Daily Nebraskan

welsch PAGE 3

radigan PAGE 5

The end draws nigh

football PAGE 10

5 reasons to tap that

north, south korea teetering toward war

Turning a profit

columnist looks back on writing about sex

nu can’t track students making money off scalping

DAILY NEBRASKAN.

volume 110, issue 73

wednesday, decemberer 8,2010

dailynebraskan.com

today on the web

DEAD WEEK FALL 2010

Working their way up Freshmen Sidney Madlock and Connor Gibson move from high school stars to bottom of the food chain on Husker track and field team. read this story at dailynebraskan.com

today in print

Coming back from a tough loss Husker women’s basketball team looks to bounce back from sloppy performance.

page 10

Misfit toys Red Theater presents collection of 30 short holidaythemed pieces.

page 7

Discrimination trial ends Former NU employee awarded $280,000 after suing the university’s Board of Regents.

page 2

Decking the (dorm) halls Students get into the season by going all out with decorations.

page 7

our view

Just as students feel the pressures and stress of dead week and finals, professors feel the weight, too. story by kaitlin ek. art by spenser albertsen.

M

any students at the University of NebraskaLincoln are familiar with the hectic pace of finals week and the ineptly-nicknamed “dead week” that precedes it.

For students, it’s a time to cram for exams and finish final projects and papers. For professors, though, it’s a slightly different story.

Robert Stock, a professor of English, said his dead week and finals week schedule depends on the structure of the class he’s teaching. He said he usually asks for the last major paper of the semester to come in one to two weeks before dead week so he can hand back the assignment during dead week.

“For me, dead week is comparatively easy,” he said.

He still assigns homework for dead week, but said it usually involves lighter reading and some review.

However, he said finals week and the week following are often busier.

Stock said while he doesn’t commit himself to the same format for every class, he often assigns a takehome exam to be completed by the time of the class final time assigned by the university finals schedule.

Stock said that in past years, professors have been asked to file grades a certain number of days after the time of the final. Now, he said, the system has changed slightly because grades are filed in Blackboard. However, his grading load is still large for the days following finals.

“In my years of experience teaching, I’ve learned to pace myself,” he said. He usually grades for a few hours, and then has lunch or takes a break.

“I think for most professors, it’s a pretty busy

On Tuesday, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Faculty Senate voted to approve a resolution asking the NU Board of Regents to create a “plus” category of health care benefits Students caught that will encompass in the act will get domestic free ice cream partnerships and Weston Poor children currently DAILY nebraskan excluded from the Opening a door for a stranger, university system’s picking up litter off the campus or popping a quarter in employee benefits. sidewalks a soon-to-expire parking meter: Each of these good deeds could This action earn University of Nebraska-Linwas a positive, coln students free ice cream.

That’s right, ice cream. progressive and A new program introduced by Juan Franco, vice chancellor of welcome step.”

time,” he said.

Dead week is certainly busy for Kenneth Bloom, an associate professor of physics and astronomy. He had time for just a brief statement before he rushed to teach class.

“It’s a busy week of course,” he said. “The end of the semester always is.”

He said the time isn’t just busy because of teaching, but also because of the other things happening at the university at this time.

Calvin Garbin, a professor of psychology, said dead week and finals week are busy for him, but that he spreads his workload out.

He said he spends a lot of time preparing his exams, grading assignments and visiting with students.

“Sometimes it’s the first time you get to see people,” he said, referring to the large number of students who come to get help at the end of the semester.

Garbin said he thinks it’s helpful to be able to talk to students during dead and finals weeks because he’s able to give them guidance, and because it gives him information on the classes he teaches.

Garbin said he has a system in his courses in which students take the final exam early and have the option of retaking them later, so finals start early and end late for Garbin. This, he said, allows him to spread out his grading, so he doesn’t have to do it all at

the end of finals week.

“A lot like the student experience, the professorial experience depends on how well you plan ahead,” Garbin said.

KAITLINEK@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

Operation Red aims to Some think award good deeds old tests put

dn editorial board endorses proposal for plus one benefits. page 3

student affairs, aims to promote random acts of kindness by rewarding students with tokens for free Dairy Store ice cream.

Franco announced his initiative, which he dubbed “Operation Red,” during last Wednesday’s meeting of the Association

greek life

greeks above Kaitlin Ek DAILY NEBRASKAN

photo illustration by chris dorwart | daily nebraskan

of Students of the University of Nebraska.

When someone does something bad, people tend to notice, he said. However, if someone does something positive, people don’t really see it. The campaign is all about integrity, doing good deeds and showing care for others.

“It is about catching Huskers doing good and recognizing their actions,” Franco said.

The operation was created by a group in the advertising and public relations campaigns class

operation red: see page 4

Concerns are expressed that it’s an unfair advantage, but that’s not true.”

As finals approach, students are scrambling to prepare for exams by going over notes, doing practice problems and reading their textbooks. For students in fraternities and sororities, there is one additional resource: old Linda tests. schwartzkopf Several houses on campus director of greek affairs keep files of old tests, according to Linda Schwartzkopf, face,” said Jack Wagoner, a judirector of Greek Affairs at nior anthropology major.

Wagoner said he has seen the University of Nebraskamembers of greek houses using Lincoln.

Some students see this as an unfair advantage.

“It’s kind of a slap in the

test banks: see page 2

2

DAILY NEBRASKAN.

wednesday, december 8, 2010

Finding familiarity abroad Faculty Senate

David Trinh comes from Vietnam, but finds familiar people, culture in Lincoln and at UNL

passes Plus One benefits proposal

INTERNATIONAL

Chris Manzano Daily nebraskan

Adjusting to the local climate in Lincoln poses its challenges for out-of-state students. However, for David Trinh, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln senior engineering major from Vietnam, coming halfway across the world seemed like a weekend drive to Omaha.

With the diversity found in Lincoln, including a growing Vietnamese community, international students may find comfort in the local culture. Trinh sat down with the Daily Nebraskan to chat about his experiences at UNL and the differences between the culture in Vietnam and life in the United States.

DN: Have you ever experienced culture shock?

DT: A little bit. It wasn’t that much of a culture shock as I expected, but yes. When I first came everything was just different from the traffic to the culture and the people. I was kind of a little shocked that I wasn’t having that much of a culture shock.

DN: As an international student, what was the biggest challenge you faced in coming to the U.S.?

DT: I guess the biggest things would be language … you have to get used to the language to be able to keep up in school and make friends and everything. It’s just that if you actually want to be close to especially American friends you have to talk the way they talk and understand, like,

Hailey Konnath slangs and everything.

DN: How do you keep in touch with your family?

DT: Through the Internet, I usually Skype with them or just talk with them through (MSN) Messenger. I don’t really e-mail them that much now that we talk daily, or once every two or three days.

DN: Are you involved on campus?

DT: A little bit. I’m in a couple of organizations in the engineering department, and I’m in the taekwondo club in the recreation center.

DN: Were you surprised to find out about Lincoln’s local Vietnamese community?

DT: A little bit. I wasn’t expecting that many people in here that are from Vietnam, especially in Nebraska and in Lincoln itself. But it played to my benefit. It provided me with local Vietnamese food and a local Vietnamese market that I can go and get similar stuff to what I can get back home.

DN: Do you see any major differences between student life between the U.S and Vietnam?

DT: Well yeah it has a to be a lot different. But with me coming here at such a young age, at the age of 15, I couldn’t experience the actual student life in Vietnam. But I can tell you that it’s a lot different. In Vietnam I don’t think students are involved that much in sport activities.

DAILY NEBRASKAN

alek zayas-dorchak | daily nebraskan

Intramurals, we have them but it’s not the main priority of many of the students.

DN: Could you see yourself living in the U.S after graduation?

DT: Right now, I plan on going back after I graduate.

DN: What’s the best part about being at UNL? DT: Being at UNL, it gives me the feeling of being at a big college. There are a lot of organizations that I can be involved in, for example I’m in SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), which is a business organization, and I’m an engineer. You can

spread around and be involved around campus not just within your college.

DN: Do you have any advice for travelers to Vietnam?

DT: Don’t freak out about the motorcycles. They might seem like they might hit you … The best thing you can do is stand and not move because you could move in their way maybe. And try the food. I mean a lot people just go there and are afraid of the food because it might look a little weird, but most people turn out to really like it.

CHRISMANZANO@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

Political poll finds UNL students above nation Amy McConnell DAILY NEBRASKAN

A new survey offers a glimpse into the minds of University of Nebraska-Lincoln students.

