ACUHO-I News Blog

Well, it’s almost time for ACE! I’ve had a blast writing these posts and introducing you to my home.  I thought I’d provide some last-minute bits of information to help you plan your trip to Austin and to have a successful conference.

Airport Transportation: ACUHO-I has arranged for a 10% discount with SuperShuttle.  Look here for more information. Taxi fare will run you approximately $25 one-way, so SuperShuttle will definitely be the most economical choice. Reserve a spot online and then check in at the counter next to Baggage Claim #1.

Evening Activities: don’t forget to buy tickets now to the shows – this the only way you’ll guarantee to get in.  Check do512.com for a list of events happening over the next few days.  I’ve also added some events to my list on Google Docs and will keep adding to the list as I hear of new events.  Once you get to the conference, your complimentary copy of The Austin Chronicle will help you find fund stuff to do.

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While working at UNC-Chapel Hill, I quickly earned the nickname “Tour Guide Lynn.”  Whenever there was a trip, especially to a conference, I would take it upon myself to find entertainment options in the town.  I always drafted an itinerary to serve as a starting point for the trip – if something else came up that we wanted to do, we’d just substitute and go. But, there was always an itinerary to serve as a foundation.

My friend Kayla Hamilton (Emory University) is coming in a few days early for the conference and, of course, Tour Guide Lynn has a basic itinerary planned out.  Here’s a taste of what we plan to do (some of this will sound familiar to regular readers of my posts):

Wednesday, June 23: Kayla arrives; Geeks Who Drink pub trivia quiz at Waterloo Ice House

Thursday, June 24: While I’m in class, Kayla’s going to go to the Walter Cronkite exhibit at the LBJ museum

Friday, June 25: Shopping at the Prime and Tanger outlets in San Marcos before meeting some Tweeps for dinner; possible Glee-Along to follow

Saturday, June 26: Quick trip to San Antonio before the Opening Reception

Once the conference starts, we’ll be attending great sessions during the day and then hitting receptions in the evening.  We’ll wrap our conference experience up with the First Annual ACUHO-I Tweet Up on Tuesday after the closing banquet (more info to come on Twitter via #acuhoi, the conference hashtag).

If your itinerary includes some live music, theatre or other special events, you should start planning now.  I’ve started a list on Google Docs of events around town from June 23-30.  I recommend checking this list now and then before you leave so that you can buy tickets to any events you’d like to attend.  It’s entirely possible that events like the Anthony Bourdain Q&A, Mingo Fishtrap and the Justin Timberlake Sing-Along will sell out – getting tickets now will ensure that you get in.  If I hear of other cool events, I’ll add them to the list.

Most of the events were pulled from the Austin American-Stateman’s excellent city guide, Austin360.  There’s a ton of information on this site about events, restaurants and other happenings in town.  The Austin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has an events widget powered by do512.com that provides live music shows by date. Do512.com’s event listings are incredibly diverse and I’m sure you’ll find an awesome event there.  All ACE attendees will get a copy of the Austin Chronicle, which will also help you plan your evening activities.

Once you get here, the Local Arrangements Committee will be happy to answer your questions or to make suggestions.  We’ll announce each day how you can identify the committee members.  I’ll leave you with this tease: tie-dye is involved.

Have I mentioned that Austinites value supporting local businesses? That certainly extends to the local food scene. We have our share of high-end restaurants (both locally-owned and major chains) in the downtown area. We also have our share of “joints” where you can get a true taste of Austin.

Foodies should be in absolute heaven in Austin. The Austin Chronicle prints restaurant guides and has a comprehensive restaurant guide online that allows you to filter results by neighborhood and by cuisine. Some of the restaurants you’ll find within a six block radius of the hotel include:

• Carmelo’s Restaurant (Italian – $40+)
• Iron Cactus Mexican Grill (Tex-Mex, $10-$25)
• Chez Nous (French, $25-$40)
• The Old Pecan Street Café (American Cafe, $25-$40)
• Paradise (American Café, $10-$25)
• Fogo de Chao (Brazilian steakhouse, $40+)
• Finn & Porter (steak and seafood, $40+)
• Eddie V’s (seafood, $40+)
• PF Chang’s (Chinese, $10-$25)
• Mongolian Grille (Chinese, $10-$25)

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In one of my first posts, I mentioned that the famous “Keep Austin Weird” slogan is now part of a marketing campaign for local business owners. It works. I don’t know if I’ve ever been someplace where there is such pride in supporting local businesses. When Borders bookstore planned to build on the corner of 6^th Street and Lamar Blvd (coincidentally, right across from local book and record stores), we fought back and Borders changed their plans. You, too, can be weird and patronize local businesses while you’re in Austin.

