An advertising special edition of The Daily Texan
February 19, 2014 s Texa f yo t i rs e iv n U
A I R F G N I S U HO
PA G E 5
PA G E 1 0
PA G E 2 2
Like the sun, rent will inevitably rise in Austin
Austin is the perfect city for canine companions
The changed nature of Austin: from town to city
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
LONGHORN LIFE
EDITOR’S NOTE
L
et’s be real — securing a place to live as a college student can be a pain. Unless you start your search before your first round of exams in the fall, you have to make quick decisions in the housing game or someone else will snatch up your perfect place. In my experience, most of the 50,000 students at UT have signed leases by November for the following academic year. They’ve already dealt with traversing around the city to see multiple spaces and deciphering the realty jargon and legal obligations before
inking their names onto the agreements. Then there are those who are still searching (or just beginning to look) for their next pad come spring. UT students already deal with enough complexity in their classes, so Texas Student Media puts on The Daily Texan Housing Fair to try to make the process a little easier. Flip to pages 14 and 15 for a map of the fair, and make sure you check out the different booths and flip through this edition to see which company or housing situation is your best fit. Austin is full of variety, especially with neighbor-
hoods. North campus has an older, familial feel (page 22) while West Campus is, well, West Campus. Ever wondered what it’s like to live in a sorority or fraternity house? Check out page 18. As Austin continues to grow, more and more people flood the city to call themselves newly established Austinites. Unfortunately, this means that the afternoon commute on Guadalupe or Lamar eats up more of your time. For the low-down on how Austin’s population has grown and how the city is coping with the heavier traffic, head to page 16.
CONTENTS Making Cents
STAFF Special Editions Coordinator Michael Gammon
More people also means more puppies. Check out page 10 for the best dogfriendly places around town. Not every car on the road is full of locals — plenty of visitors are in and out of the city every day. These shorttrip travelers may stay at a hotel, or they can opt for a more authentic Austin feel at Drifter Jack’s Hostel. See what this one-of-a-kind place is all about on page 6. But what about problems you may encounter inside your own four walls? Page 25 has some tips on how to organize a shared refrigerator (and head to page 8 if you’re
having trouble even finding people to share your fridge). If you want to eat dessert somewhere other than your own kitchen, check out page 24 for some great, close-tocampus bakeries. Austin is a fantastic place to live. Make your roommates your best friends and take advantage of this beautiful city while you can.
Happy house hunting,
Ali Killian Special Editions Editor
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
pg.4
pg.8
pg.13
pg.24
UT alumni-owned bakeries close to campus Ways to peacefully share and organize your kitchen
FIND US ONLINE! longhornlifeonline.com
Director Frank Serpas Advertising Adviser CJ Salgado
Student Classifieds Clerk My My Nguyen
Pet-friendly Austin: where to bring your canine pal
Good Eats
TSM ADVERTISING & CREATIVE SERVICES
Student Account Executives Dani Archuletta, Aaron Blanco, Hannah Davis, Crysta Hernandez, Robin Jacobs, Erica Reed, Lesley Villarreal
pg.10
Apartment hunting from abroad Map of The Daily Texan Housing Fair Austin’s population and traffic congestion soars A peek inside Greek-house life Gender-neutral housing a trend at universities that aren’t UT North campus’ wholesome atmosphere
Photographers Joe Capraro, Darice Chavira, Elizabeth de Regt, Silvana Di Ravenna, Clara Patt, Jenna VonHofe
Student Assistant Manager Rohan Needel
Facebook page dedicated to finding UT student roommates Students helping students find housing
Features
Writers Shantanu Banerjee, Priyanka Deshpande, Kritika Kulshrestha, Lauren Lowe, Samantha Meyer, Mariana Munoz, Sara Strohl, Jared Wynne
Student Manager Ted Sniderman
Local hostel features Austin artists’ work on walls
Explore
Designers Daniel Hublein, Karina Munguia Rachel Ngun, Bailey Sullivan
Broadcast & Events Manager Carter Goss
pg.6
Impact
Web Editor/Associate Editor Andrew Huygen
Sales Rep & Events Coordinator Lindsey Hollingsworth
Tips for keeping utility costs low Increased demand and class sizes may drive up rent
Guest Feature
Special Editions Editor Ali Killian
REGISTER NOW at UTLONGHORNRUN.COM 10K at 8AM | 2-MILE at 8:20AM Cover image designed by Rachel Ngun, student designer. facebook.com/txlonghornlife
twitter.com/txlonghornlife
Special Editions & Production Coordinator Michael Gammon Senior Graphic Designer Daniel Hublein Student Graphic Designers Karina Munguia, Rachel Ngun, Bailey Sullivan Longhorn Life is an advertising special edition of The Daily Texan produced by students in Texas Student Media’s special editions office. Reach us at specialeditions@texasstudentmedia. com. Copyright 2011 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission. CONTACT TSM: We are located in the Hearst Student Media building (HSM). For advertising, call 512-471-1865.
LONGHORN LIFE
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Page 3
TEXAS UNION THEATRE All free film screenings are shown in the Texas Union Theatre, UNB 2.228 unless otherwise specified.
02/19 02/20 02/27 03/05 03/06 03/19 03/20
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World @ 9 p.m. Gravity @ 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Frozen @ 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind @ 9 p.m. Texas Union Film Festival @ 6 p.m. The Princess Diaries @ 9 p.m. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug @ 6 p.m and 9 p.m.
EVENT CALENDAR
FILM SCREENINGS
WHAT’S HAPPENING
MLK
1901
fore e b se Lea March ld win u u co W o y and XS
s S two Badge ic Mus
upcoming events
CAMPUS EVENTS 02/27
Assault & Flattery presents Clue: Townes Hall Edition 7 p.m., Utopia Theatre (SSW)
03/19
Art in Practice: Mette Carlsen, Conservator 6:30 p.m., Art Building (ART) 1.102
03/22
Forty Acres Fest 2014 2 p.m., Main Mall
OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS 02/20 02/28 03/01
The Crapstall Street Boys, 8 p.m., Salvage Vanguard Theatre The Whale, 8 p.m., Hyde Park Theatre Rouse the Unruly Mob, 8 p.m., The Vortex
STUDENT ORG EVENTS 02/26 03/04 Rio Grande POINTE
Israel Block Party, 12 p.m., East Mall Masquerade in the Park, 6 p.m., East Mall
NOW OFFERING FURNISHED UNITS! DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ENDS 3/1 Individual Leases * Studios – 5 Bedrooms FREE Internet, Cable, Tanning, Trash & Recycling On-site Covered & Reserved Parking - LIMITED! Short Walk or Bike to campus! 24 Hour State-of-the-art Fitness Center Shimmering Swimming Pool Sophisticated Roommate Matching Residence Life & Entrepreneur Events High efficiency Washer & Dryer in every home Granite Countertops & Modern Finishes Stainless Steel Energy Star Appliances Residential Lounge & Gaming Center Business Center & Gourmet Coffee Bar Spacious Floor Plans with large walk-in closets Outdoor Grills for BBQs & much more!
GET TO THE POINTE! - NOW LEASING - FALL 2014!
