Neighborhoods surrounding the University of Minnesota have changed in recent years due to new large housing developments. While some are already offering leases, others are scheduled to open before next fall.

As the Doyle and Fieldhouse finish development, both buildings aim to attract thousands of student renters in Dinkytown and Como. Meanwhile in Prospect Park, Malcolm Yards is set to expand its complex with Malcolm Station and the Flats, the neighborhood’s two newest apartment complexes.

The Doyle hopes to rejuvenate Dinkytown

In 1970, University students organized a weeks-long protest on the property on Fourth Street where the Doyle now stands. The purpose of the protest was to prevent a fast food restaurant development from destroying existing businesses.

Now, the Doyle and housing projects like it are helping to activate student life in Dinkytown, according to Alicia Liebel Berg, a University alum and developer on the apartment building.

“On the Stadium Village and Dinkytown side, it just reached the point where [the housing] was old. It was ready for a new refresh,” Liebel Berg said. “Sometimes newness comes. That’s where we transition to.”

The $35 million building opened in September. The Doyle rents per bed and offers furnished units with up to four bedrooms. Along with their apartments, renters are also provided access to the building’s amenities including a fitness center, sauna, study rooms and rooftop deck.

The Doyle’s luxuries come at a price however, with an individual one bedroom apartment carrying a $1,600 monthly rent price tag, according to property manager Sydney Dreyer. Despite the price, Dreyer said the Doyle is currently at 95% capacity.

“[Tenants] are outside, they’re walking around, they’re visiting businesses,” Dreyer said. “I think it plays a huge part in revitalizing this area.”

Building a community at Malcolm Yards

The Market at Malcolm Yards opened in August 2021, bringing kitchens from around the world to a central space to feed the Prospect Park neighborhood. The Market was the beginning of a larger project to make Malcolm Yards “the place to be” in Minneapolis, according to Jeff Ellerd, one of the project’s developers.

The Flats and Malcolm Station apartment buildings are currently undergoing a combined $80 million construction adjacent to the Market and are both scheduled to open in summer 2023, Ellerd said. While Malcolm Station will provide market rate housing for anyone, the Flats will provide affordable housing only available to people making 60% or less of the median area income.

“The neighborhood has been our partner in terms of advocating for some of the things we needed to make the development successful,” Ellerd said. “We think it creates a better community.”

Ellerd said the Flats will also reserve roughly 14 “high priority homeless units” to house people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness as decided by Hennepin County.

Despite their differences, the buildings will offer similar amenities, according to Ellerd. Each complex will offer tenants a fitness center, sky lounge and underground parking. Additionally, Wall Companies, the Malcolm Yards project developers, are discussing plans with the city park board to create an on-site park that connects to the Minneapolis Grand Rounds trail system.

“Our hope is that we have a connected community … and that these people are intermingling and providing a liveliness and kind of a destination for the area,” Ellerd said.

Fieldhouse to begin welcoming students

Construction is underway on Fieldhouse, an apartment building located south of Van Cleve Park near the 15th Avenue railroad bridge. Although the apartment building isn’t scheduled to be completed until summer 2023, community manager Brady Maly said in an email to the Minnesota Daily he has seen a “positive response” from students already reserving their leases for next fall.

Similar to other apartment buildings in development, Fieldhouse plans to offer its tenants a variety of amenities including an outdoor spa, a game room, study rooms and a four-season spa.

Units will start at $700 per month per bed, consisting of furnished studio apartments with up to five bedrooms, Maly said. The building also plans to offer penthouse units with balconies overlooking the neighborhood.

“We strive to provide a comfortable living experience that allows students to focus on what matters most during their time at the University,” Maly said.

Preserving History

Tony Nicklow has owned Tony’s Diner in Dinkytown for over 20 years. After other longstanding Dinkytown restaurants such as Gray’s and Camdi have closed in recent months, Nicklow said new housing developments could be an effective way to attract more customers.