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Well, the time is finally here. This is the blog where I fill you in on the places to get some true Texas barbeque. Sorry, vegetarians – there’s not going to be a lot for you in this posting.

But, first, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page in terms of what “barbeque” means. According to Wikipedia there are five kinds of Texas barbeque: (Editor’s Note: I’m still trying to figure out if we should spell it “barbeque” or “barbecue” and now you tell me there are different kinds?)

East Texas: The beef is slowly cooked to the point that it is “falling off the bone,” typically over hickory wood, and marinated in a sweet, tomato-based sauce.

Central Texas: The meat is rubbed with spices and cooked over indirect heat from pecan or oak wood.

West Texas: The meat is cooked over direct heat from mesquite wood giving it a somewhat bitter taste.

South Texas: Thick, molasses-like sauces that keep the meat very moist and barbacoa (often prepared with parts from the head of a cow, such as the cheeks).

In Austin, you’ll see mostly Central Texas barbeque. I’m not usually a dry rub fan, but if the barbeque is cooked well, the meat is so moist and the dry rub provides just the right amount of flavor to the beef . . .  Sorry – I got distracted. Anyway. Barbeque is typically sold by the pound and can include brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage links. For me, Texas Barbeque means “brisket.” The brisket is sliced as it’s ordered, so it will still be incredibly juicy. At the old-skool joints, they’ll just toss the barbeque and a couple of slices of white bread on some butcher paper and hand it to you. Then, you’ll pick up some sides such as beans, potato salad or slaw. Notice I haven’t mentioned sauce yet. Sauce is available on the table, but I often find that I don’t need it because the beef is so juicy and flavorful.

Now that we’re all hungry, I’ll highlight some places around the conference hotel where you can get some good barbeque, as well as some great places in surrounding towns that could be well worth the price of a rental car.

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Folks who contact the Central Office often have pretty basic requests; they want to register for a conference, change their directory information or find ACUHO-I’s founding documents. When it’s the third request, their call or e-mail is sent to me.

On the top of the homepage of the ACUHO-I library, there’s a gray bar. This bar has links to our most-requested documents. Among them are the ACUHO-I Constitution and By-Laws, and the other is our Standards and Ethical Principles. The Standards and Ethical Principles has been shortened to Code of Ethics so everything will fit. We don’t get requests for copies of the Statement of Residents’ Rights and Responsibilities as often, so it’s not on the homepage, but it is in the library. Here’s its record. If you get a log-in screen when you click these links, enter as a guest (see the link to the lower left of the log-in box), no username or password needed.) The catalog usually works better with Explorer than Firefox. We’re going to try to wean it of its prejudices later in 2010, though.

As I was getting ready for work the other day, one of the local morning radio shows was talking about the upcoming reunion tour of The Go-Go’s and that Kathy Valentine (bassist) lives in Austin.  I started thinking about all the different celebrities that call Austin home and realized it’s a pretty long list.  The conventional wisdom is that celebrities like living in Austin because we’re so laid back – they can go shopping at the IKEA without getting harassed (more on that in a second).

So: here are some celebrities that call Austin home (either full- or part-time).  You might see them around downtown while you’re here for ACE.

Lance Armstrong – his bike shop, Mellow Johnny’s, is about 9 blocks west of the Hilton.  He’s also been sighted riding his bike out on Loop 360/Capitol of Texas Hwy in West Austin.

Sandra Bullock – Sandy has a home here and owns a couple of businesses, including Bess Bistro (an easy bus ride – with no transfers – from the Hilton).   I think she lives in LA most of the year, but she just filed for divorce here in Austin.  Come on home, Sandy, and bring that precious baby with you.  We’ve got your back, girl.

