As of last week, Griesedieck Cafeteria offers more then just a place to eat meals.

Students from the Griesedieck Complex now have the opportunity to use the cafeteria as a study lounge on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 12 p.m.

“After word of mouth gets out, we feel that more and more students will take advantage of the opportunity,” says Leanna Skavlen, Area Coordinator for the Griesedieck.

The Griesedieck academic committee, which consists of eight Residence Advisors and one Assistant Residence Advisor, developed the idea for the Griesedieck study hours to fill the void left by the conversion of the Walsh study lounge into residence rooms.

Since many floors lack an area for studying, the committee thought that there was a need to offer a place for students.

The Residence Advisors are responsible for staffing the study hours. “They are really dedicated to providing a study area for Gries residents and are willing to work hard for it,” Skavlan states.

“Our goal is to build community throughout the Griesedieck Complex, to promote peer tutoring, and to provide a suitable study environment,” says Paul St. Pierre, the RA for 4-Clemens and a member of the academic committee.

St. Pierre co-chairs this program with Mike Duran, the RA for 8-Griesedieck.

In addition, the committee thinks that as winter approaches and cold weather sets in, more and more students will want to stay close to home to study. The hope is that the study nights will provide them with a place to do that.

“We had a good turnout on Thursday,” reports St. Pierre. “We expect it to pick up as we get further into the semester and closer to midterms and finals.”

The academic committee has placed the study nights on a three-week trial, to gauge the students’ level of interest.

If interest remains high, the cafeteria will remain open for business.

According to Mike Duran, “People need academics,” and the RAs on the academic committee hope to be able to facilitate this.