Politics

Elgin Hours

As the eastern side of Austin Community College’s zoning district explodes in population, some students state that ACC’s Elgin campus hours do not adequately service student needs.

By Tiara Allen

Photos By Jaime Bajanero

This article was featured in the Fall 2023 issue of ACCENT Magazine

ACC’s Elgin campus is the district’s easternmost campus and services students in Elgin ISD, Bastrop County and eastern Travis County. It is also the home base for ACC’s Veterinary Technician and Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship programs, and has 17 acres of student-run farmland. However, the campus, alongside services such as the library, the counseling center, and the Learning Lab, is only open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and has no weekend hours.

In contrast, most other ACC campuses open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, with more limited hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. San Gabriel Campus is the only other exception; it closes at 8 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, which still offers a three hour increase for students – one that some students believe would make a significant difference.

Elisha MacGregor, an ACC student and Elgin resident, is displeased with the limited campus hours and course selections at the Elgin campus, and states that it does not adequately address the growth of the Elgin population, as well as the increased immigrant population in the area.

As a student, she has had firsthand experience with the campus’ limited hours. She has noticed that students will come to campus as early as 7:00 am and sleep outside while they wait for the campus to open, and she and her peers have experienced what she describes as a “rush” to leave the building before it closes at 5:00 pm each evening, which she strongly dislikes.

“I pay taxes [in Elgin]. I also pay my tuition out of my pocket, because I don’t use any scholarships, nothing. So I’m basically an investor, and I’m being kicked out at 5:00 pm,” MacGregor said.

Elisha MacGregor, an ACC student displeased with the library’s early
closing time, tours the Elgin Campus. Photos taken by Jaime Bajanero on
Nov. 8, 2023

If a student is interested in using campus services such as the library or the Learning Lab after the campus closes, they will need to travel to the nearest campus, Highland Campus. The Highland Campus is close to 20 miles away, and travel time can often be extended by traffic. However, MacGregor states that this drive may not be accessible at all to some students.

“A lot of those high school kids, they don’t have a car to come to the city,” MacGregor said. ACC Elgin is home to Elgin’s Early College High School, where Elgin ISD students can earn an associate’s degree alongside their high school diploma.

Places for students to study within greater Elgin are also limited. Elgin has a public library, which closes at 6:00 p.m or 7:00 p.m on weeknights and at 2:00 p.m on Saturdays. Additionally, the public library does not open on Sundays or Mondays. There are also a few coffee shops in the area; however, dissidents believe that the early closure of the Elgin campus has much more far-reaching consequences than a lack of study space.

“It’s not just ‘we’re closing at five,’ but [there are] consequences that [are brought] not just to the students, but to the community,” MacGregor said.

Elgin is one of the fastest growing communities in Texas. According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Elgin has experienced a population growth rate of 72 percent from 2000 to 2020 – for scale, Texas’s growth rate was cited to be 40 percent. Elgin has achieved such large growth in part due to its location – Elgin’s economic development website boasts that it is 20 miles from downtown Austin and 10 miles from State Highway 130. The ACC Elgin campus is also close to Highway 290.

This proximity to several highways and a major metropolitan area, paired with its rural location and charm, has made Elgin a popular site for relocation for those moving to the Austin area. It is also a community of many different ethnicities, races, and cultures. According to the 2020 US Census, Elgin’s population was 48.56 percent Hispanic or Latino origin; 31.69 percent of Elgin’s non-Hispanic White, making Elgin a majority minority community. The increased growth and change in demographics has led to a new set of needs that ACC Elgin’s limited hours leave it unable to meet.

MacGregor states that ACC’s free English as a Second Language classes used to be offered at the Elgin campus, but with the shorter opening hours, they are no longer offered there. The program does offer distance learning classes that can be taken online, but MacGregor believes that the lack of in-person classes in Elgin leaves a deficit in the community.

“How many immigrants are coming to Texas every day?” MacGregor asks. “Elgin is growing rapidly right now. Even in front of my ranch, there [are] five hundred houses that are going to be built….we are not adapting to the rapid [growth] of the city, and, unfortunately, we’re going to be left behind because we’re not adapting.”

MacGregor is also an active member of the Student Government Association, which has been researching the impacts of Elgin’s open hours on the student body. A survey distributed by Student Government Association (SGA) in collaboration with ACCENT Media to Elgin campus students also shed some light on how students’ habits have adapted to the closing times. Out of 66 respondents, 60.6 percent stated that they would like for campus to open later, with 8:00 pm as the most popular suggested time 37.1 percent.

