Biology major freshman Jack Donaldson studies in Fraser Hall (pictured above). Fraser Library is one area that the college has considered extending the hours of to create more time for students to work and study. (Malachy Dempsey/Managing Editor)
The establishment of a 24-hour study space for students has become a much-discussed issue on campus. The plan for the extended hours space has passed through the Student Association. SA is currently working with administration in order to implement it.
SA recently sent out a survey to get feedback from students on a 24-hour study space. The survey had 1,300 responses which is about 30 percent of the student body. Roughly 99 percent of students were in favor of a 24-hour study space, according to SA Vice President senior Adam Hansen.
Hansen explained the problem with the current study-space system and how a 24-hour space would benefit many students.
“The current hours set up for Milne Library and the major academic buildings, such as Welles, Sturges and Bailey aren’t conducive to every single lifestyle students may have,” Hansen said. “I feel like having a 24-hour study space … a quiet secure location that UPD is patrolling around and aware of would just be beneficial for students.”
The college’s main issue with implementing a 24-hour study space is the negative connotation that comes with it.
“The administration’s biggest concern with it is this would be implying that we condone negative study habits, like pulling all-nighters,” Hansen said.
“The administration’s biggest concern with it is this would be implying that we condone negative study habits, like pulling all-nighters . . . you’re going to find a way to study if you have to . . . Obviously it’s not the best thing to do, but it does happen time and time again.”
Hansen explained that SA believes that some students already have poor study habits or pull all-nighters anyways.
“You’re going to find a way to study if you have to … you have to sit down somewhere you have to do the work,” Hansen said. “Obviously it’s not the best thing to do but it does happen time and time again.”
Hansen also pointed out that it’s not just about students staying up late. Some people, like himself, are early risers who want to be able to wake up early and get a head start on their academic work, and a 24-hour study space would benefit these people.
Provost Stacey Robertson and Vice President of Student and Campus Life Robert Bonfiglio are working with SA to create a pilot of the initiative.
Administration is considering a pilot location that would close at 3 a.m., but Hansen believes the space should be open for 24 hours.
Some students, including biochemistry major junior Ashley Montgomery, expressed frustration over the school’s delayed response.
“I don’t think the school should necessarily grant what is a bad study habit, a lot of people learn differently and the way you learn and the way you study is different for everyone. So if the school is condemning an entire behavior that students prefer to do, I don’t think that’s necessarily right for the school to do,” Montgomery said. “They should provide spaces for everyone and every study habit, whether or not they think it’s the right thing.”
Students like political science major sophomore Elaina Curci believe accommodations should be provided for students that would benefit from the proposal.
“If the school is condemning an entire behavior that students prefer to do, I don’t think that’s necessarily right for the school to do. They should provide spaces for everyone and every study habit, whether or not they think it’s the right thing.”
“People have really busy schedules during the day. If they need to study during the night that should be something that they have the option to do,” Curci said. “You wouldn’t be staying up every night all the time to study. It would just be a convenient thing [to have].”
Curci has also seen confrontations between cleaning staff and students because students stay later than building hours to study. She believes a 24-hour study space would alleviate this issue.
While some students, such as international relations junior Jonathan Chao, feel they wouldn’t use the spaces much, they still feel it would be beneficial for their peers.
“Personally I wouldn’t be using it for me as a student,” Chao said. “But I do remember during finals week when I was a freshman, I would roam around campus looking for different spots [to] study [to] change [my] environment, [which] really gets me to focus because if you study in one space it kind of feels cluttered.”