Opinion

As We See It

Editorial

Lessons of UNL’s ‘Fiji’ fiasco are worth heeding

In the early hours of Tuesday, Aug. 24, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 19-year-old member of the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s fraternity Phi Delta Gamma, most commonly known as Fiji. Normally, a case like this would go under the radar for the nation. It would be left for the police and campus to handle, and the world would keep on spinning.

That wasn’t what happened.

The story sparked an outrage on campus and around the nation, and the nights following were filled with protestors lining the streets outside the fraternity, demanding that Fiji be shut down. A petition was created that, as of Tuesday night, has over 420,000 signatures to ban the fraternity. Girls with similar stories are opening up and calling attention to the fear these boys bring to campus.

See, this isn’t the first time Fiji has seen some heat. In 2017, Fiji was suspended until May 2020 for “inappropriate behavior” and there is still a case from 2019 open regarding a sexual misconduct accusation with the chapter. That’s what makes everything sting a little deeper.

Last Wednesday, UNL’s president released a statement saying that the fraternity would be suspended until the investigation was complete. There hasn’t been any word since, and it’s likely going to stay that way. After all, that is what always happens when rape allegations are under investigation.

But that isn’t what have people upset. It’s the lack of accountability about the fact that this all could have been avoided had the fraternity been shut down after so many people accused them of sexual assault. It has even gone so far that Friday, six state senators sent a letter to UNL’s president asking for more transparency. Have we really reached the point where state officials feel like they need to voice their opinion on college happenings? Come on, Nebraska.

But it isn’t just another rape case that is infuriating the public. It’s the total lack of empathy for the victims and the protecting of the criminals that has people up in arms. Everywhere you look you can see how problematic the fraternity is, the evidence is stacked against it. It should be banned just because of its terrible track record and the tone it sets for its members.

And yet the university has yet to ban it and most likely won’t unless the victim wins her case.

Is this really how college sexual assault cases are seen in Nebraska? Are they just something that shouldn’t be taken seriously until people make a fuss? That doesn’t seem like ‘the good life’ to us.

Any sexual assault case should be treated with the upmost seriousness and no thing, not how much money their parents donate, how many touchdowns they have, or the grades on their transcripts should get in the way of that.

But is the future of this case going to set a precedent for how future Title IX cases are handled in Nebraska? Someday, when some other unfortunate person gets raped (because let’s not kid ourselves, that isn’t going away anytime soon) will lawyers look back at Fiji and use it as an example?

We hope that, as an entirely female editorial staff, CSC would have the courage to do what is necessary in the face of a case like this. While we hope that we’d never actually get to that, we don’t want to pretend we’re living in a fantasy world. Until we start teaching consent better, cases like this are going to keep happening.

That’s a topic for another day though.

The only thing we ask is that a club wouldn’t be suspended just because protestors started asking for it, or a sports star doesn’t get special treatment. We want girls to feel safe going to our school. After all, it’s a great place to get an education. But that’s not going to happen if we all follow UNL’s lead.

As You Said It!

We asked: What do you guys think about the new fire pit?

Cheyenne Bunch 18, freshman, Clarkson Marcus Jefferson 22, senior, Dallas Sidney Hines 19, sophmore, Limon, Colorado

“I think it looks like a really cool idea.” “I think it’ll be a nice place to gather in the winter.” “I think it’s cool. I like it and it’ll be fun to have something new on campus.” Eli Hinojosa 22, senior, Imperial

“I think it’s a great idea because people can have other hangout spots on campus.” Danielle Simpson 18, sophmore, Montrose, Colorado

“It’ll be a nice student attraction.”

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EDITORIAL

EDITOR Aubrie Lawrence editor@csceagle.com

NEWS EDITOR news@csceagle.com

OPINION EDITOR Velvet Jessen opinion@csceagle.com

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Nebraska Press Participation on Association The Eagle staff is open to all Chadron State College students. The Eagle is a student newspaper produced by and for students of Chadron State College. Opinions expressed in editorials and columns written by the student staff belong solely to the authors. As a public forum, The Eagle invites guest columns and letters to the editor from all readers. Opinions expressed in submissions belong solely to the author(s) and DO NOT necessarily reflect the opinions of The Eagle staff, its adviser, CSC students, staff, faculty, administrators or governing body. Please limit all guest columns or letters to 400 words. Deadline for submissions is noon Monday for consideration in the following Thursday’s edition. The Eagle reserves the right to edit or reject all submissions.

