2008 Woodie Awards
Study Great, Even Late
Students might be able to study 'round the clock in the AIRC
Jordan Guinn
Issue date: 2/7/07 Section: News
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The Academic Information Resource Center is being earmarked for a 24-hour study lab for Sacramento State students that could open as early as this month, according to Associate Students Inc. representatives.
The 24-hour study lounge is a proposed partnership between ASI and The University Computing, Communications & Media Services.
Some students are craving the idea. "I think it would be a convenient place to hang out and have study groups," business major Marko Mosunic said.
But, before the facility can open, both sides must find funding.
The estimated cost to support five student assistant positions is around $15,600. ASI President Jesus Andrade confirmed the proposal in an e-mail. If approved, the all-night study lounge would be available Sunday through Thursday from 11:30p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
The plan for the 24-hour study area came from students. From early November through late December of 2006, Sac State students were surveyed at the existing labs on campus. The University Computing, Communications & Media Services conducted the survey. The goal of the survey was to assess what services students wanted most from Sac State.
Close to 19,000 students responded, and of those, more than 25 percent said that they want a 24-hour computer lab on campus.
The other top requests were to expand wireless capabilities on campus and improve media technology inside the classroom.
Having a 24-hour study lounge at Sac State would satisfy one goal outlined by Destination 2010, a campus initiative to make Sac State a destination campus, by supplying the campus with an instructional tool.
Students already make good use of the AIRC; many can be found chatting and studying inside.
"The AIRC has couches, vending machines and a safe place for students to study late in the evening," said AIRC study lab manager Arthur Buntin.
Sac State is not the first school in the region to implement such a plan. UC Davis has a 24-hour study lounge called the Extended Hours Reading Room, which has been in use for several semesters.
Linda Kennedy, a Davis librarian, said the Reading Room is cost-effective and open all hours of the day.
Davis psychology major Ashley Pierce said she does not use the Reading Room.
"But a lot of my friends use it and they swear by the convenience (and) atmosphere that it provides," Pierce said.
The Reading Room at Davis is watched over by security guards, and the Davis Police Department patrols it regularly during evening hours. There are no vending machines at the Davis study lounge, since food and drinks are not allowed inside.
This is not the first time that Sac State has experimented with the idea of an all-night lab. Tahoe Hall served as the original late-night study facility.
"We closed it in 2002 because it was not being used enough," Buntin said.
Scott McGown, manager of Desktop Services at Sac State, said the AIRC might be a successful experiment, unlike previous plans.
"We learned our lessons from Tahoe when we built the AIRC, " McGown said.
The bathrooms are inside the AIRC rather than Tahoe, where students had to wander around in the dark when nature called.
Security cameras were designed and placed during construction, and the dark corners that are commonplace inside Tahoe Hall were eliminated from the AIRC.
However, not all of the wrinkles have been ironed out. "Right now the AIRC is open until midnight and the shuttle service on campus stops at 11 p.m.," McGown said.
Security is still a topic being discussed. "Our responsibility is to provide a lab assistant," McGown said. "ASI is willing to fund the 24-hour lab and they are deciding on how to provide security."
"We are trying to model ours after UC Davis," said ASI Press Secretary Laiza Garcia.
It has not yet been determined if Sac State students will receive OneCards with security devices that would allow students access, similar to what Davis uses.
"The AIRC was designed with the idea that it could serve as a 24-hour study facility," McGown said. "It just needs the funding."
The AIRC is one of eight labs on campus available to students who need access to computers, printers or a warm place to read.
The AIRC is located next to the library and near the University Union.
Construction on the AIRC began in 2003 and it has been operational since 2005.
Inside, students can find high-speed Internet access, laser printers, and other state of the art amenities.
Jordan Guinn can be reached at news@statehornet.com
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