More than 70 years ago, during the coaching days of Knute
Rockne, my great-great uncle entered the University of Notre Dame
as a freshman, but not as an Irish football fan.

Uncle Leo, aside from being extremely intelligent, was also a
motivated student, spending countless hours in the college
library.

One bright September Saturday in South Bend greeted my uncle
with half-a-dozen homework assignments; it also welcomed thousands
of enthusiastic football fans. Notre Dame was playing Army in the
first home football game of the year.

While blue-and-gold-clad fans were swarming the stadium, my
uncle was heading in the opposite direction: to the library. As he
approached the library doors, however, he noticed something
unsettling–they were locked. A yellow sign read, “Closed for the
game. Go Irish!”

According to family legend, Uncle Leo promptly returned to his
dorm room, packed his bags and headed home. He thought that Notre
Dame’s priorities weren’t in line with his, and the following
semester he enrolled at nearby Holy Cross.

I grew up hearing this tale, but I was never able put myself in
my great-great uncle’s shoes. Last Sunday that changed.

This past weekend, I stayed in on Saturday night. I caught up on
reading, cleaned my dorm room and, most importantly, was in bed by
11 p.m. I wanted to guarantee myself that I would be well-rested
for “Study Sunday.”

My alarm sounded at 8:15 a.m. the next morning. I debated going
back to bed, but a six-page philosophy paper beckoned. It was time
to get to work.

Resigned to my fate, I gathered my books and headed up the West
Pine Mall toward the library. Just as happened to my uncle many
years ago, when I tried opening the double doors of the library, I
was shocked to find that they were locked.

I ran into a classmate on the way back to my dorm, and he
explained to me that the library didn’t open until noon on Sundays.
After hearing that news, I logged on to my computer to confirm the
information, and to my displeasure, I learned he was correct. I
also realized I would have to find a new place to study, a location
that actually accommodated the schedule of a college student.

College is a time for individuals to explore boundaries, and for
many those boundaries include unusual eating, socializing and
studying schedules. Currently, the Pius XII Memorial Library offers
little to no opportunities for atypical students.

If an individual wishes to use the library on a Sunday morning,
he or she is out of luck. The library does not open until noon.
Monday through Thursday, seeking to accommodate professors and
classes, Pius is open at 7:30 a.m., and doors close at 1 a.m.

Students hoping to get some studying done on a Friday night
should also not depend on the library facilities. Although opening
early that morning at 7:30 a.m., they follow a similar “early
pattern” and are closed by 9 p.m.

The library’s Saturday hours are the most abbreviated of the
entire week–open at 10 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m.

Administration officials might present several arguments
defending these hours, the most likely one being cost. In order for
the library to be open, paid workers must be on duty. Although this
is understandable, the number of students in the library at 2 a.m.
is certain to be less than the number at 10 p.m. Therefore, fewer
staff would be needed.

Those opposed to extending library hours might also claim that
no students would want to study at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning.
“They’re all sleeping off their hangovers,” one might say. Such an
attitude not only reflects the typical stereotype of college
students, it reinforces irresponsible behavior.

Students plan their weekend activities keeping in mind their
study schedules. Why catch up on a week’s worth of work on a Friday
night when the only study space you’ll find is a crammed dorm room
or a distracting lobby? Last-call at Laclede’s doesn’t even seem
too late, when Sunday morning’s studies can’t begin until noon.

The administration must remember that if they prescribe
boundaries too narrowly, they are limiting the options that define
the college experience. A university has to be flexible enough to
accommodate the needs of their paying customers–the students.

Saint Louis University must consider what kind of opportunity it
wants to provide for students. If admission representatives boast
that SLU is a “first-class” institution, the University must back
up that claim with “first-class” services. The library is one of
the most important.

In the past 30 years, things have changed at Notre Dame, and my
great-great Uncle Leo would be pleased. On Saturday mornings–even
on home-football Saturdays– the library is open at 9 a.m., and it
doesn’t close until 2 a.m.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t take SLU quite as long to figure it
out.

Elle Hogan is a sophomore studying communication.