. He had a calm humility about him that is exceedingly rare. My office door last year was literally one foot from his, in a corner of Andrews Hall, and it was hard not to overhear his conversations with students. Sometimes I’d pick up his advice though — it was precise, humble, funny, and encouraging. You could tell by the way students walked out down the hall that something good just happened.

Ben Vogt UNL Ph.D candidate

One of my fondest memories — and there are several — of Gerry Shapiro was the writing workshop that convened at his house. We all sat at his dining room table, homemade snacks were on the buffet, and his dogs Nick and Rags were always around.

It was such a welcoming atmosphere. But mostly, I remember the great conversations about stories, those that we wrote and those that were assigned. Gerry would get a look in his eyes and his passion for narratives couldn’t be contained when he pointed out a particular line or passage. His joy and enthusiasm for writing spilled out of him and touched all of us. I feel I’ve become a better writer after working with Gerry, but more importantly, I feel I’m a better person for simply having known such a generous and thoughtful man.

John Schulze UNL Ph.D

candidate Gerald Shapiro, or Gerry, as he insisted we call him, left no small impression on me during the weeks this semester in his Jewish American Fiction class. The class convenes only on Tuesday afternoons, so the amount of time I actually spent with Gerry is limited to fewer than ten instances, which only makes his impact on me, and certainly on the rest of the English 245J class, that much more evident of the man’s quick wit and broad knowledge.

Just recently, Gerry returned our first assignment, a portfolio of in-class writing, including a personal analysis of our performance in the class and on the paper. I earned an underwhelming “B-,” not a grade I should be receiving as an English major and certainly lower than my personal standards.

I had compiled what the assignment required — five page minimum — but barely, clocking in around four and a half pages. On his response to me Gerry followed an outline of positive remarks with the two word sentence: “I’m disappointed.”

To anyone that knew Gerry, hearing or reading those words coming from him and directed at you carries weight.

He went on to say what he’s seen in me and what he deserves to expect in my work, and that I had failed to live up to my own potential, which he saw so clearly and quickly.

In my personal opinion, it was work that would have likely earned “A” marks in many other classes. But, no, Gerry would not allow less than one’s best work to succeed.

He had a knack for immediately recognizing a student’s strengths and using these strengths to draw out the best in his students. For me, it came as a bit of a needed ass-kicking in my third year of undergrad studies.

What Gerry wrote to me, “You’re too smart a student to turn in anything that’s less than your best work,” is easily applicable advice to all of us, student or otherwise.

To Gerry, time and potential are terrible things to waste and it would be irresponsible to oneself and all others involved to even consider performing less than one can. I’m not about to argue that and I don’t think anyone else would either. Gerry stands as a constant reminder for diligent and unwasteful work, not just in writing, but in all venues of life. There isn’t anyone you’re cheating more than yourself otherwise, and Gerry would never want to see someone cheated.

Jacob Zlomke Dailyer Nebraskan editor-in-chief, junior English major

Gerry, the last time I spoke to you was Tuesday, Oct. 11., waiting after class in Andrews 144. What began as a question about graduate school and a request for recommendation letters became a 20-minute conversation about writing, goals, and all the expectations and realities of the academic field. You told me you’d support my writing as you

always had, but said it was good to have a partner in the sciences as well. We laughed at the sense of pragmatism and I agreed. I apologized for all my days of just-twominutes-late and sorry-I-wastoo-sleepy-in-class. In the two years I’ve known you as a professor, it was the sincerest talk we’d had. Then it was just, “Thank you so much; guess we’ll be in touch again next week,” and I walked out toward the union as you gathered up your papers.

Friday, from another state, I saw Noah Ballard’s Facebook post thanking a departed Gerry for all his guidance and support. I didn’t want to believe it was you, but I couldn’t imagine it referring to anyone else. Over the next few hours, I checked university pages and emails constantly for information, hoping I was jumping to conclusions. I Googled your name and found out so many things I never knew or thought to ask. I found Wikipedia pages and book reviews. I never knew you’d been involved in film. I read praise after praise, and it was striking – to see how many strangers you’d reached and connected with. I remember how true it rang when you’d tell your classes you first tried your hand at writing – because you’d been so affected by the stories you read, and you wanted to produce the same in others.

If that was your goal, you achieved it, and I saw the proof this weekend. Still, you deserved so much more recognition. You could, and would, have produced so much more.

