Year after year, the Student Representative Assembly and McMaster Students Union executives bring Library Hour Extension into their campaigns and year after year, nightowl students continue to see the library facilities closed for the evening.

This begs the serious question of why student demand is not being translated into longer schedules. Quite simply, it is because of finances.

More elaborately, the potential for library buildings to fully accommodate students 24/7 is stunted due to a lack of library staff, not to mention concerns for student safety.

“Lots of MSU campaigns over the last few years discussed extended hours and I think part of it is just that [students] do not understand how costly it can get if we just leave the library open for a long period of time and there is no one is there,” said Anne Pottier, Associate University Librarian.

“Currently, our hands are already tied with the financial commitment of night hours. We require one guard at Mills, one at Innis and two guards at Thode because of the building size. It gets up there… I feel that we are on the neighbourhood of spending $50,000 to $70,000 a year between all three places,” she said.

For security reasons, the library is required to have an invigilator at all hours. As a result, extending library hours is not as simple as changing the numbers on the schedule. “We have to hire third party security guards in order to keep the library open at night when there aren’t enough library staff,” Pottier added.

For the past six years, the libraries have run under staggered schedule during different parts of the semester. The libraries try to optimize their hours based on student need.

“I look at the peaks and valleys of the term, and when students need access to the library for a longer period of time. We try to keep the three libraries as consistent as possible,” explained Pottier.

For the first two weeks of the semester, the libraries have condensed hours and often close at 4:45 p.m. The closing times are gradually stretched to 10:45 p.m. and following the mid-term recess, the Mills Learning Commons is extended to 24 hours, and Innis hours are extended until 2:45 a.m. During exam season, Thode library becomes open 24/7.

“We try to justify when students will need the space and then how we man the space,” she said. “Security guards are asked to do head counts on an hourly basis. They tell me how many people are there every night so that I can sense how well the hours are working.”

Despite the efforts of the library to balance costs with student satisfaction, library closing times remain a struggle for some students.

“[Libraries] close way too early with the only option of going to a noisy Mills Commons at night. As a place of study, extended hours for all libraries will benefit all students without having them seek suboptimal areas around campus to study,” expressed Enoch Tin, a second-year health sciences student.

While a large-scale library hour extension is likely off the table at the moment, the library has accommodated student requests in the past. The Innis library quiet study hours are the result of past MSU president Ehima Osazuwa, and late night study at Thode was also a direct result collaboration with the MSU.

Library hours

Mills Library

Mon. to Thurs. - 8a.m. - 10:45p.m.

Fri. - 8a.m - 5:45p.m.

Sat. - 10:30a.m. - 5:45p.m.

Sun. - 12p.m. - 10:45p.m.

Mills Commons

Mon. to Thurs. - 24hrs

Fri. - 8a.m. - 9:45p.m.

Sat. - 10:30a.m. - 9:45p.m.

Sun. - 12p.m. - 12a.m.

Innis Library 

Mon. to Thurs. 8:30a.m. - 2:45a.m.

Fri. - 8:30a.m. - 6:45p.m.

Sat. - Closed

Sun. - 1:00p.m. - 7:45p.m.

Health Sciences Library

Mon. to Thurs. 8a.m. - 10:45p.m.

Fri. - 8a.m. - 9:45p.m.

Sat. - 10:30a.m. - 5:45p.m.

Thode Library

Mon. to Thurs. - 8a.m. - 10:45p.m.

Fri. - 8a.m. - 9:45p.m.

Sat. - 10:30a.m. - 5:45p.m.

Sun. - 12p.m. - 10:45p.m.

Open 24 hours during exams

 

By: Grace Huang

As midterm season continues, discussions about the McMaster Student Absence Form can be heard everywhere on campus. Since 2010, students have been using the MSAF to get out of tests and assignments. Depending on the course, the assignment or midterm would be pushed back to a later date or the equivalent weighting would get carried over to the final exam. Both of these ways generate temporary relief, but how much is the MSAF really benefitting students?

Being evaluated on knowledge and applications at the intended date is as beneficial to the student as being evaluated on the same thing a few days later. The only difference would be that they would have had a few more days to gather their thoughts and have more confidence before submitting their work or writing their test.

The MSAF becomes questionable when the weights of these assessments get pushed into the final exam. This can make exams worth well over 60 per cent of their final course grade and puts unnecessary stress on students at the final push of exams. The MSAF should only be used to extend deadlines and push back test days rather than be used to skip midterms.

The MSAF is special to McMaster. Most universities in Canada only excuse students from missing schoolwork if they provide a valid reason with proof. Prior to 2010, McMaster had the same policy, but students began forging doctor’s notes to get out of evaluations. In response to this problem, the school created the MSAF so students could excuse themselves once a term. This was a great idea to begin with, but students have gradually taken advantage of this with the “strategic MSAF.”

