The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / Opinion / Columns / Residency in University Park not as advertised

Residency in University Park not as advertised

September 26, 2012 by Mark Smith

Good and bad things arise when you live at UP.

The cable quality is terrible. Some channels are okay. Some are unwatchable. Most are somewhere in between.

Nearly every channel has some audio or visual issue. The HD channels come in terribly, but at least I get to see how much better they would be than the standard, if they actually worked.

But the maintenance people are always helpful and nice.

Unfortunately, I know this because my room flooded.

I lived in UP for the last two months of summer while I worked on my internship. Both my roommate’s parents and mine wanted us to live in UP, so we signed that lease. Two weeks into my internship, I slept in on Saturday, desiring a slow, quiet weekend. I finally sat up at 11:45 a.m., put my feet on the floor and stood up.

Uh-oh.

Worry immediately hit me, as the carpet was soaked from the middle of the floor to under my bed, my main storage place.

Luckily, nothing was damaged – besides my Office poster and Miami Dolphins beanbag.

I’m allergic to mold, so I’m very grateful for maintenance’s help getting the moisture out of our apartment.

Another problem I almost ran into (literally) was when the gate nearly killed my car. Don’t follow other cars out too closely or it’ll give you a good scare.

For some reason, the grass nearest my apartment is always wet. Absent exaggeration, it is wet whether the weather is wet, dry, humid or windy (a typical day in Abilene). I’ll never know why that grass refuses to dry.

The laundry room has a ton of washers and dryers, a welcome change from the dorms, when the entire dorm only had four machines. Unfortunately, so far in my three-month residency here, I’ve always had to re-dry or re-wash at least one laundry load.

One time, I went in to do laundry, and all but one washer was taken. Later, 11 of the 14 dryers were running, all with the exact same time remaining.

Did someone really take that many machines at once? I don’t even know how that’s possible.

The best part about living in UP: I save money on gas, and I am forced to exercise by walking across campus. I lived in Smith-Adams last year, which meant I ended up driving every day I didn’t leave 15 minutes before my 8 a.m. classes started. Which means I drove every day.

Before I moved here, I had heard primarily negative things about UP. I had also seen its ads and promotions where everyone looked happy. It’s no walk in the park, but it’ll do. I just wish the cable was worth watching.

Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: University Park

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

About Mark Smith

You are here: Home / Opinion / Columns / Residency in University Park not as advertised

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist ·
30 Mar

Sing Song 2025 Awards Women’s Division:

Vocals:
1. Ko Jo Kai
2. Sigma Theta Chi
3. Delta Theta

Entertainment:
1. Sigma Theta Chi
2. Ko Jo Kai
3. Delta Theta

Note: An earlier post included a spelling error, so we have since updated it for accuracy.

Reply on Twitter 1906348770293317827 Retweet on Twitter 1906348770293317827 Like on Twitter 1906348770293317827 Twitter 1906348770293317827
acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist ·
30 Mar

Sing Song 2025 Awards Class Division:

Overall Award:
1. Freshman Purple
2. Freshman White
3. Seniors

Reply on Twitter 1906188185371034000 Retweet on Twitter 1906188185371034000 Like on Twitter 1906188185371034000 3 Twitter 1906188185371034000

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

11 months ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

1 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

1
2
3
4
5
PrevNext
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved