SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M University-San Antonio students moved into Esperanza Hall Saturday morning.
The university is known for being a commuter campus, but it built its first residence hall last year as it has continued to grow.
Last year, Esperanza Hall was only 50 percent full. This year, it’s at full capacity, with 372 residents, 290 of which are freshmen.
Dr. Cynthia Matson, president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, said the university hopes to see an increase in students living on campus and to continue to expand.
“We are over the top with joy,” Matson said. “Our academic programs are going up. Enrollment is up. Having all the students from all over the country now, all over Texas, it's really making a huge difference in campus life.”
One of the freshmen living on campus is future marketing and fashion major Hayden Gnat from Dallas, who said move-in day is emotional for him and his family.
“(I’m) a little anxious because I've never been away from my parents,” Gnat said. “I’m also trying to shove a bunch of things into a small area and make it work.”
His mother, Lacey Gnat, said the family is trying its best to keep it together.
“This will be a very hard day,” Lacey Gnat said. “We were going to stay a little bit longer, but I think we are just going to pull the Band-Aid real quick once.”
Lacey Gnat said she is thankful for technology, so they can still talk every day.
“We’ll probably Facetime every day,” Lacey Gnat said. “Snapchat for sure. Instagram for sure. But we’ll probably end up coming down once a month to check on him.”