BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University announced Friday that there are three confirmed that COVID-19 cases connected to the Beaumont campus.
Most days if you take a trip to the university on the south side of Beaumont you're bound to find the campus full of life and students everywhere.
A global pandemic has quickly changed life as students know it as the university has switched to online classes and become an empty campus.
A new reality has set in for students left on campus amid the pandemic.
"I guess being on campus, being kind of separated from the world, it doesn't feel as real to me as it would if I were back in Houston,” said student Christy Webster.
University officials were not able to tells 12News in what capacity the three COVID-19 victims served at the school.
"I'm not really worried about it. Now that you said three it kinda put my worries down a little bit but yeah I think we're fine,” Freshman Javon Gold told 12News.
There are roughly 200 students left on campus and the majority of the faculty and staff are working remotely with the exception of some employees whose job requires them to be on campus a university spokesperson told 12News.
For students like Christy Webster going home wasn't an option so she decided to ride the pandemic out on campus.
"I was more scared to go home than I was to stay in Beaumont because I feel like it's a lot safer out here. Being on campus, we're almost forced to stay since we can't go out many places,” Webster said.
The university has set up a website where you can read more about resources available for students during this pandemic.