A full-scale operational oilwell drilling rig has now taken up residence on campus at Texas Tech University. Tech is now the first university in the United States to have a fully functional oil rig, offering students an up-close and personal view of the leading industry in our area.

According to Texas Tech Today, "the rig required 45 semi-truck loads of equipment to be moved onto campus and features a 140-foot mast." Needless to say, this was a huge endeavor. The drilling rig mast was lifted Friday, January 6th, 2022 at 9 am.

There have been mixed reviews in comments on Facebook about the new rig on campus. Most people seem to be pretty excited about the idea, but there are definitely a few people that think it isn't in our best interest to have something like that on campus.

Here are a couple of comments from people in town that seem concerned about it:

"Sacrificing the environment for the good ole dollar bill...smh!"

"Time to see all the college kids getting sick"

"Well that's just stupid"

"Awesome. Awesome. Potential H2S gas, stank smell, environmental hazard, potential safety hazard for students. Awesome."

At the end of the day, the rig is there for educational purposes and we can't all just start whining about oil and gas. It's kind of our livelihood, whether we like it or not. We live in West Texas. I'm just hoping that things stay safe for students, but I have a feeling that we know what we are doing. We are oil and gas pros, around these parts. If a rig should be on a college campus anywhere, it should be right here in Lubbock.

What do you think? Tell us in a comment below this article on our KFMX Facebook page.

You can also learn more about the new oil rig by clicking here.

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