Texas A&M hopes to open its doors to students in the fall and plans to start the school year with football, according to an article from the Texas Tribune on April 30.
The article stated that A&M Chancellor, John Sharp, discussed plans with the A&M system presidents and agency heads Thursday, April 30. In the phone call, Sharp told school leaders to plan to have on-campus classes in the fall semester while taking some health precautions. The final decision is up to the governor, the NCAA and the SEC.
According to the Texas Tribune, the school shut down has cost A&M $19.5 million.
“The federal stimulus programs gave A&M just under $40 million to be split between covering losses and financial aid for students,” the article read.
Other universities such as Texas Tech and Baylor have announced similar plans to reopen in the fall with added precautions. A tweet from The Daily Texan stated that the University of Texas at Austin has set a goal to open in the fall.
According to the Texas Tribune, on Wednesday, Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec said in a letter to the campus that there would be some major changes to the way classes are run.
“We need to recognize that campus life will be different when we return in the fall,” Schovanec said. “We are developing several ways to reduce the density of groups in our student facilities, large lecture-based classrooms and our popular campus areas.”
In an email sent to the student body and faculty of A&M, President Michael K. Young confirmed that the plan was to open up in the fall and acknowledged the struggles that Aggies have experienced since classes were moved online.
“We will continue to keep you updated in detail for plans to open responsibly, and will, of course, follow updated federal, state officials and health care guidance that dictate our ability to do so,” the email read. “It’s been quite a semester! We love you and wish you and your families safety and happiness as we continue to move forward together.”