Littlefield Freeze: A podcast of student recollections and critical analyses--Paige Hubbard, Michael Gresser, Dylan Kazanova
This past winter, millions of Texans were sent into crisis mode when one of the worst winter storms struck the state in mid-February. When the everyday systems we relied on shut down, citizens were forced to fend for themselves.
The freeze, known formally as winter storm Uri, left Texans without power, water, and even a means to eat. Many of our fellow students at UT Austin were especially vulnerable, and this is what led us to investigate the school’s response and their connections to the larger actors at play
For instance, did you know that our school’s endowment is only second to Harvard? Or that a portion of this $31 billion comes from the school permitting oil companies to frack in west Texas? If this is a surprise, you’re not alone. With the help of Students Fighting Climate Change, our teammate Dylan Kazanova has been advocating to repeal the current endowment system and to allocate future funds more effectively. This is especially meaningful with the city of Austin becoming almost financially uninhabitable for students, with median near-campus neighborhoods exceeding in-state tuition.
So it’s no wonder that students have turned to cheaper, run-down housing to abet the cost of surviving. This is what our team member, Paige Hubbard, first investigated when looking into the initial functionality of near-campus housing before the winter storm. After speaking with roommates Tanner, Nick, and Miles, she saw that the power outages in higher quality housing were still extremely dangerous. However, this would have been greatly exacerbated in condemnable houses near campus, like the one her interviewees previously lived in.
Student interviews have given us significant insight into various conditions and reactions to the freeze. Michael Gresser’s interview with Jared Pomeratz gave his account as an off-campus house manager facing broken pipes. Dylan Kazanova spoke to another off-campus resident, Alexis Austin, who detailed her expedition to find clean water for five days. We aimed to expand our investigations to UT employees as well, which was useful in comparing student and staff judgements. Troy Kimmel, meteorologist and committee member of UT’s security and safety, seemed more concerned with individual preparedness than institutional support. This led us to suspect his ability to criticize his employers.
For instance, did you know that our school’s endowment is only second to Harvard? Or that a portion of this $31 billion comes from the school permitting oil companies to frack in west Texas? If this is a surprise, you’re not alone. With the help of Students Fighting Climate Change, our teammate Dylan Kazanova has been advocating to repeal the current endowment system and to allocate future funds more effectively. This is especially meaningful with the city of Austin becoming almost financially uninhabitable for students, with median near-campus neighborhoods exceeding in-state tuition.
So it’s no wonder that students have turned to cheaper, run-down housing to abet the cost of surviving. This is what our team member, Paige Hubbard, first investigated when looking into the initial functionality of near-campus housing before the winter storm. After speaking with roommates Tanner, Nick, and Miles, she saw that the power outages in higher quality housing were still extremely dangerous. However, this would have been greatly exacerbated in condemnable houses near campus, like the one her interviewees previously lived in.
Student interviews have given us significant insight into various conditions and reactions to the freeze. Michael Gresser’s interview with Jared Pomeratz gave his account as an off-campus house manager facing broken pipes. Dylan Kazanova spoke to another off-campus resident, Alexis Austin, who detailed her expedition to find clean water for five days. We aimed to expand our investigations to UT employees as well, which was useful in comparing student and staff judgements. Troy Kimmel, meteorologist and committee member of UT’s security and safety, seemed more concerned with individual preparedness than institutional support. This led us to suspect his ability to criticize his employers.
But it just wouldn’t be a complete analysis without looking at how climate change ties in with a record-breaking blizzard. Scientists have argued that extreme weather events such as winter storm Uri are the new norm. There is mounting evidence that some of these bear the footprint of human-induced climate change. It is our belief that climate change had some impact on winter storm Uri either by affecting its frequency, severity, or both. With the oil endowment that the University of Texas currently draws enormous sums of money from, the school is doing more harm than good. The university backs an industry that harms the environment through carbon emissions which ultimately contribute to global climate change.
UT employees like Troy Kimmel may keep these facts quiet, and say they did all they could have done when the storm hit. In reality, the structure that the university is built on tells a different story. This is not only evident in their unethical investments perpetrating extreme weather events, but in the physical and emotional damage to our city and students. These are costs that cannot be ignored.
Bibliography
Bloomberg Businessweek. (2019, August 13). If the Tuition Doesn’t Get You, the Cost of Student Housing Will. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-08-13/if-the-tuitiondoesn-t-get-you-the-cost-of-student-housing-will
Bohra, N. (2021, March 29). Almost 70% of ERCOT customers lost power during winter storm, study finds. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/29/texas-power-outageERCOT/
Duff, T. (2021, September 5). UT student living becomes less affordable as Austin housing market grows. The Daily Texan. https://thedailytexan.com/2021/09/05/ut-student-living-becomes-lessaffordable-as-austin-housing-market-grows/
Editorial Board, The Daily Texan. (2019, March 8). UT now has the second largest endowment in the country. What does that mean? The Daily Texan. https://thedailytexan.com/2019/03/08/ut-now-has-the-secondlargest-endowment-in-the-country-what-does-that-mean/
Ferman, M., & Schuppe, J. (2021, November 29). “People should probably be worried”: Texas hasn’t done enough to prevent another winter blackout, experts say. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/29/texas-power-grid-winterstorm/
Kuzhiyil, F. (2021, March 9). Winter storm leaves many UT students seeking shelter from uninhabitable living conditions, freezing temperatures.