Most of us, though, your undergraduates, never knew you as a writer. Most of us barely knew you as a person, although it hurts a little now to say that. You were simply our professor two or three days a week, and your engagement to adult discussion, your willingness to communicate without an air of talking-down, was unparalleled. You were skilled enough to recognize talent where it existed and patient and passionate enough to cultivate it where it was only just beginning.

I think about something you said last Tuesday that’s been in my mind since then: that your job, the full-time, tenured professor-writer, barely exists anymore. “Once I’m gone,” you said, “I’m not sure I’ll be replaced.”

If you actually were an academic dinosaur, then that’s a shame. I can’t imagine a world where English programs don’t have those as passionate and dedicated, as satisfied and successful, as you managed to be.

And at least part of what you said is true. It’s clear now that you will never be replaced.

I kept searching until Saturday afternoon to find the sparse few sentences I’d been looking for on the Journal Star’s website. I read them three times felt real chills.

When I think about it, I still can’t accept that you were just there Tuesday, sitting in your desk and laughing about the truth of starving artists, and this weekend you were gone.

You left all your students with so many lessons. We’ll be seeing the returns for years.

Gerry just smiled at my be bared to a soul caught amazement, wished me the in transition. He wrote that best and walked back to class everything happens at a to continue teaching. certain time, as it had for That was the great thing him. After graduating from about the moments I did the University of Kansas, get to spend with Gerry: He Gerry lived the quintessenunderstood that it was all a tial writer’s lifestyle: doing work in progress, that every- what he needed to in order thing was merely potential to pay the bills — including until words working as started appeara file clerk, Gerry understood ing on paper, a bookselland even then er and as the people he it was just a an ad man wrote about, draft. I emailed in Chicago and he had the him several and San days later, after F r a n c i s co compassion to let finally working — until he them get where up the courgleaned they had to go. age, asking for e n o u g h a recommencharacters dation. In my and plotmind, I didn’t lines and want a mere the kind of letter saying that I was a de- voice he’d dreamed of havcent student with an emerg- ing when he realized he was ing voice or whatever good a writer. letters are supposed to say.

After 11 years outside the I wanted a recommendation academic world, Gerry defor what I should do with my scribed his time at the Unilife, some answer to give my versity of Massachusettsmother when she called and Amherst as one of the best asked what I was planning experiences of his life. to do after my expected De“I was a house afire,” he cember graduation. He re- said of the time at which he sponded quickly, wanting to couldn’t stop writing. see my cover letter and my He also attributed his inrésumé so he could get an spiration to his wife, fellow idea of what I wanted to do. UMass writer and University “But Gerry,” I wanted to say, of Nebraska—Lincoln pro“I don’t have a clue.” fessor Judy Slater.

He didn’t need anything “Together,” Gerry said, so blunt. “we were the best students Gerry was well-attuned to in the program.” young writers and how they Two days before my can often peacock their way friend passed away, I hadn’t into a collection of words stopped to think that maybe that appeared, to the un- I wasn’t ready quite yet. Pertrained eye, to be good writ- haps there were things I had ing. And as I hurried to fin- to learn to appreciate, stoish my cover letter to get the ries I had to mess up, heartball rolling on pending ap- aches I had to feel and explications, I phoned in the periences I had to have first. sentiment, choosing maud- Though I still have no idea lin truisms instead of actu- where I’ll end up after leavally giving a reason I wanted ing this place, Gerry Shapiro to continue my education. made the challenge seem a I was pleasantly surprised bit less terrifying. upon reading his response: Gerry understood the peo“I have to tell you that I ple he wrote about, and he don’t think your statement had the compassion to let of purpose is very good.” I them get where they inevichuckled then as I chuckle tably had to go. This is what now, recalling the moment, made him a great writer. But like many in my young adult this compassion transcended life, as one where maybe I’m the words on the page into more “young” than “adult.” his life, and that made Gerry This was a moment to listen, Shapiro a marvelous teacher, to be a student. mentor and friend.

Noah Ballard is a senior Two days before my menEnglish major. Reach him tor passed away, he bared at noahballard@ his soul when it needed to dailynebraskan.com.

online:

Ian Sacks Daily Nebraskan editor-in-chief, senior English major

courtesy photo of machete archive

Lincoln called, did you answer?

The Daily Nebraskan had the opportunity to check out a ton of great concerts this past weekend. Read what we thought, and share your own stories online.

Someone you know thinks she might feel a lump.

3705 South Street | Lincoln, NE 68506 www.ppheartland.org | 1.877.811.7526

Daily Nebraskan

wednesday, october 19, 2011

7

danforth: from 5 co-chair, he read early selec-

only with a napkin of small, free snacks on the top of my desk, next to whomever’s manuscript we were discussing. I was mistaken.

