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Posted: 11/17/20

TAMIU Joins A&M System Initiative to ‘Test Before Thanksgiving Dinner’

 

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Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) president Dr. Pablo Arenaz is joining The Texas A&M University System Chancellor, John Sharp, in a plan to minimize the spread of COVID-19 as students head home for the holidays.

Chancellor Sharp asked presidents of the System’s 11 universities to encourage students to voluntarily get tested for COVID-19 before they leave campus for home, saying  he wants to make sure families and communities of the System’s 150,000-plus students feel safe and can avoid unnecessary exposure to the COVID-19 spike in cases across the country.

“The greatest gift a student can give his or her family – including parents and grandparents – during this holiday season is the gift of a negative COVID test,” Sharp said, “Let’s do all we can to stop this pandemic and get back to life as we knew it. Thanks to everyone who chooses to take a test before heading home.”

TAMIU president  Dr. Arenaz concurred and noted that TAMIU has already been encouraging students to test in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We’re nearing 4,000 students who have tested since we initiated testing on campus in August and have been able to sustain a low positivity rate of 1.7%.  To further encourage student and staff testing, we will be providing walk-up testing on both Friday, Nov. 20 and Monday, Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Test results will be available by Wednesday, Nov. 25.  We really want to encourage members of our TAMIU community to take advantage of this opportunity to provide themselves and their families an additional measure of security, ” Dr. Arenaz explained.

He added everyone should continue practicing social distancing, wearing a face covering, hand-washing and observing all applicable gathering restrictions.

Chancellor Sharp agreed.

“As a parent and grandparent, I can imagine the peace of mind that a negative COVID-19 test can bring to the Thanksgiving table,” Chancellor Sharp said.

TAMIU’s last class day is Wednesday, Nov. 25.  Finals begin online Tuesday, Dec. 1  and conclude Monday, Dec. 7. Students will not need to return to campus after the Thanksgiving holiday.  However, the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library and computer laboratories will be open for those needing them.

Information about TAMIU’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 Pandemic is available on its dedicated online COVID-19 Response Center, https://www.tamiu.edu/coronavirus/

Registration for  TAMIU’s  Wintermester and Spring 2021 Registration is underway.  Classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Financial Aid is available, and University offices are open to the public Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

About The Texas A&M University System 

The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation with a budget of $6.3 billion. The System is a statewide network of 11 universities; a comprehensive health science center; eight state agencies, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management; and the RELLIS Campus. The Texas A&M System educates more than 151,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $1 billion in FY 2019 and helped drive the state’s economy.