Proposal

Date: December 10th, 2024 To: University Leadership From: The Student Government Association Subject: Proposal for Lack of MSE Library for Student Life Improvement

Purpose

This semester has been mired with great progress for the future, but a lack of support for current students. Overall sentiment from the student body is that the lack of the MSE library, in addition to the additional construction, has impeded the student experience in various ways. In this proposal, we outline three main issues that we deem as important factors in the student life experience that have been impacted by the construction and seek to find solutions for improvement. The following three bullets represent the problems:

1. Accessibility to various study spaces is hindered.

While the University has made great strides in providing more available studying spaces for the student body, various other issues have made these studying spaces either underused or still unknown. MSE was once a central part of campus with easy accessibility, and other spaces like MSE Annex, the Imagine Center, CDI, and the Off-Campus Residency Office are more difficult for students to reach. This does not include the various obstructions caused by the construction that hinders many students’ ability to traverse campus, especially for those with disabilities.

2. Availability of social study spaces is lacking.

Many replacement study spaces for the MSE Library have done a successful job creating individual study spaces. However, the lack of social study spots with friends and other classmates is missing from campus culture. MSE Library was a place for students to gather to study, much like how Brody is currently used today. However, after conversations with the library deans, it was suggested that the MSE annex remained as a quiet study spot even with groups, leaving Brody is the only current location that is currently used as a consistent group study spot. The MSE Annex, while successful for individual study spaces, has not provided the same sense of community studying that the MSE Library provided (at least based on data from our student survey).

3. Availability of group (private, not open) study opportunities are missing.

In the past, various classroom groups would use MSE annex to work on class projects and class activities outside of normal hours. Teaching assistants and other groups would host sessions in the library as a way to host ‘unofficial’ office hours. This distinction from the ‘social study spaces’ is that these ‘group’ study sessions often were focused around specific class content in specific cohorts. Both social and group studying opportunities are decreased, and each need their separate areas to fully function.

Through these main issues, there exist other persistent issues about current studying spaces, including a consistent lack of materials for proper studying environments and a lack of ‘campus beauty’. Thus, we hope to bring some suggestions to University Leadership to alleviate some of these factors.

Proposal Ideas

Here, we list a few ideas for each category with rationale in how it could benefit the student body experience.

1. Accessibility
   1. Implement Golf Carts as shuttles on campus. NO
      1. This is usually done during Alumni weekend, but having this option would especially help those with injuries or difficulty traversing campus.
   2. Increased shuttle routes to access nearby campus locations such as the Imagine Center, The Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), and other auxiliary sites.
      1. REMINGTON SHUTTLE at homewood + Annex
      2. Will look into options past 6pm
      3. This would help students who live off campus be able to gather at these new study spaces easily.
   3. Designating part of Keswick as a student parking site, where students could then be shuttled to areas around campus.
      1. Discussed in previous transport meetings, this would help students with vehicles have access for parking and access to campus resources easily.
      2. Looking for an exception, but more complicated than the other issues
   4. Partnering with scooter rental businesses and providing students the ability to use credit for scooter rides around campus perimeters.
      1. Designated areas for parking scooters could be highlighted in these ride-share opportunities.
      2. No, prioritized the shuttle
   5. Increased Lighting around campus to help visibility late at night.
      1. Working with JEFRE
2. Social Study Spaces
   1. Creating an ‘Annex’ in an easy to access location on campus for social studying.
      1. This ‘annex’ will be similar to the one in Freshman Annex, but suited without COVID restrictions. It will also not be called an Annex. The Basic necessities will include:
         1. Temperature control
         2. Flooring (not on the grass)
         3. Ideally have or close to a bathroom
         4. Be able to support outlets and lighting for charging
         5. Good wifi
         6. Ready, at the latest, third week of the semester. Ideally ready before the Spring semester opens.
         7. Comparable in size to the Brody Reading Room, if not larger
         8. No, it will be built by the HSC
   2. Increased opportunities within the community for social studying time.
      1. Partnering with local businesses to allow Hopkins students to study at these locations could create ‘areas of studying’ around campus.
   3. Creating additional outdoor seating.
      1. Started more additional outdoor seating in the CDI and SSI near homewood, continue to increase outdoor seating spaces
3. Group Study Spaces
   1. Designating classrooms to be available for group/class studying.
      1. This would be classrooms such as Gilman that can be booked out by students to do group studying.
   2. Creating incentive for Hopkins Students to go to other campuses to study, such as the DC or Eastern campus.
   3. Looking at spaces for group/study spaces to identify
4. General Accommodations
   1. Studying Grant: creating a grant that students with financial aid needs can access in order to gather additional supplies for studying, such as lamps, booklets, and other studying supplies.
      1. Not pursuing, opposite of what student affairs wants
      2. WILL look into how they can use this and the accessibility grant below in their popups to give stuff to the students
   2. Accessibility Grant: create a grant that students can use to buy scooters or other transportation needs to traverse campus.
   3. Beautifying campus: creating walls around construction that students can paint, creating a mural of sorts.
      1. Yes hopefully by Spring Break, some student art allowed on the skim of the campus, will work with Charles and colleagues to do this process
   4. Creating more outdoor greenery near studying areas and having popup cafes/studying locations around campus.
      1. Reach out to dining and more in the warmer weather spots
   5. Fixing current studying locations with adequate lighting and electricity - for example, the MSE Library Annex does not have cubicles that can light.
      1. Had convos with JEFRE and will be moving soon? Enhance lighting also brought up with JEFRE
   6. Enoch Pratt Free Library
      1. Happy about adding a spot on the JHMI For this, will look into it
   7. Proposed more ideas about using popups to give people access to community spaces

Conclusion

We hope that the University understands that while the construction is greatly needed and appreciated based on student response, current student’s wellbeing is also being improved. As students continue to navigate construction, the Student Government Association would love to share the improvements University Leadership has made in improving campus currently, but would also like to see additional services being made for student needs. We would love to continue collaborating with University Leadership in improving student experience beyond next semester, especially as the Hopkins Student Center opens and creates new opportunities for students and staff alike.