Trinity Hewtty
Editor-in-chief
As the campus waits to hear from Texas A&M University-San Antonio about possible closures or cancellations, faculty, staff and students are concerned about the danger of the severe cold weather this weekend and are already taking action to prepare for it.
A&M-San Antonio announced through email and text that it will closely monitor weather conditions before determining any changes to campus services or classes for Monday, Jan. 26.
“Plans to minimize academic disruption will be finalized when and if there is a closure or delay decision,” Sarah McBride, associate vice president for University Communications at A&M-San Antonio, wrote in an email to the Mesquite, “….and depend on the severity of the inclement weather and the specific circumstances.”
The university is currently in communication with the National Weather Service and county officials.
The NWS forecasts high winds and high chances of rain starting Saturday extending to Monday night. It reports precipitation chances as high as 90% with freezing rain and winds up to 30 miles per hour.
Hazardous conditions began overnight on Interstate 10 and the U.S. Highway 90 corridor and will expand south by 3 p.m., with isolated one-tenth to one-quarter of ice amounts predicted to accumulate in the San Antonio area.
Sunday night will reach freezing temperatures as low as 19 degrees. Monday morning is predicted to reach 37 degrees but will drop again to 19.
“Our goal is to keep students, faculty and staff safe and informed as early as possible about any potential closures or cancellations,” a Jan. 23 email from the university reads.
The Mesquite contacted Zeak Naifeh, the associate vice president and dean of students, for further information regarding potential closures, but Naifeh referred the reporter to Strategic Communications.
McBride said class cancellations or delays are based on whether utilities and other physical conditions are interrupted in a way that compromises “the safety of travel to and from campus and with consideration of other factors like any widespread outages that would affect a large number of employees and students in their place of residence, or widespread school district closures that might affect a large number of employees’ and students’ availability to come to campus,” McBride wrote.
The president makes the final decision on the university’s operational status, with guidance from university leadership and the University Police Department’s emergency management staff.
Any updates from the university will be shared through text alerts and the university email until 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25.
University takes precautions in residence halls
The university emailed Estrella and Esperanza Hall residents about precautionary measures the building’s staff are taking to ensure the safety of students.
The email said staff members would enter units Jan. 23 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to check that residents are prepared for possible severe subfreezing weather.
Heating in the units will be turned on.
A&M-San Antonio encouraged residents to take proper measures for all pets.
“They contacted us to make sure we have our windows closed and our faucets are dripping,” said freshman Madison Mendes.
The Mesquite also reached out to the Estrella and Esperanza Hall Director Reba Sims and the Risk and Compliance Coordinator Rita Arredondo on any additional measures being taken, but Sims did not respond and Arredondo was unavailable for comment.
The university will also work directly with CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) if any disruptions occur on campus. Additionally, there are backup generators serving campus facilities.
“If a sustained disruption to campus operations occurred that exceeded our capability to be supported by our generators, the University would activate its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the response and liaise with any external agencies or entities that may be involved in restoring normal operations,” McBride wrote.
Communication sophomore Max Hernandez, who lives on campus, expressed concern regarding food.
“There’s not a lot of options for food here in the dorms, like you can’t cook with a hot plate… because of restrictions, fire hazards, all that stuff,” Hernandez said. “So we’re pretty limited on what we can have already…our perishable foods are not that many, and our non-perishables, we kind of just have to keep in our closets…”
Dining hall remains open as faculty weigh safety
Leo Nunez, director of Dining Services, said the dining hall will still be open during normal operating hours, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
“We have ordered backstock of water to ensure that the residents’ needs are met,” Nunez said.
The dining hall has a contingency plan to have some team members stay on campus to ensure residents are fed.
Along with this, McBride wrote that campus services in student affairs have protocols to support resident students if utilities, dining or other services are affected.
While A&M-San Antonio has yet to announce any official campus closures, some professors are alerting their students of class cancellations out of safety concerns.
Dr. Beu Lee, assistant professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance, canceled her Monday class, ACCT 2301, Principles of Financial Accounting, in an email to students on Jan. 23
Lee said she wanted to acknowledge her student’s concerns — whether it’s driving safely to campus or worrying about losing power or water at their homes.
“Really giving them a peace of mind — that’s it,” Lee said
Lee recalled the challenges she faced in the February 2021 winter freeze, noting she had no water or power for about three days.
“When the news media say it could be even worse than 2021, I could immediately understand … what kind of a hardship (students) might (have),” Lee said.
Hernandez said they believe classes should be held remotely.
“From the perspective of someone living in the dorms, we have to walk everywhere,” Hernandez said. “So if we’re going through something like snow or freezing rain or even just the potential of slipping on ice, it can be really dangerous.”
Campus expert recommends tips for avoiding hypothermia
With the inclement weather approaching, there are also potential health risks such as hypothermia that can cause severe effects to the body.
John Smith, professor of counseling, health and kinesiology, said hypothermia’s major impact is when heat loss is greater than heat production.
“When this happens, many of your organs do not function well and if exposed for too long, your heart and your respiratory system can go into failure,” Smith said.
Additionally, Smith said prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures impacts coordination and causes drowsiness and even confusion.
Losing sensation to extremities like fingers and toes can also occur because the body is trying to keep the blood warm around vital organs.
Smith advises proper precautions such as clothes that cover the head and hands. If clothing gets wet, it must be changed immediately.
“We should also be conscious of our food and water intake to avoid caloric deficient states and dehydration,” Smith said, noting that people tend to lessen food and drink consumption when they are cold.
Smith warns that San Antonio residents should be prepared for power outages with portable generators or power stations where space heaters can be used. He encourages those without access to contact the city.
The city of San Antonio is also taking precautions. Brine trucks were seen driving down 410 near the university and other highways to counteract the ice build up commuters may face.
This weekend leaves A&M-San Antonio commuters and residents alike concerned and stumped.
“I plan on going to my cousin’s apartment if classes are canceled, but I don’t really know what to do,” Mendez said. “I have to figure that out quick, but I don’t know how bad it will be.”
Steven Moran and Thomas Hernandez contributed to this story.
