UF is planning a new study center to give students some extra reading room.
Can't ever find a place to study at Library West? UF's got your back.
Though the university still has to cut $16.6 million from its budget this year, it plans to use $12 million in stimulus funds to build a 24-hour study center on campus.
"This is a project that is badly in need," UF President Bernie Machen told the Board of Trustees Friday.
"If you come by the library at 5 o'clock, you can see that it's packed," he said.
"People are using the library for studying. They're not there for the books."
Because stimulus funds can't be used on new construction projects, an existing building on campus must be modified into the study center.
Officials declined to say where the new study center will be located, but Ed Poppell, UF's vice president for business affairs, said it will be on the north side of campus and close to food venues.
UF will get about $41 million in stimulus money this year and about the same in the next fiscal year.
Construction will start sometime in the next fiscal year, which begins July 2010.
The center will likely encompass 30,000 to 35,000 square feet, he said, and might be able to fit between 600 and 800 students.
Poppell said the costs will be high because of the restrictions on the project.
"Renovation costs more than building a new building," he said.
And there's a good chance the building will be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, he said, which means the renovation will have to preserve the original look.
The plan is to keep the building open for 24 hours, he said.
Poppell said in order to make this happen, parts of the building might be partitioned to easily shut them down for the night and allow custodial staff to clean up.
Student Body President Jordan Johnson said other schools, like the University of Georgia, already have popular study centers.
Johnson said he is in favor of the project, and in the meantime, he would like to see the Hub extend its hours so students can study late.
He said if the Student Senate is willing to approve about $25,000 in funding, the Hub will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. every day for the rest of the semester, adding Starbucks has agreed to keep the same hours as well.
If students like the idea, the new hours might continue in the spring, he said.
