UNL creates additonal parking spaces for faculty, staff
By Jerry Guenther
Senior Reporter
Although some commuter-student parking
spaces have been replaced with faculty and
staff parking, a University of Ncbraska-Lin
coln parking administrator said about the same
number of spaces still will be available to
students.
Lt. John Burke of the UNL Police Depart
ment said about 80 student stalls in the south
west comer of Lot 25, located north of the
women’s softball field, were switched to fac
ulty and staff parking last week.
That change was necessary, Burke said,
because about 45 faculty and staff spots beside
the power plant were closed last May.
The lot next to the power plant had to be
closed because cars parked there received paint
damage from acidic mist that was sprayed from
air conditioning coolers, he said.
But UNL parking officials created about 80
new stalls for students in Lot 25, which will
compensate for the stalls they lost, Burke said.
He said the new spaces were created for
students instead of staff to keep student and
faculty lots segregated for easier enforcemnt.
Officials were able to create the new stalls
when an abandoned railroad track was re
moved earlier this year, Burke said.
Eventually, the rest of the abandoned rail
road track will be removed in the faculty and
staff parking lot north of Nebraska Hall, adding
additional faculty and staff parking spots, he
said.
Burke said 22 of the 80 new faculty and staff
spots will be converted this fall to two-hour
meters to help case the demand for parking
from people using the Recreation Center.
After those spots are converted, Burke said,
42 student stalls from Lot 25 also will be
converted to two-hour meters.
In a separate change, Burke said, two rows
of metered stalls in the lot between Andrews
Hall and Selleck Hall were changed to faculty
and staff spots on a trial basis.
Burke said UNL created those spots because
faculty and staff members needed some extra
parking. But a decision on whether that change :
will be permanent will not come until later this
fall, he said. i
“When school starts,” Burke said, “it’s :
tough to figure out how many spots will be
needed in each area.” 1
He said about 75 spots on the west side in Lot 1
16 have been sold to faculty members as reserved 1
parking. Only 18 of the spaces previously were
reserved. Lot 16 is north of the Union Plaza.
The reserved faculty spots cost $240 a year,
and gates will be added to make the area acces- :
sible only by a computerized card, he said.
Until the gates are installed, Burke said, a
“parking cadet” has been placed at the entrance
to prevent unauthorized motorists from parking ;
there and to help drivers find other parking i
places.
Burke said a new student lot near 19th and S <
streets that was completed last November only
has been about half-filled when he has monitored
it.
The lot has 500 commuter stalls, and 170 spots
for students in fraternities, sororities and resi
dence halls, he said.
“I think it takes a little bit (of time) for people
:o get used to that new lot,” he said.
Burke said motorists who park in the wrong
ireas cause the biggest parking problems.
UNL police have not strictly enforced parking
•estrictions so far this year because many people
ire not used to them, he said.
Parking officials sell about 35 percent more
:ommuler parking permits than there are spaces
ivailabie, and about 4 percent more faculty and
ind staff permits than spaces available, he said.
Residence hall parking permits are not over
sold, he said.
Burke said UNL parking administrators over
sell more commuter permits than faculty and
staff permits because students use the lots at more
varied times than faculty and staff.
Students still may buy parking permits for this
^ear, Burke said, but sales for commuter lots are
tearing capacity.
So far, Burke said, he hasn’t received many
:omplaints about the parking changes.
“I hope that’s a good sign,” he said.
Hill to formulate strategic plan I
By Jana Pedersen
Senior Reporter
In an attempt to come up with a
“truly new and creative’ ’ idea, ASUN
president Bryan Hill announced that
he wants to develop a strategic plan
for combatting problems at die Uni
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Hill said he wants to organize a
group of UNL student leaders, faculty
members and administrators who
would participate in a weekend re
treat.
At the retreat, he said, participants
could discuss problems they feel are
DRUG from Page 1
Bcnford said. “Most choices avail
able to other youth are not available
to them.’’
Bcnford said more money should
be spent on education, scholarships,
employment and things that “en
courage youth in other directions.”
Jay Corzine, associate professor
of sociology, said educational pro
grams must begin in elementary
school if they are to be effective.
Some programs are more effective
than others, he said. For example,
telling students that using needles is
more dangerous than other means of
taking drugs may reduce intravenous
drug use, while telling students to
avoid all drugs, including alcohol,
will not be as effective.
Corzine agreed with Joneson that
Bush’s program covers a broader
scope than previous drug programs.
The focus is on cocaine, Corzine
and Miller said, because it is one of
i ■.-.
important at UNL and come up with
solutions, which then could be formu
lated into a strategic plan.
Hill announced his plan at
Wednesday’s Association of Students
of the University of Nebraska senate
meeting.
Hill said he modeled the retreat
idea after a similar project called
“New Horizons,’’ which was organ
ized by state Sen. Bill Barrett, speaker
of the Nebraska Legislature.
‘ New Horizons’’ involved people
from across Nebraska who met to
address state problems they felt were
important, Hill said.
the new drugs. Corzine said that
crack, refined cocaine in crystalline
rock form, has a high potential for
profit, so there are many groups
vying for control of the trade. This
increases the amount of drug-related
violence.
There is some indication that
someone high on crack is more vio
lent, Corzine said, but he thinks that
most of the increased violence is
caused by people vying for money.
She also said money for an anti
drug program should be taken from
defense spending, not from housing.
