Students find all kinds of places to study around campus, but the most popular spot has traditionally been the Morris Library. As a central and secure location, no other place offers the quiet time students need to cram for an exam or finish that paper, at least until it closes at midnight, forcing those who are hard at work to pack up and move elsewhere.
Starting this week, however, students can enjoy an extra two hours of library time on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. For the rest of the semester, the library will remain open until 2 a.m. on those weekday nights and the Library Commons will stay open 24 hours.
Teagan Gregory, vice president for the Student Government Association, said the proposal to extend library hours started last fall when the student senate first brought up the idea. Since then, the SGA has worked closely with members of the administration to enact the change.
Gregory said the library will remain open the extra two hours only as a place for students to study and not with library services such as circulation or special collections.
"The main concern was about study space on campus, honestly," he said. "The initial proposal was to use the library as a study space, not as a library."
The proposal the SGA worked on took approximately three to four months to complete, Gregory said. A major area of research was looking at the library hours at peer institutions along the East Coast.
"I looked at a total of 26 schools and I found out that a lot of them have better overall hours in the library," he said. "That was one of my biggest arguments. I was like 'Look, other schools are doing it. It's not something that's unheard of.' "
Michael Gilbert, vice president for Student Life, said he supported the idea from the beginning and urged Gregory to do research to make the best proposal to the administration. In mid-January, Gregory presented the final idea for the extension of the library hours and it was accepted.
The concerns the administration had included staffing the library for an extra two hours, extending bus transportation until after the library closed and providing adequate safety precautions late at night, Gilbert said.
"We wanted to make sure we had the right people involved and were protecting library resources, but also extending security for those additional two hours so that students were in the safest place possible when they're in the library or returning home after it closes," he said.
Busses will now run until 2:17 a.m., and there will be a police officer and student police aide on duty after midnight, Gilbert said.
He said he believes this could make a significant impact because the library has the seating capacity for hundreds of students, which is why it is important to leave it open longer and provide additional security.
Gregory said the extension of the hours will send a message to other schools, students, and prospective students.
"It sends an academic message when you have better library hours that we're a truly serious academic institution," he said.
He said he thinks this will be an asset to students at the university, including himself, and students will be excited about the change and take advantage of the extra time.
"It's obviously something on-campus students have been concerned about for a while now," he said. "I am one of the students who studies in the library and I dislike being kicked out at midnight, so this is something I was doing for me, for my friends and for a lot of the other students."
Junior Lauren Popyack said although it would be helpful if the library opened earlier, she thinks the later hours are a positive change.
"Sometimes you just need a place to study with good resources when it's late at night so you're not bothering your roommate or something like that," Popyack said.
Chelsea Stachura, Popyack's study partner and a sophomore at the university, said she studies wherever is most convenient and will use the extended hours.
"I like it a lot," Stachura said. "I know I work on homework at random times and I always have a ton of homework, so it definitely helps me."
Gregory said he sees this as a way in which the SGA can act as the student voice on campus.
Sandra Millard, assistant director for library public services, said she was pleased with the SGA for bringing forth this plan.
"I think the SGA made a very good case and the university really wants to be supportive of students," Millard said. "I have been in the library late at night and there were many students here working really hard individually and in groups. I expect it to be heavily used."
Gregory said the SGA is excited to have done something for the students after being inactive in the past. He hopes this will continue and students will feel free to voice their opinion for change on campus.
"Personally to me, it's a big victory," he said. "It signals that not only has the SGA re-emerged, but that the administration really has helped the students. I think it's a sign of things to come."
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