Big Red Welcome to rock the block By Amy Keller Staff Reporter The university is urging 3,500 new students to start a successful school year with a party. Big Red Welcome, an all-day festi val for new and returning University of Nebraska-Lincoln students, will include activities ranging from orienta tion assemblies to a block party with a Run-DMC concert. From 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, students can go on tours of City and East cam puses to f nd out where their classes are. Also at 1 p.m., students in the University Honors Program and University Foundations Program who participated in summer reading will dis cuss “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho with professors. Students will gather in groups of eight each with a faculty member, which will let each student meet a professor before school starts, said Pat McBride, director of New Student Enrollment. At 4 p.m., a new student convoca tion in the Lied Center for Performing Arts will include speeches from Nebraska Football Coach Tom Osborne, Chancellor James Moeser and a performance by the Comhusker Marching Band. The block party will begin at 5 p.m. on R Street from 12th to 14th streets. Pepsi will serve free refreshments to kick off the its first year as UNL’s offi cial beverage company. Other sponsors of the party include the University Bookstore, Fairbury Brand Hot Dogs, National Bank of Commerce, Gallup, Apple Computer andKFRX, 102.7-FM. |/ '| Matt Haney/DN McBride said this year’s Big Red Welcome will be different because there has never been a block party. “The pri mary difference is the welcome festival on R Street. It was held on the green space or in Devaney before.” Students can stop at more than 225 booths from restaurants, businesses and organizations, said Bill Anderson, the 1997 Big Red Welcome coordinator. The UNL Yell Squad, Scarlet and Cream Singers, and Scarlet Sensations will also perform, followed by groups from the Lincoln area. These include Kid Quarkstar, Beyond and China Digs, which will lead up to the headline act, Run-DMC. The concert and block party will end about 9 p.m. Sunday to give the booth participants time to clear the booths to reopen R Street for traffic Monday. Housing has enough room By Sarah Baker Assignment Reporter Students who dread the thought of living in a residence hall TV lounge during their first semester of college can rest a little easier. Although all 13 UNL residence halls will be full for the fall semester, the number of stu dents living in the halls has decreased. Doug Zatechka, housing director, said he would be surprised to have students living in TV lounges. “There are still housing contracts coining in at this late time, so none of this data is concrete,” Zatechka said. “But from what I have seen so far, I don’t think we will have any lounge assignments.” Although final numbers aren’t available for the semester, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Housing provided ten I tative figures. As of Aug. 2, housing is using 4,900 spaces this year, com pared with 5,083 this time last year, a difference of 183 spaces. Of the 4,900 spaces in use, 800 are single rooms. - Though the number of freshmen entering the halls has dropped, the housing department has seen more returning students this year. Housing calculated that 1,749 students are returning to the halls this year, com pared with 1,579 last year. Although options are limited, Zatechka said, university housing won’t turn away any students. “Everyone will get some kind of liv ing accommodations,” he said. Students who aren’t assigned to their preferred room may move into a triple room instead, especially if their contracts arrive late, Zatechka said. In past years, these students likely would Please see HOUSING on 8 ——, Editor: Paula Lavigne Questions? Comments? Ask for the Managing Editor: Julie Sobczyk appropriate section editor at (402) 472-2588 Associate News Editor: Rebecca Stone ore-maildn@unllnfo.unl.edu. Assistant News Editor: Jeff Randall Assignment Editor: Chad Lorenz General Manager: Dan Shattil , ’ Opinion Editor: Jessica Kennedy Publications Board Melissa Myles, Sports Editor: MikeKluck Chairwoman: (402)476-2446 A&E Editor: Jim Goodwin Professional Adviser: Don Walton, Copy Desk Chief: Nancy Zywiec (402)473-7301 Photo Director: Ryan Soderlin Advertising Manager: Nick Paitsch, Design Director: Joshua Gillin (402) 472-2589 Art Director: Aaron Steckelberg Assistant Ad Manager: Daniel Lam Online Editor: Mary Ann Muggy Classified Ad Manager: Tiffiny Clifton Fax number: (402) 472-1761 World Wide Web: www.unl.edu/DailyNeb The Daily Nebraskan (USPS144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monday through Friday duming the academic year; weekly during the summer sessions.The public has access to the Publications Board. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by callinq (402) 472-2588. Subscriptions are $55 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln NE 68588-0448 ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1997 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN Parking services make changes By Darren Ivy Staff Reporter Many students think of UNL Parking and Transit Services as the bad guys on campus, but Parking Services Manager Tad McDowell said his employees are just doing their jobs. “People think we give tickets for the money,” McDowell said. “We give tickets because we have to maintain order on campus. If we didn’t give tickets, we would have people parking on the lawn and wherever else they could find a spot.” To try to clean up their bad guy image, UNL Parking Services has made several changes including mak ing it easier to pick up permits, resur facing parking lots, changing several streets and meters and adding a new parking garage. Upperclassmen know that picking up parking permits has been a painstaking task in the past. Students have waited more than 30 minutes for Please see PARKING on 6 Commuter permits are almost sold out By Darren Ivy Staff Reporter Students who want a space in one of UNL’s green commuter lots are out of luck. As of Wednesday morning, Parking and Transit Services Please see PERMITS on 12 nil ■ i M&Mm Clip & Save J$16 Gift Check!1. * \l Redeem this gift check for a $10 savings on any ■ regular price purchase amounting to $30 or more. May