Students deserve equal learning opportunities

Lately there has been a lot of chatter on campus concerning the hours of the library.

The library is open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays.

The complaints are mostly coming from students and staff who take night classes and need to utilize the services of the library during these class times.

Night classes usually run sometime between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. which doesn’t leave much time for students to drop in to the library. These night students often work day jobs and need to eat and handle the family before they come to school.  For many, this eliminates the possibility of making it to school early to sneak time in the library.

The library is a crucial part of student success so access to it is necessary for all students of San Jose City College.

The library is a quiet place to study where you can focus on your schooling without any distractions, but it is also so much more. It is a place to check out that book you can’t afford for

two hours. It is the only studious place to access Wi-Fi and email for some students. And it is the place teachers can take their students to work on papers while they give direct feedback.

However, while many day students receive these great benefits, the night students are lacking the opportunities that many of them need.

Some people argue that the SJSU King Library is available to SJCC students late night, so there is no need to have the SJCC library open.

The King library is a great benefit for SJCC students, assuming students have the time and resources to travel to downtown San Jose to access the library. Downtown is a bus ride or trip on the freeway away to a place that many people don’t like to be walking around at night. Those who don’t want to wait for a bus or are unable to travel downtown are then stuck with no option but to go home and miss a study opportunity.

It would ease the burden of many students and faculty on campus if the library stayed open until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. to allow night students and staff an opportunity to use the wonderful resource that is the library.

Eliminate the hassle for students and give them an opportunity to study during hours that fit their tight schedule. It’s only fair that all students are given equal chances to succeed at SJCC.