The survey, designed and distributed by political science undergraduate students at UNL, queried students about their opinions on campus and political issues and produced some surprising results.

The questions were written by students in Assistant Professor Michael Wagner’s political science 230 class. Most questions were worded identically to similar national polls.

“The class had different viewpoints, but we all agreed that this survey should have no bias in it and it was going to be a true political survey and it was going to be true to the campus,” said Kevin Luparello, a sophomore political science major.

Students were e-mailed a link to the survey and offered a chance to win an iPod if they

completed the poll. Just more than 10 percent of the student body participated, lending statistical validity to the survey.

The estimated margin of error was plus or minus four percent.

“I was worried that we wouldn’t get a very high number of participants,” Wagner said. “Most web surveys like this are lucky to get three or four percent participation.”

After analysis, the data showed that while a greater percentage of students identify themselves as members of the Republican party, the student body holds equally liberal and conservative views.

“The majority of younger students held more conservative views,” Luparello said.

“We found that as the age progressed, students took more liberal views on social issues.”

The discrepancy between party identification and political ideology could be further explained by the fact that people are more comfortable labeling themselves as political

moderates, Wagner said.

The survey also found that UNL’s students had more political knowledge than the rest of the United States in some cases. Data from the poll showed that about 37 percent of UNL students could correctly identify the British prime minister as David Cameron, compared to the national average of about 15 percent who could do the same. An even bigger knowledge gap was demonstrated when students were asked to identify President Barack Obama’s religious affiliation.

About 79 percent of UNL students correctly identified him as Christian, compared to the national average of about 15 percent who could do the same.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of political knowledge students had as compared to the rest of the country,” Wagner said.

Campus issues were also addressed in the survey. In October, a school-wide referendum

was issued giving students the opportunity to vote on recreation center renovations funded by an increase in student fees. At that time, about 70 percent of students voting supported the proposal. When the same question was asked in this survey, only 33.6 percent voted in favor.

Issues students did support on campus included banning smoking on campus and the creation of a campus grocery store.

“I would have guessed that students would have been more supportive of alcohol on campus, but it turns out the sample really wasn’t,” Wagner said.

Students were asked to vote on a scale of one to five on how strongly they supported becoming a wet campus and the average score was 2.6.

“At the end of the day, the campus seems to have a fair ideological agreement on many issues,” Luparello said.

AMYMCCONNELL@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

test banks: from 1 old tests in almost every class he has had.

Wagoner said he thinks fraternity and sorority members could get good grades without the test files, but that having old tests gives them an extra boost over their classmates.

“I think it’s an unfair advantage, especially for classes graded on a curve,” Wagoner said.

He also noted that although test files may make it easier to pass tests, they aren’t conducive to learning the material beyond the parameters of exams.

Schwartzkopf argued that

the test files do not unfairly privilege greek students. She said any student group could create its own test file, like a residence hall floor. She also noted that the university bookstore sells test files for many classes that are comparable to those the greek houses have.

Using old tests isn’t academic dishonesty, she said.

“The test files only contain information released to students,” Schwartzkopf said.

She added that if professors didn’t want students to have old tests, they wouldn’t hand them back.

“Concerns are expressed

that it’s an unfair advantage, but that’s not true because it’s just information given back to students,” she said.

Schwartzkopf said greek houses offer several academic resources to their members.

These include informal tutoring sessions with other members of the house and the opportunity to take classes with other members to facilitate studying and class attendance.

She said there are also formal and informal rewards based on academic success.

Another academic resource some houses offer is a catalog of classes. Students write

critiques and descriptions of classes they have taken on cards, which other members can access.

Wagoner said that he isn’t surprised by the access greek members have to old tests, citing it as one of several ways greeks are privileged at the university. When asked if he would use the tests files if he were a fraternity member, Wagoner said he probably would.

“I don’t blame anyone for exploiting it,” he said. “But it’s still wrong.”

KAITLINEK@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

Domestic partner benefits overcame one hurdle Tuesday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s monthly Faculty Senate meeting.

Tuesday afternoon, Faculty Senate had its final meeting of the semester and passed two resolutions, one of which will be adding to a combined effort from all four of the University of Nebraska’s campuses to incorporate a “Plus One” category of beneficiary for NU employees.

Also approved was a motion to expand the Academic Planning Committee, which passed without contest and without discussion.

Faculty Senate discussed and almost tabled the Employee Plus One Benefits motion before finally passing the resolution with 35 votes in favor, seven against and two abstentions.

John Lindquist, Faculty Senate president and an agronomy and horticulture professor, explained the return to the “Plus One” language as opposed to simply referring to it as “Plus,” like a previous revision of the resolution had done.

He said it was suggested that “Plus One” is a more universally accepted term across the board. In addition, it was encouraged that rather than be specific to health care, the resolution should just talk about benefits.

“I think it’s an important resolution for us as an institution for us to really accept our colleagues, all of us being equal,” Lindquist said.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney introduced and voted on a similar resolution already, he said, but the University of Nebraska at Omaha just received the final wording that its senate will be voting on in January, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center is finalizing the language for the resolution its senate is voting on.

Lindquist said it is important that the campuses serve as a sort of unified front to the NU Board of Regents, to whom the resolution will be presented in the near future.

Both Lindquist and Faculty Senate coordinator Karen Griffin said they were surprised by the amount of discussion that took place before the vote.

“There was more than I expected because it seemed, at our November

FACULTY SENATE

meeting, we had more discussion on the APC extension,” Griffin said. “It caught me by surprise.”

David Varner, a human sciences graduate student and extension educator, said he and a group of other senators felt uncomfortable with voting at the current meeting and proposed to table the motion.

The tabling of the motion failed, just barely, with a 21 to 21 vote with one abstention until Lindquist voted against it.

“I do support domestic partner benefits,” UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman said after the vote. “I think it’s important for the university, both because it’s the right thing to do and because of competition with other institutions. I think for good faculty it’ll ultimately require us to do that.”

Lindquist said he would talk to the chancellor and see what he recommends strategically to do before sending the resolution to the Board of Regents.

“We don’t want to ruffle too many feathers,” he said. “We want to get things done, not make it a political problem.”

Perlman talked to the senate about the search for a senior vice chancellor, Innovation Campus, the Faculty of Life Sciences Initiative and his first formal meeting with the Big Ten Conference.

“They’re enthusiastic about our entry; their constituents are enthusiastic about our entry,” he said about the Big Ten. He also said there would be higher expectations for UNL’s performance, but he was confident the university would meet those expectations.

In addition, the Academic Planning Committee and the University Judicial and Appeals Board gave their committees’ reports to the senate and the senators voted on confidential honorary degrees ballots.

HAILEYKONNATH@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

Climatologist claims discrimination Paige Cornwell

UNIVERSITY

DAILY NEBRASKAN

A jury said Tuesday that a former University of Nebraska climatologist didn’t face discrimination by the University of Nebraska nor a professor, but she did face retaliation after complaining about the discrimination she claimed to have faced.

Christy Carlson was awarded $280,000 by a Lancaster County jury, which deliberated for more than a day.

The verdict came after a weeklong trial where Carlson alleged that she faced discrimination while working at the High Plains Regional Climate Center, which is run by the university.

In 2008, Carlson sued the NU Board of Regents and former High Plains Climate Center director Ken Hubbard on the grounds that she faced gender and religious discrimination and was treated differently by Hubbard after she complained about the discrimination.

According to court documents, Carlson started working in 2006 as a regional climatologist at the center, where, she alleged, she was

treated differently than her male employees. She also alleged that at one time Hubbard would not fire an employee because, he said, they “take care of guys with families.”

During his testimony, Hubbard denied making the comments, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

Carlson resigned from her position in 2008, according to court documents.

The High Plains Climate Center, located on East Campus, is a research facility with the mission “to increase the use and availability of climate data in the High Plains region,” according to its website. The current director is Martha Shulski.

PaigeCornwell@ dailynebraskan.com

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Opinions&Letters

wednesday, decemberer 8,2010

DAILY NEBRASKAN.

dailynebraskan.com

editorial board members JENNA GIBSON editor-in-chief BOB AL-GREENE BEA HUFF art co-director art director KATIE STEINER NICK PELSTER copy chief opinion editor COURTNEY PITTS LACEY MASON assignment news editor assistant opinion editor

»our » view

New employee package is a positive move

Tuesday, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Faculty Senate approved a resolution asking the NU Board of Regents to create a “plus” category of health care benefits that will encompass domestic partnerships and children currently excluded from the university system’s employee benefits.

