The people’s senator has found his stride. Erik Houser ’10, Student Assembly outsider turned — dare we say — playmaker, is set to make good on his pledge to present to the SA any bill furthering student interests submitted to him by a student. At the first SA meeting after Thanksgiving break, he will bring to vote a bill calling to keep Earl Gregg Swem Library open around the clock during exams. This is a good bill that should be implemented according to the schedule Houser has laid out so that students can benefit from it this December.
The plan is simple. Houser proposes to use SA funds to cover the cost of keeping security guards and any Swem staff needed on duty during the library’s off hours — from 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on exam mornings. The plan does not extend to the mornings of reading days. At current estimates, this will cost about $1,500, although that number may rise as details are finalized.
As Houser puts it in his bill, “many students typically study for exams and write papers past 2 a.m.” After running an outsider’s campaign loosely organized around disillusionment and apathy, we are glad to see Houser has gotten down the lingo. And he is right: There is no doubt many students will take advantage of these extra hours. Even though no one likes staying up late to work, it is certainly nice to have somewhere to go when one must. Even if the cost were to double, the SA should pass this bill.
Thanks go to Daisy Weill ’10 for submitting this idea, and we encourage others to follow in her footsteps and take Houser up on his offer. It is, after all, your Student Assembly.