More than once, maybe even on the very first class, Gerry told us that bringing food was the “Jewish mother” coming out in him.

“You need to eat, I’ll feed you,” he’d said. And we had laughed (which we did a lot in that workshop) and were glad to be there, to be with him for three hours each week.

I have other food/Gerry memories too, like the many parties and receptions he and Judy would host – both of them always so willing to open their home, put out a spread, have folks over. Even the invitations to those parties were a joy to get in your inbox. They’d mention “Adequate Pizza; Tolerable Wine” or “Good Food; Drinkable Wine.” And last year, despite his hectic schedule, the students, committees and obligations that demanded his attention, Gerry found time to treat me, with regularity, to a “falafel-lunch.” We tried soup and sandwiches once, but had eventually, happily, settled on falafel.

We ate it all over town.

tions from my then novel-inprogress and his advice (and support) were crucial to both my finishing and eventually selling that book. It’s not overstating it to say that his warmth and humor during my campus visit were among the reasons I decided to come to UNL to get my doctorate.

I remember wanting to work with this writer, this man, and I’m so privileged that for five years I got the chance to do so. But even though Gerry was instrumental in almost every aspect of my UNL experience (and it was a fantastic experience), I think that it’s particularly fitting — it’s telling — that the last time I saw him we were talking about food, and he was being generous, funny and direct.

This is exactly how I’d known him for the past five years. During the fall semester of 2006, he’d bring a feast of snacks to his threehour graduate fiction/nonfiction workshop — bunches of green grapes, pretzels, Oreo cookies. His was my first workshop at UNL, and Gerry’s snacks set a dangerous precedent for me: I assumed this was just the way things went in Lincoln. I assumed that I would, for the next five years, workshop

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em, I have to tell you, Merriment and Mirth are not hookers, they are two honest girls who went wrong, and I think it’s a testament to my basic decency that I’ve taken them in and have worked them, year after year, to get their lives back on track. I know you’re probably referencing the weekend at the casino over in Council Bluffs, but let me tell you, as far as I know nothing unseemly went on, just a few Mai Tais and a platter of hot wings, and a few dollars spent playing the slots. And yes, you’re correct, we’ve been planning on a sushi appetizer. This might be sounding like a monochromatic lunch, but that’s the way Judy and I like to roll, and no, that’s not a sushi pun, because I hate puns and have been known to walk out a very good sushi restaurant at the mere suggestion of a pun. See you tomorrow!!

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Hi Gerry, Okay, but you haven’t made clear what the appetizer will be tomorrow?

I’m feeling certain about the soup course, the main course, and dessert — but what to start with? Am I correct in guessing sushi?

Please bring nothing to our party but you. We will have lots (too much, if my mother and Kelly’s mom-in-law have anything to do with it) of food and drink. Okay, okay: you can bring merriment and mirth, if you must.

(And don’t you dare write back and tell me that those are the names of two hookers you know... Well, I guess, you know: even if they are, go ahead and bring them.) em

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Hi em, Lunch tomorrow, noon, Kinja – sushi, followed by sushi, and then for dessert, sushi. We’re bringing wine next Friday to your party unless you tell us not to. I know Kelly can’t drink wine these days. Do you want us to bring something else instead? See you tomorrow! Kinja! You’ll recognize us, because we’ll be the ones sitting at the sushi bar wearing our judo outfits.

G

Emily Danforth is an assistant professor of creative writing at Rhode Island College and is also the author of the forthcoming novel “The Miseducation of cameron post.” Reach her at arts@ dailynebraskan.com.

IMPROVE YOUR PAPERS! Proofreading, editing, writing help. Individual attention, hourly rate. Email EDITOR.on.Hand@gmail.com

Adoption

Chatter: The following is an email correspondence between Gerry Shapiro and Emily Danforth she felt exemplified Shapiro’s wit and voice.

We’d eat falafel and I’d complain about the academic job market. We’d eat falafel and he’d tell me about his days in the advertising business – those stories always funny, but always a little bit sad, too.

We’d eat falafel. That’s what we did. And he never let me pay, not once.

(Even though he promised that he would.)

And then, in the spring, graduation approaching, he suggested that we get sushi, do it up fancy. We emailed back and forth about it several times. We were both excited, I think. Here’s part of one of those e-mail exchanges. For me, it’s quintessential Gerry Shapiro.