This action was a positive, progressive and welcome step for the university system and is heartily endorsed by the Daily Nebraskan.

Currently, if an employee of the University of Nebraska wanted to include a domestic partner in his or her benefits plan, he or she would be unable to do so. Employees have so far only been permitted to include spouses and dependent children in such plans, requiring a legal marriage. Since same-sex couples can’t be legally married in Nebraska, they have been excluded from this category and denied plus one health care benefits.

A majority of the four NU campus’ peers, as well as all schools in the Big Ten Conference, offer plus one benefits. As some have already pointed out, sticking with policies that can be perceived as less progressive or less inclusive will put this university at a disadvantage when competing for faculty. This issue should seem all the more important in light of this semester’s national rash of gay student suicides, which called attention to the unwelcoming atmosphere some universities can present for gay and lesbian students and faculty.

The Faculty Senate has already taken the first step in the right direction, and now it is up to the Board of Regents to decide on plus one benefits. Similar resolutions passed in the Faculty Senate in 1999, 2000 and 2001, but did not urge the board to take action (as this resolution does).

But the time to take action has clearly come.

With NU getting a fresh start in a new conference, the university’s image should be on the minds of the members of the Board of Regents. Beyond that, the board should be concerned with doing what is simply right. Hopefully this will be obvious to the board’s members.

opinion@dailynebraskan.com

editorial policy The editorial above contains the opinion of the fall 2010 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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bob lausten | daily nebraskan

Nations must agree on peace

M

id-November this year was the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, which celebrates the end of Hajj, the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. As Jordan is a Muslim country, the students at the university (including myself) had a relatively long midsemester break. While I travelled to Spain, many of my friends and classmates travelled to Israel and the occupied territories. Here are a few of their remarks on what they saw: “The (income) disparity between Palestinians and Israelis is just terrible... I stood outside a settlement and saw Bentleys, Mercedes... while outside the Israeli army ran drills between the settlement and the Palestinian town.”

“The Palestinians were some of the most generous people I have ever met. Anything I asked, they would do for me. The Israelis didn’t give a shit.”

“I waved my American passport and the lady said ‘Just go,’ while maybe four hundred Palestinians stood in a barred and wire-topped line waiting for hours” (discussing entering the city of Bethlehem).

“I want to liberate Palestine.”

I do not mean to present these quotes as a negative or representative sample of American thought, Arab thought or of the reality of occupied Palestine. Students in Jordan — students learning Arabic — are generally pro-Palestinian and therefore biased the moment they enter the territories. Yet many of these people came to Jordan pro-Israeli, and have since changed. This is, in their opinion, because of what they have seen in Palestine and on the East Bank in Jordan.

Discussing the Arab-Israeli conflict, even with my friends here, is hard because many of them hold very fixed views on the territory and rights to the land. I have friends who are avowed supporters of Hizballah; I have friends who are American Jews and Zionists.

There is as little rationality among people discussing the conflict who are Americans as there is among Palestinian nationals and Israeli settlers. This, perhaps, is the biggest obstacle to the negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

There are other obstacles, of course. For one, the ongoing settlements in the West Bank. The more that are built, the less territory that can be part of a contiguous Palestinian

zach smith state — and the more that will have to be removed before a geographically contiguous state can be established. Another is the lack of trust Israelis have in the Palestinian Authority to stop terrorism against their cities.

Rightfully so — President Mahmoud Abbas has no control over Gaza, ruled entirely by Hamas. Hamas, both a political party and an international terrorist organization, has gone through something of a transformation as of late: When the settlement freeze expired in September, they called on Abbas to stop negotiating, claiming it is foolish to negotiate from a position of weakness (they did not explain how to get to a position of strength, probably because this is impossible). Yet just last week, Hamas officials explained that if the negotiations produced results that were ratified by a referendum of the Palestinian people, they would support the result, even though it contradicts their own charter (which calls for the destruction of Israel).

These do not even enter the contentious topics of negotiation: the status of Jerusalem; the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees to their homes in Israel (provided for by UN General Assembly Resolution 194); the amount of settlements to be dismantled, if any; the ownership of the Golan Heights; even water rights. But the aforementioned problems (Hamas, settlements, terrorism) are equally as important to the negotiations’ success.

When one examines the current situation, it’s hard to find a reason to believe negotiations will be successful, especially under the current Israeli government. In the platform of Likud (the governing party of Israel), found online at knesset.gov.il, a contiguous, viable Palestinian state is not an option: “The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river. The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign

state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel’s existence, security and national needs.”

Yet platforms can be changed. In particular, reasons for hope in Israel exist particularly with Yuval Rabin, the son of former Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin. Rabin is proposing an “Israeli Peace Initiative” to counter the “Arab Peace Initiative” of 2002. The “Arab Peace Initiative” proposed, in brief, a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River and a solution for refugees, in exchange for full recognition and diplomatic engagement of Israel by all the states of the Arab League. Rabin’s “Israeli Peace Initiative” proposes much the same thing: a viable Palestinian state (not encompassing all the pre-1967 boundaries) based on land swaps, a divided Jerusalem as the capital of both states, civic equality for Arab citizens of Israel and some right of return for refugees.

Once again, a Rabin gives Arabs in general, and Palestinians specifically, hope. The Israeli Peace Initiative is a couple steps closer to Israeli interests than the Arab Peace Initiative. There is, certainly, much common ground; according to Rabin, numerous Arab leaders are pleased that someone in Israel is at least responding to their initiative, now eight years old.

Last week, I had to write a new “Arab Peace Initiative” (a component of a mid-term exam in an international relations course).

To do so, I borrowed from both initiatives, while adding some parts of my own. I do not pretend that mine is a workable solution, but merely wish to illustrate that drawing from both sides, when both sides act rationally, is a possibility.

Yet both sides do not act rationally; do not act entirely within their own self interest; at times act without regard to the possibility of peace. President Abbas is threatening to dissolve the Palestinian Authority if negotiations do not bear fruit-or, for that matter, begin again, as Israel is still settling the West Bank.

Steps like these are as unhelpful as suicide bombings in Tel Aviv or burnings of mosques in the West Bank. Steps like the Israeli Peace Initiative and Palestinian conceding their “right” to all of historic Palestine are what is needed to keep the process moving forward.

It should come as no surprise to my

smith: see page 4

Raising tensions in Koreas could lead to disaster

T

he end might very well be near. And I don’t mean the kind of “the end” on a crazy homeless person’s sign, nor the kind of “the end” foretold by Nostradamus or the Hopi or the Mayans. I’m talking about a real, concrete “the end” that could spell doom for the future of America, and maybe even the planet.

Or maybe I’m just blowing smoke.

Among my many interests, one that takes up a huge chunk of my days these days is reading the news about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea.

Things are very, very interesting and really quite terrifying for a Koreawatcher these days. It all started back in March, when the South Korean warship Cheonan was sunk by a torpedo in the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea. The South and the United States immediately blamed the North for the sinking, although the North immediately and stubbornly denied any involvement, adding that if the South’s ship was in North-claimed waters, it deserved it anyway. The South admitted to being in Northern waters, but that it had only been there to reclaim a fishing vessel that had strayed too far north and had been seized by the North’s navy, something the North is apt to do.

Tensions have never been easy between North and South, but the sinking took the peninsula to a level of strain not seen since the armistice that brought the Korean War to a standstill. And then the North started to get really crazy.

The Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il has been rumored to be in failing health for the past couple of years, leading many to wonder when he would name a successor to his rule, and who it would be. An answer to this question came in June, when it was announced that the Dear Leader’s youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, would become the leader upon Jong-Il’s death. Little to nothing is known about Jong-Un, other than that he is in his mid-twenties, is the youngest son of Jong-Il and was schooled for a time at a private institution in Switzerland, where some who knew him have described him as a naïve sociopath, completely without empathy. Many analysts suspected that Jong-Un’s appointment as successor would be undone by political infighting, especially among Jong-Il’s other, older offspring. But then September came and the North held its first party congress in three decades, promoting Jong-Un directly from civilian to the rank of fourstar General, solidifying his role as future leader of the DPRK. Most analysts fear what this could

casey welsch mean for the North’s enemies. JongUn is young, inexperienced and allegedly sociopathic. He could be just as big a basket case as his father, if not worse. Many fear he will need to do something militarily drastic in order to assert his power, and in fact, that may have already happened.

