Vol. 71, Issue 12
N o v e mb e r 1 8 - N o v e mb e r 2 5 , 2 0 2 5
Est. 1981
THE PAISANO
Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio Community
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Chisholm Hall residents forced to move to Blanco Hall By Hallie Lott Staff Writer
U
T San Antonio announced that Blanco Hall, the newest on-campus residential housing, is ready for students to occupy. The inaugural group of residents will move from Chisholm Hall to Blanco Hall, while Chisholm Hall undergoes renovation. With four floors, Blanco Hall will house 600 students in single and double units. The new residence hall will have laundry rooms, study areas and a community kitchen. Blanco Hall will also have communal bathrooms, a change from Chisholm Hall’s private, in-room bathrooms. The largest difference between the two residential halls is the room sizes. In Chisholm Hall — the oldest residential building on campus — the rooms are 365 square feet, including the bathroom. In Blanco Hall, the single units will be 87 square feet, and its double units will be 170 square feet. Chisholm Hall residents received an email about the move on Nov. 4, detailing the plans for the dorm switch. In the email, they were informed that Chisholm Hall would be closed from January to August 2026. The dorm will undergo “significant improvements,” including repairing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, “to improve comfort and long-term reliability.” The email also noted that there were no current health or safety issues in Chisholm Hall and that the renovation was planned. Housing and Residence Life held a virtual town hall via Zoom on Nov. 5, where students could learn more and ask questions about the move. Following the meeting on Nov. 12, Chisholm Hall residents attended a housing event, “Harvest Your Home,” where they selected their preferences for either a single or double unit and their ideal room placement. Housing assignments were then
David Franco/The Paisano
A new residence hall was announced to open next semester, students forced to move with one month notice.
sent out to residents on Nov. 14, informing students whether they got a single or double unit and their room location. The Paisano interviewed two Chisholm Hall residents, first-year architecture major Anella Mason and secondyear kinesiology rehab science major Vincent Chau, on their thoughts regarding the move to Blanco Hall. “When I first heard about it, I was excited because
Construction workers working to finish Blanco Hall, set to open in January after multiple delays.
Chisholm is the oldest dorm at UTSA. I was like, ‘Wow, we get a brand new dorm. Everything is going to be clean. Everything is going to be amazing,’ but then I heard everything is going to be shrinking in size, and that made me upset,” Chau said when asked about his initial reaction to the email sent to him. In Blanco Hall, Mason will get a single unit, and Chau will move into a double unit. Mason expressed her worry regarding the lack of a private bathroom and the moving process. “I’m concerned about not having a private bathroom and about the decrease in room size. Even though I am getting a single, my room is still going to be way smaller,” Mason stated. When asked about the drawbacks to Blanco Hall, Chau emphasized the amount of time it will take to walk from Main Campus to the dorm. “The distance, [Blanco Hall] is going to be the furthest dorm from campus, so that’s going to be quite a walk,” Chau said. When asked about what he is looking forward to about the new dorm, Chau highlighted the lack of mold. “It’s the bare minimum, but it’s so exciting not to get mold in your AC vents,” Chau said. Both Chau and Mason wished that UT San Antonio had informed them of the potential move before they selected their housing and signed the housing contract. “They could have told everybody before the beginning of the school year, before everybody signed up for this dorm, thinking they would be able to stay here for a school year,” Mason said. She also added that they should not be forcing them to pack up during finals week. Chisholm Hall residents will have the choice to selfmove to Blanco Hall on Dec. 11-12, or professional movers will move items from Dec. 15-19. Blanco Hall will officially open on Dec. 15.
Texas population to reach 42.6 million by 2060 Carlos Craig/The Paisano
Population increases are expected in the Texas Triangle, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio. A 33% increase is expected to be seen in the next 35 years.
By Natalia Vázquez Felgueres Staff Writer Texas is expected to see its population climb to 42.6 million residents by 2060, driven primarily by migration and urban sprawl, according to new projections by the Texas Demographic Center at UT San Antonio. The data shows an ongoing shift toward urban concentration within the state’s biggest metropolitan areas, particularly throughout the Texas Triangle, which connects DallasFort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Projections indicate that the population in Texas is currently estimated at around 31.3 million and will grow by more than a third over the next 35 years. The report suggests that most of that rapid advancement is a product of both domestic and global migration rather than natural growth. UT San Antonio Today has reported that the Texas fertility rate has remained below the replacement level since 2011, which means population gains have become increasingly reliant on people moving into the state. “More and more, Texas growth will depend on the level of migration,” an associate director and senior
demographer at the Texas Demographic Center Dr. Helen said “Migration will be the major driver of either growth or decline in the future.” The projections also highlight the degree to which distribution in Texas is geographically unequal. A great majority of new residents are expected to settle in urban and suburban counties within the Texas Triangle, while many of the rural and western areas will maintain slow growth or even see some population decline. For instance, Travis and Williamson counties in Central Texas are estimated to continue growing rapidly, potentially adding significant numbers of residents by 2060. Similarly, North Texas counties within DallasFort Worth, such as Collin and Denton, are anticipated to significantly expand because of continued suburban development. Meanwhile, growth in both West Texas and cities along the border is projected to slow considerably. El Paso Matters reported that births in El Paso County are expected to decline while deaths rise, suggesting the area’s growth rate will be one of the lowest in Texas through 2060. Projections from the Texas Demographic Center
also indicate the state is not only becoming older, but also more ethnically diverse. Texans over 65 years old are projected to make up approximately 22% of the population, while the Hispanic population will continue to grow as the largest demographic group, and Asian Texans will represent the fastest-growing ethnic category. The Texas Demographic Center’s projections shed light on how the state’s growth will influence future groundwork, especially for infrastructure and resource management. According to a report by Governing, Texas may require substantial investment in water reuse, desalination and aquifer storage to keep up with population demands, signaling that rapid growth could put a strain on resources, such as water and wastewater systems if planning falls behind. As migration continues to transform population distribution in Texas, these projections emphasize the importance of creating integrated development plans that can handle the state’s growing urban areas, ensuring sustainable management of critical resources and supporting its ability to accommodate future residents as population demands increase.