Students living in the residence halls at Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) are seeking ways to connect and interact safely during the coronavirus pandemic. The new guidelines imposed to keep students and faculty safe are bringing changes in daily life around campus.
“I feel like I don’t really see anybody anymore,” Velen Leonor, a resident at TAMUK, said.
The resident assistants (RAs) in the TAMUK dorms are also feeling the loss of face-to-face interaction among students.
“It’s sad not to see my residents studying together or just hanging out in the halls because they could,” RA Miranda Shaut said.
RA Pedro Gonzalez knows how important it is for college students to stay connected.
“Most of our forms/events are now online which makes it difficult to build a sense of community with my residents,” Gonzalez said.
Despite the lonely atmosphere in the residence halls, students are upholding the rules and staying safe, Leonor said.
“I do occasionally see people without masks,” Leonor said.
However, for the most part, students are making the effort to keep themselves and their peers safe.
“I feel like the students do feel safe living on campus,” Shaut said, “that’s why they are able to follow the rules.”
TAMUK is also providing students with everything they need to be safe.
“We have a wonderful custodial staff that sanitize common areas daily and we are given free hand sanitizer and thermometers,” Gonzalez said.
To keep the boredom of coronavirus isolation at bay, TAMUK is providing virtual activities for students. The university wants to make sure those living on campus feel comfortable in the middle of these extraordinary circumstances.
Shaut praised TAMUK for its commitment to students’ wellbeing.
“I think TAMUK has been doing the best they can during this pandemic to make the student’s lives feel as normal as possible,” she said.