On Nov. 23, the North opened fire on the Southern island of Yeonpyeong, firing hundreds of artillery shells indiscriminately, wounding scores of soldiers and civilians living there. The North has offered no explanation for the attack.

Theories for why the North launched the attack are many and varied, ranging from display of the aforementioned Jong-Un’s power to simply a case of needing to remind the South that they’re still there. Tensions between the Koreas are now one degree below the boiling point, and if either one fully breaks the armistice, it will mean a rejuvenation

of the Korean War. But this time, it won’t just be Korea.

Getting back to the end of the world, what would war with the North mean? The U.S. and the South are close military allies. Ever since the sinking of the Cheonan, the U.S. and the South have been running joint naval wargames to prepare for a possible sea war with the North, angering China in the process. It follows that if the South went to war with the North, the U.S. would follow.

This is a terrifying prospect.

While the U.S. would dominate in a predominately naval war, it must be remembered that the Korean People’s Army is the largest standing army in the world, more than one million soldiers strong. If it came to land warfare in the mountains of the North, the U.S. would be woefully underprepared. With our troops already stretched thin in the Middle East, we would be massively outnumbered. Not to mention the fact that our soldiers are currently trained to fight a counter-insurgency war in a desert climate, training which would do them no good against a guerilla DPRK on home soil.

It must also be remembered that the North has a cache of nuclear weapons, which it might be liable to drop on the South, and perhaps even Japan, should tensions arise even

further. Not to mention the fact that, as revealed by a recent WikiLeak, the North has been supplying Iran with long-range missiles capable of reaching as far as Moscow and Berlin.

The North has also been rumored to be working with Myanmar on helping the struggling nation to develop a nuclear weapons program. Combine all this with the fact that, while they may be initially backing away, China, still the North’s closest economic and diplomatic ally, has referred to the North as a “spoiled child” but if it came to war, the communist state might still back the North. With the economic stranglehold China has on the U.S., it would be easy for them to cripple us by simply pulling the plug on the majority of our national imports.

This is a terrifying time to be living in. The threat of nuclear war hasn’t been this intense since the end of the Cold War. The North has nukes.

They have military alliances with Iran and Myanmar, and an economic and diplomatic alliance with China. A power-switch is imminent and tensions are already high.

These are the facts.

World War III may well be on the horizon.

Casey Welsch is a senior broadcasting major. You can reach him at caseywelsch@ dailynebraskan.com.

4

DAILY NEBRASKAN.

wednesday, december 8, 2010

operation 5 6 7red: 9 from 1

smith: from 3 readers that I, too, identify as “pro-Palestinian,” in the sense that I support the creation of a Palestinian-Arab state west of the Jordan River. I believe this is necessary for the long-term security of Israel, a state which I do not wish to see disappear from

the map, and the Middle East, which I have come to love over the last seven months. Yet there is no hope for the creation of a new state if both sides do not come to terms with reality and truly work toward a long-lasting peace in the region.

Otherwise, we will only see more of what my friends describe: “I want to be a freedom fighter. I want to liberate Palestine.”

While students are out6 there 3 doing good things they should 8 for3it 2 be getting recognition and they’re 5 not asking for recognition.”

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taught by Stacy James, a senior lecturer in advertising.

The group created the campaign slogan: “Your red is showing.”

Zach smith is a junior music The ice cream cone portion of and political science major. the campaign is co-sponsored by reach him at zachsmith@ the Office of Student Affairs, the dailynebraskan.com.

Office of the Dean of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Dairy Store. It wasn’t part of the original Operation Red created by the student group; that portion was incorporated later by Franco.

After talking about Operation Red to incoming students at the New Student Convocation, Franco decided to kick off the campaign this semester.

EASY A committee, designated by Franco, is helping develop it further. They are suggesting the campaign move into full swing in January. The committee includes some of the leaders in student government: Justin Solomon, a senior family sciences major and ASUN president, and Lane Carr, a senior political science major and chairman of ASUN’s Government Liaison Committee.

Carr was asked to be on the committee by Linda Major, director of Student Involvement, who’s also on the committee. They call themselves the Cornhuskers with Character Committee. Besides talking about how to move forward with Operation Red, they also meet to discuss what they think exemplifies traits that

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One or two roommates wanted at The View Apartments. We live in a 4 bedroom/ 2 bathroom unit with a perfect view of downtown. We each pay $304 a month plus electricity (about $15-$20/month) and cable (if desired). The apartment is furnished (including washer and dryer) with free internet and amenities. Amenities include: 24-hour computer center with free printing, 24-hour fitness center, FREE TANNING, FREE SHUTTLE TO AND FROM CAMPUS, Barbeque grills, Sand volleyball court, Basketball court, Swimming pool, and YEAR ROUND HOT TUB! There is also on-site management, maintenance, and security patrol. We have a beautiful view of downtown from our living room. E-mail us at liltap33@aol.com if you are interested.

Roommates Roommate ads are FREE in print and online. E-mail yours to dn@unl.edu and include your name, address and phone number.

Roommate needed for a 4 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse in Lincoln. 3 male roommates already live there. Rent is $275 plus utilities. Utilities, cable and garbage have yet to go over $50 for me. I need to fill this spot by January or quickly there after so if interested please contact me at 402-910-2706 or at bstaack_99@hotmail.com.

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dailynebraskan.com

occur on the site’s campus map.

Operation Red is actually part of a bigger campaign, the Character Campaign. Last year, Athletic Director Tom Osborne spoke at the New Student Convocation to help drive home the point of good character. The campaign is a broaderEASY concept and Operation Red is a mechanism to spread the word, Franco said. The concept of the bigger campaign is civic engagement and students doing good for others. The goal is to eventually build a center for civic engagement, he said.

Franco wants to start heavily promoting the operation at the beginning of the spring semester.

“This is something I have a passion for,” Franco said. “The reason I wanted to get this going is that it’s a great idea and there’s no reason to wait. While students are out there doing good things they should be getting recognition for it and they’re not asking for recognition. That’s the beauty of it.”

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SU5 DO 4KU:

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Huskers and helping each other are some of the traits they have come up with, traits which fall within the specifications of Operation Red. “I would argue that (Operation Red) is not rewarding students for doing good but recognizing them # 81 for doing something they didn’t have to do,” Carr said. “It was not at all what I was expecting, because it hinges on a little bit of mystery.

I’m excited to see what happens in January with the campaign.”

About two years ago, Franco wrote a column in the Daily Nebraskan titled, “Catch Huskers doing good.” He would feature students or organizations that were doing things for others, just because. Every once in a while he would write about stories he heard from other people.

Franco still wants people to tell him stories about students and staff doing good deeds. His idea is to keep record of each of the acts of kindness and add them to the UNL website map, creating a virtual tour of where good deeds

EASY

# 81

Juan Franco 7

vice chancellor of student affairs

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WIND ENSEMBLE FOCUSES ON OUTSIDE ELEMENTS IN SONGS

Red theater to present SHOW at bourbon

Celebrating nature

student life PAGE 7

Misfit toys

Dorm decor

students decorate rooms for holidays

Arts&Entertainment

wednesday, decemberer 8,2010

page 5

dailynebraskan.com

five reasons to COLUMNIST RECOUNTS MEMORABLE LESSONS FROM writing a column about sex

tap that

column by Pat radigan ART BY LAUR E N OL S ON

W

hat could be so bad about writing a sex column?

It’s a question I asked myself over and over as I considered the repercussions of signing up to write a weekly column about sex and my views on the subject of physicality.

Now, after a few months trying my hand as a sex columnist, I know what comes with the territory of being the campus voice on relations. If I had to make the choice again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

From the very first day writing my new column, it found a way to have oddly satisfying repercussions.

I don’t know whether it was the text from my mother explaining how “thrilled” she was to find my new column while perusing the Daily Nebraskan website or the messages I got from past high school classmates who thought the world was coming to an end because I was being paid to write about sex. But for some reason, it was notoriety I didn’t mind.

In a matter of weeks I wasn’t thinking about things the same way as when I started. Rather than forcing my way through sharing stories and tips from

f o r

m o r e

my personal life like I imagined, I found myself instead anxiously recanting my ideas and experiences mixed in with suggestive images and remarks.

So now, with the semester coming to an end and the looming possibility someone might come to their senses and pull the plug on my quirky little column, I offer the highlights from the work I’ve done so far:

5. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun

You don’t necessarily need to have a “fuck list” or try to figure out what makes an athlete good in bed like the Duke co-ed who gained some infamy with her exploits, but that doesn’t mean you should always say no to a little fun.