However, Nicklow said Dinkytown’s history is what makes the neighborhood special, and placed responsibility on remaining businesses like Tony’s and Al’s Breakfast to protect the neighborhood from big chains.

“There’s thousands of kids walking the streets, and it’s a great thing to keep going with all these apartments going up,” Nicklow said. “My goal is that we keep Dinkytown as cool as we can, keep that nostalgia here in spirit.”

Editor’s Note: This is a satire piece from The Collegian’s opinion section. Real names and the events surrounding them may be used in fictitious/semi-fictitious ways. Those who do not read the editor’s notes are subject to being offended.

The Colorado State University football team had another disappointing weekend inside Canvas Stadium, but as with any home game, there was a constant bright spot: CAM the Ram.

Game days are work days for CAM, as he is there for Ram Walk, alumni center activities and the football game itself.  

As CAM trotted around the stadium Saturday while our team was getting obliterated on the field, a thought struck me that might just change the trajectory of CAM’s career forever. 

CAM is a Rambouillet sheep, and Rambouillet sheep need to have their wool sheared. As the live mascot of CSU, CAM surely gets sheared frequently to make sure he is looking his best. This is a common health practice for Rambouillet sheep. 

But what is the CSU Alumni Association — CAM’s benefactor — doing with that sheared wool?

CAM the Ram is famous and arguably one of the best parts of attending CSU. Getting a picture with him is a bucket list thing to do before you graduate. 

CAM lives a relatively luxurious lifestyle on his private ranch, the location of which is not disclosed for his safety. 

“The massive sums of cash that would be raised from CAM’s wool, which is presumably thrown away after it is sheared, could be put to good monetary use.” 

Imagine if the Alumni Association and the Ram Handlers started collecting CAM’s wool to make wool products. 

CAM, who is named after CSU’s second school name, Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Colorado A&M), has a loyal fan base. CAM the Ram is a rich tradition, and our current CAM is the 25th. 

There are alumni out there who would hand over unbelievable sums of money to have a limited edition wool jacket or wool rug. 

CAM makes people’s days when they see him trotting around. Making people smile is a great thing, but making them money is an even better thing. 

There are so many opportunities for CSU to start making some extra cash that it is surprising “CAM wool” products have not already hit the market. 

The massive sums of cash that would be raised from CAM’s wool, which is presumably thrown away after it is sheared, could be put to good monetary use. 

The Alumni Association could create scholarships that would fund future students’ success at CSU. There would be a lot of clout associated with being on the CAM the Ram scholarship.

As our live mascot, who we take great care of, CAM lives a great life and is a great representative of the university. 

If CAM could talk and could understand capitalism, he would probably be horrified that his wool is not generating a profit. 

Reach Michael Stella at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @Michaelstella_.

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President Joan Gabel announced in an email on Tuesday the administration for the University of Minnesota is launching a national search for the next chancellor at the University of Minnesota-Morris. 

Chancellor Michelle Behr served as Morris’ chancellor until 2021. Acting Chancellor Janet Ericksen took over after Behr retired and will continue to hold the position until a new chancellor is named. 

Peh Ng, acting dean and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Morris, and Michael Rodriguez, dean of the College of Education and Human Development will be the co-chairs of the search committee. The University is taking nominations for additional search committee members through Oct. 7. 

Once the University announces the full search committee membership, the committee will “host listening sessions with key stakeholders on and off campus.” The search committee will also host public interviews on campus.

Gabel said the University is hoping to appoint the next chancellor before the end of spring semester. 

The last time the University conducted a search for a new chancellor was last fall for University of Minnesota-Duluth, which became controversial over the summer. 

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated when Acting Chancellor Janet Ericksen started in that role. Erickson became acting chancellor in 2021. 

Passionate democrats and young voters filled the room to address voting, including Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. | Malachi Key/The Cougar.

Last Thursday, multiple local democratic nominees, including Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, political strategist Sri Kulkarni and youth activist Olivia Julianna, gathered in Student Center South’s Houston Room to address a crowd of young voters.