As We See It Opinion

Politics has to become more than its parties

u By Velvet Jessen

Opinion Editor

Every school morning, children say the pledge of allegiance at school and learn about how great our country is supposed to be.

As an adult I wonder when our country will live up to its name again.

The United States are nowhere near being united, and haven’t been for a long time. It’s not just about opinions, it’s about how we handle disagreements.

In debate we no longer care to find a compromise, it’s about winning and nothing else.

That’s evident in our politics, on any online forum, and in everyday conversation.

Our country can’t even decide on climate change.

A code red has been issued for the world and people still refuse to believe in climate change.

In some cases that occurs simply because the political party a person identifies with doesn’t agree with it.

Since when has anyone completely agreed with their neighbor? Their best friend? Their sibling?

So why are we pledging absolute loyalty to parties that care more about what lobbyists say than the people who vote for them?

Most people aren’t political extremists and are in fact closer to the middle of the political spectrum than on it’s fringes. However, in a move to insure votes, parties have created a divide.

In today’s world, you are either Republican or Democrat, you can’t have mixed values or be unVelvet Jessen

identified.

The political parties have convinced us what the party says is gospel and we don’t need to know anything except that the other party is bad.

We elect pedophiles, rapists, racists, or anyone the parties tell us to. Furthermore, because the parties say “No matter what, vote our way because the other way is worse,” we do it.

The people we elect are supposed to represent our morals and values, so why are we settling? Why does seem that we’re always choosing the lesser of two evils.

Why do we act like it’s a crime to criticize the people we put in power? We should demand more from our representatives than a tag that says Republican or Democrat.

It can’t just be party lines anymore, the world isn’t black and white and politics isn’t just blue or red. Something always has to give.

Americans are tired of giving.

We want what benefits us or our party no matter the consequences. Even if it might hurt someone else.

The rich are too afraid to lose even a sliver of what they have and to keep it they’ll sell the American dream of climbing the ladder to success.

The people with money and influence will keep speaking through the representatives we chose and they control. Normal people won’t have an actual say in politics until we can find common ground again. It’s better to compromise, if you stop only thinking about yourself and start to take other people’s experiences into account.

When did we all stop caring about helping each other and where are the communities that used to work together to create a better tomorrow? It’s time to care about what happens to other people because selfishness is what got us here but it will never be what gets us out.

They served for us when will we serve them

u By Anjaelique Cole

Columnist

They kiss their family’s goodbye and head off to war with the promise of freedom and dignity when they get back.

What do they get though?

Veterans get treated very poorly in this time and age. Even whencompared to prisoners.

Why is it that our murderers, rapists, and terrorists all get treated better than the men and women who fought for our freedom?

According to stopsoldiersuicide.org more than 114,000 veterans have committed suicide.

They commit suicide because when they get home, they can no longer adjust to the life they had.

Some will have nightmares about what happened, others will have survivor’s guilt.

One in 10 turns to substance abuse. Most veterans that cannot get their hands on a substance or do not have a family to turn back to commit suicide.

Since 2001 the numbers of vetran suicides have been rising.

In 2006, there was an 86% increase in suicide rates among 18 to 34-year-old male veterans.

Whereas in prison out of 100,000 people only 344 die. Not all from suicide either, most from other inmates.

Why do our prisoners get a bed, three meals a day, and time to hang outside or read, when our veterans are cold, hungry, and homeless?

In January of 2020, out of 37,252 homeless veterans, only 22,048 found shelter, the other 15,204 were left unsheltered, cold and hungry. How’s that for payAnjaelique Cole

ment for serving your country?

Veterans now account for more than 9% of all homelessness in the U.S. This is either because they have a hard time transitioning when they get home or because they no longer have a family and turn to substances.

Among the homeless, veteran’s 59% of them are 51 or older. This is because they can no longer serve, and 40% say they have a hard time adjusting.

Out of the ones who have a hard time adjusting studies show that those individuals are five times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts.

We have thousands of veterans living on the streets and yet we are spending over $39 billion on maintaining state prisons.

Just out of tax dollars, it is estimated that over $80 billion goes toward the prison system each year.

If you think about it that makes sense each prisoner costs $14,000 to $70,000 in a state prison. “ “ Why do our prisoners get a bed, three meals a day and time to hang outside Most smaller states still say that means one single person for one year costs $25,000 to $30,000 annually. or read, when our veterans are cold, If we can spend $30,000 on a child mohungry, and homeless. ” lester, why can we not make sure that a per- Anjaelique Cole son who fought for our freedom has a warm meal and a nice bed at night? Veterans risk their lives for us we should try to give a better life than homelessness and addiction.