THE BATTALION MAROON LIFE 5
More than a bed: Campus life at A&M
Logan Mohr — THE BATTALION
On-campus student resources such as Cushing Library, Student Recreation Center and dorm laundry rooms give students convenient access to living necessities, easing their college careers.
Aggieland offers variety of oncampus amenities to students By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel
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ny resource students may need is only a short walk away, as they are offered numerous amenities while on campus to stay happy and healthy during their time at Texas A&M.
Student Recreation Center Staying fit is easy on campus, with two large gym facilities, located on West Campus and on Polo Road, and a soon-to-be third location on Bizzell Street. Use of any recreational facility is free for students and features a variety of equipment including cardio, strength training machines and free weights, according to the Rec Sports website. The Student Recreation Center offers group fitness classes and strength and conditioning training by trained professionals. Students can take part in drop-in recreation on basketball or volleyball courts and can try their hand at aquatics in the Olympic-sized pool. The Rec Center also hosts intramural and club sports for students to participate in. Students engaged in these activities have the opportunity to participate in games and contests both at A&M and across the country. Transportation Services Transportation Services makes getting around simple with routes located throughout campus and the surrounding community. Bus routes can be monitored with live bus
updates on the Texas A&M app, and show live locations of buses en route. In addition to buses, students also have access to bikes and electric bikes for riding across campus. Students can use these services by downloading the VeoRide app, though students do pay for use of the products on the app. If students are more frequent bikers, they can also bring a bike from home and register it with Transportation Services or rent one by the semester. Transportation Services also handles all campus parking, so students can request a parking permit for a lot or garage on campus. More information on parking permits and other campus transportation options can be found on page 22. Student Health Services Students who are not feeling well can visit the on-campus Beutel Health Center offering discounted rates to students. Student Health Services provides a wide range of care including medical, laboratory, radiology, preventative and emergency care, according to the Student Health Services website. If medicine is needed, students are able to pick it up at the on-campus pharmacy at discounted prices. Additionally, there are nutritionists available to help guide diets and a women’s clinic for all needs, including preventative exams and birth control. The facility offers free COVID-19 tests as well as preventative measures, including flu and other vaccinations. It also provides sexually transmitted infection testing and tuberculosis screenings. Dining Services
Various dining facilities are located throughout campus, including the Commons, Sbisa and Duncan dining halls, which offer allyou-can-eat buffets, and restaurants that boast local campus exclusives and chains. Students are given a variety of choices for their dining needs and can experience many different cuisines across campus, Dining Services Marketing manager Haleigh Dean said. “On campus, it’s very much about the Aggie Spirit and Aggie community. We have over 50-plus dining locations on campus,” Dean said. “When it comes to retail, we do have national brands that are favorites, but we also have things that you will only find at A&M such as Copperhead Jack’s.” Students can download the DineOnCampus app, which serves as a resource for all things dining by providing location hours, menus and special offers and events hosted by Dining Services. Additionally, at each location, there is a text chat feature, which allows individuals to send feedback that will go directly to location management. For students with special diets, Dean said there is a form students can fill out to discuss with a chef which food will be available for their specific diet. Laundry facilities For students who live on campus, laundry facilities are available within dorm laundry rooms and apartment units. All on-campus facilities are complete with high-efficiency front-loading washers and dryers, according to the Residence Life website. Students are able to use washing facilities for free, as it is included as part of their room and board fees. Students must provide all supplies for laun-
dry themselves, such as detergent, softener and dryer sheets as needed. “Liquid pods/pacs are great for use in both front-load machines — it is HE-type detergent — and top-loading machines,” the Residence Life website reads. “For front-loading washers, make sure you put them in the door, not the drawer.” Additionally, students living in the dorms who do not have a washer and dryer in their own living space have access to the LaundryAlert app, which will send individuals a text or email when their laundry is done in one of the communal laundry rooms so they don’t have to wait there. The app also allows users to check laundry room availability and submit service requests as needed. University Libraries Students can study at one of five libraries across the College Station campus, while receiving expert help from librarians who specialize in a variety of subjects. In addition to physical resources located inside the librairies, students can check out up to 100 books to take home with them for research, or leisure. “Texas A&M University is so big — and our libraries are also quite big and have a lot of services and resources to help you. If you are feeling overwhelmed and are not sure how to get started, I recommend reaching out to AskUs,” University Libraries Director of Marketing Partick Zinn said in an email to The Battalion. “Use our homepage to call us, send us a chat or email, or stop by one of our desks for help. You do not have to know who you need to ask for help — we will point you to the best person or resource to get you started.” For big research projects, students can also visit the online databases at library.tamu.edu made available to students with a NetID login. The databases can help locate scholarly articles and can be a starting point for any type of research. Sporting events For fun and relaxation, students can attend various sporting events across campus as teams come to compete in College Station against the Fightin’ Texas Aggies. Students have the opportunity to purchase sports passes for complete or select access to games in all sports throughout the year, or can also purchase discounted student tickets by the game for specific events they would like to attend. Student sports passes for the 2022-23 school year are priced at $325, with access to all home sporting events, according to the 12th Man Foundation, and student guest season passes are priced at $525 for the year. Additionally, throughout the year there are games in which all students may get in free to cheer on the Aggies as they take on big opponents or host special events on campus.