Robert Benford, assistant profes
sor of sociology, agreed. Benford
said that like U.S. Sen. Joseph Bidcn
Jr. D-Del., he disagrees with the Bush
administration for spending $3()0
billion on the military, while refusing
to spend even a fraction of that
amount for a drug war that the United
Stales is losing.
“It seems that most of the money
' ".. "» —■ - - 'i'" ■ ' '
He said the success of4 4 New Hori- I
zons” led him to believe a similar idea I
could work in developing a strategic g
plan for UNL.
A standardized, scientific survey
of UNL students also could be used in
developing the plan, Hill said.
The survey would ask students
which campus problems they feel are
most important and give students a
chance to suggest solutions, he said.
By combining the survey results
with ideas formulated at the retreat,
Hill said he could develop a strategic
plan for combatting problems at UNL
that adequately represents student,
faculty and administration views.
is being allocated to programs that
treat the drug problem as an individ
ual problem, after the person already
has the addiction or problem,” Ben
ford said.
But ‘‘this is fundamentally a so
cial problem,” he said.
Benford said his biggest objection
to Bush’s proposal is the 4‘failure to
distinguish between users and abus
»t
ers.
This is a problem, he said, because
jails are full and criminals may have
to wait to go to trial. While in jail, he
said, they leant to become belter
criminals. Then, he said, they are |pt
out of jail.
The drug problem, he said, is pri
marily an inner-city problem. So it
would be a mistake to take money
away from programs such as housing
that might help those in urban areas,
he said.
4‘Inner-city youth have to have
viable alternatives for careers,”
_ ^Ti
DNA frorti Page 1
bases of all living organisms,
Willett said.
DNA sequencing can be valu
able to researchers dealing with
diseases such as cancer and ac
quired immune deficiency syn
drome, Koenig said.
“It is important that we recog
nize that through sequencing we
can conceivably find the mystery
surrounding over 400 genetic dis
eases that plague humans, includ
ing cancer, and eradicate them
through the help of medical sci
ence, ’ Willet said.
DNA sequencing is not limited
to humans, Koenig said, but is
useful when studying any living
organism.
Currently, Gen Test is working
for the Smith-Kline Animal Health
Program in Pennsylvania and the
Frederick Cancer Research Facil
ity in Maryland, Willett said.
Willett and Koenig said they
were inspired to start the business
in January 1989 when John Brum
baugh, a UNL biology professor,
spoke on the subject in an entrepre
neurship class they were taking.
Brumbaugh is the former direc
tor of the Laboratory for DNA
Sequencing and Genome Analysis
at UNL and has been involved in
DNA sequencing for more than six
years, Willett said.
Brumbaugh developed the test
ing methods that GenTest uses, he
said.
Willett said Brumbaugh
brought his idea to the class be
cause, as a professor, he could not
expand his research to private
businesses.
After discussing the business
idea with Brumbaugh and re
searching the market, Koenig and
Willett saw great potential in the
business, Koenig said.
Koenig and Willett both gradu
ated from UNL in May 1989.
Willett received a master’s degree
in business administration and
Koenig received a bachelor’s of
science degree.
Koenig said they turn to Brum
baugh for help with any business
problems they have.
Koenig and Willett began the
business July 5 with private fund
ing, Willett said.
Their office is located in the
Whittier school building, which
now is used for research. They rent
their laboratory space at Mantcr
Hall from UNL, he said.
Rhonda Fliege, the laboratory
technician, is their wily employee,
Koenig said.
Fliege, who graduated from
Kearney State College in May
1989, said she enjoys the job be
cause it is challenging and interest
ing.
Fliege said she does most of the
actual DNA sequencing. Koenig
and Willett help out when they
can, Koenig said.
The whole process of sequenc
ing DNA takes four to five days,
Fliege said.
GenTest charges its customers
a minimum price of 99 cents per
DNA base, Willett said, plus a
$100 fee for projects less than
1,000 bases long and $50 for proj
ects between 1,000 and 5,000
bases long.
GenTest’s owners said they
hppe to expand their business to
diagnostics and forensics, where
researchers analyze DNA left at
the scene of a crime to identify
criminals.
Willett said he hopes their busi
ness someday will become a major
diagnostic and sequencing com
pany for tire country in addition to
benefitting Nebraska.
"This business is the type of
thing Nebraska needs,” he said.
"It will bring new opportunity to
our state. It will increase the num
ber of highly technical jobs and
encourage those who specialize in
that area to stay in the state.”
For now, however, the com
pany's main goal is to satisfy cur
rent customers and establish a
good reputation, Koenig said.
AT THE NEBRASKA STATE FAIR
Enjoy a rare acoustic
evening with three legends
of rock ‘n roll when Crosby,
Stills & Nash take the stage
at the Nebraska State Fair.
Tickets are $15, $14, $12
& $10. VISA and MasterCard
orders accepted by calling
(402) 473- 4105. Advance
tickets also available at the
State Fair Ticket Office,
State Fair Park. Ticket order
forms for mail-in orders may
be requested by calling
(402)474-5371.
FREE GATE ADMISSION
to tho Fair after 4 p.m. Sunday.
Sun., Sept. 10
7:30 p.m.
i_ Bob Devaney Sports Center
laaaM
We’re More Fair Than Ever.
NEBRASKA STATE FAIR
Sept. 1-10 • Lincoln
