Eckroate: Hillman is terrible because of you

Hillman might be decent if the people inhabiting it tried too.With its horrible lighting, garish, bright paint on the ground floor, Internet connection speeds comparable to that of a moving glacier and not enough outlets for our laptops, the Hillman Library is a pretty miserable place to settle into for the evening.

After three years, I’ve learned to deal with these negatives. If I can’t plug in my computer, maybe I won’t stare at the blank Word document as long. If Facebook can’t load, it won’t distract me. So what continues to make my study experience so agonizing?

It’s you.

That’s right. You.

Didn’t we all have a “library class” in elementary school? The one where they teach you how to look up a book and how to read quietly to yourself? Though we might not be at Hillman to borrow the next “Boxcar Children” book, the general rules of the library stay the same. The lack of etiquette here is astounding. Before accusing me of sounding like a grouchy librarian, hear me out.

There are too many cell phone conversations. If I’m studying in one of the single desks on the fourth floor, a very quiet area of the library, do you honestly think you can come trudging through here on your phone, barely using your inside voice?

“Yeah, I’m at Hillman. No, I’m on the fourth floor. I have a huge Spanish test tomorrow. I am totally screwed for it.”

Put down the phone. Start the studying that is so desperately needed.

While you’re at it, put your phone on silent. I don’t need to hear the Monday Night Football theme ringtone every time you get a text from your bros.

If you need to take a call, please go somewhere else. I know the signs say to use the stairwells, and those echo. That’s awkward. But the first and ground floors are filled with enough conversations that nobody would notice another addition to the roar.

In general, keep your voices down. Yes, the first floor is always full of people doing group projects or otherwise talking at a normal volume. I understand that there may not be enough room for everyone in these chatter-friendly zones. So when you’re displaced from the first floor, try to stick to whispering.

The second floor overlooks the first — the noise carries. But on the third and fourth floors, you are completely separated from this. The talking should be eliminated. If, for whatever reason, the whispering method won’t work for you, there are other locations on campus.

Many students work better while listening to music. Whether it’s Beethoven or Beyonce, music can help the listener to focus. Please make sure that your beats aren’t blasting too loudly. Take out the headphones for a second: if you still hear the song clearly, it’s probably too loud. I shouldn’t hear the whirring of Skrillex from three desks away.

I, like many others, prefer having a good amount of space to do my work. Notebooks are open, my laptop is out, random papers are scattered, and there is a pen, a pencil and a highlighter. But even with all of my stuff, someone else can sit at the same table with me.

Yes, personal space is a wonderful thing. Hillman tends to get crowded, so we can only extend our bubbles so far. When Hillman is packed on a Wednesday night and there is one person sitting at a large table, I have absolutely no qualms about asking if the other seats are taken.

If they are, fine. If you say they’re available, don’t look at me like I just asked you for your firstborn child. I see the empty space, and I politely ask if I can occupy it. All of us need a place to do our homework; there is no need to be so greedy. There’s an added bonus of me sitting there, too. I can watch your things while you head downstairs for a coffee break.

Just recently, while studying one afternoon with a friend, I experienced the epitome of rudeness: what seemed like a one-man burping contest near the elevators. The library was pretty empty, but that’s no excuse. We were certainly distracted, not to mention repulsed.

Can we all be courteous? Hillman is where students go to be productive. It’s part of that whole “college” thing we do. Think about what would bug you while frantically editing your paper before you go chatting it up in the stacks. It’s what makes Hillman my personal hell.

To keep the peace, email Claire at ceckroate@gmail.com.