Leasing: 504 W. 24th St. Suite D • 512-298-4781 • Info@PointeOnRio.com • www.PointeOnRio.com
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LONGHORN LIFE
MAKING CENTS
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
doing more for less
Tips for keeping utility costs low story by Shantanu Banerjee photos by Clara Patt
To combat rising energy demands during the winter season, Longhorn Life has put together some tips for keeping students’ utility costs low and more cash in the warmth of their pockets.
Avoid Dripping dripping Avoid A leaky faucet or dripping tap can unduly add onto a monthly water bill. This fix should cost tenants nothing, since it is likely the landlord’s responsibility to take care of maintenance of an apartment unit. This tip costs your landlord money to help you save money, so it should be a no-brainer.
Space Heaters heaters Space With several snow days in the past month and temperatures regularly hitting below freezing, students are keeping their thermostats up. However, instead of relying on central heating, try using a space heater. According to the US Department of Energy, these smaller devices generally use less power, especially because it is only keeping one small area warm and not an entire apartment. It also means you don’t have to keep the heat running all day. Just plug in the space heater when you are back and you’ll have both more heat and money on you in no time.
Beware of Phantom Loads The energy most electronics take up even when they are not in use is referred to as a “phantom load.” This might be anything from an Xbox or TV to a stereo or kitchen appliance. One easy fix for reducing phantom loads is using power strips or surge protectors. That way, before bed or leaving your apartment, you can simply flip the switch to ‘off’ to cut off power to all the electronics using that strip.
TurnDown down Water water heaters Turn Heaters Water heaters can be the silent power-eaters in an apartment, since they constantly keep the water warmed at more than 100 degrees, whether you’re home or abroad. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that a water heater should be set to 120 degrees. When purchased, many manufacturers keep the default setting at 140 degrees. Not only will your water be less likely to burn you during a shower, but lowering the temperature can cut the energy consumption of the heater by as much as 10 percent, according to the EPA. If you are going to be away for a long period of time, such as going on a vacation, you may also want to consider turning the water heater off entirely.
Dripping faucets and water heaters set to ultra-high temperatures can run up a utility bill.
Tenants of an apartment in West Campus take advantage of their balcony to dry heavy loads instead of using the drier.
AirDry dry Air
Buy a drying rack instead of using the drier. Many people might already do this for heavy items such as towels or more fragile clothing that can shrink when dried. Your clothes may take longer to dry, but at least you’ll have more cash weighing down your pockets from the money and energy saved.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Page 5
LONGHORN LIFE
Higher demand could mean higher rent story by Shantanu Banerjee photo by Silvana Di Ravenna
R
ent continues to rise in popular areas such as West Campus and East Riverside, even with the addition of new apartments. Rising demand, the incoming medical school and larger class sizes are some of the possible explanations as to why rent has not decreased. According to president Bill Powers’ blog “Tower Talk,” UT admitted a record-breaking 8,092 undergraduates for the class of 2016, many of which went on to find housing off campus after living on campus for their first year. This larger-than-usual class size could be just one contributing factor to rising demand for apartments. Holding all other factors constant, increased demand
can push up prices up for a product, according to the supply and demand economic model. Factoring in the students who will eventually attend the soon-to-be Dell Medical School, this demand could encourage further increased rent in the areas around UT. “Rent is expensive everywhere in Austin, but I think a lot students are willing to go into deeper debt living close to campus,” said plan I honors and economics junior Kristina Morton, “because they feel like it will help them make better grades and be more a part of the UT community. And leasing companies know this and take advantage of it.” A major determinant of demand, which influences
rent prices in different areas, is consumer taste. Students may have a preference for Greek life or being in proximity to UT in areas such as West Campus, in contrast to the less costly Riverside, which requires a commute and isn’t as close to Greek houses. A lack of Texas rent control laws does not help the situation tenants face, either. These laws can establish limits on how much the price to rent property can be increased in a certain period of time, which protects the tenant from dramatic price hikes. Christina Breitbeil of The Daily Texan explained that popular locations such as The Quarters on Campus, 26 West and 2400 Nueces have all increased prices for the upcoming year, in an article published in October 2013.
Vicky Yeh, a leasing professional at 2400 Nueces, said that UT in particular falls victim to a consistent rise in demand. “In the last couple of years, we’ve had incoming freshman classes of 7,000 to 8,000, plus transfer students. The pool of students grows even more since UT has a four-year graduation rate of 52 percent, and in West Campus, not everyone who rents are students. I know of young professionals who live in West Campus because the rent is comparatively more affordable than downtown,” she said. As for the impact rising rent will have, one would have to quantify the price elasticity of demand for land in particular areas such as West Campus or Riverside. Simply put, price elasticity of
A tenant in West Campus advertises a house that is for rent. demand is change in quantity demanded when price changes. With apartments, the elasticity of demand varies across cities, so the response to a price change for apartments in Manhattan will not be the same as a price change in happening places like Nor-
man, Oklahoma. With the incoming medical school, larger classes and many other factors adding to rising demand and rent increases, living in proximity to campus is increasingly becoming a more expensive luxury that not all students can afford.
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LONGHORN LIFE
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
GUEST FEATURE
Hostel displays Austin artists’ murals story and photos by Kaine Korzekwa and Joan Vinson
Artists Baylor Estes and Stephen Ferguson discuss the various pieces of artwork with owner Andy Ward.
T
he hostel sits on top of Thai Noodle House, located right across the street from the UT campus, and doubles as a gallery for aspiring artists. Andy Ward, 2011 UT alumnus and owner of Drifter Jack’s, opened the hostel in early October 2013, right in time for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Ward himself is an avid traveler and spent the past five years backpacking through more than 35 countries. “I started a hostel based on my love for traveling beyond anything else,” he said. “In hostels you tend to meet more people and you have more genuine experiences and it’s just something I fell in love with and wanted to do here in Austin.” He said he felt other hostels in the city were missing a family atmosphere and wanted to incorporate that into Drifter Jack’s. His favorite hostels abroad always had a few murals, but he wanted to cover his entire place in them. “You create a space that is better for social interaction, I guess is one way to put it,” Ward said. “Our hostel is smaller
and it offers an environment that’s easier to meet other people in and on top of that we’ve got a hostel that’s filled with murals from different local artists and it brings the real Austin vibe alive here.” With more than 20 artists contributing to the project, each room and hallway patch is unique. Ward said most of the artists are members of two collectives in Austin: Third Coast Visions and Raw Paw. “I have a combination of my favorite rooms,” he added. “We have rooms that are more psychedelic-type art ... and Raw Paw and their art tend to be more abstract and humorous and just off-the-wall and edgy and it’s great. So every room you walk into it’s like walking into a completely different place.” Baylor Estes is one of the artists whose work is featured on the walls of Drifter Jack’s. Ward said Estes was instrumental in getting other artists on board. “It just sounded like a lot of fun and Andy is a cool guy,”
Estes said. “I guess the possibility of promotion was a factor but I think in general it was just good practice and just a cool space for art to be seen.” Estes’ mural is on the wall near the check-in desk. It features a cartoon armadillo and cactus. “I think the Austin music scene is pretty well-known around the world, but I think a lot of times the visual art is not as well known nationally or in Austin in general,” he said. “I feel in Austin there are a lot of great artists but not too many know about each other here in town.” Besides Ward suggesting a Western theme, Estes kept to his own style, sketching the piece out before putting it on the wall. “I don’t think it’s that Austin doesn’t necessarily have a visual arts culture,” Estes said. “I just don’t think it’s very cohesive. … Hopefully it’s [conveying] the vibe of Austin itself, which in my experience has been laid back and creative and energetic.” Another artist, who is in the beginning stages of his project, is Stephen Ferguson. He said working at the hostel has given him more exposure in just a few days than he got in two years of working in his room at home. “Since I’ve known that Andy opened this place up he said he had a space open for me to paint, which I thought would be really cool because everyone from all over the world comes and stays here, so it would be a good opportunity to get my art seen,” Ferguson said. Hailing from Lake Charles, La., he said he doesn’t get much attention for his art there and enjoys coming to Austin because “it’s a whole different world.” He is hoping to move permanently to Austin in the coming months.