Being able to throw caution to the wind and make bad decisions in pursuit

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DAILY NEBRASKAN.

wednesday, december 8, 2010

DAILY NEBRASKAN.

wednesday, december 8, 2010

Group presents ‘Toys’ Red Theater members will perform fast-pace pieces at random Tom Helberg DAILY NEBRASKAN

Audiences will get their share of spirits, both Christmas and alcoholic, as Red Theater presents “Misfit Toys” tonight at the Bourbon Theatre.

The company will put its unique spin on traditional Christmas stories and present completely original works in this holiday show.

Red Theater presents 30 individual pieces in 60 minutes.

The pace is breakneck. The order is random.

Audience members shout out numbers corresponding to pieces they want to see. The cast immediately starts performing.

“It’s not like any other theater show — it’s a party,” said Gage

Wallace, Red Theater’s director and a University of NebraskaLincoln junior theater performance major.

A pre-show will begin at 10 p.m. and is filled with “shenanigans,” Wallace said, adding this will be a good time to have a couple drinks before the show.

He said watching Red Theater is an outlet to blow off steam at a hard time in the semester.

But Red Theater’s not all fun and games. The troupe takes preparation seriously, particularly Sam Hartley, a new member to Red Theater and a senior theater performance major.

“Misfit Toys” will be Hartley’s first show with the company. He adds musical skill to the group and will perform original songs during the performance.

“It was exciting,” Hartley said. “I’ve never written for theater before, period. But working on something musical was a pretty great challenge.”

The rehearsal process for a Red Theater show begins with a workshop. The group brainstorms ideas and themes they

want to perform. After the initial meeting, the cast members bring fully written pieces that are then cast and staged.

Finally, there is audition day, during which the company votes on pieces that will make it to the show.

“It’s definitely a neat collaboration process,” Hartley said.

“I’ve never been a part of something like this before.”

Wallace promises a wellrounded show. He said some plays will feature performers pouring their hearts out on stage and yet others are some of the funniest pieces they’ve ever had. The show will range from feel-good, holiday spirit pieces to tales of Christmas angst.

Heart wrenching drama and gut-busting comedy going back-to-back is a challenge for the performers, as is the arbitrary order. Wallace said it works because of the audience’s energy and the performers’ commitment.

Hartley can attest to the importance of the viewer, as he was an audience member of

if you go Red Theater: “Misfit Toys” when: tonight, 10 p.m. where: Bourbon Theater, 1415 O Street how much: $5 for 21+, $7 for minors many Red Theater shows before joining himself.

“It’s very different to watch the Red Theater pieces and experience the energy that way,” he said.

On the flip side, Hartley said the experience for an actor in Red Theater is quite cathartic.

Audience members looking to kick back during the stressful holiday season need look no further than the unique experience of a Red Theater show.

“It’s very different than any other performing I’ve ever done,” Hartley said. tomhelberg@ dailynebraskan.com

Ensemble celebrates nature UNL Wind Ensemble to perform pieces with natural Bethany Knipp DAILY NEBRASKAN

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Wind Ensemble is prepared to take its audience through nature at its concert tonight.

The concert band is performing five pieces with each being relative to the natural world.

The theme was chosen by the Wind Ensemble’s doctoral conductor, Cliff Powner.

Powner, who was a former Eagle Scout, said the inspiration behind

If you go UNL Wind Ensemble concert when: Tonight, 7:30 where: Kimball Recital Hall, 11th and R streets cost: $3 for students, $5 general admission

the nature theme came from the fact that this year is the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts.

Powner said a lot of work has gone into the concert with some challenges along the way.

“Winds of the Nagual” by

Michael Colgrass is the piece that Powner found most challenging for the concert.

The piece was like trying to do an impersonation of an actor, Powner said. “Winds of the Nagual” has a story that Powner had to learn, and the band had to impersonate the song’s characteristics.

UNL’s Wind Ensemble will be playing pieces that go from one stylistic extreme to another, said Carolyn Barber, UNL’s director of bands.

“Jubilare!” by John Stevens, the first piece of the concert, is energetic and “fanfarish,” while the second piece, “After a Gentle Rain” by Anthony Iannaccone, is slower, colorful and reflective in nature, Powner said.

Barber will be conducting “After a Gentle Rain” as a guest conductor.

The ensemble will give the audience a concert that describes nature in high definition, Powner said.

“Woodland Sketches” by Edward MacDowell and “Aspen Jubilee” by Ron Nelson are the other two pieces that will be played at the concert.

Powner said “Aspen Jubilee” has a vocal solo in the song that just adds another color to the musical palette.

“I think (the concert) is going to be a very enjoyable one,” Powner said, “It has a large array of aural colors.” bethanyknipp@ dailynebraskan.com

Orchestra focuses on America Chance Solem-Pfeifer DAILY NEBRASKAN

The American tradition of classical music is often one that’s eclipsed by the stalwarts of the European discipline: Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, etc.

But on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the former at Kimball Recital Hall, performing the music of Copland, Gershwin and Samuel Barber.

As part of this “American Festival,” the orchestra will perform Copland’s “Four Dance Episodes from ‘Rodeo,’” as well as Barber’s “Overture to ‘A School for Scandal.”

“These pieces from Barber, Copland, and Gershwin are hallmarks of the American repertoire,” said Tyler White, director of the UNL symphony orchestra. “They’re definitional

American concert music and tremendous favorites of audiences.”

Additionally, the UNL ensemble will perform a suite composed by White called “A Brand-New Summer,” which was premiered by the Lincoln Symphony in 2006.

“I’m delighted with what they (the UNL symphony orchestra) have done,” White said. “I wrote it as a very difficult piece for any professional orchestra to perform, so it’s enormously gratifying to see that this orchestra has grown enough to play it.”

Perhaps the most recognizable song of the night will be Gershwin’s famous “Rhapsody in Blue,” which will feature.

Paul Barnes, a UNL professor of piano.

“What I want to bring out in this piece is both my most favorite aspect and the most challenging: the utter spontaneity

of Gershwin’s brilliant ideas,” Barnes said. “I want my solos to sound improvised and full of the spontaneous energy of jazz.”

Having the professional hands of Barnes in the orchestra ranks allows Gershwin’s renowned composition to be played with the vigor it was meant to encompass.

“I want it to be rather edgy, not your typical well-behaved concert piece,” said Barnes, adding, “And the orchestra sounds great.”

From White’s perspective, bringing a piece like “Rhapsody in Blue” to the stage is both a challenge and a benefit, as the audience will likely be familiar with the tune, but also harkens back to one of the first fusions of the jazz and classical traditions.

“This is a piece that was written when most classical musicians looked down on jazz and

If you go “American Festival” when: Thursday, 7:30 where: Kimball Recital Hall how much: $3 for students, $5 general admission

thought of jazz as something that was harmful to classical musicians,” White said. “It was one of the first two pieces to achieve a synthesis between those two idioms.”

Tickets for the concert cost $5 for general admission and $3 for students.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Tyler White,” Barnes said. “He is a supreme musician and a wonderful conductor.” chancesolempfeifer@ dailynebraskan.com

tapping that: from 5 of some excitement adds a flare to life that can make an ordinary weekend or situation extraordinary.

4. Skank-OWeen

It’s OK that Halloween is no longer about candy and mischievous pranks, but that doesn’t mean it should now be about skankiness and showing off skin.

I’ve come to peace with the fact people are OK with the sexy costumes that flood costume shops and sites, but I will never be OK with how people use their unflattering physicality to get the wrong kind of attention.

Just remember, taking cues from MTV and other reality TV is a surefire way to make your haunted holiday an epic fail.

3. Let’s Dance

Let’s face it, dancing has become more about having the ability to toy the fine line between dry humping and rhythmic funkiness when the lights

turn low than one’s skills doing the robot or executing a timely grapevine to step-behind-step greatness.

It doesn’t matter if you are being schooled in the ways of Dougie or just throwing your Wu Tang sign side to side, dancing with style can make or break one’s ability to create a connection with the opposite sex.

If you don’t believe me, just look at Soulja Boy.

2. Rocking to the Beat

ways.

After putting pen to paper and sharing my thoughts on sex and music I heard others talk more graphically about finding rhythms to be matched or songs that had appropriate naughty subject matter.

I even heard someone who said listening to “bad girl jams” helped her embody a more exciting sexual persona (Yes, I’m talking about “She Wolf”).

Overall, sex and music make the horizontal polka take on a whole new mood.

attempt at a column set a nice backdrop for all of my other tales.

