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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1986)
M Wednesday, April 9, 1986,/The Battalion Page 3 KLS attorney seeks contracts for case Wasson accused of creating debt By Mike Sullivan Staff Writer Bill Wasson, Texas A&M vice hancellor, says he does not have the mthority to borrow money or create a debt for the University, but John Hawtrey, attorney for KLS Comput- :rs, says he thinks Wasson approved _ontracts that have created a large lebt for A&M’s Micro Center. KLS Computers filed a $4.05 mil lion lawsuit Jan. 29 against Wasson reusing him of overstepping his au- hority as an A&M employee when [he and other individuals under his authority created the Micro Center. The suit also says Wasson pro- noted unfair competition by allow ing the center to use state money to ell computers at uncompetitively low prices. The suit also seeks an injunction [oclose the Micro Center. Hawtrey says Wasson, who serves as chairman of the Systems Comput ing Policies Committee, arranged the volume discounts by contracting with various manufacturers for more than the center’s $1.5 million budget allows. The 1985-86 budget lists expenses for the center at $1,477,621, but the expenses are not itemized. Wasson says John Kane, manager of the center, developed the center’s budget. Kane says the center doesn’t have a set operating budget and the 1985- 86 budget was put together at the last minute. “We really haven’t had an honest to goodness operating budget,” Kane says. “Things were thrown to gether at the last minute mainly be cause we had to have something.” Kane says he doesn’t think the center has contracted for more than it can afford. “I can’t recall right off the top of my head, but I don’t think there are (contracts for more than the budget allows),” he says. Hawtrey says if Wasson has spent more than is allowed for in the bud get, he acted beyond the authority of his System job and is personally ac countable. To prove his case, Hawtrey says he needs the individual contracts be tween the center and the manufac turers. Wasson says he has some of the contracts but he doesn’t know what’s in them, and he says the rest of the contracts are Tiled with various de partments around campus. At a deposition Friday, Wasson said he couldn’t personally account for all the contracts. Hawtrey says the deposition was primarily for discovering exactly who does have the contracts. “The records will speak for them selves,” Hawtrey says. Kelvin Adams, attorney for Was son, says Wasson doesn’t have to produce the contracts because Haw trey is suing him as an individual. As a private individual, Adams says, Wasson has no right to the doc uments, which he says, are the prop erty of A&M. Because the center buys in volume from such manufacturers as Apple and IBM, it can sell computers to students, faculty and staff at below dealer cost. Larry Berry, president of KLS Computers, says he and other local retailers can’t compete with the dis counts of fered by the center. roups at A&M seeking site for fraternity row iy imicb may fa! I :s of efJ :do not divent reman ae motf receive ‘xualittl ger cou ture an! acovitj thefiral ttivity iinancJ inst hfrl e of l»| rease a : peopl >t otheof ves. deal «ij for Tk y sts circle I ioustosi rton, noi; aas bed i unspec line tlti oil mai 1 ' when i Hi y- ! get be .ion is 111 ner ;onsen» i,- it’s jock 1$ ’s make* t for ^ >P‘ By Brad Weir Reporter After gaining recognition from [Texas A&M last summer, fraterni- [iesare nearing another landmark in pstablishing the Greek system at by building a fraternity row. Currently the fraternity houses at are spread throughout the Jryan-College Station area. James Schneider, president of Phi pamma Delta, says fraternity row puld be the unifying force for rival fraternities. “Another reason for frat row is to inove to an area where there’s not a ICorrection Friday’s issue of At Ease incor- sctly reported that Texas Coin xchange no longer sells kruger- I rands. Texas Coin Exchange still I sells krugerrands. The Battalion regrets the error. problem with the neighbors, like many fraternities are experiencing now,” Schneider says. Doug Feigl, housing chairman for Sigma Phi Epsilon, says local realtors have shown great interest and coop eration in helping the fraternities develop fraternity row. Currently the fraternities are looking at: • A 25-acre lot on the corner of Wellborn and Deacon roads. • A lot behind Treehouse Village apartments facing the A&M Horse Center. • A lot on the corner of Wellborn and Holleman roads. • A lot on Harvey Road east of the Highway 6 bypass. Feigl says the Wellborn and Dea con road lot is the best of the four proposed sites. The lot is only 2.5 miles from campus, and the owner is making the deal very attractive, he says. Feigl says landowner W.D. Fitch will donate 1.3 acres out of the total 25 acres for a commons area. The area would be about the size of a football field and could be used by all the fraternities building on the row. Moreover, Feigl says fraternity row will be the first development on the 25 acres, thereby eliminating the angry neighbor problems that have plagued fraternities in the past. David Giunto, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, has been working on the project since its beginning last April. He says realtors have been quoting competitve prices for the acreage. The going price is now $1.50 per square foot for an average size lot of about two acres. Danny Parsley, president of Sigma Chi, says the fraternities should pick a site by the end of the semester. Roy Duff, president of Sigma Al pha Epsilon, says his fraternity has house plans drawn, bylaws prepared and the capital ready to buy a lot on fraternity row. The amount of money needed to itor jr m nc " s f*i so '■'An ■dited"’* here" 1 * .jI, friW McDo4 lai/on. The GATHRIGHT AWARDS AND BUCK WEIRUS SPIRIT AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT AND PRESENTATION 9:00 A.M. SUNDAY, APRIL 13 RUDDER AUDITORIUM All applicants should attend! purchase a lot on fraternity row va ries for each fraternity. Feigl says the sorority houses have been used as a scale for fraternites to decide the size of house they need. Prices for the sorority houses ranged from $800,000 to $1 million. Fraternities are handling their own financing, Feigl says, which can be acquired through the fraternity’s national organization. Some of the fraternities also are looking into limited partnerships. A limited partnership is a group of in vestors who buy the land and the house through a lease-purchase agreement. In 10 years the frater nity can buy the house from the in vestors. The fraternities who have con tacted one or all of the realtors in volved in the fraternity row project include Alpha Gamma Rho, Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Al pha Tau Omega, Beta Theta Pi and Phi Gamma Delta. THE BEST OF EVERYTHING! Lowest Prices • Large Frame Selection Skilled Opticians • Free Adjustments f Bring in This Coupon And Save 50% Off Frames Choose any style from our entire frame selection including Haiston, Pierre Cardin and Yves St. Laurent. Then take 50% off the regular price. Offer good with this coupon and student/faculty identification when ordering a complete pair of prescription glasses only. No other discounts apply. Offer expires May 10,1986. 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