Do not let the summer break kill your flow. Between construction updates and new dining options, a lot has changed since The Paisano’s last print. Stay informed with our over-the-summer news updates, in case you missed them.
Student housing
UTSA has announced plans for its seventh on-campus residence hall, Blanco Hall, which will house up to 594 freshman and sophomores in both single and double-bed units. The new community will function as a living-learning community, with educational resources and shared learning spaces such as a 2,000 square foot teaching kitchen and a 1,000 square foot nutrition research and learning center. Upon completion of the project, UTSA will have reached 95% of its goal to have 5,400 beds on the Main Campus by 2025.
Construction is expected to begin this fall near Chisholm Hall on Resident Lot 3 and continue until June 2025. To reduce parking disruptions, over 200 parking spaces will be reallocated to the north end of the Barshop Lot.
On-campus dining
In the meantime, Roadrunners have several new options for dining on the Main Campus this fall. Prime Grill, now located in the Student Union Food Court, serves smash burgers, chicken tender baskets, grilled cheese, french fries and more. Prime Grill is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 2:30 p.m. on Fridays. Students can order and enjoy a quick snack in between classes using Prime Grill’s self-ordering kiosks or by placing an order online through the Grubhub mobile app.
The Business Building RowdyMart now includes a Pizza Hut in addition to its usual grab-n-go selections and flavored soda machines. Students can order hand crafted personal pan pizzas, wings, pasta or even desserts from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 3 p.m. on Fridays.
Students will also be able to experience an array of food truck favorites from the newest truck to join the Sombrilla Plaza, the Mr. Maximum Food Truck. The truck is open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, serving quesadillas, burritos, tacos and more.
To complement the new dining options on campus, a couple existing spots have been refreshed for the fall semester. The Starbucks in the John Peace Library underwent a full renovation, including updated machinery and expanded prep space, while the Roadrunner Café patio has been revamped to include custom patio covers with fans and a variety of new seating options. According to UTSA Today, UTSA Dining will utilize the renovated patio to hold special events, starting with the Roadrunner Days Welcome Back Bash from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 1.
Research and funding
Earlier this month, UTSA met the State of Texas’ eligibility criteria to participate in the National Research University Fund (NRUF), which provides funding to emerging research universities in Texas to achieve national prominence. This achievement further confirms UTSA’s ability to confront local, state and national challenges head-on.
However, due to the outcomes of the 88th Texas Legislative Session, the NRUF will be eliminated in the fiscal year 2024 to create the Texas University Fund (TUF), which UTSA is not currently eligible to participate in. Nevertheless, UTSA is set to receive $5 million from the fiscal 2023 NRUF fund.