Midway through the tenure of Tappin That, I found out others in some of my classes had been sampling my writing and using it to cast judgments on my character. And no matter what I wrote about, it always came back to the jokes and puns I made in describing the path toward naughtiness.

Laugh if you want, but you know the next time you wind up making a bad decision you will remember what it was like to ride on Space Mountain.

Sex and music go hand and hand, like lamb and tuna fish. 1. Savoring the Pat Radigan hopes he can Or would spaghetti and meat- journey turn this column into a job balls be more American?

Little did I know my first trip at Cosmopolitan now that Either way, picking the right into the nether world of sex and he knows when he is gradutunes for what goes down be- bad decisions would be the most ating. Reach him at patradigan@dailynebraskan.com. tween the sheets is crucial to fun, but it turns out my original set the mood right. Whether it be simple like Marvin Gaye or Boyz II Men or a risk like throwClaremont Park Apartments ing in some Pat Benetar or Daft Punk, connecting music with 4 1/2 Blocks from Campus! the bedroom atmosphere adds a spark that is hard to get in other

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Students waste no time in decorating for coming holiday Katie Nelson and Sam Peshek DAILY NEBRASKAN

Phil Svoboda is spreading Christmas cheer in Abel Hall whether you like it or not.

And the freshman chemistry major isn’t stopping at simply stringing up your grandma’s festive multi-colored bulbs, either.

Nestled below his lofted bed, a four-foot Christmas tree complete with lights, colored ornaments and, of course, presents completes the room’s décor.

But Svoboda’s spirit doesn’t stop there. He also plans on purchasing a Santa suit to wear when he passes out candy canes to students on his floor.

For Svoboda, starting the day after Thanksgiving wasn’t going to cut it.

“Its been a month since I started. My roommate probably hates me,” Svoboda said. “I just love the mood of everything, like the jingle bells, mistletoe, family traditions and Christmas trees with snow. I just like joy.”

His efforts toward ringing in the holiday season aren’t going unnoticed, either. With an open door to let out the warm and cozy feel of the season, who wouldn’t feel the need to contribute?

“For the most part people like the decorations, they like the presents I put under the tree, I’ve even gotten a soda bottle put under there for me,” Svoboda said.

Svoboda isn’t the only student who has Jack Frost nipping at his nose.

Over the river and through the woods at Smith Hall, freshmen Marissa Sichta and Lauren Butts have had their halls ready for decking since the beginning of the school year.

“We started planning in September, and its been about a month since we first

I just love the mood of everything, like the jingle bells, mistle toe, family traditions and Christmas trees with snow. I just like joy.”

Phil Svoboda

freshman chemistry major

started putting stuff up, and as time went by we put more and more up,” said Sichta, a general studies major. “Lauren came back from class in October and said ‘Oh my gosh they have Christmas lights!’ and it wasn’t even Halloween yet.”

The lights, ornaments, and garland that wrap the walls of the room, accompanied by paper snowflakes, will make anyone’s season bright. So bright, in fact, that it draws the entire 10th floor to the spectacle.

“Everyone stops by while the door stops open because the lights brought them in,” said Butts, an architecture major.

“We don’t even need to have the lights on during the day because they’re so bright.”

With all the attention these students are grabbing, there shouldn’t be any reason to take them down after Christmas. In fact, Svoboda is planning on keeping his Christmas tree decorations up throughout the year, and Butts and Sichta will be keeping their white icicle lights hung indefinitely.

katienelson@ dailynebraskan.com sampeshek@ dailynebraskan.com

8

DAILY NEBRASKAN.

wednesday, december 8, 2010

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wednesday, december 8, 2010

9

big 12 homeroom compiled by phil scherer Men’s basketball

1. Kansas (7-0)

Kansas stayed undefeated with a controversial win over UCLA at home. The Jayhawks have to be happy with where they stand right now, especially given the fact that point guard Josh Selby will be back within the next few weeks.

2. Kansas State (8-1)

The Wildcats did what was expected and took care of business against Washington State and Alcorn State. They’ve got an easy slate this week with only one game against Loyola-Chicago, but things will get a bit tougher after that with

back-to-back games against ranked averaging close to 17 points a opponents Florida and UNLV in game, the Tigers should feel confident going into what should the middle of December. be an interesting matchup with 3. Baylor (6-0) Vanderbilt this week.

Baylor is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the 5. Texas (6-2) Big 12 but failed to move up in It wasn’t a good week for the Longthe rankings due to their weak horns after being blown out by a non-conference schedule thus USC team who has lost to Rider, far. A matchup with mid-major Bradley and TCU, as well as loss powerhouse Gonzaga on Dec. to Nebraska. The Longhorns will 18 should reveal lot more about look to get back on track with a where this team stands. couple tune-up games before they hit the road for a pair of tough 4. Missouri (6-1) games against North Carolina Missouri bounced back nicely and Michigan State. from their heart-wrenching loss to No. 8 Georgetown with a 6. Texas A&M (7-1) win in Eugene over Pac 10 foe The Aggies continued their relaOregon. With Marcus Denmon tive success with a couple of wins

and California. Iowa State faces another test this Friday with a road game against in-state rival Iowa.

against lower-tier teams. The Aggies face a huge test this week against a Washington team who recently beat Texas Tech by 29 points.

11. Colorado (4-3)

Colorado moved above .500 on the season with a dominating win against future Pac-10 rival Oregon State. With their next 9. Nebraska (6-2) five games at home, the Buffaloes The Huskers used a great secondcould possibly get their season half surge to beat rival Creighton back on track before conference Sunday, 59-54. Nebraska can play rolls around. get comfortable at home as they don’t have to go on the road again 12. Oklahoma (3-5) until Jan. 12.

Somebody better tell the Sooner basketball team the football 10. Texas Tech (5-4) team can only distract fans unThe Red Raiders have lost til January. Things are pretty three of their last four games by ugly in Norman right now. The a total of 52 points. Pat Knight’s Sooners lost their fifth consecusquad needs to figure something tive game on Sunday against Arout fast, or it could be a long izona. Things have really fallen season down in Lubbock, Texas. off for OU this year.

7. Oklahoma State (7-1)

Not much is known about this Cowboys team thus far into the season, and it will probably stay that way for at least a few more weeks. Oklahoma State could be looking at an 11-1 record come Dec. 31 when they face Gonzaga on the road.

8. Iowa State (7-2)

It was a tough week for the Cyclones. Losing back-to-back games against Northern Iowa

for women’s basketball see dailynebraskan.com

tickets: from 10 can’t offer an assessment of the problem’s scope.

“I have no idea what’s out there,” Adam said. “I don’t go out there and look — there’s probably 20 different sites.”

Unlike some other states, scalping is legal in Nebraska. University Police Officer Aaron Pembleton said scalping on campus violates university policy and a Lincoln city law that forbids selling any item on streets and sidewalks without a permit. But Pembleton said university officers don’t make scalping a priority with more than 85,000 fans to keep safe each gameday. He said officers ask scalpers to leave if they encounter them, but he couldn’t recall a case in which someone was cited for violating the city law for selling without a permit.

Osborne said enforcing the noscalping policy on student tickets would probably require hiring additional full-time staff, a move he’s unlikely to make in the immediate future. He added, however, that new technology might one day allow his office to track student tickets more effectively.

“Student tickets, since they’re already discounted, don’t bring as much revenue in as our other seats,” Osborne said. “It’s mostly just a question of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

“If there was some way we could get a foolproof scheme where we could identify students who were scalping their tickets, we probably would make some moves and make sure those tickets were going to students who would come to the games. Maybe we’ll be able to get that point some time.”

THESE ARE DISCOUNTED TICKETS

While hundreds of students can be found scalping their tickets online, Erik Witt takes a different approach. Witt, a freshman political science major, was out of town for two of Nebraska’s first three games. Not wanting his tickets to go to waste, he offered them to his friends for much less than sellers like Gentry.

For the Western Kentucky game, Witt gave his ticket to a friend for free. He sold his South Dakota State ticket for $15, below face value and in compliance with

university policy. He sold his Missouri ticket for $25, just over face value.

Witt declined higher offers because with 8,843 student tickets sold this year to a student body of 24,610, he said it’s not right that some at UNL buy tickets without any intention of ever attending a game.

“For someone who really wants to go to the game,” he said, “I don’t think it would be fair for someone who doesn’t want to (go) to jack up the price way over face value.”

