Brigitte Ortiz | THE RIDER
Students who will live on campus will need to make an appointment for a drive-thru move in. The Housing and Residence Life Department is anticipating over 550 students to move in this fall.
Sergio Martinez, Housing and Residence Life director, said the department is opening early for students to move in. According to their website, residents can move in between Aug. 15 through 22.
“We’re opening up a little earlier, like two weekends in advance, to scatter them out during a longer period,” Martinez said. “This will help us limit the number of people that will access the building, which will allow us to create more social distancing, manage a smaller group of people versus them all showing up at once.”
He said masks are going to be required and the department will do more cleaning in the facilities, residence hall, apartments and any high-touch points.
Martinez said they will reduce the capacity of the conference room and study rooms as well.
The department of Housing and Residence Life will work with Environmental Safety and Risk Management and Student Health Services for educational campaigns on risk management and preventive measures to take on COVID-19.
“So there’s two plans, the employee plan is really the same plan the university has,” Martinez replied when asked what plan the department has if a resident or employee tests positive. “We all have to self report, daily, if we have symptoms, if we do we’re asked to stay home, let our supervisor know and then work with a local healthcare practitioner to decide whether we need testing or whether we need to self isolate and of course follow their instructions.”
He said they are asking for students to monitor symptoms related to COVID-19.
“We’re going to refer any student that has symptoms, questions or doubts about their health to Student Health Services,” Martinez said. “And we’re going to let them guide us on how to support that student if that were to become the case.”
He said depending on what Student Health Services tell them, they will work with the student to self isolate them in a private space where they can recover.
Sydney Landa, biology senior, works at the Village on the Edinburg campus and has lived there for 5 years.
“I’m not worried. The housing coordinators, they’re taking the right precautions with keeping us and the residents safe,” Landa replied when asked about her thoughts on working at the dorms during a pandemic. “So right now we’re having no contact, we’re wearing our mask, we’re wearing our gloves, we give [residents] the key and then they just move in.”