The Daily Texan. https://thedailytexan.com/2021/03/09/winter-stormleaves-many-ut-students-seeking-shelter-from-uninhabitable-living conditions/
McGrath, M. (2021, October 31). Climate change: Extreme weather events are “the new norm.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/scienceenvironment-59105963
O’Connell, C. (2021, May 3). How February’s Once-in-a-Generation Storm Altered Life on Campus and Across the City. The Alcalde. https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2021/05/how-februarys-once-in-ageneration-storm-altered-life-on-campus-and-across-the-city/
Office of Admissions, University of Texas at Austin. (n.d.). Freshman Student Profile | Undergraduate Admissions | The University of Texas at Austin. Utexas.edu. https://admissions.utexas.edu/explore/freshman-profile
Royal Meteorological Society. (2021, November 1). WMO Provisional Report on the State of the Global Climate 2021. RMetS. https://www.rmets.org/news/wmo-provisional-report-state-globalclimate-2021
Tunepocket. (n.d.). Dreamy Calm Lo-Fi - Relaxing Royalty Free Chillout Music. TunePocket. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://www.tunepocket.com/royalty-free-music/dreamy-calm-lo-fi/ US Department of Commerce, NOAA, & National Weather Service. (n.d.). Valentine’s Week Winter Outbreak 2021: Snow, Ice, & Record Cold.
Www.weather.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.weather.gov/hgx/2021ValentineStorm
Watts, M. J. (1983). The Political Economy of Climatic Hazards: A Village Perspective on Drought and Peasant Economy in a Semi-Arid Region of West Africa. Cahiers d’Études Africaines, Vol 23, p. 43.
UT employees like Troy Kimmel may keep these facts quiet, and say they did all they could have done when the storm hit. In reality, the structure that the university is built on tells a different story. This is not only evident in their unethical investments perpetrating extreme weather events, but in the physical and emotional damage to our city and students. These are costs that cannot be ignored.
Bibliography
Bloomberg Businessweek. (2019, August 13). If the Tuition Doesn’t Get You, the Cost of Student Housing Will. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-08-13/if-the-tuitiondoesn-t-get-you-the-cost-of-student-housing-will
Bohra, N. (2021, March 29). Almost 70% of ERCOT customers lost power during winter storm, study finds. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/29/texas-power-outageERCOT/
Duff, T. (2021, September 5). UT student living becomes less affordable as Austin housing market grows. The Daily Texan. https://thedailytexan.com/2021/09/05/ut-student-living-becomes-lessaffordable-as-austin-housing-market-grows/
Editorial Board, The Daily Texan. (2019, March 8). UT now has the second largest endowment in the country. What does that mean? The Daily Texan. https://thedailytexan.com/2019/03/08/ut-now-has-the-secondlargest-endowment-in-the-country-what-does-that-mean/
Ferman, M., & Schuppe, J. (2021, November 29). “People should probably be worried”: Texas hasn’t done enough to prevent another winter blackout, experts say. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/29/texas-power-grid-winterstorm/
Kuzhiyil, F. (2021, March 9). Winter storm leaves many UT students seeking shelter from uninhabitable living conditions, freezing temperatures.
The Daily Texan. https://thedailytexan.com/2021/03/09/winter-stormleaves-many-ut-students-seeking-shelter-from-uninhabitable-living conditions/
McGrath, M. (2021, October 31). Climate change: Extreme weather events are “the new norm.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/scienceenvironment-59105963
O’Connell, C. (2021, May 3). How February’s Once-in-a-Generation Storm Altered Life on Campus and Across the City. The Alcalde. https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2021/05/how-februarys-once-in-ageneration-storm-altered-life-on-campus-and-across-the-city/
Office of Admissions, University of Texas at Austin. (n.d.). Freshman Student Profile | Undergraduate Admissions | The University of Texas at Austin. Utexas.edu. https://admissions.utexas.edu/explore/freshman-profile
Royal Meteorological Society. (2021, November 1). WMO Provisional Report on the State of the Global Climate 2021. RMetS. https://www.rmets.org/news/wmo-provisional-report-state-globalclimate-2021
Tunepocket. (n.d.). Dreamy Calm Lo-Fi - Relaxing Royalty Free Chillout Music. TunePocket. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://www.tunepocket.com/royalty-free-music/dreamy-calm-lo-fi/ US Department of Commerce, NOAA, & National Weather Service. (n.d.). Valentine’s Week Winter Outbreak 2021: Snow, Ice, & Record Cold.
Www.weather.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.weather.gov/hgx/2021ValentineStorm
Watts, M. J. (1983). The Political Economy of Climatic Hazards: A Village Perspective on Drought and Peasant Economy in a Semi-Arid Region of West Africa. Cahiers d’Études Africaines, Vol 23, p. 43.