At Johns Hopkins, a battle has begun -- the library staff versus the students. Over what? Eating in the library.
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If you're thinking that this sounds dumb, trust me, it is. For a couple of reasons. The library has multiple levels and each level has a different kind of study space and the environment. And the top floor houses a cafe. While yes, the cafe is overpriced, its veggie burgers and bagels are the sustenance that feeds the h-angry Hopkins student body during long days and longer nights in the library.
Many students choose to eat in the cafe because it is the most convenient and accessible option when they have so much work to do that they don't want to take the time to walk to a different building for their meals. Moreover, many students prefer to eat while watching lectures online or reading in an effort to multitask and save precious study time.
Technically, you are not allowed to eat anywhere in the library except the top floor. But in the past, the library staff has let food be eaten as long as the trash is thrown out afterwards. However, (unfortunately) in the past month, the library staff has drastically changed their policy, scouring the cubicles and tables in search of food. And once found, forcing the students to either leave the library to eat or to throw out it out.
I have a couple of problems with this change in attitude. First, while I understand that there are rules and the staff is just trying to enforce them, I don't think it is necessary for the staff to prowl through the cubicles, actively trying to spot food. Because, honestly, the students in the cubicles are clearly stressed out or pressed for time -- or else they wouldn't be making the decision to eat alone, in a cubicle, in the library, in the first place.
And second, I think that food should be allowed in the library in general -- or at least to be eaten in more than just the cafe. As of now, if a student wants to eat and do homework at the same time, their only option is to sit in the cafe. And while the cafe is nice, it is usually pretty loud and the seating and tables are very limited -- not an environment conducive to completing work.
Either way, Hopkins students have enough to worry about as is, without stressing about ways to sneak food into the library or thinking that at any moment, their studying could get interrupted -- and they could be told to leave the library in order to finish their bagel. As long as students are respecting the library and not leaving food behind, does it really matter where they are eating?
