Ever walk into McFarlin, past the vending machines and 24 hour computer labs, thinking “man, thank God I have a study space that’s open all night?” Yeah, I did too. Once. During orientation week. Almost three years ago. And then I learned the savage truth. A four year accredited institution doesn’t have even one quiet area of its library open past midnight? Please. The 24-hour labs are never quiet — just ask any student who’s walked in there at 1 a.m. praying for some peaceful work time.
The law library? The atrium is open all night, but Campo locks the doors at midnight. So if you don’t have a friend already in there, you’re screwed. The law library itself? Closed at 11 p.m.. ACAC? Closed at midnight. There is not a single spot on campus reserved for students to study all evening unimpeded. Helm? You’re kicked out at midnight. Kep? Sure, more 24-hour computer labs complete with chattering voices. Don’t have earplugs? You’re SOL.
It’s time we opened one of the first floor study reading rooms at McFarlin around the clock. It would not take any extra supervision (wow! Cameras exist!), the electricity costs of lighting the area surely could be covered by the hefty TU endowment and students would be ever the more grateful. Don’t the students deserve to have services that make us happy to be here?
If this idea seems too much, the very minimum TU could do is make the law library atrium accessible around the clock with the swipe of an ID. Even better would be opening the first floor of the actual library 24 hours — you’re forced to be quiet, there’s plenty of willing student labor to staff the all night desk and it’s an easy change to make.
Studies prove that it’s psychologically unhealthy to work and live in the same space. Ever try studying for a gnarly exam in your dorm/apartment/fraternity house? Complete with distractions, your comfortable bed, and friends with whom you can chat, how much work is actually getting accomplished? Yet with the current setup, the university leaves students with virtually no other option for studying past midnight.
If TU curriculum continues to be as challenging, rigorous and demanding as this university has come to be known for, it does the student populace a grave injustice to not provide a designated 24-hour study space at our own library.