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wednesday, october 19, 2011

Daily Nebraskan

rifle

»men’s » tennis

NU wins OU invite doubles title Nedu Izu Daily Nebraskan

This past weekend the sports world found itself four champions.

Last Saturday, the Texas Rangers won the American League pennant, while on Sunday the St. Louis Cardinals took home the National League title to advance to the World Series.

But the two professional teams weren’t alone in taking home trophies this past weekend. The Nebraska men’s tennis team took home a doubles championship in the OU Invitational.

Seniors Benedikt Lindheim and Christopher Aumueller began the third day of the weekend tournament with a win against Oklahoma State University’s Vlad Bondarenko and Rifat Biktyakov, 8-3. The victory advanced them into finals, where the two continued their winning ways defeating Arkansas’ Nikolas Zogaj and Manfred Jeske, 8-3, securing the crown.

“We felt they had a good chance to win it,” NU coach Kerry McDermott said.

“Aumueller and Lindheim were both frustrated with their single losses, but both came back strong and won their doubles match. It was great to see as a coach.”

On Friday, Nebraska went 2-3 on the day in its single matches and 0-1 in doubles. The Huskers’ first win came from Lindheim who had a first round bye and defeated Oklahoma’s Lawrence Formentera, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, in the second round.

The Husker’s second win came from Eric Sock. The junior began the tournament with a first round loss to OSU’s E r i c We s t , 6 - 2 , 5-7, 6-1.

H o w e v e r , Sock rebounded in his second match sock when he defeated the Sooners’ Ryan Proctor, 6-1, 6-0.

The Lincoln native said it

felt good to win his second match.

“After losing the first one you like to come back strong,” Sock said. “You take what you learned from the first loss and upgrade it in your second match.”

McDermott said he’s seen a big improvement in the junior’s play this season.

“He’s competing much better now than he did last year,” he said. “Last year I feel like he played scared against his competition and wasn’t hitting through the ball. Now, he looks confident in his game and isn’t going to back down or play short of his opponent.

We’re seeing that jump from him and we think he’ll make a good run to jump up spots as the season progresses.”

In day two of play, Nebraska went 3-3 overall including singles wins by sophomore Tom Blackwell against Texas Tech’s Tristan Jackson, 6-4, 6-4 and Lindheim, who defeated OSU’s Bondarenko, 6-1, 6-3.

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ended the tournament on a strong note with a doubles victory from Sock and Blackwell. The pair won the consolation bracket when the combo defeated OU’s Proctor and John Warden, 8-5.

Sock said the team did good overall this weekend, but thinks they could’ve played better.

“I think we got some valuable experience and worked on a lot of things,” he said. “It was a good tournament and now we know we can do better.”

The Huskers ended the day on a positive note with Aumueller and Lindheim winning the doubles championship.

“I was really happy for them,” Sock said. “For them to go down there and win it all was incredible to see. I don’t think they had too much trouble and they play together well as a team. They went down there, took care of business and earned a nice title. It was good for them and the team.” neduIzu@ dailynebraskan.com

IOWA: from 10 Sept. 2 loss at Colorado State. The Huskers moved up to fourth in the AVCA coaches’ poll — its highest rank of the season — and the inaugural RPI index had coach John Cook’s squad at No. 2.

Junior outside hitter Hannah Werth had 32 total kills on the weekend. For her performance, the Big Ten named Werth its Player of the Week, the first time a Husker has solely won the award. Werth, who was struggling offensively much of the season, notched two doubledoubles with a .385 hitting percentage during the weekend.

“Personally I’m just doing whatever I can to better my team,” Werth said.

“If I can save the ball to get a point for my team, it’s all I can do. I’m gonna work my butt off.” seanWhalen@ dailyNebraskan.com

Huskers improve scores, but lose two matches zach tegler daily Nebraskan

It wasn’t quite the best of times and the worst of times, but the famous novel opener comes close to describing the varying results of the Nebraska rifle team’s young season.

And those finishes came during the course of one weekend.

Through two events in its 2011-2012 campaign, the Nebraska rifle squad can be more accurately described as a tale of two teams.

The Huskers, who entered the rifle season tabbed as the No. 12 team in the nation, opened their schedule on Friday with a match against No. 9 Air Force at the Nebraska Rifle Range.

Nebraska fell to the Falcons by a score of 4,602-4,570.

“Our first match was definitely not our best,” NU senior Katelyn Woltersdorf said.

She said nerves played a part in holding back the team’s performance.

In the smallb o r e portion of the match, Nebraska was paced by a Woltersdorf score of 573 from sophomore Sunny Russell.

