In Viewpoint on Nov. 8, the letter "'Dreaded sign' shuts out study space" laments the fact that Coleman Morse's Student Lounge is frequently reserved for the use of particular groups to the chagrin of students trying to study there. I, myself, am a frequent CoMo studier. I am also a Walsh Woman, a recent transfer from North Quad; in fact, the proximity of Walsh to CoMo was a serious factor in my moving dorms, due to my undying allegiance to CoMo studying.
I think it is necessary to point out that the CoMo Student Lounge was designed and intended to be just that - a lounge. Its main purpose, originally, was to be a place for students to relax, catch the news or the game and to provide a place for various groups to use for their programs. Somewhere along the way, however, it became expected that everyone would talk in their best library whisper in the lounge to accommodate students studying in this great room. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a comfortable, quiet study room as much as the next person, but the Student Lounge's primary role is not a study room. When the authors of the letter say that the only solution to their terrible plight of being kicked out of the "study room" is to "Destroy the signs and all they entail," they are asking for an end to Celebration Choir Christmas concerts, multicultural events, Hall Dinners, RA retreats, CM Commissioner meetings, Sophomore Road Trip planning meetings and a whole host of events that enrich the Notre Dame experience and make life at Notre Dame so much more than homework.
They indicate that Notre Dame should provide an alternative place for these events to take place. Guess what? They did. It's called the Coleman Morse Student Lounge. The Walsh Women's letter suggests that there are only three places to study on campus: the (too far away and too "bottom-of-St. Joe-Lake-ish"?) Library, LaFun and the CoMo Lounge. Allow me to offer some alternative suggestions.
1. Walsh has at least two very nice study rooms in the basement, complete with couches, tables, desks and the comfort of your own home. Most dorms do have convenient, comfortable places to study that are rarely utilized.
2. The Bond Library is quite Thomas Jeffersonian with its classic columns and academic feel. Plush leather couches are a plus, and it is quiet and usually not crowded.
3. The East Lounge in the basement of LaFun is conveniently located in the student center, and yet generally respectfully quiet and conducive to work. Please, feel free to take advantage of the CoMo Student Lounge when it is not being utilized, but be aware the next time you see the "dreaded sign" that the "right" to study there is not guaranteed, but is in fact a secondary purpose of the room.
Elizabeth Stewart
senior
Walsh Hall
Nov. 11
