thebattalion â—? thursday,
september 20, 2012
â—? serving
texas a&m since 1893
� first paper free – additional copies $1 � Š 2012 student media
Northgate genesis
Aaron Cranford — THE BATTALION
Northgate had a long history,, from churches to butchers to shop owners, before becoming the premiere entertainment district of College Station.
Entertainment district progresses through decades, history lingers John Tee and Michael Rodriguez The Battalion
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he evolution of Northgate is a tale of stark transformation, a story of stories. What now presides as College Station’s hub of social interaction and entertainment wasn’t so in its beginning, transforming as fluidly and radically as the University it serves.
Before it became the premiere entertainment district of Brazos Valley, Northgate was widely considered College Station’s downtown area. Royce Hickman, Class of 1964 and president of Bryan-College Station Chamber of
Commerce, recalled the days when Northgate was more of a shopping center than entertainment district. “I remember Northgate back when it was a little strip of stores,� Hickman said. “My grandmother managed an apartment building
for 45 years that is now Fitzwilly’s.� In addition to Fitzwilly’s, a number of other buildings used to serve vastly different purposes on Northgate. For example, Loupot’s present-day location — now known as Traditions Bookstore — was a drugstore with a pool hall located above it. Loupot’s was previously located at the Dixie Chicken’s current location. The Dry Bean Saloon was formerly a dry cleaning service where cadets would get their uniforms cleaned, the Corner Bar
& Grill used to be a photography shop, and Texas Aggieland Bookstore was Charlie’s Food Store. Most notably, the main street that connects most of Northgate is known as Church Avenue, a name some find ironic because of the area’s reputation. But, that street has its name for a reason. The area occupied by the Northgate apartment complex The Tradition was a Presbyterian church, and many of See Northgate on page 4
inside life | 3 Energy Fix
campus
campus
Students assisted in B-CS integration
Coffee can have more negative than positive effects on the student body.
The Battalion Members of The Aggie Up Campaign gathered Wednesday in the Memorial Student Center to kick off the fall semester with their Aggie Up Carnival from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sarah Jaks, chair of the Aggie Up Committee, said she sees the carnival’s purpose as twofold. “The carnival is an event to teach students about off-campus issues,� Jaks said, “As well as to provide them with resources to allow them to live well in the community.� The committee is a collaborative campaign between Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station that has existed for more than 10 years. According to the Aggie Up website, the campaign serves to inform students of off-campus issues including code enforcement, safety, environmental concerns and community building. Participants — such as the College Station Fire Department, the College Station and Bryan Police Department, University Police Department, and Off-Student Living — answered students’ questions at
Guitarist to perform with feet at Rudder
life | 3 Stop and Stare Reality sitcoms rely on shocking characters to gain a loyal fan base of viewers.
sports | 6 Milliondollar marketing A recent marketing analysis revealed the value of media exposure generated during the A&M-Florida football weekend totalled about $6.5 million.
Jennifer Keith
Katie Nortman
about what we can do to help them enjoy their college experience, so that it’s not an ‘us versus them’ mentality,� Lively said. “We are all here to make this the best place it can be.� Patricia Logan, police assistant
Special to The Battalion Guitarist, singer and songwriter Tony MelĂŠndez’s story is one of overcoming an obstacle by learning to play the guitar with his feet. He is known around the world and continues to inspire the people he encounters. The Latin Economic and Business Association at Texas A&M will be presenting the music prodigy as one of their annual guest speakers and performers Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Rudder Theater Complex. LEBA is an association that aims to foster the desire of becoming an entrepreneur among its members by networking, community service and leadership activities. The group is hoping to inspire students through MelĂŠndez’ story. Alberto Sada, senior agricultural economics major and president of LEBA, is in charge of choosing and contacting guest speakers for the organization. “We worked hard and emailed and made lots of phone calls trying to get in touch with [MelĂŠndez]. He met his wife in College
See Aggie Up on page 5
See Melendez on page 4
COURTESY
Students meet and greet College Station police officers as part of Aggie Up, a carnival for students to learn about off-campus issues, Wednesday afternoon in the MSC. booths set up in the 12th Man Hall. Sgt. Calder Lively of the Uniform Patrol Division of CSPD said he hopes students are aware of the resources that are there to help them. “The motivation behind this [committee] is to educate students
TÂT T ‰ These talented throwback guys that took Broadway by storm in the original cast of Jersey Boys will perform a high octane, leap-to-your-feet show featuring Motown’s biggest hits as well as tunes by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, The Four Seasons and more!
Thursday & Friday Nights! September 20 & 21 ;—74TĂœ TÂŒT 00/"T 0+ %"+ '
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Limited Number of Tickets Available at the Window of the MSC Box Office /NLY s ,IMIT 4ICKETS PER 3TUDENT s 3TUDENT )$ 2EQUIRED s .OT 6ALID FOR Tickets Already Purchased Sponsored by
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Not A Performance Of, Not Affiliated With the Show Jersey Boys
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