Staff Editorial

When Duquesne students go to study they are often overcome by noise and distractions — if they can even find a spot.

People talk on their phone and to the person next to them (without using their “inside voice”)in the Fishbowl. When sitting in the designated study areas of Rockwell Hall or Mellon Hall there is a constant blabber during class changes. You even have to give the occasional “Shh” on the second floor of Gumberg Library although loud talking is not permitted. Even if all these spaces were quiet, they are not open 24/7.

The line between social and study consistently becomes blurry on the Bluff. On a college campus there needs to be more than two floors of a library dedicated to quiet studying.

A study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that providing easily accessible quiet workspaces decreases and possibly prevents distractions, negative effects on collaboration and stress-related symptoms.

Although many Duquesne students are commuters and have the opportunity to return home to study, some still live with their families who create distractions in closer quarters. This also does not account for the students living on campus who want to escape their room to cram for their exam.

The university should implement more designated quiet areas throughout the campus. An extra quiet floor in the library and the lounge on the fifth floor of Rockwell Hall being turned into a no-talk zone could be a start. Added study spaces should be a part of the various renovations occurring across campus.

Students pay thousands of dollars to get an education, but what happens when that education is consistently hindered by talking, laughing and campus events that should be separate from the study areas.

Although there is the Carnegie Library located down the road in Oakland and numerous coffee shops throughout the city to retreat to (because the Starbucks on campus is always filled with commotion), students should have a sanctuary on campus to write all 12 pages of their essays and study for their three midterm exams.

Students chose to go to Duquesne and complete their schooling on the Bluff opposed to the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland or Point Park University Downtown. Universities are supposed to promote the academic excellence of their students, but how can this be done when there are multiple obstacles on the campus that inhibit the productivity of their studies.

The university needs to make a greater attempt at providing their students with quiet study areas, so they can put their all into academics. But this issue can also be put into the students’ hands. Whenever you’re in a space where students are studying, be mindful of your volume — especially during finals. You’re in college, not pre-school. You shouldn’t need a teacher to tell you to quiet down.