Hege Library’s hours of operation Sunday through Thursday have changed due to late-night vandalism in the lower level. The library used to remain open as late as 2 a.m. on weekdays. But since last fall, students have used the relative privacy of the lower floor for inappropriate behavior. Starting last Sunday, the library’s lower level now closes at 11:45 p.m. The main and upper levels will remain open until 2 a.m. The entire building will be kept open late the week preceding and during exams.

Violations ranged from trash, such as beer bottles, to outright vandalism including discarded condoms and feces smeared on the men’s bathroom walls.

“(The vandalism) does not support our students who want to study and use the library appropriately,” said Hege Library Director Mary Ellen Chijioke. “It also subjects the housekeeping staff to things they shouldn’t have to deal with.”

Chijioke and the library staff knew last semester that the vandalism could not continue and began working with Public Safety to figure out a solution. For several weeks, Public Safety officers walked through the building between 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. to see how many students utilized the library for studying.

“We were seeing the results of some people not using the facilities appropriately,” said Ron Stowe, director of public safety. “We asked: ‘is this just a party spot or are students using the library appropriately?’ If not, we were going to close down the building.”

The tentative plans to close the entire building by midnight came to a halt when Public Safety found that a large number of students used the library to study during the late night hours. The library staff looked to other universities and colleges for solutions.

Some schools keep their libraries open 24 hours, but Chijioke noted that neither the library nor Public Safety have enough staff to meet those hours. However, they found many schools keep only one or two portions of their libraries open late.

Since the vandalism occurs most often in the lower space, which is not staffed after 10 p.m., Chijioke and the library staff determined to close off that section by midnight. At 11:45 p.m., students will be asked to leave or relocate while the staff locks the stairway door and programs the elevator to work only between the main and upper floors.

“There will be more student worker shifts between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. to help close up; there used to be just one,” said Jonathan Carter, a circulation desk employee.

Chijioke hopes the restriction and extra staff will put a stop to the defacement, make other students aware of the space, and stop the vandalism from occurring on other floors.

“We’re hoping the community will respond and take ownership of the space and look for creative ways to deal with inappropriate behavior,” Chijioke said.

One of the disadvantages of closing the lower level is locking up the Betty Place Digital Classroom, which contains 20 desktop computers. Students often vie for space at the main floor’s Infovillage, which has a limited number of computers.

Chijioke noted plans to expand the Infovillage with four hexagonal tables that will add 24 more desktops on the main level. Combined with the laptops the library lends, the expanded Infovillage should meet student needs. The expansion could take place as soon as next semester. The computers may come in stages or all at once, depending on the budget.

Many students are upset by the restricted hours and lack of available desktops.

“I study in the library a lot,” said Eddie Guimont, a junior. “It’s quieter than my apartment or Bauman and the computers are better. We’re all getting punished for some stupid students’ behavior.”

However, both the library staff and Public Safety worked with the complexity of the building and the limited resources to maintain the ambience of Hege Library with its academic function.

“We like having this as a favorite place students study,” Chijioke said. “The library is a beautiful space; help us keep it that way!