24-hour library request denied

The Student Government Association informed students that the request to make the library open 24 hours was denied, and that Troy University will be replacing Sartain Hall with a new recreation center.

The library announcement was made at the SGA meeting on Tuesday night, following a meeting with Christopher Shaffer, the dean of library services, last week.

“He (Shaffer) said he did not see enough students to extend the library hours for 24 hours or until 1 or 2 a.m. during the school week, because he said he saw 10 or 15 students,” said Farrah Gaston­­, a junior biomedical sciences major from Camden and academic life chair of SGA. “He wants to see like 50 or 60 students to prove that there are students there who actually use it for the hours.”

Gaston said that the SGA is now going to work on getting the Trojan Center open 24 hours during the school week.

She also said that the library is planning to start a coffee shop in the library.

“He said that he does not know if they are gonna be able to do Starbucks, but he does want to get a coffee shop in there,” Gaston said. “He is working on it.”

It was also announced that the university will be starting the construction of a new recreation center by January of next year. It will be tearing down Sartain Hall and building the new recreation center there.

“The rec center is happening,” Gaston said. “They said they are going to start surveying people soon about what they would like to see in it, and then they would start it sometime within the next year. So, it will probably be finished by 2017.”

The SGA will be conducting a town hall meeting to discuss what students want to see in the new recreation center and the hours of operation. They said that all students were encouraged to be present to share their opinions. The meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in Patterson 105.

The university will also be renovating the different science labs in the MSCX building starting in January. They are expanding to make the labs bigger and more accommodating for students. Each lab currently can hold only 24 students.

The SGA’s publicity committee is also working toward making a filter for Troy University on Snapchat.

“I emailed the private social media for Troy University, and we are meeting with them,” said Caitlin Smith, a junior political science major from Panama City, Florida, and publicity chair for the SGA. “They said they were currently working on some styles and Snapchat filter designs and hope to have them submitted to Snapchat for approval at the end of the week.”

SGA is also preparing for its annual night walk.

“What we do is, we will break up in two groups, and we will walk around campus seeing problem areas that need to be fixed or worked on,” said Darunda Wilkins, a junior business management major from Montgomery and the student welfare chair.

The night walk will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 29, after the SGA meeting.