COVID-19 Update: Campus Operations
March 13, 2020
Dear Campus Community:
As a follow-up to yesterday’s message announcing the proactive measures UTRGV is initiating to mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the campus community, the university would like to provide more information regarding campus operations.
We are continuously reviewing the situation, and our current plan is to operate our campuses during the week of March 16-20 and until further notice.
Please note that our decision to move all academic offerings online (beginning Monday, March 23) was made to follow social distancing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends that people:
- Stay away from large groups.
- Avoid mass gatherings.
- Maintain distance (about 6 feet) from others when possible.
Students, faculty and staff may currently access our campuses and campus services until further notice as long as social-distance measures, as recommended by the CDC, are being followed.
Following is more information regarding campus operations as of Friday, March 13:
Student employees
- Student employees should report to work as normal, beginning Monday, March 16.
- Students (as with faculty and staff) returning to work from Spring Break travel should fill out this form and wait for clearance to return to work.
- Supervisors will work with student employees to arrange appropriate social-distance measures, as recommended by the CDC.
- Student employees with questions or specific concerns about returning to work should discuss their situation with their supervisor.
Health Centers
- Employee and Student Health Centers will keep their normal business hours and also open from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturdays and Sunday until further notice.
- Brownsville employees may use the Brownsville Student Health Center.
Student Support Services
- All student support services (Advising, U Central, Counseling, Disability Services, Veterans Affairs, etc.) will remain open.
Library
- The libraries on the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses will be closed this weekend and reopen on Monday, March 16, from 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Times of operation for Monday, March 23, and beyond will be announced at a later date.
Food services
- The Grille located at El Comedor in Brownsville and the Dining Hall located in Edinburg will remain open to serve residents and the campus community.
- El Comedor in Brownsville | Monday- Friday: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Dining Hall in Edinburg
- Monday -Thursday | Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | Lunch: 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Dinner: 5 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
- Friday – Sunday | Brunch: 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Dinner: 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Child Development Center
- Services will remain available for children enrolled at the Child Development Center. Drop-in care will not be available due to limited staffing. CCAMPIS grant will cover childcare tuition starting the week of March 23rd. Please contact Child Development Center if you have any questions.
Student Union
- The Student Union will remain open for students who want to study. Group activities and programs will be suspended until further notice. Food venues and the game rooms will be closed until further notice. Events and Conferences will be evaluated on a case by case basis and approved in accordance with University directives. Coming soon: Interactive online student activities via Tik Tok and Zoom! We will keep all Vaqueros connected to campus life.
- Hours of operation for Brownsville and Edinburg Student Unions will be as follows until further notice: Monday- Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Recreation
- University Recreation located in Edinburg will close until further notice. Student employees will report as normal. During this time, we will deep clean our facility in preparation for reopening.
- The recreation facility in Brownsville is scheduled to be closed for TSC’s Spring Break until March 23.
- Please check the URec website for updates on the most current information.
Transportation
- Vaquero Express will provide modified transportation service effective Monday, March 16. VOLT service will be suspended until further notice. We will reassess demand of service based on the academic continuity plan as well as input from our transit partner, Valley Metro, and provide updates. Currently Valley Metro has no plans to cancel service on its own routes. Schedule changes to Transportation will be updated on our website. Look for the latest information on our UTRGV PTS Twitter.
Campus Stores & Vaquero Tech Center
- Operating hours for Campus Stores & Vaquero Tech Centers located in Brownsville and Edinburg are adjusted as shown below. Free shipping will be available for all online orders until further notice.
- Hours of operation: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Visit utrgv.edu/coronavirus to stay updated with the latest information regarding coronavirus and what the university is doing to mitigate the outbreak’s impact to our campus community.
Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
President