Editorial: On-campus life is a ghost town on the weekend

One of the core values of the University of La Verne is civic and community engagement, but when it comes to on-campus living, these values are not exactly front-and-center – at least not on the weekends.  

And for what it costs to live on campus, which on average costs $4,536 per semester among all options, commuting may be the best option for those who live close enough to do so. 

The University of La Verne earns about 6.5% of its annual revenue from the cost of room and board for about 500 students who live in the dorms. 

During the week, students may enter any building and hang out with their friends – whether that is the skybridge in the Ludwick Center, the couches of the Campus Center or the lobby of Miller Hall. 

However, that all stops once the weekend comes around. 

All buildings – except The Spot, the Wilson Library, the Randall Lewis Center for Well-Being and Research and the dorms – are closed and locked Saturday and Sunday.

Students do have the option to contact Campus Safety to unlock the buildings – if they have a decent reason, such as accessing the music annex to practice an instrument, or the Arts and Communications Building to work on a studio art project. 

But some of the best study or hang-out spaces – not so much.

The Abraham Campus Center is one of the most important buildings on campus in terms of student life. It provides many different services for students – including a central hang-out. 

And Barb’s – if you miss a meal or need a snack or coffee – is also closed on weekends.

Those who want to spend time with their friends doing homework in locations other than the library, are out of luck.  

And library hours on weekends are also limited, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. 

Weekends are when college students need to catch up and cram, and a lot of us are night owls. That’s why the University of Southern California’s main library is open 24 hours a day on weekdays, 12 hours Saturday and 12 hours Sunday. The Claremont Colleges’ library also has longer weekend hours, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Students who need to pick up their packages must wait until Monday. Packages that arrive on weekends are held in the central services building until Monday where they are routed to the Campus Center. 

Students can workout in the very pleasant Randall Lewis Center for Well-Being and Research from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. But on weekends, when do we have more time to do so? It’s open only from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

As for eating options, The Spot’s hours are thankfully long and flexible: It’s open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.. But menu options are fewer than during the week. 

Wifi seems to slow down on weekends, even at the library –when it’s open, which just adds another frustration for those of us who can’t go home on weekends, as so many do – perhaps because there’s so little to keep them here. 

Times are tough and budgets are tight – we get it and we feel it. 

But living on campus isn’t cheap, and students and their families pay for us to stay at school and have everything we need to thrive.  

Weekends should be included in the calculation.

Other Stories

Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

Comment

Latest Stories

Related articles

Fair promotes student involvement

The student engagement office hosted a fall Involvement Fair Wednesday in the Abraham Campus Center. 

Demonstration policy represents a compromise

The Faculty Assembly unanimously approved a revised “Policy on Assembly and Demonstrations" for protests on campus on Wednesday. The policy now goes to the provost and president for final approval.

Safety talk warns people to be vigilant during holidays

Executive Director for Campus Safety and Emergency Management Fernando Solorzano talks to students and faculty in the Quay Davis Executive Board Room on Monday at the Safety Watch Talk.

Phi Alpha Theta offers a tour of the University’s ghostly past

Part of the University of La Verne’s history and lore are the ghosts that wander the 134-year-old institution’s hallowed halls.