With multiple key elections looming just over the horizon, Harris County Democrats seem determined to reach young voters in an election with a potentially unprecedentednout.

The night started off with Houston mayoral candidate Chris Hollins, who greeted the crowd with a booming call of “What’s up Democrats?” that echoed through the room. 

Hollins did not mince words with his remarks, emphasizing to the crowd that the Republican party was doing everything in its power to ensure minorities did not have a seat at the table. 

“We’re not taking this anymore,” Hollins said. “We’ve got to take our country and our state back and that’s why we’re fighting.”

 “Oh, and we’ve got to legalize marijuana, y’all,” Hollins said before he left the stage.

Student Government Association president Josh Martin took the stage next. He spoke to students on both sides while making sure to note that voter registration is important regardless of which party one belongs to. 

“I don’t see getting students out to the polls as a partisan issue,” Martin said. “No matter where you come from, no matter what your background is, this is important. I’m not gonna tell you who to vote for, but you need to get out and register.”

Martin concluded by speaking briefly on several upcoming events hosted by the SGA, including a candidate forum that would allow students to meet with several candidates on the ballot in November.

After a brief exchange of “Whose House? Coogs’ House!” Martin introduced the third speaker of the night, youth activist Olivia Julianna.

Olivia, the director of politics and outreach at Gen Z for Change, made headlines last July after raising more than $2 million for abortion funds off an insult directed at her online by U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz.

Olivia uses Gen Z for change to empower young activists. She spoke to the crowd in a witty yet determined tone, eliciting laughs from the crowd with a series of jokes about how old their representatives are.

Olivia then grew more serious, noting that she sees the out-of-touch nature of Texas representatives as a large part of why key fundamental human rights legislation was being targeted. 

“I don’t know about you but I don’t want to go back,” she said. “I don’t want to go back to how it was when women were second-class citizens with no control of their bodies.” 

After encouraging the crowd that it would be Gen Z who won the upcoming elections, Olivia stepped away and Kulkarni, the chief strategist for the 2 million Texans campaign, took the stage.

Kulkarni opened with a personal story about how he used to be more apathetic about politics. He said that what changed everything for him was watching the Charlottesville rally from his post overseas and feeling like he could no longer stand on the sidelines.

“If you have a friend who says Republicans and Democrats are the same, ask them to go to a hospital and see what’s happening to women’s rights in this state,” Kulkarni said.

His newfound desire for change drove him to run for Congress and eventually to create a campaign dedicated to registering Texans via what he terms “relational organizing”. 

“When you volunteer for a campaign, has anybody ever asked you who you know that you could talk to,” Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni quoted several statistics about voter turnout to the crowd, then walked the audience through registering an account on an app created by his campaign that allows users to create a network of contacts that might be willing to vote.

He closed by stating that if each person added six contacts, Texas democrats would win in a landslide. 

While the next guest was meant to be Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, there was a notable lull in the proceedings and one organizer noted that she appeared to have been stuck in traffic. Kulkarni spoke to the crowd further before leaving them to talk amongst themselves.

When Hidalgo arrived, all conversations ceased and the audience turned to where she entered. Hidalgo took time to smile and shake hands with people at each table before she took the stage.

Once on stage, she grinned at the audience and apologized for being late, before launching into a story about not being able to get a campaign office when she started running because the landlord was afraid to support her against the incumbent. 

“They’re scared about the future of a 31-year-old who’s already county executive of the third largest county in this country,” Hidalgo said.

She closed the event by introducing several other local candidates and opening up the stage for the chance to speak more with them, but not before leaving the crowd with a word of encouragement.

“You are the future but you are also the present,” Hidalgo said. “Don’t let anybody ask you if you understand what you are doing.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Democratic nominees address voting as election nears” was originally posted on The Cougar

The University of Utah launched a new major this fall titled the “world languages & cultures B.A.”

