The Battalion
ore information
sh at 821-2138.
olume 103 • Issue 70 • 12 Pages
Tuesday, December 10, 1996
The Batt Online: http://bat-web.tamu.edu
There will be a
ittee meeting;!
se check the
r room number,
at ion call 845-15!
Demolition plans anger Burger Boy owner
s a Battalion seij By Erica Roy
jn-profit studeni: The Battalion
nts and activil:|
Id be submitted ! Demolition of the 301 Patricia
tree days in advajtieet shopping center in North-
id run date. Appj a te will force Burger Boy, the
les and notices jniy remaining business there, to
md will not ber.fielocate in late spring or early
. If you haveijummer of 1997.
lease call thenel George Sopasakis, Burger Boy’s
-3313. Ivner, said he must relocate to a
■ace in the Northgate area that
■ comparable in rent and size to
w Is current location.
■ Sopasakis said the proposed
1 Page 1 ^ les t ^ ie College Station
° Bis offered do not accommodate
Hopwood deciil s restaurant’s needs,
le ExCEL progitf “Ti ie problem being to find a
result of decreJJcation is very hard,” Sopasakis
ent.
ant) numbersv
ibly,” McCleni
ry optimistic al
rs will look lib
said. "To go ahead and go to a
new space and have to pay the
“We want to relocate
Burger Boy, but at
the same time we
need to do what's
best for the city
at large."
Todd McDaniel
Northgate project coordinator
extra rent that may be required or
to ... try to accommodate the
same pool of customers that you
had before ... it’s very hard. When
you are a small business and you
have a stability, you don’t want to
upset that stability.”
Alternate locations were pro
posed, which Sopasakis refused.
He was unhappy with the location
and size of a building near Univer
sity Tower and the increased rent
of the Baskin Robbins’ property on
University Drive.
In a letter to Sopasakis from
the city, George Noe, city man
ager, said the restrictions
Sopasakis placed on the accept
able location made "it almost
impossible for us (the city) to be
successful in accomplishing a
relocation of Burger Boy.”
The letter stated that
Sopasakis’ current rental rate is
below the market rate and there is
not an available commercial
space in the Northgate area.
Todd McDaniel, Northgate
project coordinator, said despite
obstacles in the relocation search,
the city is still trying to find an ac
ceptable space for Burger Boy.
“We’re going to make every
effort to assist them in reloca
tion,” McDaniel said. "That’s all
we can do.”
Sopasakis put in a proposal
for the former Kinko’s and
Chicken Basket building at 201
College Main, but the bid was
not competitive.
Texadelphia Sandwiches and
Sports Incorporated, a sandwich
shop, was the highest bidder for
the building. The City Council will
vote Thursday night to approve the
contract with Texadelphia.
Sopasakis said the decision to
sell the building to Texadelphia is
an injustice to him as a small-
business owner and a College Sta
tion citizen.
“As a taxpayer and a business
owner here, I don’t think it’s ap
propriate for the city to come and
provide Texadelphia, a restaurant
... out of another town, a viable
position for us to be in," he said.
“To take the only available
space right now ... and give it to
somebody from out of town and
for us to become their parking lot, I
consider that very inappropriate.”
Noe’s letter to Sopasakis stated
that by law, the city was obligated to
negotiate with the best economic
proposal for the sale of the building.
McDaniel said a contract was
negotiated with Texadelphia be
cause it offered the highest bid.
“We want to relocate Burger
Boy, but at the same time we need
to do what’s best for the city at
large,” McDaniel said.
He said Texadelphia and Burg
er Boy had an equal opportunity
to bid on the property.
“It’s not an issue if we like
Burger Boy more than Texadel
phia,” McDaniel said.
See Burger Boy, Page 6
id ExCEL will c
mprove the qua
“d by the progri
iw many stude
3 olls open for
un-off election
By Courtney Walker
The Battalion
tudents attend:
ected to decre:
oend on how
; said.
