My thesis and the University: Thanks, and suggestions

My thesis is named Phoebe, and she will be done by her due date. (Thank you for asking. I know that it was my horrendous waddle as I attempt to walk under the weight of my bulging, book-and-computer-filled backpack that tipped you off that my time approaches.)

The University has helped me greatly in the process of carrying Phoebe to term. Dean of the College Malkiel encouraged me to choose a small department so that I could benefit from faculty members' individual attention. As a result, my poor adviser is graciously tolerating my daily knocks — more or less panicked — on his office door. I bet he can't wait for April 16.

I received monies from the Class of 1955 Fund to attend an October conference at which world experts discussed eloquently Hannah Arendt. My ideas germinated wildly as I frantically took notes, trying to grasp at the pearls of wisdom scattered about by the members of the panels. This event marked the conception of my thesis, which thankfully occurred early enough to give me hope that Phoebe would develop completely prior to her delivery.

The miracles of Firestone have also helped Phoebe's growth enormously. Expert and attentive librarians, miles of books and borrowing privileges elsewhere have all played their roles. Remote access to services such as article searches, encyclopedias and dictionaries meant that Phoebe would have been healthy even if I had been been put on bed-rest. My B-floor carrel provided the perfect privacy in which to connect with Phoebe's emerging personality, and Murray-Dodge Cafe is ideally situated for treating the problem of post-Firestone munchies.

The importance of the Writing Center cannot be overlooked. Their well-trained tutors have helped me through writing seminar drafts, junior paper brainstorming and, most recently, Phoebe facelifts. Where I would be without walk-in hours, I would rather not consider.

As much as the University excels at early thesis care, it could still improve some elements of its approaching-deadline offerings. I hit my writing and revising stride towards midnight, just as Firestone rings its bells to turn us out for the night — and I'm sure that many other seniors share my biorhythms. Dorm rooms, Frist Campus Center and the various common spaces around campus just don't enforce the same level of concentration, and switching locations is hassle enough to cause even the most focused writer to lose his or her train of thought.

Extended library hours beginning after spring break and running through mid-April would give seniors the physical and mental space they need in which to put the finishing touches on their magna opera — at whatever hour they feel most coherent. A 24-hour study space, which appears often in student requests, would receive so much use in the month prior to thesis deadlines as to justify its presence for the other 11 months of the year.

The University could also make life easier for seniors by simplifying the thesis binding process. As it currently stands, three companies bid for the business of 1,000 individual seniors, who complain both about the price of binding theses and the time it takes to decide how and where to bind them. Indeed, it was necessary to attend a thesis-binding seminar during spring break to hear company representatives present the intricacies of the binding process.

What if the University took care of this hassle for us? The University could contract with one of the three companies to provide each senior with a number of bound theses according to the requirements of his or her department. A thesis fee could be included in senior class dues to cover the cost of binding, which would certainly be lowered by competition. This would limits students to worrying about submitting their pdf files and would allow the easier application of financial aid to the costs of binding theses. Students would remain free to turn to any of the three companies for their own keepsake copies, and the companies might be able to claim a fee for last-minute rush jobs.

And if I would like to avoid a last minute rush job, which I do, I should close now. It's 11:30 p.m., Firestone is sounding the closing-time alarm and Murray-Dodge Cafe beckons. Thank you, Princeton University, for all the support — and please do give a thought to the suggestions. Emily Stolzenberg is a German major from Morgantown, W. Va. She can be reached at estolzen@princeton.edu.