Respondents had the opportunity to share where they go to study in lieu of campus. Many students stated that they returned to their home. Some mentioned that they went to other campuses, such as Round Rock or South Austin, and others mentioned visiting nearby public libraries, including Bastrop Public Library. A few mentioned visiting a local McDonald’s or coffee shop, and one student said that they studied “on the street somewhere that’s safe enough.”

The survey allowed space for students to share what they believed to be the benefits of keeping campus open later than 5:00 pm. Many students stated that they would appreciate a safe space to study after hours; however, other students suggested that campus could provide access to Wi-Fi and printers to those who did not have access to them, as well as take more classes and provide more schedule flexibility, especially for dual credit students or students who worked 9:00 to 5:00 jobs. One student even mentioned that later hours would allow for a “safe space to be a student.”

Outside of study space, many students were interested in expanded access to ACC campus services. 90.8 percent of respondents stated that they would like to have after-hours access to the library; 63.1 percent wanted more time with the Learning Lab, and 38.5 percent craved more cafeteria or dining options.

MacGregor believes that extending the hours and increasing class options for Elgin students is not only the right thing to do, but will also financially benefit ACC and the City of Elgin as it pushes to expand financially.

“Having access in the community [to classes] will help to…integrate [into] the community, but also get better salaries…that will help them,” says MacGregor. “[They] will be paying more taxes and will be contributing more to ACC.”

This increased investment, MacGregor posits, also has the potential to make ACC Elgin a more attractive option for potential students. As college costs have risen across the country, affordable, accessible education for people of all walks of life becomes a priority to many families. MacGregor says that expanded hours and more class options will allow for Elgin-area students to consider attending Austin Community College.

“It is a win. It will be more appealing to people there because then they won’t have to come to Highland,” MacGregor said.

While MacGregor has been displeased with the direction Elgin’s campus has taken, she has faith that a potential change will be supported by the community at large.

* Since written, the Administration responded to the Elgin Community’s request, and the campus hours were extended. Offering English as a Second Language classes is still an ongoing discussion.

OPINION: Upcoming Legislative Session Poses Threat for LGBTQ Texans

The Texas Legislative session for 2023 began on Jan. 10 and runs through May 29, 2023. Republicans control both chambers. Some bills on the agenda threaten LGBTQ Texans and women’s reproductive rights.

by Foster Milburn

Every two years, Texas representatives meet for a consecutive 140-day period. The sessions include the discussion and passing of bills that affect all Texans. We, as Texans, vote for these representatives to represent us from all 150 Texas House districts across the state, but most people need to understand how these bills pass. Understanding this element is crucial as voting is more than just who is elected governor.

After a bill is passed in both the House and Senate, it is sent to the governor for signing. The last legislative session took place in 2021 and brought much attention to itself.

During this time, two bills passed directly affecting women and critical race theory, such as House Bill 1280 after the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the “critical race theory bill” that severely restricted the teaching of current and past events.

History won’t be erased, but we must learn and move forward from mistakes made and committed in the past. You can track these and more bills on the Equality Texas website, the official state LGBTQ advocacy organization.

This upcoming session will directly attack LGBTQ Texans with laws similar to the ones passed in 2021 that restrict transgender individuals and their access to essential healthcare such as hormone therapy.

In November 2022, Texas Representative Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) hired 22-year-old Jake Neidort as his office’s legislative director. Jake was a UNT student who advocated against transgender equality alongside his twin sister, who was seen in a TikTok video designing fliers, stating, “Criminalize Child Transitions.”

In 2021, videos emerged on social media showcasing the harassment of local drag queens in Dallas, Texas. One was of a man who was driven by a queen who had just left a family-friendly drag brunch held at Mr. Mister, located in Oaklawn. Protests and harassment followed suit. Protesters suggested that drag exposure to children is “abusive, pedophilic, and confuses children.” Dallas police showed up and helped those with children out of the area. A day to celebrate LGBTQ pride disrupted diversity with violence.

Now, in 2023, a bill on the agenda opens the discussion regarding children being in the presence of drag queens and LGBTQ culture in general. House Bill 643 states that any establishment, serving alcohol or not, would have to acquire a license that would require a registration fee and annual renewal. If a venue is found to violate this would be fined $4,000 and sentenced to a year in jail. In short, no more drag brunches for the inclusion of youth to be exposed to LGBTQ culture, even if family-friendly. This bill also brings up the fear of Pride festivals/parades becoming 21 years or older.

Pride parades are a time for all ages of the queer community and allies to celebrate diversity. It is a space where people come to feel safe to celebrate the queer community. This exposure is vital, especially for Texas youth, as being a minor can feel very isolating for younger queer people. I know this because that was me, as a native Texan.