Drifter Jack’s Hostel employee Nathan Pacey sits at the reception desk where he welcomes travelers to Austin.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
For many of the artists, including Ferguson, this work is something new for them on their journeys to becoming successful artists. “For me it’s mostly for fun but also because I’ve never done anything permanent that I didn’t take home with me afterward or something, so it’s really neat,” he said. “I came here not knowing what I’d do and I just brought several different colors of paint and thought ‘I’ll just see what happens.’ ” While painting at the hostel, people from Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and England have already been supportive of his work. “This is really cool,” he said. “I guess I’m chasing my dream. Hopefully I become successful at it. … At the bottom of the painting I’m going to write ‘this is the end’ since right now there’s a lot of that end-of-the-world talk but also because this is the end of the hallway.” Brandon Wilson painted an entire room while alternating between listening to music and watching “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” “It was really very spontaneous,” he said. “I was trying to plan ahead and trying to be that guy and trying to think what I was going to do. I really just had to wait until I got into the room, felt inspired and kind of just started free-handing everything. I just drew it up as I went along.” A self-prescribed caffeine addict, Wilson said he practically locked himself in the room for more than a week to get the job done. “People would come and tell me to take a break because they thought the paint fumes were making me loopy,” he said. “It was really intimidating. I had never done something on such a large scale before so that’s what I was kind of nervous about.” Many of the artists include their social media information, such as their Instagram usernames, at the bottom of their artwork and Wilson said he’s gotten hits from all over the world. “Art is a very personal experience,” he said. “It’s certainly a personal experience for me so having something like that in a room on public display is definitely something personal and I definitely feel a connection with people who come and visit.” People from all walks of life and different parts of the world stay in rooms at Drifter Jack’s. Casey Cameron is from Brisbane, Australia and has been traveling the world for eight months. His adventures have brought him to Austin and Drifter Jack’s for five days. Having just arrived, Cameron said he likes the hostel and Austin so far but has yet to go exploring. “I want to eat some barbecue and spend some time on Sixth Street,” he said. “I love the idea of just meeting people and seeing what they’re doing and just going with it. Perhaps someone is going on an adventure you can join.” That adventure at the intersection of art and travel is just what Ward had in mind when he got the idea to start a hostel and fill it with local art. “Our duty as a hostel is showing the hostelers what makes Austin such a great place,” Ward said. “It shows off what makes Austin so great, which is the artistic culture, the counter-culture, the music, all of that. You can see all of that all over the walls here. I think it offers backpackers a special home base when visiting Austin.”
LONGHORN LIFE
Page 7
Artist Stephen Ferguson stands in front of his painting that is located in the dining area of Drifter Jack’s Hostel.
Artist Brandon Wilson admires a mural as Drifter Jack’s Hostel employee Nathan Pacey carries a stack of bed sheets.
Drifter Jack’s Hostel employee Michelle Dotson sits behind the reception desk in front of a mural painted by Baylor Estes.
Artist Stephen Ferguson concocts a paint mixture for a mural he is working on at Drifter Jack’s Hostel.
Page 8
IMPACT
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
LONGHORN LIFE
getting involved on campus
Roommate hunting: finding “the one” story by Mariana Munoz graphic by Karina Munguia
W
e are almost halfway through the spring semester and this could only mean one thing — it’s roommatehunting season. Many of us already set our eyes on where we would like to live next year and have numerous ideas on room decorations. Through the commotion, we might forget the importance of actively searching for a roommate. Don’t know where to look? The UT-Austin Sublets/ Roommate Finder page is out to your rescue. The Facebook page has been connecting students in search of potential roommates since 2012.
“I’d had the idea for a while, just got tired of seeing people clutter all the various groups with sublet posts, and thought a good, centralized place would be good for the community,” said Henri Sweers, a senior computer science major and the creator of the page. The page was inspired by several previously established pages with specific purposes. “The [Facebook pages] Austin Goods and Books exchanges were made not too long before that,” Sweers said. “I thought those were great ideas, so I made one for sublets.”
The UT-Austin Sublet/ Roommate Finder’s accessibility, ease of use and promotion has made its fanbase grow to 2,584 members. “We’ve had a growth recently because we’ve advertised on the class pages more,” said Maria Belyaeva, a sophomore computer science and RTF major and current admin of the page. “I know a lot of students who are studying abroad usually get together and plan which place to sublease for which semester,” she added. The page seems to be doing its job of quickly connecting students with each other. Students simply post a paragraph on their living arrangements or anything that might
help them reel in a potential roommate. Traffic is seen on the page on a regular basis. “It only took four days to find our third roommate,” said Amy Marsh, a sophomore French and international relations and global studies major. “I’ve been talking to the girl a little bit on Facebook. We’re getting along well and planning to hang out soon. I feel like anybody who is a student at UT has to be cool,” she added. Since the creator will be graduating this year, what does the future hold for the page? “Masha is only a sophomore, so obviously for the immediate future the plan is to turn it over for her to
Help I need a roommate!
let the group flourish and continue its growth,” Sweers said. “I think it’d be cool for one day — me or someone else — to write a legitimate Facebook app that can make the process easier, utilizing Facebook’s connections to tie people to someone they or their friends already know
rather than just buckshotting it looking on Craigslist,” he added. If you are currently in search for a roommate, you might want to give this page a try. It could potentially save you a great amount of time and connect you to “the one” in a matter of minutes.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Page 9
LONGHORN LIFE
Students helping students find housing story by Samantha Meyer
E
ach year UT students scramble to find the right place to live. It can be hard to navigate the fast and furious world of West Campus real estate. When students need a little extra help finding a place to call home, they have the option of hiring a student real estate agent. Longhorn Leasing is a leasing agency that hires UT students who have their real estate licenses to assist their peers in finding places to live. “Basically we’re just a leasing agency; we help students and non-students find a place to live, mostly around the campus area,” Brian Hellemn, an economics sophomore and Longhorn Leasing agent said. “We are expanding into sales as well, but primarily our focus is student leasing.” Longhorn Leasing real es-
tate agents provide a free service to anyone attempting to find an apartment or house near the UT campus. While the service is free to clients, being a real estate agent can be quite profitable. “Basically we are paid a commission,” Hellemn said. “The different companies that we work with — like 512 Realty, University Realty, all of the campus-area leasing offices — we lease through them. We don’t actually manage any properties; we just work with other companies to help lease out their properties. When clients sign with a certain leasing office, they have to pay their first month’s rent up front when they sign a lease. So we get a certain percentage of that first month’s rent.” Learning the ins and outs of West Campus real estate is no easy task, and requires a con-
siderable time commitment from the agents at Longhorn Leasing. “It’s pretty time consuming,” Hellemn said. “In addition to the specific hours that
This high-energy job, while time consuming, has its advantages. “The pay is pretty good,” Hellemn said. “And if you’re looking to support yourself
“For the client, for the student, it’s a win-win; there’s no commitment. It’s a tool that’s there if you need help finding a place. “ - Brian Hellemn, Longhorn Leasing agent you work actually doing tours, and actually working with clients, there’s a lot that goes on at home even in your spare time. Clients can contact you at any time; you’re kind of working around the clock. I would say I work about 20 to 30 hours a week.”
