Torg Center
Correction: This story has been modified from its original version. — Correction: This story has been modified from its original version. Virginia Tech has a $1.05 billion budget. The Collegiate Times regrets this error.
Virginia Tech students may soon find themselves with a place to study 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
SGA president Brandon Carroll and SGA senator Melissa Yates have been working since 2008 on SGA legislation to make Torgersen Hall, specifically the first floor atrium, open and secure overnight, making it the first ever 24/7 study facility on campus.
Carroll is confident the measure can be implemented by the beginning of next semester.
“I think it’ll be implemented in the fall,” Carroll said.
Carroll presented the topic to university President Charles Steger and others as top priority to students during the University Council meeting on Feb. 15.
“This is the biggest issue for students, and it would take $50,000 out of a $1.05 billion budget,” Carroll said.
Yates also presented to the Commission on Student Affairs during their Feb. 18 meeting.
“I think it would be in poor taste on the part of the university to not pass this,” Yates said. “I see the student body having much more confidence in the administration after they pass this. The only upsetting thing is that this took two years.”
WORKING TOWARD CHANGE
Yates began examining the option of using Torgersen Hall in 2008 as the 24-hour facility when she discovered through word-of-mouth that it was already being used informally past its closing time of midnight.
“There were engineers telling me they were going to Torg to study because people were still using it until 5 (a.m.) when the cleaning staff kicked them out,” she said.
“Clearly students made their choice,” Yates said. “They had no study place so they went and made one.”
Yates wrote the legislation and it was passed after a month-long process of review. After it was passed, however, university administrators took no action.
“The SGA has no real power,” Yates said. “Legislation is usually dead after we pass it. Unless you are immediately pursuing the relevant administrators, nothing will happen. It just ends up on some person’s desk.”
Carroll explained that the governance system could be frustrating for students to make changes.
“We say we invent the future, but we never set a precedent,” he said.
He also said the SGA’s voice is not easily heard in the administration.
“It takes so long to maneuver the system,” he said. “The governance system is not helpful for students.”
Carroll said SGA members such as himself and Yates “have to be very intrinsically motivated” to make changes.
“People have to take initiative,” he said. “It’s like we have to have so much more initiative than I think we need to be having.”
“It’s not SGA’s fault that when we say something, nothing happens,” Carroll said. “Everything should have a student voice.”
Carroll said that although he’s frustrated with the amount of time it takes for legislation to pass through the administration, he is excited to see a 24/7 study facility for students as one of his last acts as SGA president.
“It’s my biggest thing that I’m trying to end with,” he said.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb 24 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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It's about time that someone came out with an article enumerating the shortfalls that the administration has made when dealing with student organizations. SGA is the student voice and the student voice needs to be amplified. I for one am pleased to see that the administration is listening to the needs of the students.
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'I think it would be in poor taste on the part of the university to not pass this,' Yates said"
No-displaying girlie posters on the walls of Torg would be in poor taste. Having chairs in clashing colors would be in poor taste. Ms. Yates might find it disappointing if the university doesn't agree with this request, but that wouldn't make it a matter of taste.
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I remember this legislation coming through the Senate when I first started with SGA in 2008. GREAT JOB MELISSA!!!! It is great that the student voice is being heard on this, even if only through the CT, especially for something so vital, such as a 24-hour on-campus study facility.
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If it has taken two years to get this idea to become a reality, then the SGA seriously needs to re-evaluate its process or focus on improving its relationship with the administration at Virginia Tech. It's a waste of time for everyone involved if it takes this long to implement such a small change.
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This is a step in the right direction, but the Torgersen lounge area is not nearly big enough to accommodate the number of students who would want to use a 24/7 study facility. There was hardly a seat to be found there at 11 am this morning. Even the 300+ non-exam seats at the Math Emporium aren't enough sometimes.
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How many people are actually studying 12-6am? It's a start, isn't it? Better than before? I applaud SGA for their hard work.
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This doesn't just apply to the lounge area. It includes the atrium on the first floor, the computer labs and any of the classrooms on the first floor (minus the 3 distance learning classrooms), the sitting area on the 2nd floor, along with the 150 seating lecture hall, and then the 300 seating lecture hall on the 3rd floor (and yes students already study in these lecture halls after hours). We are pretty confident that anyone who wants to study after 12am will be able to.
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I think the suggestion of studying all night is counter productive to good health. Sleep, and sleep at the righ times, is very important. The folks who don't have enought time between 7am and midnight to study are obviously to involved and not setting good priorities.
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You are assuming people have normal sleep schedules. Some people don't have class until 12pm because of their work schedule and they are forced to study later than 12am. Through our research, we found that 54% of the student body study studies after 12am. Check out the data here: http://tinyurl.com/torgresearch. We can extrapolate that sample set to represent all undergraduates. The majority of our peer-reviewed schools have AT LEAST 1 24 study facility.
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This is ridiculous...when the clock strikes midnight, students should be partying, not studying!
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