While the university is adapting to COVID-19 by transitioning to online classes and cancelling events, the campus is not completely devoid of students.
As of March 17, 269 students still reside on campus. Preventative measures have been placed at the dorms by increasing the cleaning and wipe downs in the halls and updating cleaning products.
With safety in mind, TAMUK aims to provide students with a comfortable place to stay during the pandemic.
“[It’s beneficial] for those students from far away, work in town or need to leave their belongings here until there is a clearer picture of what is the best practice to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Executive Director University Housing & Residence Life Thomas Martin said.
For some students living in a dorm setting encourages them to focus on school and avoid a lax mindset.
“A benefit of staying in the dorm is that I’m still in a school environment and so with these online classes I still have a space that can help me stay on track and it discourages me from thinking we are still on vacation,” Erin Landin, animal science major, said.
Other students are benefiting from staying on campus financially, as they cannot afford to go home or have jobs in the area.
“I think that it’s great [for campus to be open] because there are students who need the dorm for more than just school. I stayed in the dorm over the break so I could work at my second job,” Victoria Trevino, agriculture education major, said.
While Trinity University in San Antonio and other universities in Texas have announced that they will provide students with prorated reimbursement for their room and board, Texas A&M-Kingsville has not decided on what action to take yet.
“We are waiting for the A&M System to let us know what we can or cannot do. Once we know, we will certainly make all our students aware of the options,” Martin said.
Money is tight for many college students.
“A lot of students like myself can’t afford to go back home once we’ve already spent money on the dorm. Without a refund it’ll be really hard to try to make up the money that we’ve lost. I appreciate that they’re letting us stay here and keeping open facilities for us to still use to ensure that our semester goes well and as planned,” Landin said.