during college I think it’s a great way to go. I’d say if you’re looking to just make a little bit of money on the side, just for spending money, maybe go for an hourly job, just because it’s much more stable, much more predictable.” Students looking to get
their start as real estate agents have to consider the prerequisites for a job with Longhorn Leasing. “It is a big financial commitment up front, to get your license; it’s a lot of courses online,” senior social work major and Longhorn Leasing Agent Melanie Magnotto said. “But if you have that money upfront, you make it back really fast. It’s definitely a great job.” Overall, student realtors agree that their experience with Longhorn Leasing will be valuable when applied to future careers. “The biggest thing though, is working with people,” Hellemn said. “It’s a lot different actually doing it than you would imagine. There are all different types of people that work in any given industry. And there are people that do their job really well, and
people that don’t do their job well. And those people can be very hard to work with — not because they’re not nice people, but because they don’t get back to you promptly, they don’t get you what you need, you depend on them, and if they don’t return thatit makes it hard for you to do your job. It’s a very good lesson to learn.” Students still searching for the perfect home for next year can contact Hellemn, Magnotto or any Longhorn Leasing agent for help. “For the client, for the student, it’s a win-win; there’s no commitment,” Hellemn said. “It’s a tool that’s there if you need help finding a place. It’s really easy to do, and we can help you find a place that you really like.”
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Page 10
EXPLORE
LONGHORN LIFE
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
discovering the city
Favorite dog-friendly Austin spots story and photo by Joe Capraro
ment recently began a “Scoop the Poop” initiative to help make dog owners better aware of the health and environmental pollution that comes when pet waste is left uncollected. All of the city’s off-leash areas and many parks have waste bag stations and signs with slogans like “Pet Waste Poo-lutes!” With Auditorium Shores closed, dog owners will likely be exploring new places. One small but conveniently placed off-leash area is at West Austin Park between 10th and 11th streets near Lorrain Street. For a bigger adventure, head west to Emma Long Park where 12 miles of trails and an easily accessible lake offer a myriad of things to sniff. Convenient to North Austinites and worth the drive for everyone else is Cedar Bark Park inside Veterans Memorial Park in Cedar Park. The new facility features a doggie swimming hole, plenty of poop stations, drinking fountains and dog showers.
Sit. Stay. Eat. Lindsay Lewis and his dog Ginger enjoy a sunny day at Red Bud Isle. The 13-acre park has little to offer humans but lots of muddy trails and swimming spots for dogs.
I
f a dog could craft a perfect living environment, it might look a lot like Austin. There are dozens of lakes and streams to play in and a tremendous variety of critters to chase. Many businesses cater to your pooch as well, offering gourmet treats and a place to hose off after an afternoon at play, while many human-focused restaurants welcome pets to their outdoor seating areas. Austin’s landlords are relatively dog friendly, too. Of the 1,488 properties listed for rent in on realtor.com, 1,164 of them — nearly four in five — allow dogs (by contrast, only 22% of New York’s property owners welcome their tenants’ furry companions). The city and local organizations estimate Austin’s canine population at between 175,000 and 200,000 — about one dog for every four people. Exploring Austin can be as much fun for canines as it is for humans. There are 11 off-leash dog parks, nearly 100 pet-friendly hotels, and hundreds of dog-centric and petwelcoming businesses.
Run. Fetch. Play. Many of Austin’s city parks offer off-leash areas, but only one is designed to serve the
canines first and humans second (if at all). Red Bud Isle juts from Town Lake just south of the Tom Miller Dam, and its 13 teardropshaped acres are paradise for a dog’s dog. A canopy of trees covers the muddy half-mile trail that leads to the end of the island, and easy access to the river at many spots along the trail leads to many wet, dirty, happy, slobbering dogs. Red Bud may be an ideal place to socialize and exercise your dog, but the parking area is tiny and the facilities are sparse: a few trash cans line the trail but there are no bathrooms, primitive or otherwise. With the closure and uncertain future of Auditorium Shores — arguably the most popular dog destination in the city — Red Bud will likely bear larger crowds in the months to come. The Friends of Red Bud Isle work to keep the park free of litter and dog poop. Volunteer Coordinator Rochelle Satterfield said the organization’s members and park users “are all committed to maintaining it by picking up after all of our dogs. Lots of people come and neglect being good park users, occasionally complaining about dog waste but walking right past it.” The city’s Watershed Protection Depart-
Chances are that if a restaurant in Austin has an outdoor seating area, they’ll welcome your pet. Dogs are frequently spotted on the patios at The Draught House, Red’s Porch and Spider House Café, and for good reason. Each offers a spacious, easy-to-navigate outdoor seating area with paw-friendly landscaping and a staff trained to sidestep an affectionate spaniel while holding a tray full of drinks. Other popular eateries where dogs are welcomed by staff with a smile and a bowl of water include Contigo’s, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que and Magnolia Café. But in true openhearted Austin spirit, virtually any restaurant with an outdoor seating area will welcome you and your dog with a smile and pat on the head, respectively.
Good dog. There are plenty of Austin businesses that serve dogs and dogs only: gourmet food and “dessert” shops, dozens of grooming salons and day-care facilities, countless dog walkers and in true Austin style, a dog treat food truck. Bow Wow Bones was launched by Lara Enzor in July 2012 in a converted ice cream truck she found in a Florida craigslist ad. En-
zor and Kim Golden, her partner of 22 years, have rescued and raised six dogs together (as well as fostering several others) and Enzor said that “the more our pets become our family members, the more we’re concerned with what we’re putting in their bodies as well as our own.” With this concern in mind, Enzor uses only natural, local, human-grade ingredients in her products. “I’ve had a bite,” she said. “I’ve tested every one of our treats.” Enzor takes her truck to various dog parks and special events (for up-to-date location information, visit her site at www.bowwowbones.net) and also offers doggie ice cream from Groovy Dog in Westlake along with treats by Chloe’s Barkery and Healthy Hound. When it’s time to hose Fido off after your day of exploring Austin’s best dog-friendly spots, head to one of six Dirty Dog self-service dog wash locations. There you can give your pooch a luxurious bath in an oversized steel tub with a flexible hose and stairs for easy access. Shampoo, towels, ear cleaner, nail clippers, brushes, and blow driers are also provided. Dirty Dog was started in 2003 by Dallas transplants Alesha Fitzsimmons and Blair Smith and charges sliding rates based on the size of your dog. To see a full list of services, fees and locations, visit their site at www. dirty-dog.com.
