As students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln head home for the summer, administrators are wrapping up what Chancellor Harvey Perlman called one of UNL's busiest semesters in recent years.
I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to fail all my finals next week, but it's not because I haven't done my homework or skipped class. It's because of zombies. On Sunday, my bastard of a boss, Andy Boyle, introduced the Daily Nebraskan newsroom to the game "Boxhead - The Zombie Wars.
The 1960s were dynamic times for college students in the United States. A deeply unpopular war, combined with the civil rights movement, spurred a wide range of public civil disobedience - from protests to sit-ins to bombings. Students watched as some of their friends came home in body bags while others were forced to ship out to the jungles of Southeast Asia.
Go out to the local mall sometime. Walk the halls of Westfield - or Gateway, or whatever they've named it now. Take a stroll through the outdoor shopping center at Southpoint Pavilions and take a look around. You probably would see the usual teenagers, parents shopping and an occasional security guard or two.
We've had quite a ride this year. We've called out plenty of people and institutions on things we think could be done better, and we've been passionate and committed to the change we want to see in the United States and the world. But none of this - none of the politics, education, journalism, entertainment, policy debate, nor anything else that absorbs us in our daily lives - will matter if we kill the planet in the midst of our debates.
