Kappa Alpha Order - University of Texas

OmicrOn Up OmicrOn Update date A PUB L IC A TIO N O F THE UT K A PPA A L PHA HO US ING C O R PO R A TIO N O MIC R O N C HA PTER -THE UNIV ER S ITY O F TEXA S A T A US TIN s S PR ING 2021 O n February 11, after watching the weather closely, I knew we were in for a real winter storm. We made a plan that under my supervision we would prepare and serve food ourselves if the food service staff could not get here. We prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. When the storm hit the evening of February 14, it was obvious no one would be able to get here for at least a few days. So, I took over the kitchen and food service. Chapter President Ryan Wheeler '18 stepped up and did an amaz- ing job getting volunteers from cook helpers to servers and dishwashers to work in the kitchen. We cooked and served three meals per day from Monday breakfast through dinner on Thursday. There wasn't a huge turnout for breakfasts, but during lunches and dinners we served 120-plus guys. Ryan also arranged for brothers to keep the house clean. They really stepped up and helped. We have some guys here who can really cook! As the days passed, places all around West Campus were losing power, water, or both. As far as I know, every apart- ment building, fraternity house, and sorority house near us lost power or water by Tuesday evening. Pipes started to freeze and burst, causing flooded apartments and homes all around us. Fortunately, we did not lose power or water. If we had not planned accordingly, our guys would not have had anything to eat. Dorms ran out of food. The Sammy's had minimal food and a flooded house, Pike lost power, and Kappa Sigma ran out of food and their cook left. I helped ZTA turn off their water when their kitchen was flooding. SigEp's basement flooded, and the stories go on. We were by far the best prepared and most able to take care of our- selves during the storm. We had live-out members staying in the senior room and guys coming to the house to shower. Many guys came to me saying that if it weren't for our food, they don't know what they would have done. I've lived through lots of bad winter storms, but I've never experienced anything like this where an entire city and state came to a standstill. I want to give Ryan lots of credit for all his hard work. He was at the house by 8 a.m. every day until late every night. He did everything from cleaning to taking out the trash to washing dishes, and he has some good cooking skills as well. I could not have done this without his help. He is a very good leader, and his attitude and work ethic never changed. When the storms were finally over, and we looked back on the week, we were proud of how well we did. It was frustrating, scary, fearful, hard, challenging, demanding, tiresome, worrisome, rewarding, and a whole lot of fun. I'm proud of how everyone adapted to overcome the situation. Fraternally, Jeff Hoskins, House Director hdkauta@gmail.com WEATHERING FEBRUARY'S WINTER STORM AT THE MANOR The front yard of the Manor during the winter storm. by Jeff Hoskins, House Director

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