Editor’s note: This podcast was originally published on Spotify on October 5, 2023.
In this episode of People of UT, new host and senior audio producer Mae Lackey talks with Redditor Aaron Reiser, also known as u/samureiser, about the thousands of questions he’s answered for students on the UT Austin subreddit.
This episode was reported and produced by Mae Lackey. Cover art by Alexa Zimmerman. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.
*intro music*
Mae Lackey: Welcome to People of UT, the show that introduces you to members of the UT community that have made a positive impact, big or small, on other community members. I’m your new host, Mae Lackey.
The social network Reddit is home to a vast amount of content and discussion. For many people, it’s the site they visit to get niche questions answered. For others, it’s a place for community. If you want to see squirrels eating unusual things, there’s a subreddit for that. Or maybe you visit r/birdswitharms to see, well, pictures of birds with arms.
*Reddit notification ping*
For students at the University of Texas at Austin, the r/UTAustin subreddit serves as a hub for all things UT. Students discuss football games, events, courses, dorm life, and more. Most of all, they ask questions about everything, and Aaron Reiser, a UT Alumn and member of staff, has made it his mission to provide the answers.
Aaron Reiser: I found that as i was participating in the reddit community, a lot of people had the same questions over and over again. And, I’m the kind of person, well, if I don’t have to retype it out every time, that’s better for everyone, so someone there had already started putting together an FAQ that had maybe half a dozen questions, so I said “well, I think we can do better than that” and the folks in charge of that community said “yeah, if you wanna do this knock yourself out”. So, I found all the questions that were coming up frequently and I’m pretty good at research, which is a good thing with us being a research university, and was able to, y’know find a lot of the answers that people had and direct them to the right place.
Mae: Aaron has done a lot more than build the UT subreddit’s FAQ, though. Under the username u/samureiser, he’s answered countless individual questions from students over the years. No matter how simple or intricate the question, he’s tried his best to steer thousands of students towards the answer they need.
He’s not limited in his range of ability, either. On the same day, he answered the questions “why can’t I make friends?” and “any places on campus to just scream?”. Reiser rarely imparts his own opinion when he answers. He acts as more of a vessel for information.
*keyboard typing*
Aaron: One of the skills that I have is I’m really good at finding information. And, that’s really the trickiest part at UT, that the answers are almost always there, but finding them can be a real challenge, and so, just knowing where to look for things at UT is really half the magic.
Mae: Reiser is a staff member at UT, but all of the work he does for UT’s subreddit and for students is completely of his own volition and unrelated to his position. He is not compensated or recognized by the institution for what he’s done. Reiser said he’s okay with that, and he’s unintentionally stayed mostly anonymous.
Aaron: Anyone who knows just a little bit about me or is willing to put in just a little bit of effort can easily figure out what i’m doing, like my boss knows, some of my coworkers know, they’ve acknowledged and they’re, y’know they think it’s cool.
And again, it’s not anything that I’m doing officially for the university, I’m doing it in my free time because I feel compelled to do it.
Mae: Though he has stayed mostly anonymous, his work doesn’t go unnoticed by members of the UT subreddit. Threads like “This is a u/samureiser appreciation post!” appear every few months. A comment on one of these threads reads “if you have not already done so, please thank u/samureiser for his hard work. In all seriousness, he’s one of the most helpful people I’ve encountered in any subreddit and I can’t imagine this sub without him or the resources he put together. Thank you!” Another wrote “samureiser is one of the only people I’ve seen be truly kind in comments. He approaches posters as if their questions are in good faith and actually answers their questions rather than what I see many people do, which is to jump in on someone for a difference in opinion or thought process. Love the guy so much”.
*transition music*
Mae: Aaron said the recognition feels good, but he helps people because he likes to. He said he plans to continue answering student’s questions until he gets tired of it, which he doesn’t foresee happening anytime soon
Aaron: And really, it’s just about helping people and y’know people are here at UT for a reason. I can’t fix everything, but if I can sort of smooth that process a little bit, and then folks can focus on their academics, then I think it’s win-win for everyone.
*outro music*
Mae: People of UT is a production of The Daily Texan Audio Department. If you liked this episode, make sure you subscribe to The Daily Texan Podcasts on your streaming platform of choice and follow us on Twitter @texanaudio. This episode was reported and edited by me, Mae Lackey. Special thanks to Alexa Zimmerman and Blue Dot Sessions. Thank you for listening!
