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Show THE THUNDER8IRD THURSDAY MAY 7, 1987 PACE 3 1 i ASSUSC seeks new Library i t t i ASSUSC President Monica Moe says that in the five years it may take us to get a new Library, overcrowding in the facility will have become the preeminent problem at SUSC. A new Library is our top priority' (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) "In its planning the College anticipates an enrollment of students and faculty of 200 to 250 by the year 2000," said Moe. "A new Library should serve this campus population and be adequate for many years," added Moe. "I call this whole situation a double dichotomy," said Thomas A. Challis, periodicals librarian, when referring to the problems with lack of space. "We'd 4,000-5,00- finals start to get close and can't find a single seat in the entire building. If you can't go to a Library and study, then what good is a Library," said Brian Miller, a sophomore and ASSUSC science senator. In Fall 1987 fewer than 170 stations will be available. There are now only enough seats for 6.5 percent of the more than 2,800 students projected to attend SUSC, said Richards. According to Graff, if the Library increased the stack space to meet the minimum ALA standards, officials would be forced to cut out what little seating is left. "There is literally no space for books, so they are stacked upon each other. I, ajong with many others, have walked around the Library in a daze trying to I SUSC's Library already is bulging at the seams , says Student Body President Monica Moe. find a book that should have only taken five minutes to find but ended up taking 45 minutes," said Miller. The Library is bulging at the seams, said Moe, who cites rapid enrollment growth, as well as the projection of more extensive growth to illustrate the limited capacity of the Library. "Even if we didn't have an increase in student enrollment, SUSC would still need a new Library," she said. "If trends continue in the next three years, with projected increases in student body, the need for additional space will be especially urgent. The projected enrollment for 1990 is more than 3,300. This is nearly twice the enrollment for which the Library was designed," said Moe. 0 really like to bring in more volumes to increase students availability to information, but we don't want to do that, because if we do, then we'll be bumping them out of their seats," he said. Junior Julie Hutchings, vice president of Utah Student Education Association, took the students' dichotomous side of the issue. "Pretty soon, we won't have any room to sit and work because we'll be covered with books that don't have anywhere else to go, "she said. "There are many times when my classmates and need to study or do research together and there is no place for five or six of us to sit down and work together. If we get any more stacks in the Library, we'll be doomed," she said. Another problem facing the Library is lack of funds, said Challis. "We need more money to buy more materials therefore, when you have materials, you need more space, which clearly calls for the building of a new Library," he said. ASSUSC secretary Kathy Banks said that it is important that SUSC seek private funding to improve and enlarge its Library. "There is no way that our Library can expand to fulfill our needs unless we have the proper funds to do this," she said. "The availability of research at the Library is outdated, unorganized and unavailable," said Helen Tucker, a senior majoring in communication. "It is my hope that in future years, that researching at SUSC will be facilitated through the acquisition of a new Library." he students here are proud to be attending this institution and are concerned for its future," said Monica Moe, ASSUSC president. "As the college grows, so must its facilities and services and it is important that we maintain the quality and good academic standards of the college. Therefore, the ASSUSC is working for a new Library." Moe said that she specifically designated May 4 as Library Awareness Week because it's the same week the Utah State Board of Regents are meeting on the SUSC campus. "If the students of SUSC can convince the Regents of the necessity of a new library, then maybe we could see a library on our campus as soon as 1991," she said. "We want the students to get it across to the Regents that we want this Library and we're going to have to prove to them just how bad we want it." According to Moe, if SUSC did receive adequate funding for a new Library, it wouldn't be fully completed until 1991. "I know 1991 is a long way away," she said, "and for most of our students there will probably not be any immediate or direct benefits of the building but for everyone who receives a diploma from SUSC there will be a tremendous advan'ange." Moe encouraged students to voice their opinions and concerns in order to demonstrate a significant interest on this issue. Moreover, she emphasized that this campaign will not work unless students help by either sending letters to the Utah Legislature or signing the petitions that are going around. "This will not be a success without the students' involvement. If we get a Library, it will be because the students fought to get one," she said. Moe stressed the importance of keeping the image that the ASSUSC is academically oriented and to emphasize its academic excellence. "The secret to being academically sound at an instituion of higher education is to have an adequate library. If our Library isn't academically effective, then we can't retain our academic standards." Students at Southern Utah State College can be proud of the achievements made within the institution as well as in the professional world, she said. "The exceptional success of the College's students in national competition and in their acceptance rates into professional schools, attest to the rigor of the institution's academic program. SUSC's academic quality will soon diminish if we don't get a new Library soon." Moe said that the college is anticipating an students and a faculty of enrollment of 4,000-5,00- 0 200 to 250 by the year 2000. "With the predicted influx of students in the future, there's no way the Library will have enough space to accommodate the enrollment explosion," she said. "We have to start building a library now because we won't be done for three years anyway and in three years we won't have enough space. It will take at least five years just to build a library. There is a definite need for a library. Anyone who has tried to research an assignment there, knows just how urgent the need is," she added. |