Traveling Dog.
If you’re just passing through Austin and need pet-friendly lodging, have no fear. The area’s two Red Roof Inns and three La Quinta locations offer affordable lodging with no pet fees. If you’re staying more than a couple of nights and want a more refined lodging experience, head to the Driskill Hotel. The Driskill bills itself as “the nation’s most pet-friendly hotel” and for a $100 fee per pet per stay will provide a bed for your dog, designer food and water dishes, gourmet treats, a free toy and a map of pet-friendly places in Austin. So whether you are vacationing here for the first time or have lived in Austin since Houston was the capital, both you and your dog should have no trouble finding no end of places to run, play, sit and eat.
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FEATURES
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Apartment hunting from abroad story by Kritika Kulshrestha photos by Elizabeth de Regt
E
ach fall, hordes of international students from distant countries such as India, China, Korea and other nations begin their undergraduate and graduate studies in universities across the U.S. International students go through a long process of applying to various universities, selecting a university, obtaining the necessary U.S. visa and securing the right housing. Students begin their search for the right apartment based on price and location only months in advance, while most students currently at the university start their housing searches more than a year before the actual move-in date. The early start to the apartment search process
allows students more time to weigh their options and the freedom to choose. MinJoo Park and KiYoung Yoon are two such international students from Korea who began their search for housing close to the UT campus just months before arriving at the university. Park is a junior studying nutrition and Yoon is a graduate student in the College of Natural Sciences. Park, after speaking to seniors and visiting the Dobie Center website, managed to find accommodation at Dobie Center, although she said Dobie is expensive. Yoon arrived in Austin last August, but he had begun his search in May. His seniors recommended he live in Far West because
of the area’s easy access to the UT Shuttle. However, Yoon said his interaction with the leasing office at Oak Ridge apartments, where he currently resides, was a little difficult. He was unaware of the rental prices for that area, and he did not know for certain if he was paying less or more than average for his apartment. “It was a tough memory,” Yoon said. “I used the Internet and Skype to communicate with the leasing office when I found them to be unresponsive to my emails. I also spent a lot of time reading the lease agreement all by myself.” The leasing process begins as early as October and many apartments are leased out for the follow-
Ki-Young Yoon, an international student from Korea studying chemistry, had trouble communicating with leasing agents in the U.S. before moving to Texas to attend UT.
ing year by April to May, a time when most international students are still dealing with visa formalities, forcing them to keep searching for other apartments. “We are filling up fast and expect to be 100 percent booked within the next three months,” said a spokesperson for Duval Villa apartments. Tianyu Jia, a UT law student from China residing in Riverside, found all the information she needed regarding housing through The University of Texas at Austin Chinese Students and Scholars Association. “It’s convenient to get to campus only on weekdays because of the UT Shuttle, but it’s not very convenient with public transportation,” Jia said. The housing difficulties international students face are not just reserved for UT. Rituparna Mukherjee, a graduate student at Columbia University in New York City, began her search for an apartment in Manhattan last June. “Apartment renting in Manhattan and New York should not be done without actually looking at the apartment in question because you get to hear a lot about drainage, pests and sanitation problems,” Mukherjee said. “You should check out the apartment and then sign the lease.” After arriving from In-
MinJoo Park, an international student from Korea studying in the College of Natural Sciences, lives in the Dobie Center.
dia in August last year, Mukherjee and her friends spent two weeks meeting brokers, visiting apartments and negotiating terms of the lease. “It is a painful process,” Mukherjee said, “because you are being forced to pay exorbitant prices for living in a hole.” International students like Mukherjee end up paying huge sums of money in broker fees, application fees and security de-
posits. She has paid close to $1,000 in broker fees for securing an apartment. The apartment hunting process is a tedious one for internationals. “You will always see lots of good apartments,” Mukherjee said, “but never the one you want.”
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Too many people, not enough asphault story by Priyanka Deshpande photo by Jenna VonHofe
O
ne hundred and fifty eight. That’s how many people local economist Mark Sprague estimated were moving here, to Austin, Texas, every day. That estimate is two years old. With the rapid economic growth in recent years and resulting burgeoning population, the current number of new Austinites per day is sure to exceed that original estimate. This vitality is not without burden: the City of Austin must plan to accommodate newcomers with adequate infrastructure, especially in the realm of transportation. Traffic is a problem that most people in urban areas must deal with, but this is especially the case with those whose lives are centered on
downtown and surrounding areas. Commuters, professors and students who live in apartments far from the main UT campus must battle traffic to make it to class. Unfortunately, with the recent population growth, luck is not on their side. Consider this: in 2011, the Austin-American Statesman reported that a US-wide study ranked Austin as the third-worst city in the nation for traffic. Since then, it is unlikely that the state of road congestion has improved much. Fortunately, the City of Austin does have plans to manage road traffic. The city’s website, austintexas. gov, displays an outlined plan for the future develop-
ment of Austin’s transportation infrastructure. The 2025 Austin Metropolitan Area Transportation Plan details proposals on how to manage existing roadways and improve others to accommodate the increased traffic. In addition, several of the city’s proposals are outlined on campotexas.org, the website for the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is responsible for the development of many of Central Texas’ long-range transportation plans. Of important concern to the city’s transportation planning department is what is called the Central Corridor, an area that encompasses part of downtown, the UT campus, Highland Mall area,
Austin Community College and East Riverside. The city is also interested in traffic congestion problems along Interstate Highway 35, which serves as a major channel for commuters who wish to reach the UT area and downtown. The city has short-term and long-term ventures planned to combat traffic issues in these areas.
prove taxing in the present. Until the fall of 2015, construction will require lane closures from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Sunday nights and from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday. The MoPac Express Lanes will be toll lanes. The city’s transportation service, Capital Metro, has also innovated to help com-
“Currently, [the North Lamar/South Congress and Burnet/South Lamar bus routes] see 21,000 weekday boardings, serving almost 25% of the entire service area.” A major transportation project that is likely to affect UT students, faculty and staff is the construction of express lanes on north MoPac. The MoPac Improvement project, which began last April, also calls for aesthetic enhancements, bicycle and pedestrian improvements and sound walls to soften traffic noise. Though the project will probably alleviate congestions in the future, it could
muting citizens. Its new service MetroRapid launched in January, featuring sleek red and black busses that will service two of Central Texas’ busiest travel corridors: North Lamar/South Congress and Burnet/South Lamar. According to the CapMetro website, “currently, those two transit corridors see 21,000 weekday boardings, serving almost 25% of the entire service area, making
them the densest and highest ridership transit markets in the region.” The MetroRapid program is an addition to CapMetro’s current transit system that services metropolitan Austin and surrounding regions through busses and an urban rail. The city seems eager to listen to public input on transportation issues, as it recently began an open-house style forum called Project Connect, which asks for feedback on how to improve the current transit system. UT’s Center for Transportation Research is also helping the city address traffic issues. The city is concerned with the safety of its citizens. It is likely that, in the near future, Austin will have to become better prepared for extreme road conditions. The weather in the past few weeks have proven that the city does not presently have a robust plan for dangerous icy conditions much to the delight of students.