Osborne agrees, but not just for ethical reasons. He noted that the student single-game price of $21 is much cheaper than the general admission price, which ranges $55 to $85 depending on the opponent.

“The point is, to some degree these are discounted tickets,” Osborne said. “So if we sell a ticket for $21 and that person doesn’t really want to go to the game, they just want it for personal gain, we’d be much better off having that ticket and selling it to somebody who would pay full price.”

But rather than sell those tickets for full price, Snera Riley wishes the ticket office would sell them to her. Riley, a sophomore broadcasting major, was excited to attend Husker football games after transferring to UNL this fall.

But when she went to purchase tickets, they were sold out. What’s especially frustrating, she said, is when she sees students scalp tickets by sending mass e-mails through Blackboard, the university’s online academic community.

“I get so many e-mails for people saying ‘I’ll sell you my tickets for this much,’” Riley said, “and I’m like, ‘You’re crazy, I’m not paying more than $21.’”

Anna Leas, a sophomore history major, sold her Colorado ticket on Blackboard for $25. By sending a mass e-mail to a 100-level class with hundreds of students, Leas said she found a buyer in fewer than five minutes.

Leas, who said she wasn’t aware of the no-scalping policy, said it would be wasteful not to re-sell the ticket.

“I paid for them,” she said.

“You’re throwing money away if you don’t use it.”

But Riley said after spending years working to attend UNL, she thinks she should be able to go to the games with her 6-year-old son without paying above face value.

“I worked so hard to get to the university,” she said. “I kind of wanted to experience everything that the university had to offer.

And, of course, a Nebraska football game is kind of the epitome of the Nebraska experience.

“Because it’s such a big deal for me to be at the university, it’s much more than just a football game.”

Colleen Case, a freshman broadcasting major, had a similar experience. As a late enrollee last summer, Case said she received limited instructions on how to buy tickets. By the time she tried to purchase them, the ticket office told her she was out of luck.

But Case found a graduate student who didn’t want any of his tickets, and was willing to sell them for $400. Case negotiated and paid $325 for every ticket except the Texas game, a purchase she said she now regrets.

“I did it because I felt like I wouldn’t have gotten all of the tickets,” she said. “I would have been stressed and not been able to go to all the games.”

Case said she considered reporting the grad student to the ticket office when she learned scalping was against policy, but decided against it. Still, she said the university should enforce its policies.

Complaints like Case’s and Riley’s aren’t rare, Adam said, because the demand for student tickets is much higher than the supply. There is no waiting list for student tickets, so it’s impossible to know how many students would purchase them if they had the opportunity.

“You’re hearing from everybody that they just want to go the games,” Adam said. “Would they turn around and resell them? I don’t know. But we try to do what we can, and hopefully students are actually attending.”

Quite a few students, however, are not attending. The ticket office has validated 28,061 student tickets since 2005, according to figures provided by Adam. A student ticket must be validated if it is

showing Nebraska has improved dramatically across the board.

“We need to play our defensive system and anticipate defensively and then do what we do on offense — move the ball around, get good shots,” she said.

Osborne said, “then we might be able to act. But we need some pretty firm information.”

Other universities take a different approach to scalping. Mark Harrison, assistant athletic director for ticket operations at The University of Texas at Austin, said student tickets cannot be sold to non-students at his university.

While Harrison said his office discourages resale between students, tickets can be transferred on the university website. And although UT policy bars reselling tickets at any price on university property, Harrison said there is no ban on scalping tickets off campus.

At UNL, students have been unique in their ability to avoid scrutiny for scalping. Adam said some faculty members — who also receive discounted tickets — have been caught scalping this season and will likely not be sold tickets next year. Osborne declined to provide specific numbers, saying only that it was a small number of university employees.

Adam said general ticket holders have also been reprimanded for a variety of offenses this year.

Pursuing student ticket scalpers, however, hasn’t been considered a priority.

“You’ve got to pick your battles,” Adam said.

least one ticket on Facebook this year.

Marstrand-Sierra fielded offers of more than $400 for her Texas ticket but turned them down because she thought the price would rise. But after the Longhorns lost two games, MarstrandSierra saw the stock drop dramatically, with offers of only $30 the week before the game. She did manage to sell her South Dakota State ticket for $50 on Craigslist.

Synovec sold her Texas ticket for $85 because she was going home for fall break, and she netted $40 for her Missouri ticket.

“I figured some money in your pocket is just better than letting your ticket go to waste,” Synovec said.

And if she thought somebody was actually enforcing the rule, she’d stop.

“I’m not usually a rule-breaker,” Synovec said. “The first time I get in trouble will probably be the end of my selling tickets.”

When told about Synovec’s argument, Osborne said her reasonYOU’VE GOT TO PICK ing is flawed.

YOUR BATTLES “It’s the same logic as saying While Adam’s office often fields ‘Well, I cheat on my tests, but the complaints about scalpers from first time I get caught, then I’ll students who were not able to quit,’” he said. “Well, the person buy tickets, she said action has not obviously knows it’s wrong, so is been taken. Earlier this season, a getting caught the issue? Or (is frustrated student gave Adam a the issue) that it’s wrong?” print-out showing several students I’M NOT USUALLY A But for Gentry, the student selling their tickets on Facebook RULE-BREAKER scalper who wants a cat tattoo, for more than $100. No students Mato Marstrand-Sierra and the sheer quantity of tickets and had their tickets revoked as a re- Sarah Synovec are just two mem- difficulty of stopping student sult. bers of a burgeoning Facebook scalper makes for an auspicious But just because the policy has ticket network. With more than marketplace. not been enforced to this point, 5,500 members, The Husker “In order to fully enforce that Adam said, doesn’t mean it won’t Ticket Exchange group is among rule, there would have to be sebe in the future. She emphasized the largest online marketplaces cret police everywhere,” Gentry that students must agree to the for Nebraska football tickets. said. ticket terms before buying tickets Many of the tickets are advertised On that point, Osborne and and that the resale policy is printed as student tickets.

Adam agree that any enforceon each ticket, so every student has But while the group’s main ment effort would almost cerbeen warned. page reminds members of the tainly miss some culprits. While “If it gets above face value, we university policies against selling Osborne said the Athletic Departhave the right to take those away if tickets above face value, most list- ment doesn’t take scalping lightly, we want to,” she said. ings that specify a price ask for enforcing the policy is daunting.

Right now, Osborne said it more than face value — as much “Anybody with a discounted would take a very specific com-York as $400 high-demand Sales games Corporation The New TimesforSyndication ticket, we certainly take this seriplaint to prompt action from like Texas.

500his Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. ously,” 10018Osborne said. “We don’t department.

Marstrand-Sierra, a sopho- have the manpower to simply For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 “If some other student came more communications major, watch every student-ticket sale.” in and gave us identification and and Synovec, a senior biology mitchsmith@ said this person here is doing this,” major, both posted ads July to sell23, at 2008 dailynebraskan.com For Release Wednesday,

1

basketball: from 10 saying it and saying it.

“We need to take everything Coach says to heart.”

Even with so many things to fix before the Huskers take the trip up to Omaha, Moore said she’ll only be happy with a result

sold to a non-student or part-time student. Sales between full-time students do not require validation.

When a ticket is validated, the seller or purchaser must pay the difference between the $21 student price and the general admission price for that game. In 2010, that cost $34 for non-conference games, $64 for the Texas game and $44 for other Big 12 Conference games.

According to figures provided after an open records request by the Daily Nebraskan, the Athletic Department has earned $304,912 this season from student ticket validation fees and $1,164,425 since 2005. Adam said that money goes to the Athletic Department’s general fund. Osborne said the 6,728 validations in 2010 alone show that many students are playing by the rules, although he admits loopholes remain.

“Of course, somebody validates that ticket, then I suppose they could sell it for more than that,” he said.

5

“In order for us to feel good about a win, we need to put all those things together and do what we’ve been working on all season to do.”

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johnschreier@ dailynebraskan.com

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Sports

page 10

dailynebraskan.com

wednesday, decemberer 8,2010

Online ticket scalping fuels profits for students willing to sell, raises prices for students without tickets as university turns a blind eye while collecting income from non-student validation fees.

Story by Mitch Smith | Art by Bea Huff Cole Gentry wants a tattoo of comic book hero Fritz the Cat. To pay for his ink, the freshman anthropology major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln might use the $220 he has pocketed from selling four Nebraska football student tickets for as much as $100 per game. But in earning those profits, Gentry violated university policy by selling his tickets above its face value of $21.

