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Issue three Table of Contents
1 4 5
How to Get Along With Your Landlord
FRAT/SRAT House vs. On Your Own
Student Life Hacks
7 9 11
5 Tips to Keep Your Utility Bills Low This Fall
How To Survive The Midterm Season: Stress Edition
4 Creative Ways To Utilize Your Thanksgiving Leftovers
How to Get Along with Your Landlord Dave Villarama Whether it’s your first off-campus apartment or a house you’ve been living in for the last three years, it might feel like you’re at the mercy of your landlord and roommates. While being considerate of the landlord, property manager and/or other tenants is something we’re all familiar with (hopefully you’ve been taught this), your landlord also has obligations to you as the tenant to ensure that you are getting the living experience that you pay rent for. That’s why it’s important to understand your rights as a tenant, what resources are available to you and how to communicate with your landlord for both parties’ sake.
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Read the Lease Closely Before Signing You don’t necessarily need to be a trained lawyer to understand what you’re getting yourself into, and it’s best to be completely sure your lease is properly written up, has no surprise provisions, and in case of emergencies, property damage and other contingencies. Additionally, if the landlord includes illegal stipulations in the lease, those actually cannot be enforced even if you sign willingly. This includes things like waiving your right to a court hearing before eviction. UMN Student Legal Services will actually review lease agreements for full-time students at no out-of-pocket cost, and they’re a great resource for renters in general, which we’ll get back to.
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Keep Records Make sure to keep records of things pertaining to the rental unit or interactions with your landlord. This means getting and saving receipts for rent and security deposits, as well as keeping the lease agreement handy. It’s always good, and even necessary if you ever need to go to court for whatever reason, to have a paper trail.
Know Your Rights Know your rights as a tenant, according to federal, state and city laws and ordinances: •
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Your landlord cannot violate the rules of your lease, and as previously mentioned, illegal provisions in a signed lease cannot be enforced. Your rental must be free of any hazards
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to your health or safety. Fixtures, plumbing and other elements of the building must be maintained in working order, and storm windows and doors must be up to weather and energy efficiency standards. You are allowed, no matter what, to call emergency services as well as city inspectors if you find yourself in a situation where you need it. Under most circumstances, your landlord cannot barge into your rental unit, they must attempt to give you reasonable notice of when they are going to enter your apartment. This usually means 24-48 hours of notice. The most relevant exception would be if an emergency of some kind, like imminent property damage from a leak, necessitates landlord entry. Your landlord cannot retaliate if you make a complaint or assert your rights as a tenant. There are more rights that you, as a renter, are entitled to than we have space to cover here. See lawhelpmn. org/self-help-library/booklet/ tenants-rights-minnesota for more information.
Landlord Relationship Do’s & Dont’s •
Be professional, but assertive — remember, you and your landlord are engaging in a business transaction. Additionally, sometimes it takes numerous attempts to get a landlord to fix or provide stuff they promised. If it is negatively affecting your enjoyment of your own apartment, don’t be afraid to repeat yourself to the landlord.
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Bring receipts! The importance of having written proof to back you up in a dispute cannot be overstated. At the same time, take care to be a good tenant and neighbor too.
Be Respectful! If you’ve seen the movie “Neighbors” featuring Zac Efron, it’s a prime example of what not to do. Being respectful is easy in practice. • Noise — no one wants to be on either end of the cops being called to shut down a function for being too loud. Whether that is music, yelling, breakage of miscellaneous household items, it’s a nuisance that everyone in an apartment building wants to keep to a minimum. • Garbage — keeping common areas and the exterior of your unit clean and free of litter is something to keep in mind. If you haven’t taken the trash out in a while, smells can also reach the common areas. Hopefully your off-campus rental experience is the best it can be. Keep these tips handy to ensure your peace of mind, the comfort of your apartment and a healthy and friendly relationship with your landlord and neighbors. In the event that things go south, Student Legal Services is there for any tenant-landlord legal disputes you may have. Check out their website or stop by their office at 160 West Bank Skyway to learn more.
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Living in a FRAT/SRAT House vs. On Your Own Maria Kasel
I have lived in both a sorority house and an apartment on campus, and let me tell you, it makes a world of difference. There are pros and cons to both, just like any housing situation. Let me break it down for you:
are lacking is AC. I have never been so thankful to be able to sleep without three fans pointing at my face. Floco has great air circulation, I’ll give it that. Now, let’s move onto apartment living. Everyone is so excited to move into their first apartment until they see the line of people wrapped around the building in order to pick up their keys. Tip: When you’re signing your lease, talk about early move-in! Also, make sure that your apartment building will tow cars when they’re in your spot, fix the treadmills when they break every other day, clean the elevators after the eventful weekends (we all know what needs to be cleaned), and take action when you’re giving a noise complaint. It’s safe to say that no matter where you live on campus, there will be inconveniences and loud people, but there are also great times and fun stories that come out of that. Recently, the carbon monoxide detector went off in my unit and my roommates and I fell asleep, in our pjs, in the lobby, while people walked in and out of the building on a Thursday night. We had to wait for the fire department to get the gas levels down! That’s one example of an inconvenience that turned into a funny story (after we were able to catch up on sleep). At the end of the day, if you get the chance, I would recommend living in Greek housing for a few years, and then move into a house or apartment for your final year. It’ll be the best of both worlds if you decide to experience the two living opportunities!
