Breaking News!

The library on campus is being converted into the latest social gathering/dining area!!!

Or so that's what Mr. Intimate Phone Conversation with Long Distance Girlfriend Guy, Eating Aromatic Dinner at the Computers while Conversing at Full Volume About our Father's Money Gals, and Mr. Brag About Last Weekend's Party would like us all to think. And they have me convinced.

Now, I realize the semester just started, but for many of us crunch time has already begun. I also realize that floors one and two are considered "group study" floors, but what no one seems to consider anymore is that it is STILL a library.

If you want to study on the first floor, forget about it! ESPECIALLY if you need to use a computer and didn't want to lug yours 8 blocks from your apartment. All of the computers are used by people checking their facebook for an hour while others are waiting to print something to look through the catalogs. And if you want to study at one of the tables, you might as well try studying on the set of the View.

The second floor is even worse. Especially now that they've added the new group tables that look like restaurant booths. They are pretty cool and comfortable, but they make people forget, once again, that they're in a library. Moving past those, I finally found some room to study with my roommate near the new computer area. Instantly, I see a girl Skyping at full volume. Roll eyes. Next on the agenda: we get to enjoy a full conversation about all the girls some guy either couldn't keep off of him or that he scored with all weekend. Lovely. Onto another guy, who has a full volume intimate conversation with his long distance girlfriends. The next person I hear say "Ooooh girl" in a soft voice is getting punched in the nose. Was that Qdoba I just smelled? With a hot steaming side of full volume conversation? Conveniently located at your nearest BRAND NEW computer? Yup. "I hate talking to my dad but I really want his money" was the last straw. Packed it up for the third floor...

"Whisper Only Floor"....within two minutes of being there, one girl is talking on her phone and we can hear a whole group's conversation from across the other side of the floor. Eventually it settles down and we get some actual work done. And if you're the lucky winner of today's study lottery, you can get a group study room there, too and avoid the gladiator battles over the second floor group rooms.

The only place worth going in the library is the fourth floor. Almost no one is ever there, even during finals. It's beautiful silence and as of yet has managed to avoid being taken over by those who thing library attendance is fashionable.

Are you trying to convince yourself that you're studying? Or do you wanna brag to your friends about how many hours you spent there, conveniently leaving out the fact that you did zero studying?

Whatever happened to "Shhh, this is a library?"