On Aug. 28, Facilities Management was made aware of a policy regarding nighttime student access to the Don Taft University Center and is taking action to re-establish students’ rights.
Since 2010, NSU has had a policy stating that after midnight, students are not permitted to be in any part of the Don Taft University Center aside from the UC pit. Although the policy is not new, the majority of the NSU community was unaware of the rule.
Jessica Brumley, interim vice president for Facilities Management, said she was unaware of the policy’s existence and that she plans on addressing it within the week.
“I feel like it is something that Facilities Management needs to look into,” she said. “We need to be more open and understanding that students need access to the UC to socialize and study.”
According to Public Safety officers, they are not allowed to let students remain in any area outside the UC pit after midnight. NSU students approached for this article were unaware of the policy until they were informed during their interviews.
Cara Brueggeman, junior speech language and communication disorders major, said the policy is unnecessary.
“There are good places to study in the UC besides the pit,” she said. “I know a lot of people who like to study late at night, especially during exams. Sometimes the pit gets too crowded or loud, so other parts of the UC are better to focus.”
According to the student handbook, students are not allowed to remain in any NSU building after closing hours. The policy states, “No student is permitted to enter or remain in any university building or facility, including the swimming pools, or in the academic areas of the university, after normal closing hours, unless written approval to do so has been obtained in advance from authorized university personnel.”
What the handbook fails to mention is what those closing times are and for which buildings. The UC does not have any signifier of operating hours for the building as a whole. The only visible operating hours are for Shark Dining services, the RecPlex, Office of Student Activities, academic departments and the Shark Shop.
Brumley, along with numerous students, said they regularly see people studying and socializing on the second and third floors of the UC at night. Students commonly use the enclosed areas on the upper floors to study and work on assignments.
Emily Floria, nursing student, said she has studied on the second and third floors of the UC late at night since 2011.
The only issue Floria has experienced with being in the building at night was when she was dancing in a studio after hours. She said the officer told her she couldn’t be in the studio but that it was okay for her to remain on that floor of the UC.
Brumley said that even though Facilities Management plans on changing the policy, students must adhere to the current rules until notified of a change.
“Students need a place to study; that’s why we pay money to come to school and pay even more to live on campus,” Floria said. “If they are telling people they can’t be in the study areas, like the second and third floor of the UC, too many people will be in the pit. It will end up causing more problems.”
The policy was originally put into place for safety measures. Brumley said that even though safety was the intent, her department is open to change and encourages a community environment.
Upon a change in policy, an update will be sent out to the NSU community. Until then, Brumley recommends that students find other areas to study and socialize so they adhere to the university’s regulations.
“With policies like this, we are certainly open to discussing what’s best for the students,” she said. “We’re trying to make this a more student-friendly campus.”
