MSE should not become another Brody

This week, the University sent an email to undergraduates asking for their participation in a survey regarding possible renovations to the Milton S. Eisenhower Library (MSE). The survey was extensive – asking students for their opinions on everything from chairs and tables to overarching questions about the feel, lighting, mood and structure of their preferred study spaces.

The possibility of renovations to the MSE follows the University’s plan to repair the library’s current heating, cooling and ventilation systems (HVAC), which the Editorial Board appraises as poor and in desperate need of repair.

While the Editorial Board welcomes certain changes to the MSE, we are fearful that this renovation has the potential to dismantle the library we know and love, replacing it with another version of the Brody Learning Commons.

The Editorial Board values and appreciates Brody but believes that its role is entirely different than the MSE’s. While MSE has stationary furniture and varying degrees of noise by level, Brody is collaborative and dynamic throughout. With almost all of its furniture and study materials on wheels, something in Brody is always being moved and rearranged. It is not uncommon for a massive rolling whiteboard and many desks to find themselves arranged into a large circle overnight. This system is extremely useful for group projects and group studying, but it is not what students want for the entirety of their library’s structure; noisy moving furniture can be extremely distracting to those trying to focus on their own work quietly and intently. The Editorial Board worries that renovations to MSE may disrupt the duality the current library provides, replacing both the furniture and the feel of MSE with that of Brody.

The Editorial Board supports renovations to MSE given that they do not drastically alter the structure and tone of the library itself. We suggest updating the library’s furnishings: replacing the old, stained carpets; adding outlets to the tables throughout the library like those in the Brody Reading Room; soundproofing all of the study rooms; replacing the chalkboards in the study rooms with whiteboards; and improving the deteriorating bathrooms.

We welcome more options for seating such as more comfortable chairs, but we hope that the atmosphere and structure of MSE remain as is: studious, quiet and distinct from Brody.

It is imperative that students maintain a place simply for heads-down working; taking MSE’s current atmosphere away would deprive students of such a crucial place.