S
New fountain makes a splash at union
■ While some pine for the
old Broyhill fountain, many
students enjoy the geometric
shapes and layout of the new
structure.
By Sarah Baker
Senior editor
Broyhill Fountain has always
stood as a landmark for students at die
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
But since the demise of the origi
nal fountain more than two years ago,
some students have said they felt the
campus has lacked a gathering place
for students to meet, to study or just to
hang out on a sunny afternoon.
Students needn’t fret, though:
With the new face of the Nebraska
Union came a new face for Broyhill
Fountain.
The original fountain, which was
destroyed in October 1996, was one of
the last things to go before union con
struction began.
Its replacement, the new, teardrop
shaped fountain that was filled with
water for the first time last Thursday,
consists of a cluster of asymmetrical
rocks and a total of nine jets that will
spout frothy columns of water.
At night, the fountain will be lit
with white lights, said Daryl Swanson,
Nebraska Unions director.
The fountain, which was original
ly dedicated in 1970, is named after
the late Lynn Diann Broyhill, a UNL
senior home economics major, who
died in a car accident on Sept. 8,1966,
on the way to pick up her gown for the
AkSarBen ball.
Swanson said the Broyhill family
has been involved in the process con
cerning the new fountain, and would
be involved with the rededication
April 15 when it will be officially re
named Broyhill Fountain.
Craig Broyhill, who is the brother
of the fountain’s namesake, said his
family has been involved in the new
fountain’s construction and planning.
“It’s different, but pretty,” Broyhill
said about the fountain. “But the peo
ple that remember the old fountain are *
always going to be wary of the new
one.
“It was always a real place for stu
dents to meet, so 1 hope that contin
ues.”
Swanson said the majority of the
feedback he has heard from students
on the new fountain has been positive,
and he believes both new and old stu
dents will embrace the fountain in the
same way they did the original one.
Students who were checking out
the fountain with water for the first
time last Thursday afternoon had
mixed reactions.
Christian Elowsky, a biology grad
uate student, said he wasn’t sure about
the new fountain just yet.
“I was really fond of the way
Broyhill used to be,” he said. “You did
n’t get as wet with it. But you know
this is going to be a good place for
Brother Jed to end up.” >
Freshman fashion design major
Mary Lasker, who had waded into the
nnnTT Matt Miller/DN
SCOTT MOORE, a junior international business major, threatens to throw undeclared freshman Heather Bruce
into the fountain last week during a test run.
water last Thursday, liked the new
fountain.
“It’s like a jungle gym in water!”
Lasker said. “It’s fun.”
Scott Moore, a junior international
business major, was less enthusiastic.
“I liked die old one better,” he said.
“I don’t know if it is going to be as big
of a gathering place for students - it’s
not circular, and there are no benches
around it.”
Water will fill the fountain from
mid-April until mid-October.
The fog function - the one stu
dents have seen the majority of the
spring semester - is only for ofF-sea
son use and is not the main function of
the fouhtain, Swanson said.
Neil Dean, the architect and
designer of the new fountain, said the
mist turns the fountain into a year
round attraction.
“The steam provides a different
expression that a lot of people like,” he
said.
The new plaza also has a perma
nent stage for concerts, which was
another feature the university asked
the architects to include.
The plaza was designed by
Sinclair Hille & Associates, a Lincoln
architectural firm, and Sasaki
Associates out of Watertown, Mass.
Dean said the point behind the
i
design of the fountain was to have
something different and new.
“The old fountain was very tradi
tional, and there was discussion of dif
ferent kinds of fountains," Dean said -
“We decided on the rocks because
they are unusual, and there is nothing
else like them in Lincoln.”
For Broyhill, the most significant
thing - more significant that appear-f
ance or function - is the history that
surrounds both the old and new foun
tains.
“The most important thing is that
it carries on the name and the tradi
tion,” he said. “That’s what it’s all
about.”
Former
‘Corn Crib'
holds bands,
events
ByJoshKnaub
Staff writer
For more than 60 years, the
Nebraska Union’s Crib has served
University of Nebraska-Lincoln stu
dents as a study area, food court, meet
ing room and concert hall.
Located inside the south entrance
of the Nebraska Union, the Crib has
stayed much the same in form and
function since earlier than 1940, said
Bill Behmer, Nebraska Union opera
tions manager.
“The Crib has always been avail
able for use by student groups and has
always had food of some kind,”
Behmer said.
According to a plaque that faces
the south entrance of the Union, the
area was dubbed “The Com Crib” by
1940 UNL graduate BobTCubicek.
Kubicek won a contest to name the
original snack bar located in the space.
Remodeling has changed the Crib
slightly, but Behmer said building
planners have always tried to retain the
“best parts” of the room.
The original Com Crib snack bar is
gone, but the area still serves as a place
for students to eat and study.
Behmer said the last remodeling
project, about 12 years ago, moved the
Crib’s stage from the north wall to its
present location on the east side.,
A small dance floor was also
installed in front of the stage, and
remodeling added better lighting.
Behmer said that the most distinct
element retained from the original
Crib was the fireplace on the west end.
UNL student groups can reserve
the Crib at no cost for most events. The
student group that has used the Crib
the most in recent years is the
University Program Council.
Robyn Seals, a UPC graduate
assistant, said UPC played host to a
series of Thursday night events in the
Crib. Thursday Crib activities have
included concerts, karaoke and a bingo
nieht.
One of the newest UPC programs
is a series of Tuesday afternoon con
certs.
UPC sponsors the lunch-hour con
cert series on a semiweekly basis.
“So far, student response has been
good,” Seals said. “We’ve only had a
couple of people say that the music is a
little too loud.”
Liz Zuehlke, a sophomore elemen
tary education major, said she enjoyed
the noon concert series.
“People were really responsive,”
she said, adding that the Crib audience
applauded performers and seemed to
really appreciate the music.
“The people who wanted to study
went somewhere else,” Zuehlke said.
One of the more interesting events
held in the Crib, Behmer said, was last
year’s textiles and design fashion show.
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