Cast of “Friday Night Lights” – I’ve heard of lots of sightings around South Congress when the show is in production (look here if you want to try to be an extra while in town).  Once, at the airport, I saw this really beautiful woman walking arm-in-arm with a really scruffy looking guy. I thought, “Wow – she is way too hot for him.” As they got closer, I realized it was Connie Britton (Tami Taylor) and I thought, “That’s Connie Britton!  She is DEFINITELY too hot for him!”

Shawn Colvin – singer of “Sunny Came Home”

Richard Linklater – filmmaker (“Dazed and Confused”, “The School of Rock”, “Before Sunrise”)

Michael Dell – founder of Dell Computers.  If you are out on Loop 360 and see a blonde woman biking with a very large, very black SUV following along behind her, you’ve just spotted his wife Susan Dell.

Dixie Chicks – I’m not sure which of the group lives in Austin right now, but there’s always a Chick in town.

Roky Erikson – lead singer of the 1970s psychedelic rock band 13^th Floor Elevators – making a comeback after a long period of mental illness (see the documentary “You’re Gonna Miss Me”).

Alex Jones – conservative talk radio host

Matthew McConaughey – I don’t think he lives here any more, but he sure loves Austin.  You never know when he’ll pop up.

Willie Nelson – the Red Headed Stranger is no stranger to Austin (see what I did there?).  He has some property out in West Austin that includes a nine-hole golf course.  Rumor has it that he built the golf course because the other courses in town made him wear a shirt when he played.

Turk Pipkin – now he runs The Nobelity Project, but he’s most famous for playing Aaron Arkaway on “The Sopranos.”

Dennis Quaid – a native Texan, he and his family have relocated permanently to Austin

Bruce Robison – a tall drink of Texas water who has written huge hits for other people (“Travelin’ Soldier”, “Angry All the Time”, “Desperately”) but is a good singer in his own right.  My favorite: the Gary Allen hit “What Would Willie Do?” (the video is pretty jumpy, but the performance is great).

Andy Roddick – tennis superstar and Elton John BFF (he brought Elton to town to sing at his wedding to Brooklyn Decker).

Robert Rodriguez – director of the “El Mariachi” trilogy (EXCELLENT movies, by-the-way.  Be sure to watch the special making-of features on the DVDs), “Spy Kids” franchise and “Sin City”.  Once, I spotted him in the parking lot at Central Market, a local gourmet grocery store, walking back to his yellow Hummer (Me: “OMG! IT’S ROBERT RODRIGUEZ!!” Friend: “Who?” Me: *sigh*).  He was wearing his trademark cowboy hat, even to make a grocery run.

Chuck Woolery – game show host extraordinaire.  I’ve seen Chuck three times in the last five years: the first time at IKEA (Me: “That guy looks like Chuck Woolery.” Friend: “Because it is Chuck Woolery.”), again on the long-term parking shuttle at the airport and most recently at Central Market.  You can have your Norris – my Chuck of choice is Woolery.

Others that call the Austin-San Marcos area home:

• Ray Benson – another tall drink of Texas water and lead singer of Asleep at the Wheel
• Mehcad Brooks – actor (Eggs in “True Blood”)
• Kevin Costner – his status as an Austinite could be only a rumor
• Ben Crenshaw – pro-golfer
• Laura Lane – actress (CC Babcock, “The Nanny”) and faculty member at Texas State
• Eugene Lee – actor and artist-in-residence at Texas State
• Ben McKenzie – actor (“Southland”)
• James McMurtry – son of author Larry McMurtry and a singer-songwriter
• Tim O’Brien – award-winning author (If I Die in a Combat Zone) and faculty member at Texas State
• Wiley Wiggins – actor (the kid who touched his nose all the time in “Dazed and Confused”)
• Kelly Willis – wife of Bruce Robison and a wonderful singer-songwriter (she and Bruce starred in a Claritin commercial a couple of years ago)

One of the many nice things about Austin is our close proximity to the best that Texas has to offer. It will be easy for you to turn your conference experience into a vacation that’s fun for the whole family (insert cheesy grin here)!

