Texas A & M University
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ilume 103 • Issue 156 • 6 Pages
College Station, TX
Monday, june 30, 1997
I cl $01
•ing;
tudents hired to petition use of taxes for hotel
By Robert Smith
The Battalion
y°f ITieBrazos Valley Hotel/Motel Association hired
He 11 asA&M students to form a petition that oppos-
dty using public funds to build a hotel and
[erence center on Northgate.
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Ongoing Coverage
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Hie students have used a “Save Our Mud Lot”
ipaign to attract signatures.
Larry Haskins, a lawyer representing the
di lerofthe land, Jack Culpepper, said tiie land will
Moped even if the hotel and conference cen-
h M isnot built.
They have the right to form a petition,” Haskins
1‘but people must realize that the land is not go-
besaved. He (Culpepper) plans to develop the
d If it is not used for a hotel, he may decide to
sit for businesses, restaurants or anything else.”
t lanen Hobbs, president of the Hotel/Motel As-
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but the
sociation, said the association hired students to
gather signatures and submitted a petition to block
a proposed hotel and conference center because it
promotes unfair competition to local hotel devel
opers and operators.
But Jeremiah Guerra, a sophomore philosophy
major employed by the Hotel/Motel Association to
collect petition signatures, said the effort to block
the proposed hotel is a “student thing.”
“We feel the students should have a right to
voice their opinion before the city uses taxes to
build a hotel,” said Guerra. “We talked to him
(Hobbs), but this is really a student thing.”
Don Anz, owner of Cafe Eccel and Rosalie’s
in College Station, saw the “Save Our Mud Lot”
tables while jogging on campus.
“I saw the tables one morning and I thought,
‘This is interesting,’” said Anz. “When I started ask
ing them questions about what the the petition was
for, they seemed to get really nervous, almost like
they were trying to get rid of me.”
Four proposals have been presented to the city
for a hotel and conference center on the mud lot.
John Q. Hammonds of Hotel Inc. made the first
proposal for a Northgate hotel and conference cen
ter last January. Three other proposals also have
been made, two of them proposed for the same
Northgate land. Hilton and Layne Hospitality in
Chicago, led by Hobbs, have made a proposal for
Northgate. Culpepper also made a proposal for
Northgate. The fourth proposal is at Wolf Pen Creek.
Hobbs has taken an active role in the hotel and
conference center proposals. He also is general
manager of the College Station Hilton, one of the
groups that has made a proposal.
Hobbs is supported by the Hotel/Motel Associa
tion and Layne Hospitality despite his conflicting roles.
“I asked the Hotel/Motel Association if they
wanted me to step down as president, but they did
not,” Hobbs said. “They support me on this.”
Hobbs said the Hotel/Motel Association op
poses the proposals because it promotes “unfair
competition” to local hotels and motels.
“Under this proposal, the only time they will pay
for the conference center is when they are using it,”
he said. “Whenever it is not being used, they would
not have to pay. Thus, they could lower the prices
on all of their rooms and they will clean up.”
Please see Hotel on Page 6.
-
Photograph: Tim Moog
The Brazos Valley Hotel/Motel Association opposes unfair competition
surrounding the proposed hotel and conference center on Mud Lot.
01’ Ag to head new battleship
tffM flag flies on the deck of the USS Ross
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By Michelle Newman
The Battalion
GALVESTON —The United States Navy
tommissioned its newest battleship Satur-
layinGalveston, and the person in charge of
ihe vessel will be none other than an Aggie.
Cmdr. Jeffrey R. Ginnow, commanding
officer of the USS Ross, is a member of the
class of 78 at Texas A&M University. The
21stof81 ships to be built, the USS Ross is
the most technologically advanced ship in
the Navy, Designed for anti-air, surface,
laud, and submarine attack, the ship is ca-
ipaMeohour types of warfare instead of
theoneortwo most ships can perform.
As a former member of the Corps of
Cadets, Ginnow said he values his experi
ences at A&M.
“You learn a lot about leadership in or
ganizations like the Corps,” Ginnow said.
