The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
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The University never gave him a phone call warning him that he no longer had permission to occupy what he believed to be his permanent spot on campus. All he received was a letter from the University.
Munchy's gig had grown old and moldy.
His days are numbered, 29 to be exact, and on Dec. 31, it's all coming to an end for James Rochman and the legacy of the sandwich truck stationed between Brush Towers.
"I thought we had been grandfathered in," Rochman said, "but apparently not."
University Housing has informed the Rochman, often referred to as the Munchy-Man, that he will no longer have the privilege of sandwiching himself in a spot he has occupied for more than 40 years. Rochman thought the legacy of his father, who rode in his '55 Chevrolet truck serving sandwiches to the students, to be enough to maintain his permanent position in Brush Towers, but apparently the University believed differently.
Edward Jones, director of University Housing, said the Munchy-Man creates crowd control issues. According to Jones, his presence each night causes large groups of people to occupy the circling cul-de-sac in front of the 17-story buildings.
"There have been larger and larger amounts of people congregating in front of the truck at night," Jones said. "Rochman is not the root problem, but more attractions keep people out there."
Rochman has sold pizza, cigarettes and a wide drink assortment to residents of the towers as part of the tradition of his father. But what bothers Rochman the most is the abruptness of the action.
"It bothers me and my family," he said. "They did it suddenly at the end of October and start of November."
Public safety officials have asked Jones and the University about limiting the amount of people who are allowed to stand in areas of heavy traffic such as the circle drives and lanes adjoining the parking lots.
Jones has proposed another preventative measure for the raucous crowds ˘ steel gates. The gates would secure the circle drives and prevent people from driving up to the towers at night, something that has caused noise disturbances in an area designated as a quiet zone.
The University has offered alternatives for Rochman so he could pursue his business ventures. One is setting up in the abandoned gas station on the corner of Wall and Grand streets. Jones has personally offered a vendor's permit to Rochman so he could deliver food as Dominos and Papa John's does. Students, he said, would call on Rochman to deliver.
"We don't want this to feed the crowds, " he said, "literally and figuratively."
University officials apparently dug up an old bond covenant which states items sold on University property are to be pumped directly back into the area where transactions occur. Jones said they did not actively pursue this covenant; it came to their attention only recently.
"Those vendors permits we give would allow him to deliver just like Dominos," Jones said. "We are not trying to take away his right to sell to the students."
Capt. Todd Sigler of the SIUC Police Department said the issues that arise from the vendor's presence are solely about the quality of life. Loud noises, such as those of amplified car stereos, honking horns and the trash, all contribute to the decline health of the residential areas known to the rest of the campus as the towers.
"It is an unfortunate by-product of an individual trying to provide a service to students," Sigler said. "There is a desire on the part of the student population to have that type of service. But is this the best way to provide that service? I don't think it is."
Sigler said he has been at work on the gated residence hall proposal that would direct traffic away from the halls. The gates would provide a route for cars to drive, maneuver and avoid the avid loitering that both Jones and Sigler have witnessed.
"It's a quality of life issue," he said. "With that attraction gone, there may be a less of a reason to congregate. Maybe one less reason."
