The Crimson White Print Edition - September 21, 2023

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4A news continued from 1A — apartments CW / Elijah McWhorter The Lofts at City Center After finding multiple rats in the apartment, Washington’s roommate emailed the complex several times to ask them to fix the problem and received no response. Washington then emailed the property manager about the problem and received no response. Around two weeks later, he emailed the property manager twice again, once with a video of a rat in his apartment, and the manager responded saying that Washington would be moved to another unit. Washington moved units two days later. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rats can carry diseases and also carry ticks, mites and fleas that can act as vectors for diseases. Another student, Ivan Soto, a junior business management major, described other issues with moving into The Lofts. “I came into a really dirty apartment,” Soto said. Students from different units say that the room they were shown while touring was completely different than what they moved into. “My standards were a little bit too high with what the room they showed us was like,” Soto said. Other students also report that their expectations during their initial tour differed from the reality of their current apartment. As of Sept. 18, the cost of an apartment at The Lofts is between $409 and $655 a month per occupant depending on layout. When reached over the phone, an employee at The Lofts declined to comment. Here The apartment complex Here had several students report issues with mold. “I have to consistently clean every part of my bathroom every day or else the mold will grow,” Oliva Harvey, a junior news media major living at Here, said. “I have a health condition where the mold can impact it severely.” The molding issue in Harvey’s apartment is new, according to her. She said she has made Here’s management aware of the issue but had yet to hear back at the time of the interview. The CDC does say there’s “always some mold around.” However, the organization also states that people with asthma or who are allergic to mold may have severe reactions. Immunocompromised people and people with chronic lung disease may get infections in their lungs from mold. It also says that those sensitive to mold may experience stuffy nose, wheezing and other symptoms. Harvey revealed that she has consistently been ill and traces her recent health problems to the mold in her apartment. While this is a new issue in Harvey’s apartment, she said she had made Here’s management aware of the issue but had yet to hear back. Lauren Bell, another tenant at Here, feels like the issues at the apartment complex spawn from a lack of care from upper management. “The issue is not the people who work in the building, but the people who own the building because all they care about is money and not the tenants,” Bell said. Here did not respond to a request for comment. Redpoint At Redpoint, when some students moved in this fall, they also were met with unclean apartments, as well as visible mold. “It was kind of disheartening to move into your first apartment and then it’s dirty already,” Marissa Wilson, a sophomore nursing student living at Redpoint, said. Makenzie Johnson, a junior criminal justice major, said she moved into an unclean Redpoint apartment that had mold in the vents. “As we were moving in, they were cleaning our apartment,” Johnson said. “You can imagine how hectic that was.” Sanaa Taylor, a junior news media major living at Redpoint, said she had to ask Redpoint to clean her room. Johnson and Taylor recalled hearing other residents complain about their apartments having mold in vents, on couches and in fridges. Wilson said that when students were moving in, several parents crowded around the clubhouse trying to get ahold of the building manager to address the issues, but the manager was unavailable. “I just think that, like, a general manager or the top managers should just be more accessible,” Wilson said. Wilson also noted that the security gate, which is supposed to prevent nontenants from entering, has been broken since she moved in. “Being a girl living without her parents for the first time, I would like to just feel more secure,” Wilson said. “At the end of the day, I don’t hate living here. It’s just different than what I thought.” As of Sept 18, the cost of an apartment at Redpoint ranges between $425 and $799 a month, depending on layout. Redpoint could not be reached for comment. “My advice to those looking for an apartment: Do not get tricked,” Taylor said. Editor’s note: Olivia Harvey, although not currently an active contributor, has previously written for the sports desk of The Crimson White. A broken security gate at Redpoint Tuscaloosa is one of the several issues students living in the apartments have to deal with. CW / Elijah McWhorter