Interstate 35, a major commuting roadway, sees heavy congestion during peak hours.
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LONGHORN LIFE
My big, fat, Greek house story by Samantha Meyer photos by Darice Chavira
Y
ou can’t miss the majestic homes throughout West Campus that house UT’s sorority and fraternity members. But for those of us not in the Greek scene, knowledge of what it’s like to live in a sorority or fraternity house stops at the front door. For the people that live there, these West Campus mansions are simply the place they call home. With 25 to 60 people living under the same roof, it’s definitely a unique college living experience. “It’s never boring,” Junior J.P Ackles, who lives in FIJI’s house this year said. “There’s always something going on, always someone to talk to. You’ll come downstairs, and from when you
wake up to when you go to bed there’s just conversation constantly.” Constant conversation allows housemates to bond, but it doesn’t make for an environment that’s very conducive to studying. “The hardest part I would say is not getting distracted,” junior and Pi Phi President Elizabeth Webster said. “I really don’t want to go somewhere to study. I’d rather study here, but there’s always people around, there’s always something to do, and so the fun atmosphere can really be distracting. We have study rooms and the one on the third floor is known as ‘you be quiet, you don’t talk,’ so if people don’t want to be social at all they
go up there.” Not unlike a college dorm, the Pi Phi house has a staff that keeps the place in good shape for the 57 current residents. “I love all the people that work here for us,” Webster said. “We have a house mom, two chefs and then we have maids that help clean up. They don’t do our laundry or anything, but they will just help vacuum and clean and dust and keep everything straight. We’re responsible for picking up all our own stuff. The house mom just oversees; she’s here for safety, for anything we need.” Despite the stereotype of fraternity and sorority houses, both Webster and Ackles have positive outlooks regarding their experiences
living in their respective houses this year, and recommend the experience to others. “Anytime I tell people I live in a frat house, there’s always the same reaction its ‘oh god, that must be horrible,’ and it’s really not,” Ackles said. “Its – just imagine living with 28 of your best friends. When you say ‘frat house’ people automatically think every night there’s this huge party, there are beer cans everywhere, and it’s just a really gross atmosphere. But we take care of ourselves really well. Some of us pride ourselves on being clean, some of us don’t, and some of us still need to learn that. But I think that’s one of the good things about living there is you get all these different personali-
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Juniors Abby Miller, Grace Newman and Emily Sales spend time together in one of the living areas at the Pi Phi house.
ties. You get the clean guys, the not-so-clean guys, you get the studiers, and the people who want to go out every night. And it’s really cool to just be in that atmosphere of so many different types of people.” Like any living experience in college, living in a frater-
nity or a sorority house is a unique learning experience. “You really do get the best and the worst out of people during your time there. You get really close with the guys you live with,” Ackles said. “It’s not easy, let’s just put it that way, but it’s definitely worth it.”
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The fight for gender-inclusive housing story by Kritika Kulshrestha photos by Elizabeth de Regt
G
e n d e r- i n c l u s i v e housing has been a widely debated topic across campuses for a couple of years now. While more than 100 campuses have gender-inclusive housing available, there are many campuses with no genderinclusive housing options available, among them being the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The University of Texas, where the implementation of these housing policies have currently stalled. In 2012, UT student organization StandOut had initiated the process of advocating for gender-inclusive housing, which allows students to room with whomever they want regardless of
gender. StandOut co-director Brin Kieffer said they have concerns about the Division of Housing and Food Service following through on the agreement. “While I was not part of StandOut when we became involved with gender-inclusive housing, I was able to witness the conclusion and that was the agreement on the part of the DHFS to implement gender-inclusive housing in the next residence hall that is built,” Kieffer said. Kieffer said their team plans to continue communicating with DHFS regarding the implementation of gender-inclusive housing on campus.
Gender-inclusive housing, or gender-neutral housing, is vital to the safety of many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students. “Current housing rules room transgender students incorrectly with other students of their biological sex, rather than their identified gender,” said Clay Smalley, a computer science junior at UT and former member of StandOut. “This leaves transgender students vulnerable to verbal abuse, physical abuse and in the worst case homelessness; three things transgender people are already disproportionately likely to face. With a genderinclusive housing program, students who feel uncomfortable with traditional
Brin Kieffer is the co-director of Texas StandOut, a queer political activist group that advocates for LGBTQ individuals and provides a safe environment for them to voice their concerns.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
gendered housing have an option to live in a space where they can freely express themselves without fear of being harassed.” At UNC-CH, gender-neutral housing options were created based on a campus climate study conducted more than two years ago. “The report found that a little over 20 percent of the bullying that was happening on campus was occurring in residence halls, where LGBTQ students were often the targets of bullying,” said Andrew Wood, co-chairman of the multicultural affairs and diversity outreach committee in the UNC-CH Student Government. “So we did really identify that something needs to be done.” Common arguments include that opposite-sex couples will abuse such a housing program to live together and that students will be at risk for sexual violence.
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However, Kieffer said LGBTQ students are already at risk. Universities such as the University of Maryland at College Park and Duke University have implemented gender-neutral housing successfully and smoothly, and they plan to further expand gender-neutral housing options for LGBTQ students. At Duke University, the process of creating genderneutral housing began during the 2012-2013 school year and now gender-neutral housing is available on the West, East and Central campuses. “One of the great things about Duke University is that the administration gets why there is a need for genderneutral housing, what is the value of gender-inclusive housing and why this needs to be an option for students who wish to pursue it,” said Jacob Zionce, the vicepresident of Residential Life
for Student Government at Duke. The University of Maryland at College Park implemented the policy in a way that would not alienate the students who choose to live in a gender-neutral building. “One of our goals was not to have one location where students would live in this environment,” said Amy Martin, associate director of resident life at UMD. “Students told us that they felt they would be targeted if that happens. We also have a number of Living and Learning programs where you live in residence halls based on which program you are a part of, so if we had only one location for gender neutral housing, students wouldn’t be able to be with their Live and Learning programs.” “Traditionally our state has been a long-term supporter of the LGBT community and so the political
environment in our state in the last five years has been really easy for us to navigate,” Martin said, “whereas other schools are having a very difficult time.” Despite the stalled process at UT, support for genderneutral housing still exists. “I am a firm believer in battering down the binary model of gender however we need to do it, despite the anxiety of people who prefer a black-and-white world,” said UT adjunct assistant professor Nancy Daley. “The world is not one-or-theother, and neither is gender. People who don’t believe in change, or who can’t tolerate change, ought not to be on a college campus.”
Clay Smalley is a computer science junior at UT and former member of Texas StandOut.
