Computer labs are no longer 24/7
It’s late at night, at an hour most people are asleep. You have a final project that you forgot about due the next day and you scramble to the computer lab.
But surprisingly, it’s closed. Panic seeps in.
The new lab hours for Grawn and Woldt labs are constricted from previous years because of university budget constraints, forcing students to reschedule time set aside to do homework. This is ridiculous. The labs should remain open 24 hours, just as they always were.
Grawn is now open from 6 a.m. to midnight weekdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. to midnight Sundays. Woldt is not quite as bad, staying open 24 hours Monday through Thursday, closing at 5 p.m. on Fridays. Woldt has the same hours as Grawn on the weekends, making it impossible for students to pull all-nighters.
Having the computer labs open 24 hours is more than convenient; it gave students one less thing to worry about, since they knew eventually they could do their homework. With classes piling up homework and extra-cirricular activities running late into the evening after classes, some students find early-morning hours are the only time they can get homework done.
Not every student is fortunate enough to own a computer. Access to a computer at any hour during the day allows for no excuses as to why homework is unfinished. In a time when everything is done with a computer, limited access makes the task all that more difficult.
As tuition continues to increase, there seems to be little sense in taking away a privilege that students already had before tuition increased. Lab fees are not decreasing in price, so the hours should not decrease as well.
It is understandable why Central Michigan University would want to cut back on lab hours, attributing the problem to budget deficits. According to the school, the labs cost around $450,000 - $100,000 more than the budget set aside. $80,000 a year will be saved by cutting back on lab hours.
Despite these savings, the labs should be open as much as possible. The first priority is to give students every opportunity possible to succeed. Keeping the labs open 24 hours allows students to study at any time, something the university should be encouraging.
But if the university has to cut back the hours, they should at least stagger them so at least one lab is open at all times. Instead of having both labs opened for the same hours during the weekend, one lab open should remain open from midnight to 7 a.m., allowing students to pull all-nighters. The same hours should be applied to the weekday schedule so one lab is open at all times.
Both computer labs may become overcrowded, but at least students will still be able to study at any hour during the day.
