Something must be done that will allow students to have adequate study space in a quiet atmosphere.

Every semester, students hear the same plans for discussing student organization office space in the Holmes Student Center that could infringe upon study space in the center’s lower level. And every semester students hear about the same overcrowding problems in the Founders Memorial Library.

Obviously the library needs to find space to store the incoming periodicals until NIU can obtain the necessary funds for expansion. But NIU cannot just continue to reduce study space to resolve these problems. Is it impossible to find adequate space for off-campus storage to keep materials that are not frequently used?

Although the reduction in study space is apparently “inevitable,” where does the university expect students to go who do not have the option of studying in their dorm room or apartment?

During mid-terms and final examinations, the library is already packed to the brim. If NIU takes even a little bit of that space away, some students will be forced to go elsewhere. Maybe it doesn’t sound like a major problem, but where might that elsewhere be?

NIU cannot just give up on alternatives to reducing student study space. Students are being scrunched out of too many places because NIU doesn’t have the square footage to accomodate them. If reducing study space is the last option, maybe they haven’t looked hard enough.