Great question. As a part of the aUsTinite initiative, we host events in four categories: Explore Austin, Give Back, Connect to Campus and Be a Good Neighbor. That’s all fine and dandy, but let me tell you what these categories actually look like.

Explore Austin is a really fun category because it’s all about adventure and trying something new. Why go to school in such an amazing city without properly exploring it? Our last Explore Austin event was Called SoCo Search. At this event, we broke into teams and explored South Congress. To top it off, we had FREE tacos and queso from Torchy’s and watched the bats fly out from under the bridge.

Give Back is such a rewarding and important category of events. Give Back is all about recognizing the unique needs of your area and serving your new community in Austin. Our most recent Give Back event was 7 Minute Service. At this come-and-go service event, we put together care bags for the homeless community in Austin and donated them to a local nonprofit. 

Connect to Campus is a double whammy because it is centered around fostering an off-campus community without losing touch with the University. Our previous connect to Campus event was called Meal Prep 101. The purpose of this event was to empower off-campus students to feel more independent in their meal planning and encouraging them to spend time on campus without sacrificing meals. We also gave away FREE meal prep containers and resources!

Be a Good Neighbor is all about community involvement and improving your own neighborhood, one step at a time. We recently hosted a Be a Good Neighbor event called Cookies with a Cop. This event hosted District Officer Representatives from both UTPD and APD. The purpose was to encourage students to meet their district representative and feel comfortable discussing safety concerns in their area. Oh, and we gave away FREE cookies, coffee, and hot cocoa!

I don’t know if y’all noticed, but I think I used the word “free” more than Braveheart. ‘Nuff said. I’ll see you at our next event.