r-NEWS BRIEFS-i
Diabetes benefit
to raise funds
and awareness
Ten fraternities and sorori
ties will join forces at the Pla
Mor Ballroom Feb. 22 at 9 p.m.
for a dance to benefit the Ameri
can Diabetes Association.
About 700 college students
will participate in the dance,
featuring Big Thing and a raffle
sponsored by local businesses.
Sponsors said the goal of the
dance was to raise awareness in
participating houses and raise
S2,000 to be used for research
and educational programs needed
by 87,(XX) Nebraskans affected
by diabetes.
arc
Assodafan for Retarded Qti2cns
DANCE CONTEST
EVERY TUESDAY
9:30 PM
Watch Local Ladies
Compete for Cash Prizes!
No Cooer
1823 'O' St.
Home of Lincoln's
Finest Dancers
SPRING BREAK GETAWAY
TO JAMAICA!
Multiple departures over Spring Break
7 Nights All Inclusive from Omaha
$1,195.00
Martin Miller Travel 1 -800-937-3638
_Hastings, Nebraska_
Party Makers Has Beautiful Balloon
Centerpieces For Your Reception
Pius &
*Big Rolls of Crepe Paper
*Paper Wedding Bells
*Beautiful Assortment of table c
coverings and decorations
* Don’t forget Valentine's Day balloons!
233 N. 48th St. Between Target & Super Saver
_466-8410_
Social Distortion
"Somewhere Between
He«nren and Hell"
Cassettes
$5.77
CD's e i r t s
^^n Ek*t Park Plaza
^Lm ^S W 434-2300 6103 "0” St 434-2:10
# #
Couple plans aquarium for Centrum
By John Adkisson
Senior Editor
Scott and KayLynn McNcal con
cocted a million-gallon dream while
sitting around their dining room table.
The Lincoln couple now is trying
to sell that dream — a world-class
aquarium that would be housed in
what is now the Centrum Shopping
Plaza — to Lincoln residents and
government.
“We have an affinity for the un
usual,” Scott McNeal said. “And this
is the most unusual thing w'e could
come up with.”
Lincoln Shores, the project’s ten
tative name, would feature a 1.2 mil
lion-gallon aquarium with 40-45
species of fish, including manta rays,
moray cels and 12 breeds of sharks.
With local biologist Scott Michael,
the McNcals announced at a press
conference Jan. 29 their offer to pur
chase the Centrum from its present
owners with hopes of receiving finan
cial assistance from the City of Lin
coln.
Scott McNcal said that if he, with
investors, could buy the property from
its Phoenix-based owners, he would
ask the city to pay part or all of the S1
million needed to renovate the facil
ity and the S4 million to install the
aquarium.
McNeal said that although other
investors had expressed a desire to
purchase the Centrum, “nobody with
an inside track” had expressed an
intent to purchase the building.
If the aquarium project is chosen,
he said it could be a financial boon to
the downtown area.
McNeal said a study done on po
tential tourist turnout for the project
showed that 265,(XX) visitors would
visit the aquarium the first year, and
that it eventually could be one of the
top five tourist attractions in the slate.
“One of our main objectives is to
help this community, and to help it
grow,” he said. “The amount of people
this could bring into Lincoln is in
credible.”
The McNeals said other plaps for
the project included opening various
retail outlets, such as a scuba shop, a
seafood restaurant, pet stores and a
travel agency in the building with the
aquarium.
Also included in the aquarium plan
is the possibility of University of
Nebraska-Lincoln marine biology
classes being taught in the facility.
McNeal said he had visited with
UNL biology professors and said his
plan was met favorably.
If the plan goes through, Scott
McNcal said, a year of setup would be
required before the aquarium could
open its doors.
“But as of now, it’s still a dream,”
he said.
" .-—U-—--,
Shaun Sartin/DN
Scott and KayLynn McNeal are developing plans to turn the Centrum Shopping Plaza into an
aquarium and retail stores.
Beadle Center’s construction
to include two new parking lots
By Susie Arth
Staff Reporter
The George W. Beadle Center not
only will improve facilities for biol
ogy, biochemistry and biotechnology;
it also will improve parking on cam
pus, a UNL official said.
Ray Coffey, business manager at
the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln,
said the Beadle Center would be built
over about 2(X) parking spaces that
now arc located at 19th and Vine
streets.
Plans for a replacement lot were
included in the budget for the Beadle
Center, he said.
Irv Omtvcdt, vice chancellor for
the Institute of Agriculture and Natu
ral Resources, said the loss of parking
spaces was a concern in the planning
stages of the center.
“We knew we couldn’t afford to
lose any parking on this campus,” he
said.
Bob Carpenter, campus architect,
said two new lots would be included
in the project.
One lot, he said, will be used only
for Beadle Center visitors. The other
will be for student parking.
The student lot, he said, will have
about 350 spaces.
Coffey said he thought the new lot
would improve the parking situation
on campus.
The student parking lot will be a
paved parking lot on the south side of
the Beadle Center, Coffey said. The
lot will take the place of a paved lot
and a gravel lot now available for
student parking.
“I’d say we’re getting a better
than-cvcn trade out of the deal,” he
said.
Coffey said he was visiting with
Beadle planners, trying to ensure the
lot was completed before the Beadle
Center was finished.
“I want to accelerate the process of
gelling the new lots so we’re not
sitting with a temporary loss of spaces,”
he said.
Coffey said he believed that when
ever a building or anything else took
the place of a parking lot, a compen
sation should be made to replace the
parking.
“The Beadle Center is evidence of
this philosophy,” he said.
Construction of the Beadle Center
is scheduled to begin in June.
Residence halls to fund position
Money will help
area coordinator
pay for expenses
By Lesli Thorn
Staff Reporter
A bill passed by the Residence
Hall Association Sunday helped set
precedent for
MACURH re
gional communi
cations coordina
tors.
RHA voted to
allocate about
S590 of the con
tingency fund to help finance the
Midwest Affiliate of College and
University Residence Halls regional
communications coordinator position,
held by a University of Ncbraska
Lfincoln student this year,
i “This position takes funding, but
it will keep UNL an active part of
MACURH,” said Julie Anderson,
#MACURH regional communications
’epordinator.
All expenses related to the posi
tion now arc paid by the individual,
regardless of the school he or she
attends.
Anderson said she already had spent
$300 of her own money serving in the
position.
The regional communications
coordinator is one of five liaisons to
the regional board of directors of the
National Association of College and
University Residence Halls.
“We voice what government
needs,” Anderson said.
She said the regional board was in
a state of upheaval and restructuring.
Because of this, she said, it is impor
tant that UNL stays active in regional
activities.
“We can create changes,” she said.
“We can have a say in the restructur
ing and what we want from
MACURH.”
1 Anderson estimated she would
spend $140 for phone bills, $75 for
postage, $ 150 for travel expenses and
$225 for registration costs as regional
communications coordinator in 1992.
Giles Schildt, Harper Hall presi
dent, said the regional board should
help fund the regional communica
tions coordinator.
I-POLICE REPORT--1
Beginning midnight Friday
8:44 a.m. — Racqueiball racket
stolen, Mabel Lee Hall, $44.
2:51 p.m. — Firecracker slid un
der door, no damage, Harper Resi
dcnce Hall.
6:38 p.m. — Stereo stolen from
vehicle, parking lot at 19th and
Vine streets, $250.
Beginning midnight Saturday
12:43 a.m. — Fire alarm acciden
tally tripped, Cather Residence Hall.
4:11 a.m. — Pay phone damaged,
Abel Residence Hall, $40.
12:31 p.m. — Gate arm broken,
Health Center parking lot, $25.