First, let me explain what it is like to live in a sorority house. The crazy chants, singing, clapping and dancing (sometimes) is all true and real. To be honest, I think all of the Panhellenic Council should go on tour and showcase our crazy talents. But it does get pretty loud in the house during the first few weeks of the semester. Once that dies down, it’s just like living in a normal house (with an additional 35-40 roommates, chef, housekeeper and house mom). You’ll never run out of clothes, shoes, makeup, gossip, food, crazy house mom stories and laughs from attempted composite robberies. How many people can say that they have had a chef in their life? I certainly did not think I would have that luxury in my lifetime. I actually pay more living in an apartment without a personal chef and housekeeper… I think every sorority girl can attest to this, but the dining room is “lit” at every moment of every day during the semester. Need someone to talk to about The Bachelor? Go to the dining room. Need to vent about your classes? Go to the dining room. Need a full-on lesson in chemistry before your midterm? Again, go to the dining room. Those connections are probably the number one thing I miss the most about living in a sorority house. Floco’s lobby just does not suffice. The only thing that most sorority houses
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Student Life Hacks Ningjun Tan
During my first semester of living alone, I called my parents constantly. I was worried that I didn’t know the most effective and efficient ways to deal with drama in my apartment, as well as general cleaning tips. I compiled what I learned and decided to pass these tips along to you all:
Removing Stickers: It is useless to try to remove a sticker without tools because it will damage the surface. Once, I tried to use a knife to remove the sticker that had been stuck on my laptop (dangerous, I know). The results left a few scratches on the bottom — yikes. These sticky situations won’t happen once you know all the tricks! Grab a piece of makeup cotton and some coconut oil. Then pour some of the oil onto the cotton and use it to wipe the sticker. The process just takes around 5 seconds! Now doesn’t that make your life a lot easier?!
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The Power of the Lemon: Keeping lemons at home can help solve many problems. Simplify tasks with these lemon hacks: • Removing mold — I didn’t expect I’d be able to remove limescale easily until I used a lemon. After mold and residue occurs, especially in canteens and water bottles, a lemon is your best bet. Cut a lemon into medium-sized pieces, bring the water to a boil and let the slices soak for a while. Pour the boiling water into the dirty bottle and scrub with a lemon, then it will be as clean as you when you bought it. • Deodorize — When your items, like your dehumidifier, start to smell funky, deodorize it with ease. Lemons can help deodorize the refrigerator as well. Put lemon juice in the fridge on a cotton ball or sponge and say goodbye to unwanted odors!
Surviving the Arctic Tundra: People always joke that Minnesota winter lasts over half of the year. Here are ways to prepare for this long season: • Waterproof shoes — Wearing wet sneakers throughout the day is not a good idea. A simple candle can help you solve this problem. First, use the bottom part of the candle and rub it all over the cloth part of your shoes. Next, melt away the candle with your blow dryer until all the white, waxy parts have melted away. Once you successfully completed this easy and useful process, you won’t have to worry about your shoes getting wet this winter. • Relieve your stuffy nose — Anyone who has ever had a cold knows how bad it feels: headaches, sneezing, an unbearable cough and so on. And worst of all, a stuffy nose, making it hard to breathe. An effective way to help you deal with a congested nose is by using a household item, an onion. Peel it and chop it into medium-sized pieces. Then, put the onion in a pot with boiling water. After a few minutes, get closer to the pot and breathe in the steam. Make sure to put a towel over your head to mimic a steam room. Voilá.
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3 Tips to Keep Your Utility Bills Low This Fall Michael Olson
Winter will be here before we know it, and chilly temperatures will continue to increase through the polar vortex season! Use these three helpful tips to stay warm and cozy while keeping your utility bills low.
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Make it a habit to adjust your thermostat to a lower temperature before you leave for the day. Do not make it too dramatic, but if you will not be at home all day, then don’t waste precious resources and electricity for no reason. If it is a warm day, then heat isn’t necessary. If it is chilly out, lower the heat a bit and bundle up with blankets.
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Wear socks! This seems like such a simple trick, but if you have cold feet, it will be hard to keep the rest of your body warm. Invest just a few dollars in a nice pair of wool socks, and I promise you will be glad you did.
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For those with a fireplace: If you have a working fireplace, that’s awesome, and a great way to keep your utility bills low! If not, think about visiting a cozy cafe or library for the day.