Zara Morgan Contributing Writer A local publishing house is empowering future generations of writers by giving them an inside look at what the publishing process is like Red Rook Press was created last year to provide opportunities for student authors and future publishers. The organization publishes two books, one poetry and one prose, per academic year and collects submissions from students in a variety of majors. Last year, Red Rook published “The Blood, the Love and the Uninterpretable” by Abby Armstrong as the poetry manuscript and “When the Flowers Breathe” by Maureen Edwards, who writes under the pseudonym Attalea Rose. Maya Mungo, a sophomore majoring in marketing and a liaison for the promotions team, said being a part of Red Rook Press gives students an opportunity to gain valuable experience in possible future careers. Mungo said she enjoys her position because of the valuable experience she’s gained in social media marketing. She’s been able to practice differentiating what graphic design elements look good on Instagram compared with flyers. Additionally, she’s been able to learn how to discern what’s trending currently and capitalize on it through TikTok. Anna Kate Moorer, a senior majoring in English and the acquisitions liaison for Red Rook Press, said that she has gained valuable editorial experience through her work at Red Rook Press. In her time at Red Rook, Moorer has sorted through manuscript submission, evaluated writing based on marketability, and edited manuscripts while keeping student authors’ true intentions intact. “That’s the great thing about Red Rook Press,” Moorer said. “You get to learn all these different facets of publishing instead of just being tied down to one role.” Additionally, Moorer said that she enjoys publishing because she loves helping authors craft their work and realize their potential. When sorting through work, Moorer said she focuses more on whether the author has a true vision for their writing rather than how well written a piece is. She looks for an author who’s comfortable with what they’re writing and has a clear direction for what they want it to look like. “I think for me, when I read news Red Rook Press empowers students to gain real world experience in publishing through, I try to determine if an author has a specific vision for the work, or if it seems like they’re still trying to find their true purpose in writing that specific piece,” Moorer said. “I know I look for something that’s going to be a little more direct for our Courtesty of Red Rook Press editing team to work with. Also, it just depends not on necessarily how long it is or how well it’s written, but majorly just the author seeming comfortable with what they're writing.” Anna Kate Baxter, a senior majoring in English and serving as a prose editorial liaison for Red Rook Press, described the process of polishing a manuscript into a final product as rewarding. “When we see their book, we see ourselves as more official,” Baxter said. “It’s not a New York Times bestseller, but it’s somewhere being sold, and people are reading. And it’s really cool.” Armstrong, a senior majoring in English, wrote the poetry manuscript chosen for publication last year, “The Blood, the Love and Interpretable.” Armstrong described the process of working with Red Rook Press as enjoyable. “It’s super easy and wonderful,” Armstrong said. “It’s nice to know that if I have any questions about anything, I can just send an email.” Armstrong said the experience of having her writing published and out in the world was surreal. “I don’t think I fully have realized that, like, yeah, I have an actual book that’s out there,” Armstrong said. “It’s also really exciting. ... It’s one thing just typing on a laptop, but being able to hold an actual book. It’s ... such a good feeling.” 5A Armstrong’s piece of advice to people thinking about submitting is to have friends look over your work and encourage people to try. “Having another pair of eyes on your work is always great,” Armstrong said. “I think that starting is the hardest part. Especially for me, that was just literally clicking on the website and clicking ‘Yes, I’m going to submit this.’” Maureen Edwards is a junior majoring in English and wrote the prose manuscript that was chosen last year. Edwards said that she’s excited for students to read the fun Easter eggs in her book that nod toward Tuscaloosa. “I think, for me, personally, the point of my writing is to share the storylines with other people,” Edwards said. “I mean, the reason is so the story doesn’t just exist in my head. It goes on paper and then it goes out to the world. So, I’m not in it to be a famous published author. ... But writing is connecting with other people through written language.” Whether a student thinks they’re ready or not, Edwards encourages all students to at least try. “I encourage people to submit even if you don’t think you could get it, because I did it on a whim and they picked me,” Edwards said. “So don’t count yourself out.”
Page 1 and 2: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 VOLUME
Page 3: news Tuscaloosa businesses rely on
Page 7 and 8: sports The transformation of Alabam
Page 9 and 10: The power of a picture: CW photogra
Page 11 and 12: culture Mark your calendars: Upcomi
Page 13 and 14: Amanda Dunlap Contributing Columnis
Page 15: opinion Is an accelerated master’

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