The strategic MSAF has been used as a saving grace to get out of perceptually challenging midterms, but this is not conveying the right message. Being able to opt out of something unfavourable is simply not something that happens in the real world. While it may feel relieving in the moment, it adds extra unnecessary pressure to the final exam.

Many professors have informed their classes that students who use their MSAF on the midterm do not do as well on the final exam as the rest of the students. Reasons for this include the stress factor stated previously as well as the fact that missing a midterm means missing a checkpoint that prepares students for the final.

In other words, if students do not prepare for a midterm because they plan to use MSAF, they would have to work twice as hard in preparation for the final. Again, pushing a midterm back a few days in a period of bunched up midterms is certainly beneficial for students, but temporarily getting rid of it and reweighing the mark distribution to the final exam is simply unwise and ludicrous.

In addition to the stress and forecasted low performance, using the MSAF to reweight marks to the final can also harm the content stored in a student’s long-term memory. Students often lose focus of how the point of studying is to be evaluated on their knowledge. Students who do not have these evaluations will have gaps in their understanding of content, especially if the final is cumulative, because of the lack of reinforcement studying. The consequences could carry over to the next year, as lots of material can be prerequisite to the next year’s courses. With negative outcomes outweighing the positive, it is undeniable that the MSAF should not be available to reweight midterms.

The use of the MSAF is beneficial when assignments and midterms are cluttered and the student just needs a few more days for one evaluation. The McMaster administrative team and course coordinators should seriously consider eliminating the trap of shifting the weight of a midterm to the final because it causes unnecessary stress and reduces overall learning for the student.

I’m no stranger to 4 a.m. at Thode. In fact, I’m no stranger to 6 a.m. either. Despite countless times that I’ve heard all-nighters don’t help anyone, I ignore the advice and continue to power through pages of readings with the help of coffee, music, and comfortable clothes.

Sleep is important during exams, I know that (and you should too), but I’m the kind of person that gets really anxious about sleeping before I feel fully prepared (or as prepared as I can be) so I tend to stay in the library until the wee hours of the morning and then go home and sleep for a few hours.

In order to make sure that I don’t burn out or fall asleep face first during my exam, I follow a few personal rules. The first is that I’m in bed by 1 a.m. whenever I have an exam the next morning at 9 a.m. It doesn’t help anyone to be completely sleep-deprived before an exam.

Also, make sure you check the bus schedules. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on campus because you live too far to walk or being forced to make arrangements and a plan at the beginning of the night so you know when you’re ending your studying and packing up to go home.

Also make sure you have enough food or enough money to buy food. I always spend way more money during exam times because I have to order food or walk to Subway and get food because everything on campus closes as of 11 p.m.

Staying on campus is not for the weak. The Hunger Games seems like a Disney holiday special when you’ve experienced late nights at Thode. People start mowing on food, sleeping on desks, and snapping at anyone that talks above a whisper.

If libraries aren’t your thing, you may like the Student Centre instead. There are plenty of couches, floor space, and sparse amount of people after night falls. That way, you can also take naps in between chapters, which is very important.

If you’re going to be spending the better part of a day studying, take a power nap. Twenty minutes of shut-eye will make all the difference of absorbing that dense textbook you didn’t open until exam period. Just make sure that you’re not napping more than twenty minutes if you want to power nap. Longer naps of an hour to an hour and a half are okay if you have that much time to spare.

The last thing to consider is what to wear to all night study sessions. Sure, you can be that person who wears a full fashionable outfit to the library to study, but you may not be comfortable enough to stay in it for hours.

Think sweatpants, loose fitting pants, and comfortable sleepwear, like Snuggies. That’s right, I said it. Although Snuggies aren’t super practical to take to the bathroom, they do have the benefit of allowing you to work while being fully blanketed.

Another option is the onesie. This is practical to wear to the bathroom, although it takes some maneuvering unless you have one of those buttflaps.

If you want to spend late hours in the library, there are many advantages that include study space, lots of outlets, and it is generally quieter. However, make sure you’re prepared for it. Eat well, sleep well, do well. Grab your Snuggie, your sweatpants, or your onesie, and I’ll see you in Thode.

Ronald Leung / Silhouette Staff

 

Getting together a successful study group is like preparing for the apocalypse. Ensure you have all the necessary teammates to make it through.

The Brain

Human encyclopedia, smarty pants, and know-it-all: this member of your storm survival crew has many names but they are universally characterised by their intelligence, studious manner, and attention to detail (sometimes to the ire of the group). You can count on them to fact-check constantly and answer any wandering questions your crew may have. They’ll probably have a penchant for excessively correcting your grammar.