The degree has seven total emphasis tracks and allows students to major in either comparative literature or cultural studies, as well as five new languages that were previously unavailable as majors. These languages are Arabic, Italian, Korean, Persian and Portuguese.

“The new major kind of came out of a restructuring of our old comparative literature major, which we thought needed some updating,” said Christopher Lewis, chair of the department of World Languages & Cultures.

Lewis said the reason for this update is that the original major was difficult for most students to complete in four years.

“If they’re starting from zero in two or more languages, that can be really hard to do to reach the advantage level of that many languages by the time you graduate and take the courses that are needed,” he said. “It’s something we wanted to fix so that those students still had options.”

This dilemma is how the cultural studies track of the new major came to fruition. This track allows students to study non-English speaking cultures, countries and traditions without having to become fluent in the language they are studying.

“The cultural studies track doesn’t require any advanced language classes,” Lewis said. “You have to do the regular B.A. language requirement that all B.A.’s require but you can take your upper-division courses all in English. You can think of it as World Literature or World Cultural Studies.”

Lewis said another area of motivation for introducing the new major is the underutilization of certain languages within the department.

“We also wanted to take advantage of many of the languages that we offer that we didn’t currently offer a major in,” Lewis said. “In order to offer a major you’ve got to staff these classes to go all the way from beginning classes to advanced classes. But because our department houses all the languages of the university, we’re able to pool faculty resources at some of the lower intro classes.”

This pooling of resources through the major allows the department to avoid duplicating staff at the lower level and keep the advanced classes staffed for each individual language.

Though the five languages were already housed in the World Languages & Cultures department as minors, Lewis said there was a demand from students to create majors for a while.

“There’s this core of students that I consistently hear from year to year: ‘when is there gonna be a major?’” Lewis said.

Travis Martinez, fourth-year biochemistry and world languages & cultures major, has an emphasis in Portuguese.

“I’ve been working on a Portuguese minor for the last year and I’ve also been a recipient of the FLAS scholarship,” he said.

The Foreign Language and Area Studies scholarship is awarded to students studying a foreign language or region they are interested in, and for Martinez, that was Portuguese.

“That actually takes me above what I need for the minor,” he said. “So I’ve already achieved the minor but I’m still going with this FLAS scholarship because I love studying Portuguese.”

His work on the minor as well as for the FLAS Scholarship ended up benefitting him when he heard about the new degree and learned he had already completed most of the course requirements to complete a major in Portuguese.

“All I have to do is add these three extra classes and I am now getting this major, which is really awesome,” he said.

In addition to the new cultural studies track and the five languages, the new major contains a comparative literature emphasis that is similar to the original major.

“That’s for students that want to study more than one language at the advanced level,” Lewis said. “You can do it with two languages or three.”

When the new major was announced, Lewis said that track sparked a lot of interest among students, despite the fact that a similar degree had existed prior.

“That degree had been put on hold while we restructured it and maybe there was just a lack of awareness that it existed,” Lewis said. “They were suddenly very interested.”

Lewis added the students involved with this emphasis often study and compare two completely unrelated languages.

“People will say, ‘I want to do Arabic and Portuguese,’” he said. “I don’t know if counterintuitive is the right word but you would expect people to do languages that are more related because that’s easier, but no, they want to do completely different things and that’s exciting.”

Erin Hardy, a first-year Russian and world languages & cultures major, chose the comparative literature track, studying French and Persian.

“I was originally majoring in French and Russian, but I wanted to start studying Persian as well,” she said. “I’m really interested in the former Soviet countries of Central Asia and there are a few where Persian is one of the languages spoken, so I just wanted to start learning more about that region, but I thought I had too many interests to be able to do them all.” 

The new major turned out to be a way for Hardy to combine those interests.

“I spoke with my counselors; they know how much I love languages and I always am coming to them and asking if I can take more,” she said. “They told me about the major and it was really the perfect option.”

Lewis believes the major will greatly benefit any student who does it, no matter what field they go into after graduation.