Austin is about a 3.5- to 4-hour drive from Dallas, Ft. Worth and Houston. Perhaps living in Texas skews one’s perception of driving times, but I’ve made several trips to these cities and back to Austin in the same day for special events (special exhibits at museums, concerts that aren’t coming to Austin, theatrical events). Just promise me that if you make the drive on I-35 between Austin and Dallas/Ft. Worth that you’ll stop off at the Czech Stop for some AH-MAZ-ING kolaches.

Closer to Austin, you can spend several days exploring the Texas Hill Country, a 14K-square-mile region to the west of Austin featuring by rolling hills (which those of from the mountains will mock). The growing Texas wine industry is located mostly in the Hill Country and many of the 22 wineries offer tours. In addition, there are about 55 cities/towns in the Hill Country, each with lots of things to check out while you’re here. I won’t list all 55 (you’re welcome), but here are the highlights from towns that are closest to Austin:

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We thought we’d take a break from the usual “Austin is awesome” blog to talk about why you would want to attend the Annual Conference and Exposition in the first place. To answer this question, I talked with Stacy Oliver, assistant director of Housing and Residential Life at Indiana University South Bend.

While Stacy has six years of professional experience in the housing field, this will be her first ACE. I asked Stacy why:

I have always worked at small schools with limited financial resources. My professional involvement was dedicated on a regional level to GLACUHO, where I’ve served on committees and the board of directors during my professional career.

IU South Bend opened its first student housing facilities in August 2008. It’s my intention that our students not be able to recognize the difference between their residential experiences and that of their friends who are living on campus somewhere that has offered housing for 75 years.

Stacy believes ACE will be an important opportunity to tap into the vast experience represented at the conference. Along with the educational sessions, she’s also looking to expand her network of housing professionals. Already active on twitter (@StacyLOliver), Stacy plans to schedule in social time with her connections through #sachat and with former colleagues she doesn’t get to see very often.

When ACE ends on June 29, I want to leave feeling confident that I took advantage of the on-site opportunities, but that I’ve also set myself up for continued success by building relationships and sharing resources.

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SXSW — an annual music conference that draws thousands of fans and performers from around the world — just wrapped up here in Austin.  Amidst all the conference sessions, film screenings, band showcases, and side parties, the Austin Chronicle handed out their 28th annual Austin Music Awards.

It’s too early to tell, but some of these folks might be playing downtown during the 2010 ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition. (Editor’s Note: I really hope to see Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. They are excellent!) You can see the full list of winners and nominees at the Chronicle website.

Austin Band of the Year: Bob Schneider & Lonelyland

Austin Musician of the Year: Bob Schneider

Best New Austin Band: Speak

Austin Album of the Year: Lovely Creatures, Bob Schneider

Austin Song of the Year: “40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)”, Lovely Creatures, Bob Schneider

Best Performing Bands:

• Blues: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
• Country/Bluegrass: Sarah Jarosz
• Cover Band: Mysterious Ways
• Experimental: John Pointer
• Folk: Sarah Jarosz
• Hip-Hop/DJ: Tee Double
• Indie: Bright Light Social Hour
• Industrial/Goth: Chant
• Instrumental: McLemore Avenue
• Jazz: Kat Edmonson
• Latin: Brownout
• Latin Traditional: Los Texas Wranglers
• Metal: The Sword
• None of the Above: Mother Falcon
• Punk: One-Eyed Doll
• Rock: Los Lonely Boys
• Roots Rock: Fireants
• U18 (under 18): Schmillion
• World Music: Atash

Best Female Vocals: Sarah Jarosz

Best Make Vocals: Bob Schneider

Best Venues:

• Acoustic: Cactus Café
• All-Ages: Emo’s
• Live Music: Antone’s

Hope this whets your appetite for some great music while you are here!  Next time, we’ll talk about what all that weirdness is about.

Howdy! Greetings from the 2010 Annual Conference and Exposition Local Arrangements Committee. We can’t wait to welcome y’all to Austin on June 26th!

Over the coming months, I’ll write about Austin and all the things that make it quirky and wonderful. Some of the topics we’ll cover: BBQ and Tex-Mex, cultural options, live music and other things you must see while in town. We will also preview some of the activities planned for the conference itself. Anything else you want to know about? Leave me a comment and I will add it to the list.