The Pilot

While they may not necessarily be the most respected, all members of the crew listen to the pilot. They are storm veterans and have the sole focus of getting the entire crew to safety. Keeping the group on track and directing them from YouTube videos, side-conversations, or texting are all just part of the job description.

The Paranoid One

Don’t laugh at their mad rants and apocalyptic warnings now – they brings a healthy amount of snacks perfect for tired minds after grappling with the storm. Chips, chocolate, and power bars are staple foods of their repertoire. They have been preparing for years and finally their worst fears have come true. They’ll keep the crew fed and healthy as they continue to fight the storm. Just don’t make fun of their paranoid gibbering: things could get ugly, fast.

The Sleeper

Somehow dozing through a storm, the sleeper seems to not realize just how dire the situation is. Completely out of it, they will sleep through all necessary storm preparations and wake up minutes before the storm hits. They can be spotted walking out of the wreckage later, somehow unharmed and apparently unaware of the destruction around them, no matter how devastating it is.

The Worrier

Hyperventilation, excessive hand gestures, or even outright unconsciousness are not uncommon for The Worrier. The complete opposite of The Sleeper, they will panic at every conceivable moment and freak out at every little detail. While often annoying, their frantic outbursts can yield important details. They can be seen to be white-lipped and shaking, huddling in the corner and rocking back and forth, even after the storm has passed.

The Prodigy

Appearing supremely unconcerned, they will simply show up to storm preparations for the sake of it. Constantly appearing to do anything but preparing themselves, The Prodigy will stare down the storm with the coolness of a cucumber, too nonchalant to even blink. Hours later, when the storm’s victims stagger out, weakened and dazed, The Prodigy will calmly stroll by, hair stylishly tousled as opposed to everyone else’s hurricane-do.

Jennifer Bacher / Silhouette Staff

 

Now that it is the end of March, one thing looms ahead: exams. Don’t let the joy of Easter along with the thrill of winter leaving distract you too much from the horror that is exams. When making your way to finding the perfect hide out for this exam season, here are some tips to think about before you start your journey. Remember, it’s us versus the exams. We survive this by pulling together, not apart.

Having a plan is always good. Create a schedule for yourself of when to eat, study certain subjects, nap and take breaks. If you plan ahead, you will get everything done and you will minimize saving everything till the last minute.

Pack to thrive. Pack some snacks from home that are nutritious and satisfying if you are planning to study on campus. Bring water, granola bars, fruit or even a sandwich. Not only will this save you money, but also you don’t need to leave your spot and risk losing your concentration. Don’t forget about what supplies you need to study your best. If your cell phone and computer distract you, then leave them at home or make computer time your break.

Find a place to call home. Whatever that may be, find somewhere where you work well and will actually get work done. The campus has lots of great hiding places. From the silent area in the basement of Thode Library to the basement of the arts quad, the campus has many places to study. But campus is only one of many places you can go.

You’re going to be fine, I know you will. You are smart and you are strong. Soon, April will come to an end, your exams will be over and this year will be done. Just hang in there.

Amanda Watkins / Assistant InsideOut Editor

 

Where have you gone?

We’ve come so far as a team, yet at this crucial moment in my life, you’ve let me down.

I’ve spent years honing in on what you require to survive, yet now… You know what, fuck it. I’m not even motivated enough to finish this rant.

Yours sincerely,
Every student. Ever.

By Julieta Rodriguez

Recently, I have started filling out my Master’s applications, and it made me think about how little contact I’ve had with professors in my four and a half years of university. I was asked for two references to enter graduate school, and quickly realized that my choices were very limited—after all, the people I’ve had the most contact with have been my TAs. They’re the ones who know my work and my writing style, my strengths and weaknesses, and my grades.

So I thought, how can I ask a professor for a good recommendation letter if most of them barely know who I am?

I don’t mean to say that professors are to blame for this—I mean, they do hold office hours, and most of them try to encourage students to meet with them and email them with any questions or concerns.

However, most professors hold one or two office hours per week, and when they do encourage us to meet with them, only have time to do so for about half an hour. While it’s understandable that they’re busy, I think this is the reason why most students don’t care about their educations. We all know that we have to go through the system to get a piece of paper that shows we’re qualified for whatever job we’re after, but few people actually go to school to learn.

I only decided that I actually care about doing well in school sometime in the last year. With classrooms being so huge, I always felt completely anonymous—no doubt, a feeling that almost all (if not all) students have in their first few years of university. This meant that I was too nervous to participate during lectures, and even more so to meet with my professors one-on-one. It’s easy to feel like your education doesn’t matter when you stop being ‘Julieta’ and you start being ‘0861562’ in a class of 300.

