Recreation Facility

Being a school with the highest intramural involvement, the students at UNL were not going to allow the university to maintain the smallest indoor recreational facility in the big ten for long; they wanted – no – they needed something bigger and better (Knoll 1995, p. 178). Students argued that they must be both physically healthy as well as mentally, and this would come from a new recreational facility (Daily Nebraskan, August 30, 1985, p. 4). Though there were some obstacles to jump through from the NU Board of Regents, who did not want to have to increase taxes for a non-academic project, finally, in 1987administrative action was taken and a plan to build a brand new recreational facility was in the works (Martha Stoddard, Daily Nebraskan/ Knoll 1995, p. 178). This new complex would be built completely tax-free, something Massengale was extremely proud of (Knoll 1995, p. 178). The complex came in three stages. The first being the Cook Pavilion and George B. Cook field completed in November of 1987; the second being the Lee and Helene Sapp Recreation Facility completed in September of 1989; the third and final phase being a remodel of The Coliseum which would not be completed until 1991 (Mary Kay Wayman, Daily Nebraskan). After the second phase was complete students were amazed at the quality of the complex, exclaiming that it was amazing that it’s for students and not for athletes, they even went as far as to say that it was like being a member of a health club (Mary Kay Wayman, Daily Nebraskan).

Honors Program

In 1986 a campus-wide Honors Program was put in place (Knoll 1995, p. 177). After years of recruiting National Merit Scholars, the university began a program for the university’s brightest students (Connie Sue Gaskill Gulick). That first fall for the Honors Program in 1986, 100 students were admitted (Daily Nebraskan, August 20, 1986). These students had to fill out a more detailed application including an essay, recommendations and a transcript; those identified to even apply were those who had at least a 29 Composite ACT score, were in the upper quarter of their high school classes, and had GPAs between 3.5 and 4.0 (Loretta T. Johnson). Once in the honors program, the students were to take honors seminars, and in their senior years, write theses. Many had high hopes for the new honors program; director Dr. Patrice Berger, stated that “their presence will be of benefit not only to themselves but to the entire UNL community. Both our faculty and students outside of the honors program will be stimulated and enriched by their presence” (Daily Nebraskan, August 20, 1986).