This story was originally published in Vol. 34, Issue 6 (March 2024)
The three conference rooms in the library have been notably popular for students, as they are very frequently booked by individuals and groups seeking study spaces. The rooms are first-come-first-serve and can be booked by talking with library staff or submitting a reservation on their website, but this has left some students frustrated that they can’t get the space they want.
Strategic communications major Will Pedroza feels that WSU Vancouver could do a better job accommodating students, as he has faced difficulty finding a quiet study space when it matters most.
“Access to study spaces shouldn’t be a game of luck, it should be a guarantee for every student,” said Pedroza.
Sophomore Michael McCann echoed Pedroza’s sentiment.
“I really enjoy studying in the library, I think the views are great and it’s a nice environment,” said McCann. “But it would be nice to see more study rooms. I’ve found my most success when studying with classmates, and it would be much easier if we had more space to ourselves.”
Library staff member Noah Salanoa, who works as a circulation clerk, expressed empathy towards students and their difficulty with finding space.
“It’s very unfortunate that there isn’t more space,” said Salanoa. “There isn’t much I can do about the situation, but I often see students during midterms and finals come into group study and the conference rooms will be full during most of the day.”
Another student, Dominic Ochoa, has had similar experiences elsewhere on campus and feels that finding quiet spaces is unnecessarily challenging.
“Oftentimes I’ll just try and find an empty classroom but that is equally temperamental as finding an open room,” said Ochoa. “It can be pretty annoying, especially with my current classes having a large number of team projects. It’s also pretty common to find individuals occupying conference rooms in [the Undergraduate Building.] While not blaming them, because I understand they want a place to study, it means one person can take away a fourth of the conference rooms in [the Undergraduate Building.]”
Ochoa’s frustrations have also been echoed by other students in regards to students taking up large conference spaces and leaving groups without a space to work and study.
Upon inquiry, the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) stated that they want to approach the situation in a fair and equitable manner that is beneficial to all students, but did not elaborate further.