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How To Survive The Midterm Season: Stress Edition Andy Byun
Final exams are coming up and professors are assigning projects as though you are only taking their class. Frankly, with everything going on around you, this is a stressful time of year. If this sounds like you, you came to the right place! Learn how to manage stress and where you could go for help here: According to The Provost’s Council for Student Mental Health, everyone has different stressors that cause them anxiety. Therefore, there is no one magical step to managing your stress. The Council suggests a few steps to figure out stress management strategies that might work for you. First, be aware of how and when you feel stressed. Ask yourself questions like what symptoms are telling me that I am stressed? Second, identify the stressor. Think about the things that make you feel uncomfortable and stressed right now. It might not be obvious at first and you may have to think it through. This would be a good time to step away from whatever you are doing right now and think about what you are going through in your personal life and school. Third, now that you know the reason(s) for your stress, you can develop a strategy to overcome those
stressors. You could work out, go to yoga classes or even meditate by focusing on your breath. However, some of your stressors will need specific action plans tailored toward alleviating them. For example, if you are stressed about a test and your time management skills, then going to yoga classes won’t solve the root cause of your stress. Even though it will help you step away from the things, you would still need to come up with a plan to better manage your time or develop helpful study habits. The final step is to evaluate whether your strategy worked. If it worked out, perfect! You now know how to manage your stress when you are dealing with the same or similar stressors. If it didn’t work, that’s okay. Now that you have learned that there could be another way to manage your stress, you can try more things and learn from that experience. However, stress sometimes gets too challenging to handle on your own. In that case, you could find someone that you trust to talk to. If you are uncomfortable discussing your situation with your close friends and family, you can certainly turn to Boynton Health for help. Boynton Health offers Stress Check-In sessions. They are tailored
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to each student, and open to undergraduate, graduate and international students. Make an appointment by going to the Boynton Stress Check-In website (boynton. umn.edu/student-wellness-services/stress-management/ stress-check-ins) and simply fill out a self-reflection form before attending your appointment. The check-in sessions will provide you with an opportunity to talk through your stress in life, come up with solutions and connect with other campus resources. Last but not least, Boynton Health also hosts multiple PAWS sessions! PAWS stands for Pet Away Worry & Stress and features registered therapy animal teams including bunnies, dogs, cats, chickens and more. It is free, so check out the upcoming PAWS sessions closest to you on the website (boynton.umn.edu/paws). While stress is often viewed as a negative aspect of your life, it could also help motivate you to take action, make changes and grow. I hope this article helped you how to learn how to address and manage stress, as well as survive this midterm season. Now, go have fun and spend some time with furry friends to destress!
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Creative Ways to Utilize Your Thanksgiving Leftovers Socheata Mok
One of the best things about celebrating Thanksgiving is definitely the food. However, determining what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers can be a tedious task for those who do not want food to go to waste. Therefore, to ensure that all your Thanksgiving leftovers are utilized resourcefully, a solution is to use them to create new meals. To help you get started, here are four creative ways to utilize your Thanksgiving leftovers: For this and other fun and easy recipes, check out The Butter Half online. Contact Genevieve Benson (gbenson@mndaily. com) with future suggestions.
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Thanksgiving Leftover Poptart
Leftover Mashed Potato Pancake
Thanksgiving Leftover Poptarts are not only fun and easy to make, but can also be the ideal breakfast to start your day before school or work!
Although pancakes are often made for breakfast, mashed potato pancakes are a hearty meal that can be consumed at any time of the day! You can either serve them with leftover cranberry sauce or topped with some gravy and a paired side of choice, such as turkey and vegetables.
Ingredients: • 1 package pie crust (or leftover pie crust) • 1 cup cranberry sauce • 2 cups shredded turkey • ½ cup gravy • 3 tablespoons butter, melted • 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
Ingredients: • 2 cups mashed potatoes • 1 to 2 egg • 1/4 cup flour • 1 salt • 1 black pepper • 1 garlic • 1 onion (optional) • 1 cheese (optional) • 1 oil, or Crisco, for frying
Instruction: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Unroll the pie crust and cut them into 12 pieces. 3. Divide the cranberry sauce evenly between 6 pieces. 4. In a small bowl, toss together turkey and gravy, and divide evenly over the cranberry sauce. 5. Place the remaining 6 pieces of pie dough over top and press edges together with a fork. 6. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds. 7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Instructions: 1. 1. Mix mashed potatoes, egg, flour, salt, pepper, garlic and any optional ingredients, into mashed potatoes. Make sure the mixture is not too thin. 2. 2. Preheat skillet and add a couple of tablespoons of shortening or oil. 3. 4. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the hot pan; brown on both sides. 4. 5. Remove the pancakes and place them onto a plate. Then serve with sauce, gravy or sides of choice.
Recipe: thebutterhalf.com/make-thanksgiving-leftover-pop-tarts-2
Recipe: food.com/recipe/leftover-mashed-potato-pancakes-9054
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