Thailand native thriving Lincoln businesswoman
By DeDra Janssen
Staff Reporter
Every July 4, Sirirat Rucnprom
remembers her home in Thailand.
The American holiday reminds her
of a similar holiday celebrated in her
native country every November.
Ruenprom, a 1984 graduate of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.camc
to the United States in 1970 from
Chienghai in North Thailand to pur
sue her education.
Since then, she has received her
bachelor’s degree in math and her
master’s degree in industrial engi
neering from UNL; she got married
and raised a family and then opened
two successful businesses in Lincoln.
Rucnprom arrived in the U.S. when
she was 19 after graduating from high
school. Although she was accepted to
a university in South Thailand, her
mother was hesitant to let her go
there.
“They fight a lot. My mom was
worried for my safety,” Rucnprom
said. “She said I better go to the
USA.”
So Rucnprom left her family to
study in the U.S. She spent her first
semester learning English at the Uni
versity of Kansas and then attended a
junior college in Kansas before trans
ferring to UNL in 1972.
Rucnprom originally planned to
return to Thailand after graduation,
but her plans changed when she mar
ried in 1975.
Two years later, Rucnprom and
her husband opened The Oriental
Marlcel in Lincoln and about two years
ago opened The Thai House.
Rucnprom said she got the idea to
open The Thai House restaurant from
an article in Time Magazine about the
increasing popularity of Thai food.
“Times have changed. People arc
trying new items,” Ruenprom said.
“We thought it would be a good idea
to open a restaurant here and sec how
it went.”
And it went well for Ruenprom.
She said the businesses started out
small bulgrew tremendously because
she bought more items for the store
instead of reaping the benefits of prof
it.
“I never think about salary for
myself,” Ruenprom said. “I make
more and buy more items.”
PEOPLE
P r o t i 1 e
But Ruenprom is not only success
ful in business, she’s also happy with
her life here in the U.S.
“You have more freedom to speak.
Even if you’re wrong you can say
whatever you want. In Thailand you
cannot do that,” she said.
She said she also enjoyed other
freedoms here such as being able to
wear whatever she wants to school,
being able to leave school grounds
during the day and being able to re
peat a class if she fails it the first time.
“In Thailand, if you flunk the exam
you flunk the whole year,” she said.
Even though Ruenprom is happy
with her life in Nebraska, she said she
missed her home and family in Thai
land.
“When you arc lonely or have prob
lems, when you need advice, you
think about family,” she said.
But Rucnprom’s family has given
her support in every way, she said.
Ruenprom visits her family in Thai
Phones yield false alarms
By Kristin Armstrong
Staff Reporter
Allhough ihc emergency phones
have helped more than a few people
outofabind, the University Telecom
munications Department has yet to
overcome some of the phones’ small
problems.
Since the 36 bluc-l ight phones were
installed last Sep
tember, both the
University Police
and the Telecom
munications Dc
Eartmcnts have
ad problems
with false emer
gencies.
Most of the
false alarms arc
CAMPUS
SAFETY
caused either by water leakage or by
people playing with the machines,
said Ken Caublc, UNL police chief.
“We’ve had trouble with water
getting in the phones, like on days
with heavy rains, and causing prob
lems,” Caublc said.
When water leaks into the phones,
the blue-light phones ring into the
university operator, Caublc said. The
operators arc required to transfer all
emergency calls to UPD, and all calls
must be checked out.
Pranksters have also caused a for
midablc amount of false alarms. Wilh
numerous camps on campus over ihc
summer, ihc incidents of prank calls
has risen, bul no more than any time
new sludenLs arrive on campus, said
Ruth Michalccki, telecommunications
director.
“The number of pranks will vary
according to when the newness wears
off,” she said. “I don’t think it’s ma
licious, I just think that people arc
curious.”
Caublc said he has seen these ac
tions first-hand.
“The basketball camp was walk
ing from the Dcvancy Center to Abel
Hall, and somehow all the phones in
between went off,” he said. “I con
tacted the coaches and asked them to
tell the kids to knock it off.”
To remedy the problem of false
alarms, both telecommunications and
the police department arc taking steps
to prevent them.
“We’ve had the average installa
tion problems, some with the tele
phone part and some wilh the me
chanical part, but they arc being
worked out,” Michalccki said.
Caublc said there were preventa
tive steps that could be taken should a
prankster be caught, including arrest.
He said the police department also
considered somesortof warning print
cd on the phones, similar to other
warnings.
“The warnings on fire alarms have
cut down the incidence of false fire
alarms dramatically,” Cauble said.
“But I am afraid that a sign wouldn't
make much of a difference, and might
even give someone the idea to push
the button.”
UPD has weekly meetings with
incoming freshmen and campers,
stressing that anyone caught making
prank calls will be dealt with. He
added that the officers also tell NSE
students that they should not hesitate
to use the phones at any time.
“If we set up the phones only for
cmcrgcnc ies, then I’m afraid that peo
ple might not use them when they
should,” Cauble said.
Both Michalccki and Cauble said
that despite the problems with false
alarms the phones were serving the
purpose they were intended for.
“The phones are always there in
case someone feels threatened,”
Michalccki said.
Cauble also said the phones gave
students a sense of security, and acted
as a deterrent for people considering
committing a crime.
“If I was going to be snatching
purses, I wouldn’t do it on this cam
pus,” he said.
Sirirat Ruenprom, owner of the Oriental Market and Thai House Restaurant, shows off some
of the unique ethnic foods that the market carries. Ruenprom, who is originally from Thailand,
is a 1984 UNL graduate.
t,
land once a year, and she will leave in
August 10 spend ihree weeks there.
The other thing that Ruenprom
misses most about her native land is
the fruit.
“In Thailand there are many kinds,”
she said. “In the U.S. there arc only
apples and bananas and oranges all
year round.”
Ruenprom said she plans to spend
al least two more years in Lincoln
until herdaughtergraduates from high
school. Then she might go back to
Thailand.
Bui for now she is happy right
where she is.
“I’m happy in Nebraska," she said.
“Lincoln is noi big and it’s not small;
I don’i have lo worry aboulcrimc. I’m
happy doing what I'm doing — that's
the main thing.**
«eup
Damon Leo/D N