While the Huskers bested Air Force 2,280-2,264 in the smallbore side of the competition, they would fall 48 points short of the Falcons’ 2,338 in air rifle shooting.

NU’s high score toward the team total in that part of the event was junior Janine Dutton’s 579.

“We are definitely capable of shooting higher scores than that,” NU coach Morgan Hicks said.

Low tallies in air rifle also plagued Nebraska in its second meet of the season, a 4,667-4,610 loss to No. 3 West Virginia on Sunday.

While three Huskers — Dutton, senior Sheena Mahloch and freshman Kelsey Hansen — scored

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more than 580 in the air rifle portion of the West Virginia match, the scores did not measure up to the Mountaineers’.

The big picture between the two meets, though, was that NU improved by 40 points.

“We came in Sunday with a better attitude,” Hicks said. “It was definitely an improvement.”

Woltersdorf, in her second year on the team, also pointed out that facing a West Virginia program that has won 14 national titles may have had an effect on the better scores.

“We tend to shoot some of our best scores when we shoot against them,” she said.

Although the rifle team has begun its season with two losses, Hicks said wins and losses are not as important. Since the NCAA disregards team records and instead bases qualification for the NCAA Rifle Championships on scores, NU is still in good shape.

“It was a good start,” Hicks said. “We’re going to grow from here.”

She also said that in order to get that far, Nebraska will have to improve its air rifle scores.

But in smallbore, Woltersdorf said the team’s lineup is strong.

“For us to be able to excel in that is definitely a good thing,” she said.

Woltersdorf added that this year’s group is very good at communicating and offering help to each other – something unique for such an individual sport.

“It’s absolutely wonderful,” she said of the team’s support.

The end goal for the NU rifle team is to place at the NCAAs, but first they will have to qualify.

Woltersdorf said if the group can get better at not overthinking its performance, it will go a long way toward achieving that target.

“I think it’s very doable this year,” Hicks said.

™

Online at dailynebraskan.com

Daily Nebraskan

wednesday, october 19, 2011

9

Huskers halt five-game skid andrew Ward daily Nebraskan

file photo by matt masin | daily nebraskan

Freshman Shelby Martinek recorded an 18th-place finish over the weekend at the Hoosier Invitational.

Sheils, Martinek propel team to fourth place finish Phil Scherer daily Nebraskan

The Nebraska women’s golf team’s second trip to Indiana went a lot better than the first.

“Everyone did some great things,” coach Robin Krapfl said. “It was great to see.”

The Huskers finished fourth out of the 13 teams competing at the Hoosier Invitational with a total score of 924. Unfortunately, their score could have been five strokes better if it wasn’t for senior Kayla Knopik’s disqualification after signing an incorrect scorecard. The mistake cost the Huskers five strokes and eliminated Knopik from the competition altogether. Knopik would have been in line for a top-25 finish had she not been disqualified.

Fortunately for the Huskers, though, senior Madeleine Sheils and freshman Shelby Martinek had great performances throughout the entire invite. Sheils improved in every round of the invite, capping off the invite with a final round score of 72. Sheils finished tied for fourth which gives her two top-five finishes on the year. Sheils has also finished in the top 20 of all four invites in which the Huskers have competed.

“It was great to see Maddie finish strong,” Krapfl said. “She did a lot of great things.”

Sheils performance wasn’t very surprising, as she’s competed well in every meet so far. The real surprise was the play of Martinek. Martinek’s top20 finish was the first of her young career. The Arizona native finished with a total score of 230 and a tie for 18th. Her tournament even included a career-best score of 71 in Monday’s second round. It was only Martinek’s second career appearance in the Husker lineup and she took full advantage of it.

“She’s made big strides from where she was at the beginning of the season,” Krapfl said.

Martinek felt that her great play had a lot to do with her mindset.

“I just felt a lot more comfortable and confident,” Martinek said. “It’s definitely been my best performance of my college career.”

Along with Knopik, Sheils and Martinek, Nebraska brought sophomores Katelyn Wright and sophomore Steffi Neisen to compete for the team and senior Katie Keiser to compete individually.

Neisen finished third for the team, shooting a total score of 234 and a tie

for 26th. Wright ended the tournament in a tie for 55th with a total score of 245. Out of the individuals competing, Keiser had the eighth-best score with a 243 total score.

Although it was a successful invite for the most part, Krapfl is still waiting for her team to show some regularity on the course.

“We still need to work on our consistency,” Krapfl said. “And we just need better play overall from the girls.”

With that said, though, Krapfl was still proud of the way her team performed.