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Old neighborhood offers glimpse into past story and photos by Jared Wynne
I
n a city where change has become the norm, there are still a few neighborhoods in Central Austin that harken back to decades past. But even those areas are proving that the sort of change Austin is undergoing can be felt everywhere. The neighborhoods between the University of Texas campus and Hyde Park have stood for many years. Featuring quaint housing dating back to before World War II, the area stands in stark contrast to the modernity of the sprawling UT campus and the downtown city skyline that rises just south of it. James Valentine owns
real estate in the area and has lived there for over 30 years, having seen the place evolve from its humble beginnings. “Austin was just a couple hundred thousand people,” he said. “Now its grown and turned into a metropolis.” The effects have been similar to those felt throughout other areas of Austin. “It’s a lot more crowded now,” Valentine said. “More people are moving to Austin and more people are going to UT.” Fellow resident Bruce Happ graduated from UT with a master’s of anthropology and has spent the past 25 years in the small
neighborhood north of campus. “It has changed quite a bit in the last five or 10 years,” Happ said. “There was a housing boom that created more housing for all of the people who now live here.” In addition to new residents, Happ has noted a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles moving through and parking in the area. “The traffic is a disruption with people cutting through the area. You didn’t used to have such traffic flow through here,” he said. “And now they park on both sides of the street.”
Valentine agreed that
An old two-story home located on North Harris, just a few blocks north of campus.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
size matters
Valentine agreed that the increase in vehicular traffic was a problem, and went further in identifying the cause. “The university has grown and doesn’t provide a lot of parking, and people cut through from Red River to Duval to avoid traffic,” he said. In spite of the encroaching changes, Valentine is quick to offer praise for the neighborhood that he has for so long been a part. “This is a great neighborhood, and this area has somehow maintained its residential character,” Valentine said. Heather McClellan, also a former student at UT, offered the perspective of someone who has lived in the area for months rather than years and compared it to another popular residential area near campus.
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“It’s really pretty; there’s a lot of trees,” McClellan said. “It’s very safe. It has a cozy family feel that West Campus does not have.” Valentine credits the local elementary school with helping to maintain the neighborhood’s familial vibe. “Lee Elementary has always been a great school, and that’s why you have a lot of families with kids in the neighborhood,” he said. And for all of the changes occurring in and around Austin, it’s that neighborhood feel that still stands to draw people to this small area just a brief walk north of campus. “It’s a real neighborhood,” McClellan said. An aging car becomes a part of the landscape next to a house on Harris Avenue, which is located just north of campus.
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LONGHORN LIFE
GOOD EATS
embrace your inner foodie
UT alumni open West Campus bakeries story by Jared Wynne photos by Silvana Di Ravenna
W
hat’s a hungry student to do? This is one of the defining questions of the collegiate experience, but for those who make their home West Campus, the answer may be as simple as taking a walk around the corner to the nearest bakery. It’s only natural that purveyors of food and snacks would make their way to West Campus, considering the significant student population and the tendency for those students to hungrily seek out convenient sources of sustenance. A number of eateries have both sprung up and packed up over the years. Amidst the current landscape one can find a number of independent bakeries, each of which specializes in different areas and offers its own unique approaches to the business of satisfying their hungry customers. Cream Whiskers is a small and relatively new bakery tucked away between Rio Grande and Pearl streets. Owned by University of Texas graduates John and Tina Sun, the bakery specializes in the light and sweet pastries known as cream puffs. “I tried a cream puff in Tai-
wan and I really liked it. We couldn’t find a place here that sold them, so we just opened our own,” recalled John Sun. The decision to open the bakery in West Campus was made by the former students in order to take advantage of a local crowd of which they had once been a part. “Students are very willing to accept new concepts,” Sun said. Convenience was also a factor in picking a spot for the shop. “We have a good location for on-foot traffic, it’s easy to get here, and it’s very walkable,” Sun said. Opening the bakery brought new and varied challenges. Even though the pair had spent a significant amount of time testing out various recipes and baking methods to find just the right mix for their new shop, they weren’t able to anticipate every potential difficulty. “We had never made these goods on a mass scale, so we had to figure out how to do that. Even the oven is different, being commercial,” Sun said. “There’s a lot of trial and error.” Things have improved for Cream Whiskers since those early days, and John was quick to take to the lessons he
Freshly baked bread awaits a customer at Texas French Bread. The bakery has been in operation since 1981.
learned as a young entrepreneur. “Getting your name out is important, and going online can get you a different crowd,” Sun said. Further north, Polkadots Cupcake Factory sits on Rio Grande Street in a structure that has stood since 1908. The bakery hasn’t been around for quite so long, but it has seen enough years of activity to have firmly established itself in the area since opening in 2008. “It will have been open six years in June, and so far, so good,” said Olga Lee, a UT graduate who owns the bakery along with her husband and fellow UT graduate Ben Lee. While Olga is the source of the many varied confections on offer at Polkadots Cupcake Factory, her path to becoming a successful baker was a winding one. She graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and took a desk job before deciding to commit herself to baking full-time. “I had always wanted to work with foods and with crafts. I didn’t like working in an office and I told my boss I would be leaving in six weeks,” Lee said. “I did and we opened the bakery.” Polkadots Cupcake Factory churns out a number of fresh and varied cupcakes on a daily basis while also offering specialized cakes and cookies to customers seeking individualized goods. “We have the fresh cupcakes every day, and we do a lot of our specialty cakes for weddings and other events,” Lee said. Lee has now been in the business of baking treats for long enough to see and understand the seasonal cycles, allowing her to know when to expect the most and least business to come in. “Our busiest schedule is when school is in, during the
An employee at Cream Whiskers making a strawberry cheesecake cream puff.
fall and the spring. It’s the same with wedding seasons, because people don’t want to get married in the summer heat,” Lee said. Lee has also found her shop to be aptly named, given which of their goods best provides for the business. “Cupcakes definitely bring us the most profits.” Just down the road from Polkadots Cupcake Factory sits another West Campus bakery. Texas French Bread has been in operation for over 30 years, dating back to 1981. The shop has more recently expanded from its humble baking roots to include a full dining service in the evenings, but it hasn’t forgotten its baking origins. “We’re still a full-service bakery,” said Hall Sheriff of Texas French Bread. Sheriff is quick to further detail just what it is that Texas French Bread has to offer. “We have a from-scratch kitchen,” he said. “We do all of our own food preparation, we make everything in our kitchen. And
that’s something that’s pretty rare these days, doing all of that.” Expansive seating arrangements and a relaxed vibe invite customers to take their time and enjoy their fresh food onsite. Helping to set the atmosphere is the bakery’s stance on adult beverages. “We’re also BYOB,” Sheriff said. With the transition to consistently offering dinner service having been completed for some time now, the bakery is continuing to move forward. Sheriff noted that Texas French Bread “had just recently started a remodeling process,” one designed to update the look of the shop while still preserving its current appeal. As one would expect from any ambitious small business, the other bakeries have also cast their eyes towards the future. John Sun of Cream Whiskers spoke of potentially expanding his business beyond its current locale, as well as broadening
their offerings. “Our first goal is just a set menu, but in the future we’d like to open a second location,” Sun said. “We’re also going to have frozen goods in the future.” For her part, Lee of Polkadots Cupcake Factory would just like to see her business further its reach in an area it has already broken into. “We’d like to do even more catering, which we already do for weddings,” Lee said. With each bakery having something different to offer and other eateries still waiting to be discovered by locals, options for the hungry student in West Campus remain quite diverse. Given the apparent ambition of the people providing those options, there could still be much more to come in the future. And it’s only a matter of time until the next person opens up shop and helps to make food options in West Campus that much more unique.
