University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Simkins dorm hosts Casino Night for Simkins and Littlefield residents. As the newest on-campus dorm, Jester otters coed housing for 2800 students. Jester residents retreat to streets after police received a bomb threat call. Bomb threats, fires and drug busts made the 76-77 school year a memorable one for residents in on-campus housing. In early November, a fire broke out in a concession area of the lobby of Kinsolving Dormitory, originating from a base elec- trical outlet. Firemen at the scene reported moderate fire and light smoke damage to the concession area. Most of the 300 residents who were sent to the street during the midafternoon alarm saw the incident as an inconvenience rather than as a danger to lives or property. The fire remained under control and was almost extinguished by the time firemen reached the scene. Another significant event occurring in on-campus housing was the drug raid on Jester Center in October by the University Police Department. The police confiscated a quantity of hashish and over a pound of marijuana in the raid in which eight stu- dents were arrested. Student Government responded to the needs of the residents by organizing a petition which voiced discontent with the procedure taken by UT Police. According to the petition, Students for the Pursuit of Happi- ness expressed feelings that using UTPD personnel as informers in UT dorms destroys students ' trust in each other and in the police, and that entrapment is both illegal and immoral. Daily Texan reports stated that entrapment might have been involved in the raid procedures because Kenneth Cavett, the officer who filed the case against the Jester resi- dents and who was on the UTPD payroll, allegedly asked to make a dope deal. In early December, Jester residents were sent to the streets when University police shift supervisor Jim Burgess received a phone call from an anonymous man who claimed that two bombs were set to go off in Jester at 9:30 a.m. The Austin Police and Fire Departments and Brackenridge Hospital were notified while UT Police tried to clear the building before 9:30. We got about 95 percent of the people out of there, Burgess said, but some stragglers remained in the building. The only injury involved in the bomb scare was Patrol- man Rollin Donelson, who was struck by a car as he ran across Speedway Street to Jester from his patrol car. Donelson sus- tained minor injuries and was treated and released from Brack- enridge Hospital. UT Police received another bomb threat call the next day but did not evacuate the building a second time. Again, no bombs were found. On-Campus Housing 25

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Littlefield residents enjoy the relaxed, friendly atmosphere of dorm life. ...home You just received your letter of acceptance to The University of Texas at Austin congratulations! Now you and 41 ,000 other students must decide where to live while attending the biggest university in the state. The first decision concerning housing a student needs to make is whether to live on or off campus, and then how much money he or she has to spend on living accommodations. On- campus housing prices ranged from $398 for a long session term (two semesters) with no meals at Andrews for women and Brackenridge-Roberts-Prather halls for men, to $1544 for a long term with meals included at Jester Center Hall, the only on- campus coed dorm. Living on campus provided convenience to classes, on-cam- pus libraries and organization meetings. It also meant little change in scenery for the student who could not get off cam- pus. Most dorms offered a dining option so that residents always had a prepared meal ready for consumption, without the worry of cleaning up dishes. However, dorm food was some- what notorious for its lack of variety and mass production blandness. All on-campus dorms provided limited maid and linen service and a private Centrex phone line as part of ser- vices included in the rent. Resident Assistants (or RAs) offered h elp to residents with personal, academic and housing prob- lems and often planned the dorm parlies or wing flings and meetings to discuss policies which varied on each floor. One of the major disadvantages of the on-campus dorms was the excess of noise which occasionally exceeded concentration levels. But whatever the pros or cons, on-campus housing contin- ued to boast of near full capacity with 5400-plus students. Dorm living is an opportunity to meet people and get ac- quainted with college, Nevada Blackburn, who recently retired after 37 years as head of Housing and Food Service, com- mented. Dormitory living gave residents a chance to know fel- low students outside of classroom experiences. Most residents agreed the experience of living in a dorm helped them grow emotionally as well as intellectually during their college years. 24 On-Campus Housing Built in 1 936, Roberts Hall offers economical housing for men

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...hone Students ' off-campus living options were as diverse as the individuals living there. Students chose either private dormito- ries, co-operative housing, apartments, houses or living at home. Approximately 1 0,000 students lived in apartments south of campus in the Riverside area. One of the most controversial housing issues during the 1976-1977 year resulted from faulty planning and construc- tion on the Taylor clay hills upon which some of the large com- plexes were built. Many Riverside residents nicknamed the area Riverslide because of the clay hills ' tendency to buckle under the weight of the buildings. The year also saw innovations in private living preferences. One apartment complex fought off bankruptcy by turning to an optional clothing environment. Grand Canyon Villa manager Terry Parker said, Nudity is something that people have a right to engage in. He said that he felt most people were not offended by the nudity allowed in his complex. Parker opened a second complex during the spring, formerly the Manor Villa, and he expected full occupancy by September. Co-operative housing allowed students to live, work and save money together by accepting a certain share of a workload. Ranging in size from seven to 100 occupants, most co-ops required three to seven hours of work per week in cooking, cleaning or some other maintenance. Food prices remained low because of volume purchasing, and all profits were shared equally. Many students used the co-operative living style as a half-way house between dormitories and private apartments. Residents of Dobie Center await elevators in the mall lobby while moving in. New Guild Co-op residents enjoy the relaxed dining atmosphere 26 Ofl-Campus Housing APAF Ad II Dlh ' 3 Racq River TriTi (wom CO