“The way they just battled out there was great,” Krapfl said. “On Tuesday, it rained and they just came out strong and made a lot of good shots and stayed focused. They showed a lot of improvement.”

With just one meet remaining, Nebraska will get a couple weeks off before heading to San Antonio, Texas for the Alamo Invitational.

Martinek thinks that a break is exactly what the team needs.

“I’m very excited for the break,” Martinek said.

“We’ve all been very tired because of all the traveling and schoolwork were doing.”

Martinek also feels that if she can improve her putting in the next couple of weeks, she’ll be able to reach her goal for the end of the season.

“I would really like to see myself finish in the top 25 again,” Martinek said. “I just really need to putt better.”

Krapfl feels that the whole team, not just Martinek, can reach its goals by doing just a few things in the next few weeks.

“We just need to build off of what we’ve done and finish strong,” Krapfl said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to put it all together and really finish the fall off on a good note.” philscherer@ dailynebraskan.com

Nebraska goalkeeper Emma Stevens was up to the challenge.

After allowing five goals in a loss to No. 15 Penn State Friday night, the sophomore stood her ground against an aggressive Ohio State attack on Sunday afternoon.

The Buckeyes took 26 shots, including 14 on goal, to set a season-high for shots by an NU opponent. Only two of those shots made it past Stevens, as she stopped a career-high 11 shots to help the Huskers snap a five-game losing streak.

Having a good game was nice for Stevens, but the win against Ohio State was the most important part of the weekend, according to the goalkeeper.

“It was another win for us,” Stevens said. “We go out there every game and look to win each competitive match and each physical battle, and we did that against Ohio State.”

The win also increased the Huskers’ chances to make it into the eight-team Big Ten Tournament field. The top eight teams make the tournament, with the host team receiving an automatic bid. This year’s host team, Northwestern, is currently 12th in the Big Ten standings, meaning if it finishes at that position, only the top seven teams will make the tournament.

Nebraska sits at 10th in the standings, but the win on Sunday keeps the Huskers’ hopes alive, according to freshman Caroline Gray.

“The win was huge because we did not only end our losing streak, but we kept our postseason hopes alive,” Gray said.

“That game was a deal breaker

file photo by nickolai hammer | daily nebraskan

Nebraska goal keeper Emma Stevens, center, made a career-high 11 total stops against Ohio State on Sunday to lead the struggling Huskers to a 3-2 victory. for us, but we won and the teams we needed to lose did.”

The Huskers will now focus on winning the remainder of their games in order to make Big Ten Tournament field.

“After beating teams like Virginia Tech and playing great against North Carolina, we know we can compete with top-level performers,” Stevens said. “We need to win out the rest of the conference in order to have a shot at the Big Ten and NCAA tournament.”

Stevens was not the only bright spot of the weekend for Nebraska. The Huskers scored a total of seven goals on the weekend in a 5-4 loss to Penn State and a 3-2 win against Ohio State. NU had six goals in its previous four games.

Five different Husker

players scored during the weekend including a pair of first-time goal scorers in freshmen Mayme Conroy and Caroline Gray. Both scored in the Penn State game on Friday night.

“It was the best feeling I have had all year,” Gray said.

“Knowing that I am contributing in a positive way like that is just an awesome feeling.”

Sophomore Maddie Hanssler produced her best match against the Nittany Lions when she added a goal and an assist for a career high with three points.

A pair of droughts also ended this weekend, the first of which when junior Jordan Jackson put the ball in the back of the net for the first time since conference play began. It had been seven games since Jackson had scored,

dating back to Sept. 9 when she had two goals against Virginia Tech. Jackson now has seven goals on the year.

The second drought ended against the Buckeyes when junior Morgan Marlborough had a multi-goal game for the first time since her hat trick against Purdue on Sept. 23. Marlborough is now at 18 goals on the season, which ties for second nationally, three behind Penn State’s Maya Hayes (21).

The offensive explosion was a result of better focus in practice, according to Gray.

“We definitely upped our intensity in the box,” Gray said.“That was our focus in practice this week, and we realized the importance of scoring this weekend in order to make the tournament.”

be missed, but besides that, he’s still going to be around just as much, so it won’t really that big of a difference to us, I guess, as far as leadership is concerned.”

Crick was at practice Tuesday with his arm in a sling.

Just his being there served as a reminder that a struggling defense now has to improve without one of its best players.

But the players and coaches aren’t worried. They haven’t had any kind of sit-down

meeting to discuss the loss.

