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by LAUREN LAWSON
News Reporter
Appalachian State University students were informed Friday through their AppalNET e-mail accounts of new limited hours for exam week beginning Sunday at Belk Library & Information Commons.
The library will be open 24 hours Thursday through Saturday, with limited hours beginning Sunday.
North Carolina-mandated budget restrictions forced the university to lay off private security used for overnight hours surveillance.
 The Belk Libary & Information Commons will be not be open to students for extended hours until Thursday due to North Carolina-mandated budget restrictions. Photo by Holt Menzies |
“We are on a tight
budget and the 24-hour services of the library required contracting a
private security company that we are no longer allowed to pay for,”
Peter A. Rowe, sophomore finance and banking major and director of
Academic Affairs for Appalachian’s Student Government Association said.
He said although the library has the money, they are not able to spend it.
“They
can only continue to pay current library staff and students who have
had their hours maxed out for the new schedule,” Rowe said.
Coordinator
of Learning and Research Services for the library, Ken W. Johnson, said
the budget cut was forced on the library as part of the state-wide
university system’s spending freeze.
Johnson
said because of the state mandate, they had to stop private security,
and could not access any of the funds gained through the increase in
tuition approved last April to provide 24-hour library access during
finals.
“We
talked to SGA and came up with a proposal using the current staffing…we
were disappointed just like everyone else, but the guidelines sent to
us said there could be no more spending on anything,” he said.
Senior
English and secondary education major Courtney L. Owney said she was
not too concerned about the new library hours affecting her studying.
“I usually leave before 2 a.m. anyway, but I know it is bad for other people,” Owney said.
She said a number of her friends are upset.
“You
know how you start writing a paper and finally get into it around 1:30
a.m., then they are going to make you pack up and leave,” Owney said.
She said she understands the economy is in a recession, but did not realize it was so serious.
Junior management major Charles T. Hayes said he does not pull all-night study sessions.
“It
still sucks that they come around at 2 a.m. telling you to leave,” he
said. “It generally could be later, especially because [it] is going to
be exam week.”
Johnson said he does not see this as a permanent limit to library hours during finals.
“Keeping
the library open 24 hours is the library’s top priority—we’re just
trying to get through the end of June,” he said. “There are a lot of
unanswered questions and we just have to play it by ear.”
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