Holly Adam, assistant athletic director of ticketing at UNL, said her office takes ticket profiteering seriously. But she said a lack of personnel makes tracking each case impossible, so no students have had their tickets canceled for scalping in the past five years.

Gentry’s story is just one in a policy-breaking ticket exchange that has bred a culture of impunity on online marketplaces and campus bulletin boards. Without any real enforcement from the university, several students interviewed for this story said they see no reason not to sell their tickets.

When students sell their tickets to non-students, the Athletic Department profits regardless of whether the tickets were scalped.

When a student ticket is transferred to a member of the general public, the buyer or seller must pay between $34 and $64 depending on the game to have the ticket validated.

And while Adam and Nebraska

Athletic Director Tom Osborne both said they’d prefer to have students in the student section, the Athletic Department has raised more than $300,000 this year and $1.16 million since 2005 in student-ticket validation fees, figures that some students said explain the lax enforcement.

Still, Adam and Osborne said many validated tickets are not scalped, that their no-scalping policy is important and that a lack of enforcement doesn’t make ticket profiteering acceptable.

“We want students who want to go to the games to be there,” Osborne said. “And we don’t think it’s fair for somebody who really just wants to get the tickets for financial gain, no matter what it’s for, to exclude some other student who wants to attend the games.”

A QUESTION OF EFFICIENCY AND COSTEFFECTIVENESS

Gentry paid $152 for his season tickets last spring with the intention of attending most games.

But the idea of driving to campus in traffic, paying to park and waiting in line for several hours to watch teams like Western Kentucky and South Dakota State get rolled over didn’t sound as appealing as selling his ticket for a profit.

“For Western Kentucky, people say this game’s going to be an effing blowout, so I’m not going to

that game,” he said.

And the Texas game? Well, that was just a basic economics lesson.

“With Texas,” he said, “after last year, this game’s a bit more valuable.”

Gentry sold his tickets to a classmate, a Lincoln Southeast High School student, a man driving a Husker-themed ambulance and a middle-aged woman he met on Craigslist — earning $40 each for Western Kentucky, South Dakota State and Missouri and $100 for Texas.

But even if UNL officials were patrolling Craigslist for student ticket scalpers, which Adam said they are not, Gentry thinks he’d still be in the clear. He posted an ad to sell his South Dakota State ticket in the online marketplace, but thwarted university policy and avoided leaving a paper trail by setting the price at $1.

“You know you’re not going to get a ticket to a Nebraska game for $1, so I just say call me with an offer,” Gentry said. “But if (UNL officials) were to pull a record off Craigslist, they’d see I’m doing everything perfectly legally.”

Just because enforcement is absent, Osborne said, students shouldn’t intentionally break the rules. Adam agreed, but said she

tickets: see page 9

Women’s basketball

»»Men’s basketball: NU vs. Alcorn State 7 p.m.

Late-game defense fuels NU Huskers look to overcome first loss

Doug Burger Daily Nebraskan

On Nov. 19, Nebraska found itself in a familiar situation.

The Huskers had lost for a second straight day, this time by just three points — a 70-67 defeat at the hands of the Davidson Wildcats.

Nebraska lost six games last season decided by six points or less. Four games into the season, NU was 2-2 and already had its first close loss.

“It was definitely a big disappointment because we obviously feel like we didn’t play nearly as well as or as hard as we should have,” NU forward Brandon Ubel said.

Nebraska had opportunities to get over the hump against Davidson, but came up just short.

The Huskers’ inability to get the job done late in the game must have struck a nerve though, because NU is now on a four-game winning streak — two of those coming by five points or less.

“In the past we’ve been close enough to win the game, but didn’t finish them out like we wanted to,” NU guard Lance Jeter said. “This year I think we just showed our mental toughness that we can finish games that come down to the last couple of possessions.”

Nebraska overcame a 20-point deficit Nov. 27 to defeat USC 60-58. The Huskers took the lead at 56-55 with just under five minutes left and didn’t give it up after that. The Trojans were 1-for-7 from the field after Nebraska took the lead.

“The mentality is that we need to get not just one stop, but two, three, four straight stops,” Ubel said. “We may not get a basket every time down, but we can keep them

John Schreier DAILY NEBRASKAN

file photo by taylor meyer | daily nebraskan

from getting one. I think we changed that from not just getting one stop and then go score, but get three and four straight stops.”

The Huskers got a chance to show their late win against USC wasn’t just a fluke this weekend. NU defeated in-state rival Creighton in thrilling fashion on Sunday, 59-54.

The Huskers held the lead for most of the second half, but the Bluejays cut the lead to one at 55-54 with a minute to play. Creighton was forced to foul and put Jeter on the line for a one-and-one with 30 seconds to play. Jeter calmly knocked both free throws down. Creighton failed on two 3-point attempts and Nebraska ran out the clock from there.

“I was put in that position and fortunately I made the two free throws,” Jeter said. “But we knew the game wasn’t over.

We had to get a stop and that’s what we did.”

Nebraska is partially at fault for having to play such close games. The Huskers have

struggled shooting the ball in the first half this season and dug themselves early holes.

Against Creighton, Nebraska shot just 24 percent from the field in the first half and scored 21 points. In the second half, NU scored 38 points on 50 percent shooting. The Huskers shot almost 16 percent better in the second half against USC. “You can just tell in the way that we’re playing, for some reason everything just clicks a little bit better in the second half,” Ubel said. “That’s something we need to fix because when we start playing some better teams that’ll cost us.”

NU coach Doc Sadler said the team will try to practice more on the end of the court Nebraska shoots at during the first half of games. He said the poor shooting isn’t because his players aren’t getting good shots, but because the ball just isn’t dropping.

“We can’t allow our lack of knocking down shots affect the rest of what we’re doing,”

Sadler said. “I thought it did a little bit in the first half against Creighton when they got a couple of baskets early in transition.”

Nebraska (6-2) will take on Alcorn State at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Devaney Sports Center. Jeter said breaking the trend of slow first halves will be a focus.

“We’re looking to come out in the first half and be aggressive like we’ve been in the second half,” he said. “In a couple games, our first half has been kind of brutal.”

While NU still has some issues shooting in the first half, Ubel said it was good for the team to emerge victorious in some close games early this season.

“Last year was kind of reverse,” Ubel said. “We would have a great first half and then weren’t able to close it out in the second. Just getting the experience of closing out teams, I think that will help us a lot.” dougBurger@ dailynebraskan.com

Lindsey Moore and the Cornhusker women’s basketball team are angry.

Nebraska struggled in a 67-61 loss at Indiana — its first regularseason loss since February 2008, but the Huskers will aim to rebound in Wednesday’s showdown with in-state rival Creighton by fixing the errors that plagued them Sunday. And there were plenty of errors, players said.

“I’m a little ticked off, but that game’s in the past, so you have to get ready and start focusing,” Moore said. “Yeah, it’s a tough one to swallow when we were so close, even with how bad we did perform.”

The Huskers’ contest with the Hoosiers was indeed a sloppy one.

Nebraska committed 17 turnovers and had the ball stolen 11 times. The Huskers were also outrebounded 40-32 and allowed the Hoosiers 17 offensive boards.

“I would say rebounding was a big part of it,” senior center Jessica Periago said. “We didn’t rebound as well as we expected to.”

While NU had many things to correct from Sunday, one Husker hopes to build upon her performance. Periago left Bloomington with the most prolific three-point shooting day in school history.

Though she was only 3-for-7 from behind the arc entering the game, she went 5-for-5 in the loss, becoming the first Husker to be perfect when attempting at least five three-pointers.

“I cannot explain it,” Periago

Yeah, it’s a tough one to swallow when we were so close, even with how bad we did perform.”

lindsey moore sophomore point guard

said. “I was just open, and I just took the shot. The more I made them, the more confident I was. I just kept shooting.”

The senior’s stunning performance is the only thing that kept the Huskers from being steamrolled, Moore said.

“When Jess came in and started shooting lights out, that’s honestly what kept us in the game,” she said. “If she didn’t shoot like that, we could’ve easily gotten beat by 20.”

Wednesday’s matchup with Creighton pits the Huskers against a team on a roll, as the Bluejays haven’t lost since Nov. 15.

Though NU suffered a difficult defeat at Indiana, Periago thinks the loss might be what the Huskers need to fire them up.

“I’d say it’s better to happen now than later in the season, so it’s a good wake-up call,” Periago said.

“Coach (Connie Yori) keeps saying there are a lot of areas where we can improve, and she keeps

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