While Crick’s unavailability hurts, the unit must move on without him, and Rome is confident it can do that.

“There hasn’t been a big rah-rah speech,” Rome said.

“We’ve taken a hard work kind of approach, a hard hat, bring-your-lunch-pail approach, which I think is what we do when we’re faced with adversity and it’s worked out for us.”

andreward@ dailynebraskan.com

crick: from 10 fixed. As the season goes on you get better and better and you learn to play as a group.”

Rome has seen his playing time rise the last couple of weeks and he garnered a large portion of the snaps after Crick left the Ohio State game. He even recorded the team’s only sack. The redshirt freshman said his view of everything has changed with more playing time. He can now understand the defense as a whole instead of focusing solely on his own assignment.

“I think Chase has really gotten better,” Pelini said.

“He’s come a long way, his knowledge and understanding of what we’re asking him to do.”

Although he might not be in pads, Crick will be far from invisible. Pelini confirmed Monday that the senior will still be allowed to travel with the team. He said Crick will still be around to help coach younger players.

But while it’s great to have his presence on the sidelines, the Huskers still have to get used to not seeing No. 94 in the huddle.

“You can feel it in practice already,” Rome said. “It’s like a missing piece to a machine. He’s a good leader.

He’s not always the most vocal guy, but he knows

exactly what’s going on and what we need to do. When things need to be said, he says them.”

Some of that leadership role will be passed off to fellow senior Lavonte David and Austin Cassidy. Cassidy said Monday that while Crick is a good presence, his leadership isn’t irreplaceable.

“He’s around practice every day, he goes to meetings and does the normal stuff,” Cassidy said. “He’s just not out on the field. That’s going to

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Sports DAILY NEBRASKAN

page 10

dailynebraskan.com

wednesday, october 19, 2011

OPPORTUNITY

KNOCKS D e f e n s i v e ta c k l e s r e a d y t o f i l l hole after Crick’s NU Career ends FILE PHOTO BY KYLE BRUGGEMAN | story by dan hoppen

file photo by kaylee everly | daily nebraskan

Rex Burkhead and Nebraska used the bye week to recover and prepare for the decisive second half of the season.

Legends title still out there for Huskers It’s the perfect time to really get recovered and clear up any bumps or aches that you’ve had so far.”

Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick, left, is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Redshirt freshman Chase Rome, right, along with senior Terrance Moore and sophomore Thaddeus Randle are prepared to fill the void.

C

hase Rome has been waiting for an opportunity to get more playing time. He just didn’t want it to come this way.

Last Wednesday the Huskers announced that Jared Crick would miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. And while the injury means Rome and fellow backups Terrence Moore and Thad Randle will all see the field more, the trio is far from excited with how the opportunity arose.

“I was devastated, really,” Rome said. “He’s a close friend of mine and he’s

obviously an impact player for us. To hear he was out for the season was a blow to the whole defensive line.”

Crick underwent surgery Monday morning. Coach Bo Pelini said the surgery went without a hiccup and Crick should be fine in the long term.

But in the short term, Crick’s absence leaves a major gap in the middle of a leaky NU defense. The senior was named a preseason All-American by several publications.

Now his duties fall to Rome, Moore and Randle, along with starter Baker Steinkuhler, to shore up a run

BIG HOLE TO FILL Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick was ruled out for the rest of the season last week due to a torn pectoral muscle suffered against Ohio State. NU coach Bo Pelini said Crick had a successful surgery Monday morning and the senior will still be able to travel with the team. Here is a look at his career numbers at Nebraska.

GAMES 42

TOTAL TACKLES 167

SACKS-YARDS 20.0-145

TFL-YARDS 35-162 SOURCE: HUSKERS.COM

defense that struggled even when Crick was in uniform.

The Huskers are eighth in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed and have given up 4.5 yards per carry so far.

“That stings to hear, but at the same time, we’re 5-1,” Rome said. “I look at the details on film and it’s a lot of technique things. It’s not

things we can’t do. We’re going to mature as a group and I think especially with a blow like this, everybody is going to step their game up. The attention to detail will get better and it will get

crick: see page 9

NU not overlooking Hawkeyes Sean Whalen daily Nebraskan

The Nebraska volleyball team was getting its butt kicked.

With home court advantage and momentum, the 14th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers took the first two sets against the Huskers, and, heading into intermission, the prospects for an 8-0 start to conference play seemed low.

Then everything changed.

In the final three sets, Nebraska had 13 of its 17 team blocks. The back row was comfortable enough to relax.