Tant program!
r of students co|
of it,” he said.
id ExCEL willl| Brazos Valley voters will return to
W e rri e polls today to decide whether
ire, wit t e ni »p U bii cans Gene Fontenot or Kevin
Brady will fill the District 8 U.S.
jouse of Representative seat left va-
«nt by Rep. Jack Fields’ retirement.
I A special election in January will
letermine who will represent Texas
j&M in the 75th session of the
pxas Legislature.
Brady and Fontenot defeated
eir Democratic opponents in the
ov. 5 general election.
Voters in District 8, which in-
udes north Harris, Montgomery,
astin, Brazos, Waller and Washing-
n counties, will see the candidates’
ames on the ballot for the fourth
me this year.
Brady defeated Fontenot in the
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“It makes the job a lot
harder for whomever
wins the election
because they won’t
have as much time to
prepare, but the
district will survive."
Steve Ogden
State representative
but a court mandate altered
lines, requiring a new election.
Polls will be open today from 7
m. to 7 p.m.
Scott Pool, a member of Brady’s
ign, said predicting voter
“This is the first time Texas has
The election in January will de-
State Senator Jim Turner was
elected to the 2nd U.S. Congression
al District on Nov. 5. His position as
District 5 senator will be left vacant
when he assumes his new office on
Jan. 7. The District 14 representative
seat was vacated by Rep. Steve Og
den when lie announced his candi
dacy for Turner’s position.
Turner refuses to resign his Texas
Senate seat until he assumes his new
Congress seat Jan. 7.
If Turner had turned in his resig
nation when he was elected to Con
gress in November, the special elec
tion to fill his seat would have been
held today with the run-off election.
But under state law, the governor
cannot call a special election until 21
days after Turner has given his letter
of resignation or is sworn in to his
new office.
The Legislative session begins Jan.
14, which means the Brazos Valley
and Texas A&M will be without rep
resentation in the Senate for at least
two weeks.
State Rep. Steve Ogden, who an
nounced his candidacy for the
Texas Senate seat, said this is not
an ideal situation, but it should
not be a disaster.
“It makes the job a lot harder for
whomever wins the election because
they won’t have as much time to
prepare, but the district will survive,”
he said.
Ogden is currently unopposed for
Turner’s seat.
Ogden resigned his seat in the
Texas House of Representatives, giv
ing Gov. George Bush the option to
schedule the State Senate and House
elections simultaneously.
Richard Smith, a local business
man and former member of the
House Appropriations Committee,
and Bill Roman, a local retiree, are
the current candidates for Ogden’s
seat in the State House, District 14.
Ogden told constituents at the
McLennan County Republican
headquarters that it would have
been unfair to leave the 14th
House district without representa
tion for the beginning of the Leg
islative session by delaying the res
ignation of his seat.
Bear Hug
SSSIBS!
Jennifer Fredrickson, The Battalion
John Warren, a Bonham student, carries a bear from the Make A Smile Happen (MASH) fund-raiser
sponsored by local radio stations. The fund-raiser, which collected food and money for needy children,
ran for 100 hours, ending Monday morning at 10 a.m.
UPD encourages holiday safety measures
Students can take steps to prevent crime during semester break
By Brandon Hausenfluck
The Battalion
As the semester break inch
es closer, law enforcement of
ficials advise vacationers to
take preventative steps while
preparing for the holiday.
Sgt. Betty Lemay, a crime pre
vention specialist at the Univer
sity Police Department, said
most crimes can be prevented.
“(Historically,) more crimes
are committed this semester
(fall) than any other,” Lemay
said. “[Students] should take
their valuables with them and
keep them in the trunk where
they can’t be seen.”
Book theft, Lemay said, is a
significant problem on campus
during the final exam period.
“While everyone is studying
in the library, we get hit a lot
for book theft,” she said.
Lemay said students should
always keep their belongings
with them while studying at
the library.
Lt. Bert Kretzschmar, UPD
crime prevention unit super
visor, said vacationers need to
remain aware of their sur
roundings.