“No matter which track people do, all of these tracks involve a lot of comparative analysis across diverse cultures, across diverse traditions,” he said. “What people don’t understand sometimes is how essential language and learning languages and cultures will be to their careers, even if they think they’re not going to be working in that specifically.” 

c.roberts@dailyutahchronicle.com

@caelrobertsnews

Rina Sawayama’s 2020 debut album, “SAWAYAMA,” was a quirky and versatile look into her personal life full of sonic variety. The collection showcased subjects such as family, identity and childhood with triumphant instrumentation, excellent vocal work and production from Clarence Clarity. Clarity and Sawayama worked together like bread and butter as they explored genres such as nu metal and arena rock, infused with synths and a verse-chorus pop structure. 

Sawayama’s sophomore album, “Hold The Girl,” doesn’t bring nearly as many unique genre fusions into the mix, but rather aims to strengthen her tried and true pop-hook structure with catchy melodies. Sometimes, this bodes very well. Other times, it fails to pan out. The lyrical content of the album largely explores the same themes as her first album, namely identity and mental health. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but it would have been nice to see Sawayama either switch up the subjects of her songs or approach these themes from a contrasting angle in comparison to her previous album.

Courtesy of the Artist

The first track, “Minor Feelings,” begins the 46-minute album on an odd note. It’s a two-minute thesis about emotional instability that never truly reaches a climax. Despite this, it has a fully-functional and well-crafted chorus. After the verses and first chorus, an average listener would expect for the song to lead into another verse with larger instrumentation, but the song ends abruptly. It would have been nice to hear what this song could have been given the impressively grand remnants. 

One of the most impressive cuts on the album is the title track. It’s incredibly predictable from start to finish, yet checks every box of what a good Sawayama song needs. The syncopated piano, ticking drum beat and ranged vocals all contribute to the song’s grandeur. Strangely enough, this was one of the few tracks on the album that Clarence Clarity didn’t help produce. Given his rapport with Rina, it was surprising that he had no involvement in it.

“This Hell” is the third track, and was the lead single. It’s a country-pop tune celebrating community and poking fun at evangelical judgment. Its chorus is super strong — Rina’s vocals have that perfect drawl to them. Unfortunately, the verses weren’t nearly as gripping. Many of the lyrics seemed way too campy at times, containing lines such as “buckle up, at dawn we’re riding,” and “get in line, pass the wine bitch.” It’s a fun song, if not a bit corny.

“Catch Me In The Air” is possibly the best example of Sawayama’s dependence on hooks in “Hold The Girl.” The song seems so eager to rush into the chorus; the pre-chorus seems cut short, and the difference in key between the verses and chorus creates a deep contrast. Rina’s vocals soar in this chorus, but she dwells on one word for a long time, making the lyrics feel underdeveloped. 

Around the center of the album, there’s an exceptional five-track run of high energy dance tracks that encapsulate some of the best production in Sawayama’s discography. Those tracks are: “Holy (Til You Let Me Go),” “Your Age,” “Imagining,” “Frankenstein” and “Hurricanes.” “Your Age” contains an epic backing melody and an industrial drum track. “Imagining” borrows plenty of elements from hyperpop, including vocal effects and a chorus that feels like a high-energy rush. “Hurricanes” is the pop-rock hit you would find right at home on a radio in the 2000s. This five-track run exhibits some of the most creative work on the “Hold The Girl,” and the remaining tracks (save the title track) truthfully can’t compare.

The last few tracks don’t sport anything exceptional. The energy level takes a dip, and the lyrical content gets more emotional. The drum track on the final song, “To Be Alive,” is well-made, but the chorus isn’t anything to write home about.

“Hold The Girl” is best appreciated when you pick and choose the tracks you enjoy, and only listen to those. This isn’t an ambitious concept album, nor does it really expand on the sonic concepts introduced in “SAWAYAMA,” and that’s okay. It’s simply a collection of pop songs that varies in quality from meh to great. 