Originally from Neenah, Wis., Ginnow
later moved to Texas with his parents. When
the time came for Ginnow to pick a univer
sity, his parents required him to stay in
Texas. A&M offered him scholarships and,
after a tour of the campus, he said he felt at
home at the University. The friendliness of
people and the traditions of the campus
brought him to A&M, Ginnow said.
“The traditions at A&M are now near
and dear to my heart,” he said.
I ban'
her
Photograph: Michelle Newman
Ensign Robert Cohen, classes of ’93 and ’95, Cmdr. Jeffrey R. Ginnow, class
78, and Lt. Dennis Garth, class of ’88, are the Aggies aboard the USS Ross.
This sentiment is illustrated on the
deck of the USS Ross. Flying high on a
mast beside the United States and Texas
flags is an A&M flag.
The ward room, a meeting room for of
ficers aboard the ship, has been decorat
ed in maroon and white. Tradition allows
the first commanding officer of a ship to
pick the ship’s decorations.
Ginnow is one of three Aggies aboard
the USS i?os5. Weapons systems officer Lt.
Dennis Garth is a member of the Class of
’88 and also was in the Corps of Cadets.
Garth was a drum major of the Aggie Band
from Fall 1987 through Spring 1988. As a
drum major, Garth said, leadership was
essential for success.
“Colonel Haney (band director at the
time), back in ‘Ol’ Army’ days, expected
the three drum majors to take care of all
activities of the band,” Garth said. “For a
kid, that’s a lot of responsibility.”
Garth said the Corps of Cadets was a
positive learning experience.
“The Corps was great for camaraderie,
and it was the best leadership experience
I could ever have,” Garth said.
On most Naval ships, about 50 percent
of the officers attended the Naval Acade
my. The other half studied at other mili
tary-style institutions.
Ensign Robert Cohen, Classes of '93
and ’95, also was a member of the Corps.
“At the time you are going through [the
Corps], you don’t think it’s helping you,”
Cohen said. “In the end, though, you
know it did.”
Ensign C.W.L. Huysoon said Aggie spir
it is prevalent on the ship.
“There’s only three Aggies on the boat,
but everyone knows who the Aggies are,”
Huysoon said.
Under the leadership of Ginnow, tradi-
. -
Photograph: Michael Tomlinson,
Special to The Battalion
The Navy commissioned its newest battle
ship, the USS Ross, Saturday in Galveston.
tion is a part of leadership.
The USS Ross is named for the late
Donald Kirby Ross, who won a Medal of
Honor for his service at Pearl Harbor. Each
person aboard the USS Ross is taught the
history of the ship’s name to instill a sense
of pride for the ship and the history to
which it is linked.
“It is a wonderful way to bring cama
raderie to the ship,” Ginnow said.
The USS Ross was commissioned in
Galveston Bay at Pier 21 Saturday night.
Ross’ widow and veterans ofWorld War
II were present for the commissioning of
the ship.
The ceremony was held at night be
cause of concerns about the heat and
humidity of Texas weather. This is the
first time a commissioning has been
held at night.
The USS Ross’home port will be in Nor
folk, Virginia.
City agency
to take over
Kelly AFB
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — In a deal that is the
largest of its kind, officials from San Antonio
and the Air Force will get together this week
to complete the $108 million sale of Kelly Air
Force Base.
The deal, to be completed on Wednesday,
is the first step in the eventual purchase of the
military base and improvements by the
Greater Kelly Development Corp. The city
agency was formed to guide the future use of
the facilities and work force after Congress
voted in 1995 to close the San Antonio Air Lo
gistics Center at Kelly by 2001.
When Air Force and local officials sign
the agreement at the Spanish Governor’s
Palace, they will at once break the mold
and build on an evolution that began with
the Defense Base Realignment and Closure
Commission.
The Greater Kelly Development Corp. will
officially begin the redevelopment of the
1,871 -acre base, which the Air Force will leave
by 2001.
The ceremony will be attended by San
Antonio Mayor Howard Peak and top Air
Force officers, but the actual start of the pri
vatization program will come in August
with the award of the C-5 aircraft mainte
nance contract.
