While TTU Students Stay Put, Faculty Working Hard

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - There were about 100 Texas Tech students studying worldwide when the coronavirus became a concern. The Chancellor, Dr. Tedd Mitchell, says most were in Seville, Spain. He says, “The good news is the vast majority of the students were able to go to their homes - wherever their families were and stay there for their 14 days of self-isolation. We only had a handful that needed to come back here to Lubbock and what we did was we leased some property off campus so we could have the students stay there during the 14 days. So at this point in time, all the students are accounted for. All of them are in self isolation. Most of them are at home with their parents and thus far, only 1 student has tested positive for coronavirus."

Right now, there are 243 students living on campus in dormitories, with no better option on where to go. For many, home was simply too far away. But Dr. Mitchell says these students are now following the same protocol as the rest of us. He says, “They’re staying put. We do have food service for them but it's a grab and go concept instead of a cafeteria."

Meanwhile, the faculty is still working hard. He explains, "We have Texas Tech University and TTUHSC faculty members from both sides that are working together to rise up for a crisis. Keep in mind what a basic science person does - They’re doing lab testing. They’re collecting the data but they’re doing it in a way that helps propagate the research. What we’ve done is we’ve taken that scenario, that environment and said - ‘ok, how can you now restructure this in a way that we can in real time and in fast time with a quick turnover, get information back out to the hospitals and to the clinicians so they can make judgement calls about someone’s health?’

For more on how Basic Lab Sciences are contributing in the effort to slow the virus in our area, watch more from our interview with Chancellor Tedd Mitchell.

Copyright 2020 KCBD. All rights reserved.