The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 30, 1995, Image 1
£ ■ '' I r ' : , _ Y-\ ' inside If flonday Sports 49ers win Super Bowl, page 7 Arts & Entertainment Eagles roost in Lincoln, page 9 ... January 30, 1995 RHA, Housing trying to lower upgrade costs Alternate plan for new system to be drawn up By Laura King Staff Reporter Housing officials and RHA are working to lower the student costs of a $6.5 million plan to improve access to the Internet. Doug Zatechka, former housing director, said a new plan could be drawn up by the Wednesday ASUN meeting, but for sure by the next Residence Hall Association meet ing. In the original plan, housing rates could in crease as much as 10 percent, or up to $ 179 per resident if only new residents paid. The plan suggested a $129 cost per resident if each resident paid. Glen Schumann, director of hous ing, met last week with RHA mem bers to discuss the possibility of find ing an alternate plan after they voted to oppose such an increase at last Sunday’s meeting. The Association of Students of the University of Ne braska also opposed the plan. RHA later presented its ideas to Zatechka. He then reported to a cam pus-wide committee that was asked to make a new plan. Zatechka said Sunday he was in favor of the upgrade, but agreed there needed to be a way to lower the cost to students. “We are not looking at a 10 per cent increase or even an 8 percent increase, but even though it may be lower, students can’t get hit all at once with these costs,” he said. Zatechka also said the committee and Chancellor Graham Spanier were looking at a way to upgrade the sys tem in phases over three or four years that would spread out the cost to students. “We don’t have the specific num bers right now, but our main objec tives are to upgrade the existing com puter facilities, spread out the changes which would reduce costs to students and to implement a state-of-the-art computer system,” he said. Statistics from major universities in the region, such as Colorado and Kansas, have shown the committee there is a way to upgrade the existing system without outrageous increases in housing rates, Zatechka said. “Everybody has either done this or will be doing this,” he said. “We have to put ourselves into* the computer age.” The changes would allow all resi dence-hall rooms and faculty offices to be wired to access HuskerNet and the Internet. The new system would include a central wiring system in each building that would spread out to wire each room individually. Club, coffee considered for the Crib 4 By Laura King Staff Reporter The clink of coffee cups and the sounds of a live band may be common in the Crib by next fall. A non-alcoholic alternative nightclub or a coffee house are two of the options a steering committee is looking at to transform the Crib into an alternative for underage drinking on campus, said Daryl Swanson, director of the Nebraska Union. The Crib would be used Thursday through Saturday nights for entertainment sponsored by university organizations. A portable stage, refreshments and decorations would be brought in to enhance the atmosphere, Swanson said. \ A different event will be held each month until April as part of this year’s “pilot pro gram” to try out different ideas, Swanson said. The final decision will be made by the end of ; the semester. “We don’t want the place to be event-ori ented,” he said. “We want a fun and entertain ing atmosphere that will be an alternative to tiart\/inr» in livinn unite ” ptULjrtiig 111 living uiiuo. The first scheduled event will be Feb. 18, when Lie Awake plays in the new nightclub atmosphere, Swanson said. The University Program Council will be a co-sponsor. Last spring, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs James Griesen appointed a committee to explore the possibility of creating a non alcoholic nightclub. Since then, the committee has met every other week to brainstorm ideas and explore places the club could be housed. The Crib was the most likely location be cause it was the easiest space to use within the Union, Swanson said. It would not have to be extensively remodeled and has management and staff already in place, he said. Another option the committee is seriously considering is a coffee-house atmosphere, Swanson said. The coffee-house theme would be permanent during the weekdays, with enter tainment on weekends. With the planned union expansion, Swanson said he hoped the nightclub or coffee house could become permanent. The other Super Bowl jen naner/uiN Ryan Stephens, left, Jason Peterson and Andy Theis surround ball carrier Ian Barnett, second from left, in a fngid football game near 17th and Vine streets Sunday. Bill would ban smoking in state buildings From Staff Reports A bill that would bring the no-smoking policy in state buildings up to UNL’s standards was sent to the floor of the Legislature Friday by the Health and Human Services Committee. LB 121, introduced by Sen. Don Preister of Omaha, would ban smoking inside all state buildings, as well as within 10 feet of them. The bill originally prohibited smoking within 50 feet of the buildings but was amended by the committee. was an arbitrary figure. His concern was to provide a smoke-free workplace. “My intent is to protect employees,” Preister The bill exempts several state buildings, including university residence halls. ■ rnin mtiipc Another bill, LB255, LEGISLATURE which would prohibit un married and unrelated adults who live together from becoming foster parents, was killed by the Health and Human Services Committee at the urging of the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Kate Witek of Omaha. The bill, while not mentioning homosexu als, would have prevented homosexuals from becoming foster parents. Witek said the bill was unnecessary because a Nebraska Department of Social Services policy announced last week prohibited such cases. Party will help students make an IMPACT on UNL Editor's note: This is the third in a series of reports taking a look at parties campaigning for the ASUN presidency. [ By Kathryn A. Ratliff f Staff Reporter Establishing a government that is represen tative of the entire student body is Shawntell Hurtgen’s top priority. Hurtgen is the presidential candidate for the Impact party, which is vying for the leadership of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska. “Having a representative-type of student government is what making an impact is all about,” Hurtgen said. Hurtgen said her party aimed to make an impact in all areas of campus by listening to student opinions and concerns and by forming an attainable platform. “A platform doesn’t mean anything if it can’t be accomplished,” she said. “And I don’t break promises.” Hurtgen said it was early in the campaign and at this point, the Impact party had yet to fully develop a platform. Party members are busy visiting residence halls and campus organizations in an effort to gather a variety of student input, she said. “Making a platform depends on the stu dents,” Hurtgen said. “We’re aggressively ask ing questions about how students feel, and we’ll build our platform based on that student consensus.” Eric Marintzer, student coordinator for Impact, said making a strong effort to find out what students want was how the party would make a difference. “We want to help students make an impact,” Marintzer said. “We’re about empowering the students.” Marintzer also stressed the importance of setting reachable goals. Impact has branched out to about every area of campus, Hurtgen said. Everyone needs to be represented, she said, and all students will be able to find something that affects them on the Impact platform. “We’ll have issues on the platform that will take initiative, investigation and motivation,” Hurtgen said. “We’ll have issues that aren’t dreams.” Although the Impact ticket is not full, Hurtgen said the representatives already com mitted to the party represented a variety of experienced faces that were eager to make a difference. See IMPACT on 6