Follow us on Instagram
Try our daily mini crossword
Play our latest news quiz
Download our new app on iOS/Android!

U. standardizes new extended building hours

The University announced extended hours to campus buildings on Sept. 12. The new policy, which was implemented on the first day of classes, Sept. 13, allows students, faculty, and staff members to enter academic buildings from 7 a.m. to midnight during the week and from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekends.

In standardizing the hours of many campus facilities, the University hopes to maximize access to spaces used for academic purposes.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We realize classrooms provide an important setting for academic success,” states the University Facilities website.

Prior to the implementation of this policy, the University did not have standardized hours specifying when academic buildings are open and closed. Rather, building hours were ambiguous, a policy that often hindered students wishing to take advantage of empty classrooms during evenings or on the weekends.

“Speaking from personal experience, my friends and I would always have difficulty finding a classroom in the standard buildings like Hargadon or Butler," said Jonathan Yang '18, pointing out where students have gone for late-night study spots. "Students study at classrooms in the Economics Building [Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building] past 9 p.m. or travel to Friend." By arriving before the building was locked, students could remain inside even after it closed.

June Ho Park ’20 is among the many students looking forward to taking advantage of the new policy. He noted that there were many instances during his freshman year when students had trouble going to extra help sessions, typically held later in the evenings, because entrances to the relevant buildings were locked.

According to the University Facilities website, all rooms that are used as registrar classrooms will now be unlocked 24/7. Only interior doors that already have limited access, such as laboratories or department classrooms, will continue to be locked. University Facilities hopes that this will reduce the need for unlock requests, which were a common annoyance for both students and staff in the past.

According to University Facilities, the new policy will also enhance personal safety, as during late hours, individuals will need to scan their TigerCards to gain access to buildings. 

ADVERTISEMENT

More information, including a list of classroom buildings following the new standard hours, can be found on the Facilities website.

Subscribe
Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »