As the chilling fog of finals begins to creep up upon inhabitants of Walnut Hill, students begin to stay up later and later pining over textbooks, crib sheets and code. Not only is there last minute studying to do, but final papers and projects must be completed by professors deadlines.
Although the addition of late night study hours at Carmichael Hall has helped to give students a place to congregate and study if they cannot work in their room (whether because of a sleeping roommate or a simple inability to stay inside the same 12 by 12 box for 12 straight hours), it does not address the need for more late night study space during this week, the final week of classes.
Many classes these days do not have a final exam scheduled during finals period, but instead assign final papers, projects or other cumulative assessments. This would not be a problem for late night study except for the fact that many professors insist on having due dates before reading period even begins. Students with many final non-exam assessments do not have the option of spreading their studying around but instead are forced to complete this work in a very short period of time.
The problem is, outside of their dorms or their houses, this week in particular, students have no place to congregate during the late hours of the night. Although the reading room is open this week, late night hours do not go into effect until next week. The only large late night study area for studying is Eaton Hall; the Tisch reading room and, now, the Carmichael dining hall does not open until next week.
While adding Carmichael back into the mix last year clearly was a step in the right direction (a late night study trial had been done during finals 2001, though it is not clear why that wasnt continued), there are still other places that can be opened this week, the week before finals for many. Having the Mayer Campus Center, the Lilly Music Library or even all of Tisch open for full late night study would be beneficial for students. The circulation desk could be kept closed if that is a worry, but simply having the space available would be beneficial to students who simply cannot work elsewhere.
In the long run, the benefits of keeping late night study facilities open at later hours earlier in the calendar year cannot be understated. If Tufts wants to provide anti-procrastination tools to keep its student body whip-smart and active, then it only makes sense for the university to respect the diversity of course assessments in this final week of classes and keep more facilities open for longer.
