OPINION: Why Mason Needs a 24-Hour Library

By Student Body President Zack Golden.

George Mason University has seen tremendous success and growth since we became an independent university in 1972. By making good strategic decisions that have immediate benefits and achieve long-term goals, Mason has become a top public university in a few short decades. Now, only four years away from celebrating our 40th Anniversary as an independent institution, Mason needs to take the next steps that will continue our rise into the upper echelon of public universities: Mason needs to offer a 24-hour library.

Many top universities offer a 24-hour library. The University of Virginia’s Clemons Library and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Robert B. House Undergraduate Library are both open to students 24 hours a day from Sunday morning until Friday evening.

Students today have more responsibilities than ever. Mason, as it has in the past, must continue to address ever-evolving student needs. Jobs, internships, student organization memberships, and athletic teams are all common student commitments that create a lifestyle that lends itself to studying long after midnight, which is when Fenwick Library currently closes.

There are two segments of the Mason student population who would benefit most from library that was open to students twenty-four hours a day on the weekdays: non-residential students and residential freshmen. Non-residential students, especially those enrolled in science majors, constantly find themselves facing the following situation: I have an exam in my 9 a.m. class tomorrow. I need to study all night to prepare myself for this exam. Do I waste an hour in the car driving home tonight and back tomorrow morning or do I stay here and take advantage of the extra hour of studying? Unfortunately, if they choose the latter, they have nowhere to study after the Johnson Center closes at 2 a.m. and before Fenwick reopens at 7:30 a.m.

The second segment of the Mason student population that would stand to benefit most from a 24-hour library is residential freshman. At Mason, almost every residential freshman shares a room with at least one other person. As a former Resident Advisor on a freshman floor, I can say that one of the most common sources of roommate disputes is keeping lights on late into the night. Around midterm and finals time it can be very challenging to find an open study room. Having a 24-hour library would give these students an alternative place to study late into the night so that their roommate can have a suitable place to sleep at a reasonable hour.

Being the number one up-and-coming university to watch is a source of pride for us at Mason. In order for us to continue our remarkable rise as a university, we have to be a leader in addressing modern student needs. One of the best ways that Mason can do this is to offer a 24-hour library.