Students can soon study overnight again at Library West after UF Student Government voted to fund the extra hours.
SG senate unanimously passed the bill to refund Library West with $160,000 from the SG reserve account as a 24/7 library Tuesday night. The senate had to pass the bill twice before it could be implemented.
This will apply for the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year. Then, it will be funded for three years by the Office of the Provost, said UF Student Body President Ian Green.
Money in the reserve account comes from student activity and service fees. Library West staff plans for the library to be open 24/7 by the end of September once more employees are hired, Green said.
“It’s been shown that students want a 24/7 library on campus, however, the study that was done previously did not necessarily reflect that interest,” Green said. “It was my job as student body president, to show that the interest was there, and that it’s going to continue to increase, especially as we strive for top five.”
Raelin Ogburn, an 18-year-old UF health science freshman, said she didn’t know the library used to be open 24/7.
“Finding out that it was 24 hours at one point is shocking to me,” she said.
Contact Angela DiMichele at adimichele@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @angdimi
