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Opinion
Xavier High School
LMC is good, but can be better “Give me your tired, your overwhelmed, your huddled masses of co n f u s e d c h i l d r e n y e a r n i n g to write that A+ paper. The wretched thesis statements of your rough drafts, send these, the confused and researchweary to me, the LMC!” This is not the poem you will see upon entering the literary treasure trove that is the Library and Media Center. But it could be! The LMC is a fantastic resource at the disposal of Xavier students. It contains over 12,000 books ranging anywhere from teen romance novels to the most scholarly research tomes. Unfortunately, the LMC is not being utilized nearly as much as it should be. Students are being kept out of the library by a number of rules and procedures that need to be reformed. The main issue with the LMC policy is how it limits student accessibility. For example, there is a rule that doesn’t allow students to use the LMC if they have an outstanding fine. What sounds like a fairly reasonable restriction on the surface is really quite a backwards rule when you take a closer look. What is this rule actually doing? It’s keeping students out of the LMC who want to be there, for something as petty as a 50 cent
there are several open tables, a student should be able to come in and work on their homework in the quiet and productive environment the library provides. It just makes sense. The LMC is a valuable resource to any student who takes their studies seriously. By fixing some simple procedural practices, it could greatly improve its usefulness to students.
A group of freshmen use the LMC to study during their Lounge period. Many students utilize the LMC for studying, both in-school and after. Cassie Busch photo
fine. No school should support a policy that keeps students out of the library. The public library not only lets you into the building with outstanding fines, it still lets you check out books! Imposing fines for overdue books is acceptable. Banning students from their own school’s library is not. It does nothing but discourage learning and leave students with a negative experience associated with a library. The other rule that has stirred up a bit of resentment in students is a somewhat unspoken rule of how many students can be in the LMC in a given class period. Students complain that when there are open computers and tables
in the LMC, they are still not allowed in during their lounge period. Library officials say there cannot be too many students in the LMC because they cannot properly monitor them. While it makes sense to not allow the library to be overrun with droves of chattering children, it seems a bit odd that if there are ten computers, ten kids cannot sit down and use them at the same time. Why do we have that many desks and computers if they aren’t meant to be used at the same time? We’re not saying students should pack the library and fill up every single seat at every single table, but let’s be reasonable: If there is an open computer, a student should be able to come in and use it. If
to do because we do not know any different. If the janitors decided to not work for a week, or even a few days, I guarantee everyone would notice and be more appreciative of the work they do for us. I would like to think I have been more conscious of cleaning up after myself and being thankful for the janitors because I have walked in their shoes. I recently started working as a janitor for Coldwell-Banker Hedges Realty, and I now have a taste for what they do. Seeing things like trash left on the ground and empty plates not thrown away have made me realize some of the things I used to do. In the past, I would have left my plate for someone else to clean up or throw something away that could have been recycled. Now that I have seen all the
trash people leave around, I try to make a conscious effort to always clean up after myself. I see many things that someone could have taken care of very easily, but they did not. Maybe because they thought, “Well, it is the janitors job”, maybe they were just lazy, who knows. But I do know that everyone benefits if people take some initiative. So next time you see a mess or are thinking about leaving one you just made, do the right thing and clean it up. And when you see a janitor, thank them for all the hard work they do in order to keep this school running. They truly are the glue that keeps the school together.
Appreciate the janitors more We have all seen it: a mess in the hallway, trays left in the cafeteria, things just not looking good near the end of the school day. But then we arrive the next day and something magical has happened…everything is clean again! No, we do not have a self-cleaning school or some crazy DJ Roomba that can do it all; it is the janitors who make this happen. It is quite unfortunate, but many times the work of the janitors at our school gets overlooked, and I will be the first to admit that I am a culprit as well. We have been spoiled, so we take for granted how clean our school is and how nice it always looks. It is easy
Jackson Esker Opinion Writer
Ann Glavan and Mandie Kimbro Opinion Writers
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