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LONGHORN LIFE
How to avoid roommate warfare story and photos by Lauren Lowe
Some students have creative ways of marking their food, like using colored stickers. Other students section off the fridge and have their own shelf.
F
or many students, college is the first place they’ll live with someone that isn’t family. Living with other people can be difficult, whether you’re sharing space with a good friend or a stranger. Because it is such a new and strange experience for some, horror stories are common. Of all the rooms in an apartment, the kitchen probably has the most potential to turn into a roommate warzone. However, there are several ways to peacefully share
staple food items can be an effective way to save money and fridge space. “We trade off who buys milk, eggs and cheese,” junior Danielle Tucker wrote in a Facebook comment. Some groups of roommates buy groceries together and split the bill among them. But in order for this to work, you all have to like similar things. “My first roommate and I made the mistake of making a joint grocery list and splitting the bill,” a post on the blog myfirstapartment.com from
Some groups of roommates buy groceries together and split the bill among them. But in order for this to work, you all have to like similar things. a kitchen. Some methods work better than others and communication is always key to making things work. One of the biggest issues is the way to go about sharing the refrigerator. Sharing
“Colleen from Washington, D.C.” stated. “We quickly discovered we didn’t eat the same amount or kinds of food. Instead we created a cabinet of universal food (olive oil, spices, flour)
and bought everything else ourselves,” she wrote. In contrast, “We just buy our own stuff and split the shelves in the fridge,” biology junior Mariela Velez wrote in a Facebook comment. This is the easiest thing to do, but some might have problems establishing boundaries. It’s important to have a way to identify what belongs to whom. It can be as simple as writing your name in Sharpie on everything, to something a little more creative. Kristine Schiebley, a human development and family sciences junior, said, “To keep the fridge organized with four girls sharing one refrigerator, we decided to buy colored hole-reinforcer stickies.” “We each have a color so we can remember what is ours,” Schiebley said. The other issue for roommates is dishes. Disagreements about who should be cleaning what can cause the most resentment between roommates. As a general rule
to avoid this conflict, everyone should wash their own dishes right after they are used, or at least as soon as possible. Colleen from myfirstapartment.com suggests “requiring roommates to keep dirty dishes in their bedroom if they didn’t want to wash them right away.” This idea, as gross as it seems, would be a great incentive to keep up with dirty dishes. When it comes to cookware, less is more. Try to avoid duplicates of pans and small appliances; having two toasters is a definite waste of counter space. If possible, coordinate with your roommates before everyone moves in to figure out what is needed for your apartment. The biggest thing to re-
member when sharing any space with someone is to be respectful. Lauren Conrad, a blogger known for her tips on fashion and friends, wrote in a post on her website, “Always treat them the way that you
would like to be treated. If you eat their food, you are telling them that it’s okay to eat yours … treat your roomies with respect and common courtesy, and (hopefully) they’ll return the favor.”
To avoid frustrating roommates, wash dirty dishes promptly.
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
OUR CAMPUS
OURCampus
Celebrating the faculty and staff at The University of Texas at Austin
AN EYE ON STUDENT ISSUES: AFFORDABLE HOUSING by Priyanka Deshpande | photo by Darice Chavira
A
s students’ housing plans for next year solidify, many may look dauntingly at their expected costs to come. It is no secret that housing near and around campus can become quite expensive. And, the burden of paying for housing may be felt even more by students who have to pay for tuition and work. Luckily, the City of Austin has recently proposed new urban development resolutions and expanded existing ones to address the affordability of housing for students in need of assistance. Austin City Council instated the S.M.A.R.T. Housing program, which stands for Safe Mixed-income Accessible Reasonably-priced Transit-oriented Housing, in 2008
to provide housing for low- to moderate-income residents. The S.M.A.R.T. Housing division works with developers to build apartments that are compact and affordable. While S.M.A.R.T apartments are not limited to downtown Austin, several complexes downtown and near the UT campus offer S.M.A.R.T housing leases. Several complexes around UT rent out S.M.A.R.T. apartments to students in need of financial support. To qualify for S.M.A.R.T. housing, students must be receiving need-based financial aid, be paying for college with student loans or be working to cover living expenses. Apartments range from efficiency rooms to one- and two-bed-
S.M.A.R.T. Housing offered by the Quarters awards students with reduced rent if they qualify for the housing plan.
room apartments. Texan and Vintage apartments, 21 Pearl, Quarters, 2400 Nueces, The Block and American Campus Communities among others all offer housing that falls under the S.M.A.R.T. Housing program. After learning about S.M.A.R.T. housing, Tess Hellebrekers, a computer science sophomore, said that she hopes to consider those affordable housing options in the future, especially after a difficult experience finding housing this year. “It’s a give and take process,” Hellebrekers said. “Every student has to compromise between location, quality, space and price.” While S.M.A.R.T Housing serves as a reasonably priced option for students, the City of Austin seemed to find that the number and availability of such apartments were inadequate. To solve this problem, the Austin City Council recently passed a proposal to further serve the need for affordable housing. A resolution passed in early 2014 called for the creation of efficiency-sized apartments, dubbed “micro-units.” While the exact details of the implementation of these apartments are yet to be specified,
The S.M.A.R.T. housing policy is affordable and an essential component for students who live on campus. these micro-units are specifically aimed to serve students that study at “institutions of higher learning in Austin,” according to the resolution. The resolution specifies that “micro-units are self-contained living spaces of 500 square feet and less that include a kitchen with a stove and full bathroom.” “Micro-units seem like a good idea,” said junior neuroscience major Anuj Kudva.
“Prices in West and North Campus are exorbitantly high, especially for a college student. Students don’t get the full college experience when they face the burden of paying on their own when it’s not their fault, so at least this is a good alternative.” Kudva said that he knows his friends who have to take on the responsibility of paying for housing on their own would definitely benefit from future
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housing development programs like the construction of micro-units. Hopefully, the new housing programs proposed and implemented by the City of Austin will prove to be an effective and affordable option for students concerned about the expenses associated with studying and living at such a great university.
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Page 27
OUR CAMPUS
things I learned… compiled by Mariana Munoz | photo courtesy of Jeffrey Smith
...living on my own during college
Dr. Jeffrey Smith Art History At UT 34 years
1.
Be nice to all of your dates since one of them may end up being your spouse, as in the case of my wonderful wife. Otherwise, you might be reminded about a freshman or sophomore faux pas for decades afterwards.
2.
Be open to the amazing new and different people that you’ll meet in college. There are exceptions, however, such as the two freshmen down the hall in my dorm that specialized in their bagpipe and hog-calling duets at 3 a.m. on weekends.
4.
Discover your own passions even if it isn’t the major your parents hoped. It is ultimately your life, not theirs.
5.
Challenge yourself. You have four years of unprecedented freedom (and time) in a highly intellectual environment. What new have you seen, heard, thought about or tried this week?
3.
Learn to be really on your own by studying abroad in a country with a different language. You soon find out a lot about yourself.
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Page 28
LONGHORN LIFE
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
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