Rina Sawayama has a bright future of stardom ahead of her. Along with the more commercial pop she exhibited on “Hold The Girl,” her growing association with the PC Music camp of artists (e.g. Charli XCX, A.G. Cook, Danny L Harle) shows that she has plenty of avenues for success, no matter what kind of music she chooses to put out in the future. 

The post Rina Sawayama’s ‘Hold The Girl’ worships pop hook with little innovation appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

In several – if not all- cases, uncertain market times result in uncertain retail sales performance. Maybe, the retail sales don’t hit quota or end up losing out on accounts. Also, they may not deliver the outcomes that you expect from them. However, keeping the same measures and anticipations, you have always clasped for your reps in uncertain markets may be unjust.

When the retail market is volatile, the conventional strategies you have applied to attain good retail sales performance would not be as dependable or contemplative of the sales acumen, effort, and energy they bring daily. So, what does it take to attain good retail sales performance? Worry no more! Keep reading this enlightening post for the correct answer.

Why Retail Sales Performance Matters In The Economy

Retail sales are indispensable economic indicators since client spending steers much of the country’s economy. Imagine all the individuals and businesses that produce, distribute and sell items you use daily, such as clothes, food, and more.

The economy seems to purr when consumers’ pocketbooks remain open. Most (if not all) retail shelves start to clear, and new orders are made for backup merchandise. However, if clients feel unsettled about their financial status in the upcoming days and decide not to purchase new blue jeans or refrigerators, the overall economy breaks down.

This case explains why political leaders sometimes turn to tax refunds to boost the economy. By ensuring the customers’ hands have some cash, they expect to pay out their way away from a recession.

What Affects Retail Sales Performance?

Long-term, good retail sales performance relies on several factors, such as:

• Costs

For retailers, the price of items sold is a primary variable in good retail sales performance. This cost includes the indirect & direct prices that eventually impact bottom-line profits. Retailers figure these expenses by including the inventory value at the beginning of a specific period, calculating costs like shipping & labor, and including any new purchase they make during that specific period.

• Markups

Markup refers to the amount sellers can invoice in addition to the initial price of dispatching the item to the market to generate a profit. As a result, markup is an indispensable element of an organization’s competitive strategy since sellers need to figure it out in a manner/way that includes current prices but also gives room for upcoming contingencies.

• Inventory & Distribution

Online tech’s speed is steadily soaring, shooting up real-time accuracy and descending the tracking inventory costs to eventually access the consumers’ hands. The acceptance of internet shopping has occasioned several retailers to turn some shops into distribution facilities to meet internet orders or fix kiosks in their stores to make it easy for consumers to compare item costs and order online.

What Are The Things To Do To Attain Good Retail Sales Performance?

1. Improve Your Customer Prospects’ Quality

Your customers’ priorities may be unique in these challenging moments. Those who initially concentrated on the development possibilities (using your assistance) could now begin to delay new purchases or cut budgets.

Therefore, ensure your sales team members conduct ceaseless analysis to note consumer demand changes. Also, let them conduct online meet-ups with existing clients to restore your business’ value. This exercise will make it easy to note the places/services/goods that need an upgrade and suggest reliable solutions to the probable customers accordingly.

2. Implement Protocol Everywhere

Processes play an indispensable role, primarily when your sales team members work remotely (a common practice in recent days). Also, the sales executive wants to track their teams’ progress and swiftly handle all issues that arise.

Improving sales performance becomes a hassle-free task when you follow a specific process. Also, in these uncertain markets, a well-specified protocol can implant a normalcy sense into the sales team.

Companies that focus on boosting sales performance now – accredit, stimulate and hold up their sales team – will not only go through rocky waters evenly but also benefit from the advantage of the rising victory rates later.

The post What Does It Take To Attain Good Retail Sales Performance? appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Neighborhood Watch, a relatively new band local to Fort Collins, recently gained popularity through playing at well-known venues such as The Lyric and winning KCSU’s Battle of the Bands competition.