I love showing off my town to guests, so my goal is to get you fired up to visit the best city in the Lone Star State (That’s right, Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth and San Antonio. I said it.).

In the meantime, enjoy my favorite song about Texas by one of my favorite Texas artists, Lyle Lovett: That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas).

Ever challenged with a new project – creating and implementing a style guide, recruiting new professional staff, or launching a branding campaign – and knew you remembered hearing about another institution that did something similar?

The ACUHO-I Marketing and Communications Committee recognizes the need for resources to be your fingertips. Fellow professionals and their experiences are invaluable resources. The ACUHO-I Online Resource Library will provide just that; a showcase of successful communication strategies among its members. Our hope is to share examples of the following types of publications: view books, brochures, on-line promotions, media advertisements, direct marketing collateral and much more. Each example, whether a design or campaign, can be labeled under specific topic areas such as staff recruitment, room selection, branding documents, job descriptions, and marketing campaigns.

Everyone has an experience to bring to the table. We need you to provide examples of your publications, campaigns, media strategies and more. If you have examples (and we know you do!) that you think would be helpful to your fellow professionals, please submit to the online library. The submission form can be found here. Please submit your submission form and electronic publication sample to mccresource@gmail.com. If you are submitting multiple publications, please submit separate e-mails for each piece and/or campaign. The deadline to submit material is March 1, 2010.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions and appreciate your time in providing details of your work and/or campaigns.

Last week saw the 2009 ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition come to a close. For the almost 1,100 people who were able to be in Baltimore, they left with pages full of notes and minds full of ideas and inspirations. They also left with the memories of connecting with colleagues and friends: a sentiment captured in a photo slideshow that was shown at the closing banquet (and embedded below).

Because we know there were people who wanted to be in Baltimore but weren’t able, for whatever reason, this year ACUHO-I will offer a condensed, online version of the event. More details are forthcoming, but plans call for some of the most widely-attended and highest-scored sessions to be offered, as well as a video of the conference’s keynote address by environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Look for more details on the ACUHO-I Web site and e-mail announcements in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, you can download the conference program guide as a PDF, view a list of conference attendees, and enjoy the images from Baltimore. Plus, in the coming days, presentation materials from the conference sessions will be available in the ACUHO-I online library.

What were your favorite memories of the conference? Share in the comment section below.

A selection of college housing and student affairs headlines from InsideHigherEd.com. This week’s edition features two reports from the 2009 ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition in Baltimore. Look for these on a weekly basis in the ACUHO-I news blog.

THE 3 A.M. PHONE CALL: College housing officers identify tactics to avert disaster and to respond after the fact:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/29/acuhoi

LEEDING THE PACK: While Duke showcased its new platinum-rate residence hall at an annual meeting of college housing officers, other campus reps talked getting certified on a budget:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/30/leed

OBAMA’S PUSH FOR FREE ONLINE COURSES: Administration may propose “open” classes and create a “National Skills College” to coordinate offerings at high schools and community colleges. Other measures for two-year institutions may include $10 billion facilities loan fund:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/29/ccplan

SUPREME COURT PUNTS: Justices opt — for now — not to resolve dispute over right of public universities to bar anti-gay bias and right of Christian groups to be recognized as student organizations:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/01/truth

The May+June 2009 issue of the Talking Stick magazine is now out, available through the postal service or in its online format. The cover story, this time, is a photo essay from the ACUHO-I study tour of China as well as the ACUHO-I Global Housing Summit. Some amazing photos taken by ACUHO-I members as well as written reflections from those who were there capture the experience and shares it with the membership at large.

Other stories this issue include a piece co-written by ACUHO-I president Norb Dunkel and ACPA president Tom Jackson that addresses how campus housing and student affairs departments must work together to further the “international” missions of their campuses. Luke LaCroix shines the light on sophomore programs. Tonie Miyamoto looks at LEED. Plus much more news from ACUHO-I and the college housing profession.

Read the latest issue and share your thoughts about it either in the comments below, or in the forum of the ACUHO-I online network.