Further, it is rare for students to seek out real help with their writing or coursework. In English and Philosophy, we’re constantly expected to improve our writing, but it’s often difficult to discern exactly what it is that we must improve; no doubt this is true of other programs. The problem is the lack of attention to the needs of individual students’ strengths and weaknesses.

I think that in my first few years of university, a lot of my hesitation in visiting professors during their office hours or meeting with them about improving my writing came from the fact that somewhere in my mind I knew that if I was a number without a face or name, at least I wouldn’t feel so embarrassed if I did poorly on an essay or assignment—after all, I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of people with PhDs.

This brings me back to the unapproachability of professors. I think a lot of us are so intimidated by the person teaching us, that we are too afraid to seek help. This was certainly true for me—and for that reason, my writing only drastically improved in the past year and a half along with my marks. Before that, I more often than not felt completely discouraged.

How can I want to continue school if my professors don’t even know my name? If they don’t really have the time to sit down with me for as long as it takes and help me refine my writing?

We all hear professors tell us not to be afraid to speak to them during office hours or to make appointments, but then again, we know that if every student in every class were to follow that advice, professors would have no time for anything else.

In a sense, then, that request always seems half-hearted because we all know that there aren’t enough hours in the day for a professor to meet with every single student, in every single one of their classes, about every single assignment, test, project, exam, etc. so they cannot possibly mean it when they urge us all to see them or email them anytime we need help.

How are we, then, to improve our skills? How can we become more invested in our own educations without the undivided attention of our instructors?

I wish I could say I’ve found the answers, but short of having professors run all tutorials, or have all first, second, and third year classes be like fourth year seminars, there doesn’t seem to be a viable solution.

Amanda Teseo 

Silhouette Staff

A few weeks ago, I was stuck in traffic in front of the McMaster hospital about to turn onto Main Street West, wondering what the hold up was, when I noticed a girl walking slowly in the middle of the left turning lane. People were honking and yelling for her to get off the street, but she remained unphased, walking forward with her head down. When I finally pulled up beside her, I rolled down my window to ask her if she was okay. Her response: “Did bad on midterm.” The blank expression on her face seemed melancholic, like all the life was sucked out of her.

As this year comes to a close, exams pile in and stress rapidly spirals upward. Being a university student is difficult; we have relationships, money, academics and family life to deal with on a regular basis. How do we navigate the remainder of this year with balance and charisma? Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with a standard method for getting by. You are going to get overwhelmed; that’s just part of life. The one thing you can take comfort in is that you are not alone.

That girl walking in the middle of the street was experiencing an extreme version of what most of us feel when we “bomb” an evaluation. It’s never worth it to put yourself in danger. Everything can be dealt with, in due time.

HubPages, a blog-type website, lays out some common problems college students face and potential ways of dealing with them.

Studying: The power of a “to-do” list is great. Listing everything you have to get done with its corresponding due date can allow you to put everything in perspective. Then, take a deep breath, and get started. Begin with an easy task to get yourself on a roll and to break the procrastination temptation. Once you finish this task, move onto a harder one. If you find yourself stuck for a while, move on. The difficult problem will linger in your mind as you hustle through other work.

Money: “The root of all evil” is great when you have enough, but can be a source of significant stress if you are running low. University is expensive, especially if you live away from home. Sit down and plan out all your spending for the month. If your current funds don’t balance out with your expenses, start cutting back. This can mean simple things, like choosing brands that are on sale, packing a lunch or lessening utility usage.

In preparation for exams, I usually head to Costco in search of some great deals on cheap and healthy foods. Now that March is wrapping up, get everything in line for April. Make sure the essentials are available for exams.

Job: Many of us are searching for summer employment. If you can, put all the stress that follows job searching on hold for the duration of exams. The worst thing is scheduling an interview immediately before or after an exam.

Sickness/Health Conditions: As mentally and often physically draining as exam period can be, it becomes especially important to maintain optimal health. Take your vitamins, avoid the temptation to live off of dry cereal, and try to remain active. First, a healthy diet means eating substantial meals that leave you satisfied and alert. For ideas, check out the Wellness@Mac newsletter circulated by the Student Success Centre (MUSC B106). Next, engaging in some form of exercise during exam period improves blood circulation and heightens concentration. Even if this means dancing around your room for ten minutes, anything that brings your heart rate up will suffice.

Relationships/Friends/Roommates: Crunch time is a “personal journey.” For some, rounding up friends for a study session may be an effective way to tackle exam preparation. For others, studying is an independent activity. Whatever your study style is, make exam period solely about academic issues. Any issues surrounding your relationships with roommates, boyfriends/girlfriends and friends shouldn’t be dealt with the night before an exam, as this may negatively affect your academic performance.

Ultimately, the exam period is your opportunity to regurgitate all the concepts you have learned throughout the year. Prepare yourself physically and mentally for a healthy and successful set of exams.