University of Iowa graduate housing managers change course on Hooters event

IOWA CITY - The company that partnered with the University of Iowa to develop and manage new graduate student housing has changed course on an upcoming event intended to be catered by Hooters after some residents grew concerned.

Aspire at West Campus management posted flyers Tuesday on a 522-unit complex that bears the UI brand, announcing it was partnering with the restaurant known for young female waitresses dressed in revealing outfits on an April 3 event for the NCAA national championship. 'Hooters staff will be on site during the game with T-shirts, hats, and coupons for prizes,” according to the flyers.

UI graduate student Mitch Lingo, 33, who lives at Aspire, posted the handbill on a Facebook page for Aspire residents with the comment, 'Keeping it classy here at Aspire.” Several students responded in disgust, and Lingo brought up his concerns with management.

Aspire community manager Travis Hotz told The Gazette it as a resident who suggested Hooters as a partner.

'Not all of our events appeal to each and every resident,” Hotz said. 'That's why we hold multiple events. If they have a problem, we'll listen to their concerns, but the reason we hold multiple events is that if they aren't interested in one event, they can come to the next.”

He described the restaurant as 'family friendly.” The plan, according to Hotz, was for Hooters to deliver wings, shrimp and sliders from its Davenport location and serve on site - although he said he didn't know if the chain's typical waitresses would be doing the serving.

The primary driver was cost, Hotz said. Hooters was willing to deliver and serve food for 175 people at a 'steep discount,” though he didn't disclose how much Aspire was planning to pay.

'We have budgetary constraints,” Hotz said. 'We can't go overboard on all of these events.”

Still, after hearing from residents and the media, Hotz said management decided to go with Buffalo Wild Wings, which has locations in Iowa City and Coralville, even though the change would cost more.

'We value our partnership with the university,” Hotz said. 'The last thing we want is negative notoriety. And we value our residents' opinion and want them to experience the event.”

Lingo said Aspire is primarily inhabited by graduate students, some of whom have families.

And, he said, 'I highly doubt that the university residence life would allow for an event like this to go on in any one of the residence halls.”

Hotz said Aspire did not reach out to the university to discuss the event. UI officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UI doctoral student Sam Lustgarten, 28, said some of his main concerns were about the campus climate.

'It seems like we're having trouble making progress in this area,” Lustgarten said. 'And then here is this really difficult contrast, in a campus community, this what seems to be misogynistic display, and we feel like it goes against the values that the broader university community stands for and it trying to work toward.”

Aspire at West Campus replaced the old Hawkeye Court Apartments, which were built in the 1960s as part of a 2013 UI partnership with Balfour Beatty.

l Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com