“We literally had a block party,” Lauren Cook said.

“Like ball after ball after ball after ball was blocked. And it was so fun because you didn’t have to play defense, me and Hannah (Werth) were back there eating chips and salsa and having a conversation because we were just blocking everything.”

NU turned the tables after intermission, winning the next two sets by a combined 50-22 margin, and closing out MU 15-11 in the fifth set for an improbable comeback victory.

The win kept Nebraska undefeated in conference play — the Huskers also swept Wisconsin on Friday — and tied with Illinois atop the conference after four

file photo by anna reed | daily nebraskan

Nebraska and setter Lauren Cook, right, improved to 5-1 in fifth sets this season with a impressive comeback against Minnesota this weekend. weekends of play, setting the stage for an epic match between the two Saturday.

The win also heightened Nebraska’s image as a clutch squad: NU has now won five of the six fifth sets it has played in.

“We certainly are battletested,” NU coach John Cook said. “I can’t remember ever being in that many five-game matches.”

Now Nebraska looks to

Iowa, and sooner than usual in this case: the Huskers will host the Hawkeyes at the NU Coliseum tonight.

After an eight-game slog against the toughest the Big Ten conference has to offer, the fourth-ranked Nebraska Huskers may finally have a chance to relax.

But they aren’t treating it that way.

“We can’t look past Iowa, which everyone is going to,”

Cook said. “I look at last week, Northwestern is in the fifth game against Penn State, and they have the same record as Iowa.”

The two polls released in wake of NU’s sweep of Wisconsin and thrilling five-set win against Minnesota marked the progress the team has shown since a

iowa: see page 8

Jeff PAcker On a rare fall Saturday with no Nebraska football game, it seems like the Huskers did exactly what any football fan in Nebraska did last Saturday: watched another game on TV. “It’s just that midseason timeout,” NU running back Rex Burkhead said. “Your body takes a pounding so much throughout the year.

It’s the perfect time to really get recovered and clear up any bumps or aches that you’ve had so far. And really to just get recovered fully for the second half of the season.”

The team joined the rest of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s student body with a much needed fall break and, in its case, a halfway point in a different kind of season.

This year hasn’t been garden variety for a Nebraska squad. The attention has been intense as people swoon about the program that sparked conference realignment. These Huskers leapt into the deep end of the historic pool that is the Big Ten. Add that hype to the buzz around any preseason top-10 team and you’ve got a distracting and time-demanding creation.

The Huskers fought their way through the first six games. Some of the games were more of a fight than promised and one of them was way more than anyone bargained for. In every facet of the game, they’ve shined and been outshined by opponents.

It hasn’t been glorious or the stuff of legends as fans of the Big Ten division names might say. They’re here, though.

“We’re 5-1, obviously we’d like to be 6-0 and we’ll see how it plays out,” NU coach Bo Pelini said. “If we just keep working and stay the course of where we are, we’ll be fine.”

The Huskers stayed the course after five poor quarters against Wisconsin and Ohio State. Backs against a glaring wall and to their credit, the players came out swinging.

REx Burkhead nebraska running back

Lots of people were muttering about the failure of a 0-2 start to Big Ten play.

After winning in the 15th round against the Buckeyes, they’ve been rewarded with time, the healer of wounds, and the ingredient needed before an onslaught of teams that have a target on the new guy.

Heading into the season, the Legends division looked to be the more favorable of the two, in terms of getting to the league title game. That’s holding true so far. The head-scratching problem that is Michigan’s Dennard Robinson looks as though he can be solved by the right defensive scheme.

Kirk Cousins isn’t the same guy that led Michigan State to a 10-3 record last season.

Iowa is sporadic at best and Northwestern is struggling to find its rhythm.

The Huskers’ remaining dip into the Leaders division resides in Happy Valley with a currently 6-1 Penn State team whose best win was a 13-3 victory against Iowa.

In other words, a 10-2 or 9-3 record is still for the taking. The latter isn’t outlandish and is probably good enough, for this division, to make the title game in Indianapolis.

As Pelini always stresses, taking care of one’s self is critical at a time like this.

Waiting is a gaggle of teams that can beat themselves as easily as beat anyone else and moving past them means shoring up in-house mistakes.

The offense will need to feed off its second half momentum in its Big Ten home opener. The defense will need to just get better.

Standing at the halfway point and with a tall order of consistency all around, this team can make some noise from its little corner of college football. We’ll see how much noise there really is.

jeff packer is a senior Broadcasting Major.

Reach him at Jeffpacker@ dailynebraskan.com.