“Because of the hustle and
bustle of the season, people are
very caught up in the holiday
spirit and they let their guards
down,” Kretzschmar said. “They
forget about their personal safe
ty, so they need to stay alert and
be aware of what’s going on
around them.”
Kretzschmar said citizens
are encouraged to visit UPD’s
crime prevention web site at
http://www.tamu.edu/upd for
more information regarding
holiday safety.
“We covered the whole
gamut on holiday safety at the
web site,” he said.
Residents who will be away
for the holidays can call the
College Station Police Depart
ment and register their homes
with the “Dark House” pro
gram. The program provides a
holiday watch by the CSPD
upon resident request.
Residents must give infor
mation such as what cars
might be parked at the house,
who has a key, and a phone
number where the resident
can be contacted during the
break. CSPD can be reached at
764-3600.
Walter Sayers, a senior offi
cer in the CSPD crime preven
tion unit, said residents should
take a few preventative mea
sures to protect their homes
from burglaries.
See Safety, Page 6
The Battalion
TODAY
itudy Spells
PRAC
FINAL
Aggie life, Page 3
Still Rising
oach Laurie Corbelli
nd the A&M Volleyball
rogram made great
trides in 1996.
Sports, Page 7
Kerry Finals
ickson: Before hit-
ngthe egg nog, stu-
ents will be hitting
Je books.
Opinion, Page 11
A Living Piece of History
Wiatt’s unique past inspires present
By Ann Marie Hauser
The Battalion
Bob Wiatt wanted a more challenging career
than his degrees in business or law could offer.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation provided that
— and more.
Wiatt, director of the Texas A&M University Po
lice Department, now leads a serene life in a college
town, but the path that brought him here is any
thing but commonplace.
As an FBI agent, Wiatt played an integral part in
numerous high-profile investigations, achieving the
challenging career he desired.
“I thought I was going to be a humdrum lawyer,”
he said.
Wiatt became an FBI agent after graduating from
the University of Cincinnati and Chase Law School
and serving two years in the U.S. Navy during World
War II.
One of his first posts was in New York City, where
he was assigned to espionage and Communist Party
cases, including the case of famous Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg, who were falsely accused of spying for
the Communists.
On assignment in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wiatt
and other agents were involved in a six-hour gun
battle after trying to round up terrorists of the Na
tionalist Party of Puerto Rico.
The Party had attempted to assassinate President
Truman in 1950.
Rachel Redington, The Battalion
Bob Wiatt, University Police Department director,
worked for the FBI after attending law school
and serving two years in the U.S. Navy.
During the disorder of the 1960s, work found
Wiatt active in numerous civil rights cases and the
Kennedy assassination case.
He said he was considered the most “despicable
and hated agent” by the Ku Klux Klan because he
would quell potential members’ desire to join by
warning them that they were being watched.
See Wiatt, Page 12
BookSwap provides
Online marketplace
By JoAnne Whittemore
The Battalion
Buying books for the spring se
mester will be one of the first things
students at Texas A&M do upon re
turning from the Christmas break,
and for those worried about paying
high prices, Student Government
offers an Internet option.
Student Government, with the
assistance of Computing Informa
tion Services (CIS), has a Book-
Swap program on the Internet that
allows students to contact others
who are interested in buying or
selling textbooks.
Chris Cochran, vice president of
communications for Student Gov
ernment and a senior industrial
engineering major, said BookSwap
is a money-saving alternative.
“I think it’s an opportunity for
students to save money,” he said. “I
know with all the fee increases, a lot
of students are on a tight budget. If
this saves them a dollar here, or a
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UMirctt. Computer «ml Information Services
dollar there, every little bit counts.”
BookSwap takes out the “mid
dle man” normally involved in
textbooks sales, which eliminates
the costs incurred by their attempt
to make a profit.
Keith Marrocco, one of the orig
inal programmers of BookSwap
and an Internet analyst with CIS,
said BookSwap allows students to
enter information into a database,
which other students may view.
See BookSwap, Page 6