UT San Antonio finished construction on its newest on-campus dorm — Blanco Hall. Alongside the announcement of its opening in spring 2026 came the news that current Chisholm Hall residents will move to the new residence hall, while Chisholm undergoes renovations. Students were informed through an email on Nov. 4 that stated, “Beginning in December, current Chisholm Hall residents will relocate to Blanco Hall for the spring semester.” Upgrades are expected to be complete in time for the fall 2026 semester, but until then, Chisolm residents will be cheated out of the dorm they expected for their school year.
Chisholm Hall features two-bedroom and three-bedroom layouts, possessing the largest rooms among all on-campus housing options, complete with private bathrooms. The new Blanco Hall only offers one and two-bedroom options, which are significantly smaller and have only communal bathrooms. This living space downgrade is an insult to the students already living in the oldest campus dorm. Roommates will inevitably split as they kiss their three-bedrooms goodbye. The mass email sent to residents assured students that dorm costs would not increase and may even be lowered in some cases, but the university has failed to make guarantees, despite the obvious downgrade.
UT San Antonio held Harvest Your Home on the evening of Nov. 12 in the Chisholm Hall Activity Center. The packed event allowed for relocators to select roommates for the new residence hall by waiting in a crowded, hours-long line. The university stated that no roommate selections were guaranteed, and assignments have since been released. The university seemingly loves to inconvenience its students and holds a blatant disregard for their well-being.
Chisholm Hall residents received barely more than a month’s notice concerning the relocation, being expected to move from Dec. 15-19, inconveniently right after finals season. Those who will not remain on campus for winter break will have their belongings transferred by professional movers, whether or not they desire to have strangers handling their possessions. Students must accept the massive demotion as the university provides no alternative option for those facing the abrupt, unjust relocation.
While UT San Antonio made it clear that the building’s heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system needs to be upgraded, the ideal time would clearly be during the summer when the fewest number of students remain on campus. Forcing students to move halfway through the school year is not only a massive inconvenience but also puts their health at risk. Moving is an upheaval that can spark depression among other issues. On top of the forced mid-year relocation, many campus dwellers are freshmen, still settling in after leaving their hometowns to attend school. The unnecessary change to their housing instability needlessly piles on more mental strain.
UT San Antonio did not fully consider this relocation and the best interests of its students. The possible ramifications of such a sudden move could pose too great a risk to their health, and student expectations of what their dorm lives would look like will shatter as they return to a complete downgrade in the spring semester. UT San Antonio needs to think about its students before implementing such ridiculous and sudden changes for students.