Rain, a gay bar on 4th St., holds drag shows throughout the week. At Rain, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are 18 and up, according to Scott Percifull, a partner and general manager of Rain. “So there’s no opportunity for anyone under that age to get in,” he said, “it would be very challenging to enforce.”

The bill states that any business classified as a sexually oriented business would have to be a certain distance from any school or church in the area. When asked his thoughts, Percifull said, “It is restrictive. It is two steps shy of getting into private businesses and saying you can’t do that because we disagree with the culture.” Restrictions similar to HB 643, alongside other enforcements, foreshadow the hypocrisy as Texas is a state that dislikes rules concerning small businesses.

Parents assert that children should be able to make their own choices, yet when parents who do support the LGBTQ community want to expose their children to all things Pride, it’s wrong? Unfortunately, a brick wall divides the state of Texas into two sides. The side that wants to celebrate diversity and move to a more inclusive world, and the ones who want to bully the LGBTQ community out of the state.

Opinion: Democrats Had The Best Midterm in Decades…Thanks to Generation Z

Nov. 8 midterm elections were predicted to be a “red wave” of Republicans taking the House and Senate. Instead, we saw more of a trickle due to a record turnout in several key states from youths under 30.

Opinion by Ky Duffey

The U.S. midterm elections occur every two years and are often seen as a referendum of the current President’s performance. And for the past 80 years, Americans have sent a clear message that the President’s performance has sucked at the point of midterms.

Since 1934, every President except two have lost members of their own party in the House and/or Senate. Only two Presidents have defeated the odds by retaining or gaining seats in both chambers: Presidents George W. Bush and now Joe Biden.

During the 2002 midterm elections, President Bush received a bi-partisan rally behind him in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. His response to the attacks conjoined with one of the few times in history when we became a united nation bringing both political parties together to not only help him gain seats in the House and Senate, but also overwhelmingly get re-elected two years later.

Here we are now, 20 years later, at the country’s most critical midterm election in recent years. But this time, there is no national event rallying the country behind the President. As a matter of fact, in the week prior to Election Day, Biden’s approval rating was 42%. Even Trump had a 45% approval rating during his midterm at which he lost 40 House seats.

Instead of a terrorist attack, all eyes were on inflation and rising prices this year. That was, until June 24 of this year, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion was not a constitutional right during the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization proceedings. The overturn of abortion rights allowed several states to initiate near or total bans on abortion, resulting in outcries from a majority of Americans – over 60%, in fact, who didn’t support the bans.

While abortion was able to propel Democrats ahead in the polls, most Americans had inflation and new talks of crime by Republicans on their mind. It showed in the polls and by election experts that Democrats had a 13% chance of retaining the Senate and an 8% chance of retaining the House. Things started to look grim for Democrats as election night drew near with some Republicans already setting up speeches and stage decorations to announce the new Republican majority in Congress.

Then election night sent a shockwave throughout the country.

A sudden record breaking turnout of a certain demographic of early voters rapidly swung the pendulum in the Democrats favor: young voters.

Yes, people under 25 or Generation Z (GenZ) were the loudest voices in the midterms, placing over a million more votes than other groups and surpassing their turnout record in any previous midterm as well as the 2020 presidential elections. According to dozens of political pundits, GenZ, who normally votes in favor of Democrats, placed more interest in the 2022 midterm election than any prior election.

Due to those turnouts in key states, Democrats were able to defy the odds and not only retain a majority in the Senate, but retain and pick up more seats in the House, narrowing the gap of their minority in the House by just seven votes as of today – a far cry from the 45 or more seat net loss that was predicted just a day before.

In the end, Democrats did manage to lose their majority in the House, but overall, they won the midterms. And they have young voters to thank for this unique achievement.

But why this midterm? Some experts believe abortion rights was a bigger issue among young voters than inflation and high gas prices. Teenage women are more likely to have late abortions than adults, and abortion limits have much more of an impact on a young person than an adult.

Other experts point to the looming shadow of Donald Trump and his influence on the current Republican Party. Trump left quite a stain on voters, especially young voters, as they turned out in record numbers to oust the former president in 2020.

With that being said, has the power dynamics shifted in terms of voter demographics? Will more polls pursue GenZ answers? Will this surge of growing young voters be a continuing trend, or simply a one time rebuttal of certain policies and candidates?

As Republicans scramble with how to approach voters and rebrand themselves before 2024, I recommend Democrat leadership listen to the youth and their needs – they may be the lifeline of the Democrat Party for the foreseeable future.