It has certainly been awhile UT(4)D, but hello again. It is nice to see you.
Amidst finals, packing, interning, and missing Austin entirely too much, it
seems time has gotten away from me.

That being said, this post may be a little dated, but is something I have
wanted to throw out there for a good while now.

After the death of a Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge in 2006, the fraternity and
its hazing policies have been under investigation. Eventually, in late April
the fraternity and UT reached an agreement that allows for the organization
to continue to be recognized by the university, yet changes the pledging
process and regulates social activities.

Four members of the fraternity have also been charged with misdemeanor
hazing.

The agreement reached between the university and the fraternity has been
criticized by - well, it has been criticized by me; but hear me out.

The agreement bans hazing. Genius. I am glad that UT has reached an
agreement based on banning hazing when that has been a rule for many years
now.

Ouch, you don’t want to slap anyone’s wrist too hard, now do you?

The charges made against the fraternity members have also been criticized. The
widely accepted notion is that all fraternities haze and that these guys are
being made an example. Well, yes, they are setting an example (another point
reached in the agreement to ‘lead other UT fraternities in making similar
changes’) of what could happen when excessive hazing is involved in social
organizations. Yes, it happens throughout campus, but this organization was
doing especially bad things, things that may or may not be done elsewhere on
campus, and they got caught because someone died.

As I write this, I can’t help but remember the Duke lacrosse case, and the
critics across the country that cried ‘foul play’. They dismissed the ordeal
as an overaggressive prosecutor going after upper class white men – and, by
all accounts, he was. The fundamental difference, however, is that their
case was brought about by heresy.  On these here 40 Acres, though, it is a
situation of facts, which were in fact conceded by the accused parties.  These
young men did something wrong, they
got caught (again, I stress, because someone died), and now, they pay the
price.  Whether or not they were made to be scapegoats is largely
irrelevant.

This is not an example being made out of innocent people. UT should look
over that agreement once more, and strive to set an example themselves. Allowing the
organization to remain on campus because they agreed stop hazing, when they
were well aware of its illegality in the first place? Very noble indeed.

Perhaps they should set an example that demonstrates that hazing of this
magnitude will not be permitted with punishment equal to a bit more than a
‘time out’

Apartment and dorm grocery shopping sucks, any way you look at it. Going to the store means choosing between the huge SavingsCo., maneuvering through a sea of hippies and hipsters at Whole Mart or HEB, which is packed even on Monday afternoons. Then 50 pounds of groceries must be carted up anywhere from one to five flights of stairs.

In my quest for both easier and more environmental shopping I finally remembered to bring tote bags to the store today. The checkout line is where problems happened, because cashiers aren’t used to totes yet and I felt like a jerk while it took the lady three times longer to bag everything. Plastic is easier, but it’s just so bad for Al Gore and the earth.

Bringing totes that are all about the same size as plastic bags can make this easier. WalMart sells pretty simple bags for a dollar each, as does HEB. Central Market and Whole Foods have bigger, pricier bags but they are great for smaller grocery trips. And three flights of stairs? Way easier with totes.

If you’re still stuck on plastic, IKEA sells a bag holder/recycler for $1.

Realtors show you that magic apartment, and your eyes put on their jogging glasses and sprint across the lease contract until that final signature and date input line, where the most jagged, incomprehensible blurb of name is etched onto parchment.

Then you and your roommate(s) move in, and start, or end up, to hate one another.

These are some tips/legal things you skipped/need to know:

TIP: Never put your name under the utilities/electric bill. Cable is okay because you can cancel at any time and leave the place a reasonable environment (step 1: take modem, step 2: turn it in). The other is far more complicated to cancel or switch names for, and you don’t want a bill under your name eroding into some bad credit on your wonderful colleagues’ behalf.

LEGAL FACTS:

• Make sure to distinguish between an “application fee” and an “application deposit.” The fee is non-refundable, so better make sure you got the place secured before you throw away that money.
• Landlords are not required by law to fix minor repairs, as in repairs that don’t endanger health or safety. Inspect, inspect, inspect.
• If the landlord does not repair a major problem after a second written notice, there are a few choices:
  • have it repaired and let it be deducted from your rent.
  • sue (many Texas lawyers are dying to meet you).
  • move on out.
• The landlord can only lock a tenant out or change the locks after notification and if rent is past due.
• Subleasing behind the landlord’s back is cause for eviction and legal action.
• The security deposit cannot be kept for simple “wear and tear;” in other words, a carpet that has an imprint from furniture, or carpet that is slightly worn cannot be considered damage.

Happy moving, and choose roomies wisely.