The relocation of students forced out of their waterside Texas A&M Galveston campus to College Station after Hurricane Ike was a challenge, and bringing them back won't be a walk on the beach, the campus's chief executive said.
"[Finding housing] is a big concern on the way back, too," said R. Bowen Loftin, vice president and chief executive of the Galveston campus.
He got some help Thursday from the Texas A&M System Board of Regents, which unanimously approved a 10-year lease for an apartment complex on Pelican Island that will provide housing for 232 students. The campus's enrollment prior to the hurricane was nearly 1,800 students.
Within 11 days of Ike's landfall, the Galveston students continued their semester in College Station. They finished finals this week and are beginning to head home. Most will start classes January in Galveston.
Before the evacuation, the Pelican Island Private Student Housing complex served mostly students, but the owner could lease units to anyone.
With 75 percent of the island affected by water surges and damage that hasn't been repaired, housing is scarce, Loftin said.
"We wanted to be sure that we maximize the availability to our students and that our students get first priority," he said.
The lease will cost about $58,000 a month, with increases of 3 percent per year, according to board documents. The university will sublease to students.
Loftin said he was also looking for private housing from Galveston residents.
"Our students are known to be good tenants," Loftin said. "They are missed. They are the ones who served you at restaurants, carried your bags, parked your cars. Hotels and restaurants are desperate to have us back."
Regents, meeting by telephone, also voted 8-0 to approve Mark Hussey as vice chancellor in addition to his role as dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M, effective immediately; and Eleanor M. Green as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, effective March 1.
Green will be the first female dean of the college.
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