The community support and fan engagement for Neighborhood Watch has accelerated since these shows. 

Lead singer Logan Baker and guitarist Sage Franks opened up about the triumphs, challenges and origin of their band.

As a college student at Colorado State University, Franks spent a lot of his time shredding his guitar on the campus Intramural Fields. There, he met fellow guitarist CJ Hebert, bassist Ian McMurry and drummer Toby Yoder. With an incredible passion for music, the four decided to form a band. However, they knew they needed another member. Luckily, Franks was able to recruit his former roommate, Baker.

After many garage practices and a lot of fine tuning, the boys played their first show in a backyard with about 15 audience members. Their most recent show, opening for the Krooked Kings at The Lyric, was significantly more popular, with around 300 audience members. The band can’t believe how everything skyrocketed.

“It’s honestly startling because it can put a lot of big dreams into reality, like making an album,” Baker said. “Seeing our growth now has really opened a lot for the future.”

Baker also mentioned the importance of connections and social media when it comes to securing a gig venue. 

On Sept. 8, Neighborhood Watch competed with three other bands in the Battle of the Bands competition. A roaring crowd surrounded the stage outside the Lory Student Center to experience Neighborhood Watch. As the crowd danced and moshed, they weren’t afraid to show their love and appreciation. 

After a vote conducted by students through Instagram polls, KCSU announced the winners of the contest. This left Neighborhood Watch with a first place award, a $450 cash prize and a spot in one of Fort Collins’ biggest music events of the year, FoCoMX. 

When asked about how the band advertises, Baker and Franks confirmed friends spreading the word undeniably helps with the turnout for shows.

“We would be nothing without the fans and the people who support us,” Franks said. 

“We’ll bring out tambourines, jaw harps — we’re not afraid to experiment and be different. Obviously, the sound we’re going for has been done before, but that doesn’t mean we want to hold ourselves in a box.” –Logan Baker, Neighborhood Watch lead singer

Each member of Neighborhood Watch drew influence from different artists who greatly contributed to the overall sound of the band. Frank’s fascination with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Baker’s love for hip-hop, McMurry’s psychedelic vibe, Yoder’s devotion to the Grateful Dead and Hebert’s inspiration from Van Halen all contribute to their sound. 

When asked about unique traits of the band, Franks and Baker responded with no hesitation.

“We get onstage, and me and CJ will play our guitars behind our heads, fall on the ground, play a kazoo solo,” Franks said. 

Baker showed great appreciation for the band members’ willingness to join in on whatever stunt they decide to pull onstage.

“We’ll bring out tambourines, jaw harps — we’re not afraid to experiment and be different,” Baker said. “Obviously, the sound we’re going for has been done before, but that doesn’t mean we want to hold ourselves in a box.”

Original fan of the band, Charlotte Wolf, shared her 2 cents on what makes Neighborhood Watch stand out.

“For one, they have very good stage presence; they’re very silly, they’re approachable to the crowd and they bring you into the set,” Wolf said. “Another thing that sets them apart (from) a lot of bands (is) when you first hear their original music, it’s hard to catch on. Neighborhood Watch’s songs are easy to sing along and dance to. It doesn’t take five listens to enjoy the music.”

Despite the band’s growing success, they still face challenges, especially when it comes to resources. Finding a manager, in addition to finding the time and finances to record an extended play, is another wall the band continues to run into. However, their excitement to expand their sound helps them overcome these struggles. 

According to a 2015 Billboard article, Pink Floyd, Queen, the Pixies and R.E.M. all formed in college. Neighborhood Watch could be the next famous band added to the list. 

Neighborhood Watch plans to keep their creative spirit alive and continue playing and making connections all around Fort Collins. 

Reach Christina Jacobson at entertainment@collegian.com or on twitter @csucollegian.

Boston University Student Government shared updates on a transportation bill approved last semester, confirmed the yearly budget, and created a new finance committee during their first Senate meeting of the year.