Undergrads should pass up La Aldea

I would like to respond to Friday's article, "La Aldea not just for grad students." I am a graduate student and a resident of La Aldea. I was not surprised to hear that La Aldea would be opening its doors to undergraduate students. However, I would be surprised if any student chose to live at La Aldea. While it may look nice from the outside, inside it has been a complete nightmare. Since August, I have experienced numerous power outages (often for eight hours or more), water disconnection, constant construction noise and multiple problems with the construction of the building. In my opinion, La Aldea was constructed too fast and too carelessly. I strongly urge any student who is considering living at La Aldea to speak with some of its residents before making their decision. [Read article]

Congratulations to everyone here at the UA! We have all made it to the end of another semester. For some, this signals joyous celebration and good times. Holiday cheer, pretty lights and lots of parties can make this a wonderful, even magical, time of year. Some of us are graduating, but many of us are just excited to be going home to spend some quality time with our families and our pillows, making up for all the lost sleep we've accumulated. [Read article]

Who's been to the mall since Thanksgiving? Who's called their parents three times already trying in vain to draw out a few gift ideas? And most importantly, who's backed over a little curly haired child in the JCPenney parking lot?

If you're smart, you can proudly answer "no" to all the above questions. Unfortunately, few of us are wise enough to stay in our homes until early January. 'Tis the season for shopping, regardless of how much we hate work-related gift exchanges, extended family and credit card bills. [Read article]