The agreement will transfer all Kelly
land, buildings, equipment and utilities
east of the runway from the Air Force to
GKDC, the city-appointed local redevelop
ment authority.
The proposed deal is a landmark not
only for San Antonio but for the Defense
Department.
The $108 million, 40-year deal is the
largest and longest of the 19 economic de
velopment conveyances the Pentagon had
done nationwide through March 1997.
Overassignments, costs top on-campus housing complaints
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SPORTS
ure nn Hickey continues to help
vesi strive towards a more
implete women’s program.
See Page 3.
OPINION
allaway: Texas legislature,
ider #174 attempts to
uiet inappropriate’ music.
See Page 5.
By Michelle Newman
The Battalion
Living on campus at Texas A&M University
provides thousands of students opportunities
to meet new people, become involved in col
lege life and become a member of the Texas
A&M community. Although these opportuni
ties may make on- campus life favorable to liv
ing off campus, some campus dwellers say
housing facilities need improvement.
On-campus students fear the University’s
“overassignment” policy. Under this policy,
more people are assigned to some residence
halls than it can actually hold. The Depart
ment of Residence Life and Housing must
overassign to make up for expected losses
when prospective residents decide not to live
on campus. Students who are overassigned
sleep on cots in rooms with two other people
or in study rooms.
According to a June 3, 1996 Battalion arti
cle, the Department of Residence Life and
Housing said 80 percent of housing appli
cants received room assignments and 20 per
cent were overassigned in Fall 1996.
^ ^ Our primary goal is
to get residence-hall
income to equal costs.
Ron Sasse
Residence Life and Housing Director
Dan Miser, assistant director of facilities and
planning for the Department of Residence Life
and Housing, said the overassignment problem
seems to be under control.
“Memos have been sent out which shows
revisions to this process,” Miser said. “We
shouldn’t have problems again like a few
years ago.”
Before receiving on-campus housing,
many students are skeptical of its costs.
Kenneth Krampota, a junior accounting
major, said he finds campus dorms costly.
“The cost seems to be pretty high,” Kram
pota said. “It seems that you could live off
campus just as easily.”
Ron Sasse, director of residence life and
housing, said on-campus housing fees are
based directly on cost.
“Our primary goal is to get residence-hall
income to equal costs,” Sasse said.
Planned maintenance costs total $26 mil
lion for the next fiscal year alone.
Money gained through on-campus rent
is applied to the maintenance of current
Graphic: Tim Moog
housing, Sasse said.
Additional dorms have not been built be
cause the money is used for the renovation of
current facilities.
Please see Housing on Page 6.
ONLINE
Space station crew takes time out for news conference
More power has been returned to Mir since Wednesday’s collision with a cargo ship
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(AP) — The commander of Rus
sia’s mangled Mir space station said,
“We are alive, thank God,” as the
three-man crew finally got a chance
to rest Sunday after last week’s un
precedented collision.
Conditions aboard the 250-mile-
high outpost were much improved:
Some of the lights were back on, the
air conditioner was working again
and the automatic steering system
was almost back on line.
In a radio conversation — their
first since the accident—the wife of
commander Vasily Tsibliyev warned
him, “Be careful.”
“I understand her feelings and
her worries, concerns,” Tsibliyev
told reporters gathered at Russia’s
Mission Control outside Moscow.
“When I’m listening to her I cannot
feel that she’s worried. But I can
imagine she tries to contain it in
herself and, in fact, after talking to
my wife I was calmed down.”
Later, NASA astronaut Michael
Foale got a chance to talk with his
wife, vacationing with their two
young children in Kentucky. And he
assured his Russian crewmates and
flight controllers that, regardless of all
that’s happened, he’d be willing to fly
again in space.
Unlike the four previous days —
hot, humid, nerve-racking and
crammed with power-salvage
work — the crew enjoyed a slower
pace and even took time out for a
brief news conference.
The chief flight director, Vladimir
Solovyev, commented on how well
the men looked.
“We are alive, thank God,” Tsib
liyev replied in Russian.
Indeed, the three crewmen ap
peared robust during the video con
ference, smiling and even laughing
at times.
Please see Mir on Page 6.