As extreme winter weather looms over campus, the university is taking precautions to ensure students are safe and warm.
As Arlington faces its coldest temperatures this season, the University Center provides students a place to eat, study, relax and socialize, associate director Bear Lunce said.
Even if UTA canceled classes, Lance said the center has an obligation to stay open.
The university sent an urgent MavAlert Tuesday evening informing students that campus operations would continue as normal Wednesday despite freezing temperatures.
Chemistry junior Dayanara Ramirez said she saw flurries falling from the sky during her half hour commute to campus Wednesday morning to take an exam. Ramirez was scared of icy roads but said it wasn’t as bad as she expected.
“Even walking around campus there’s so much ice around, even on the grass,” Ramirez said.
Biology senior Darenka Salgado said the 15-minute walk from her student housing to class was chilling.
“I couldn’t feel my face by the time I got to class because it was so cold,” she said. “I was like a red tomato.”
After a day of braving the cold, Ramirez and Salgado decided to warm up in the UC and order Chick-fil-A.
Lunce said the UC and The Commons act as warming centers and places with power on campus. The facilities provide students with running water, internet and food.
Staying open during Inclement weather isn’t an added expense to service its students because they would be paying for the utilities regardless, Lunce said.
On-campus student workers keep food services running. If the campus is closed, the UC staff reaches out to students to see who’s willing to work.
Additionally, the UC and The Commons have emergency backup generators to ensure they still have power even if the city loses connection.
When the city experienced a four-day power outage from cold temperatures a few years ago, Lunce said the generator allowed The Commons to remain open during the entire freeze for 24 hours.
UTA Police Capt. Mike McCord said in an email that if anyone needs assistance for a car battery issue, they can call UTA Police Dispatch at 817-272-3381 to request a jumpstart.
“UTA PD continues to patrol campus to assist members of the community during this winter weather event,” McCord said. “We are responding to calls just like we do on a daily basis and are making every effort to stay warm like everyone across campus.”
Lunce said the UC is the student union building or the “living room” of the campus. While every place at UTA has a specific purpose, like the Maverick Activities Center or the library, he said this facility is meant to be a place where students “can just be.”
“We take that responsibility to the students of UTA very seriously,” he said. “We try our absolute best to always provide that welcoming atmosphere that students can always come to and enjoy.”
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