Associated Students, Inc.’s proposal to create a new 24-hour study center on campus has encountered an obstacle — there is no location for it.
ASI Chief of Staff Joseph Phillips said that earlier this year ASI President John Haberstroh appointed Phillips and ASI Secretary of Internal Affairs Andrew Carnes to look into creating a 24-hour study center.
“We started out asking for the entire library to be open 24 hours, but realized it was irrational,” Phillips said. “So we asked if we could have just one floor available. They thought about it and decided no.”
University Library Associate Dean Tracey Mayfield said that she and University Library Dean Roman Kochan denied ASI’s request for a 24-hour study center after considering the resources that would be required to keep the library open continuously.
“The staffing and building costs are considerable,” Mayfield said. “But when you also take into account the [custodial] costs to keep the library clean and most importantly, safe, it just isn’t feasible.”
After looking at the library’s use over the course of a week, Mayfield said that on average, 4,829 students use the library per day. The highest volume of use, roughly 7,800 students, occurred Monday through Wednesday, while the lowest point was during the weekend with fewer than 2,000.
Although the University Library has pushed its closing time back to midnight on Sundays and Thursdays, students, like junior graphic design major Viet Hoang, said they would still like to be able to go to the library in the early morning hours.
“This could benefit students who need to study or work together late nights without having to commute home if they have the option to stay 24 hours,” Hoang said. “This could save students a ton of time and money.”
Junior graphic design major Amy Wong said she wants somewhere on campus where she can study, whether it is a 24-hour center in the library or somewhere else.
“We get out of class at 10 p.m. on certain nights … and have a lot of work to do,” Wong said. “By the time we get home, we’re tired and lazy. It’d be nice and convenient for students to have just one building open 24 hours.”
Although a 24-hour center in the library has been a goal, Phillips and Carnes said they had to consider other options.
“We then tried the dining hall at the dorms,” Phillips said. “They also said no because they wanted only students in housing to be there.”
With the library and dining hall out of the question, Phillips said he is looking to the Soroptomist House as an option.
The Soroptomist House was donated to the campus as the first University Student Union in 1957, and like many old buildings, it now needs renovations, which makes it a costly option as well, Phillips said.
“It is still an option, maybe our last one,” Phillips said. “There is a lot of work to do, but we will have to wait until after [ASI] elections to see if the fee increase passes. From there, we will be able to work more toward the idea.
Students can vote for the proposed $16 ASI fee increase in a special election ballot via email on Feb. 26 and 27.