Students Demand Answers as West Campus Apartments Faces Utility Crisis

AUSTIN—Outages of power, water, and air conditioning are causing severe difficulties for students living in the apartment complex Rise at West Campus, which is located close to the University of Texas at Austin. 

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These students are preparing for the autumn semester. The problem has been made worse by malfunctioning elevators, which have caused a significant number of inhabitants to have to climb numerous flights of steps.

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According to Grace Pohl, a tenant who lives on the 23rd level, "I just climbed up 23 flights of stairs because the elevators were down, I had no running water, and I went in my room to a sweet surprise of 82 degrees," she said. 

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For a great number of students, the move-in experience was made more difficult by the fact that they were unable to use the restrooms and woke up to uncomfortable temperatures.

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Pohl and her mother have been attempting to get in touch with management in order to request aid, but they have not received any answer, despite their efforts. "Both my mother and I have tried to reach them by phone, but they have yet to respond. It has been brought to my attention that the management did not appear to be here today; however, they do have a college student working here," she stated. "Tonight, I think I have to stay at a hotel."

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Zarina Ards, another resident, voiced her concerns as well, adding, "I received an email alerting me that the power was out, and our elevators are not functioning properly." When I finally discovered that the water was not functioning properly, it was about an hour later.

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Maintenance staff are currently present at the apartment complex in order to resolve the issues that have been brought to their attention. 

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However, students are left with a limited amount of information and resources to navigate this difficult circumstance throughout the move-in process.

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