Library proposal solid despite WLUSU misstep

At the end of last week the Wilfrid Laurier Students’ Union posted a release on their website indicating that the university has rejected a joint proposal from WLUSU and the Graduate Students’ Association for money from the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) to keep the library open 24-hours, seven days a week.

First off, there is no doubt that opening the library 24-hours a day is a great idea to help ease the growing shortage of study space on campus, far more than adding one hundred seats to the Terrace ever could. Our university is growing in size at an exorbitant rate and the shortage of study space will only get worse. Students struggle to find a space to sit in the Concourse during normal hours and the library itself is increasingly jammed, especially on the floors with functioning wireless access. Extending library hours is a step in the right direction.

However, it has become clear that WLUSU was told in confidence by the university about the result of the proposal and was not supposed to go public until those with successful initiatives were informed. Furthermore, it was expressed to WLUSU that other funding options were available for the increased library access. This was not expressed in their website post, though they admitted it after the fact to The Cord. While it is unfortunate that the SIF proposal was denied, WLUSU posting the fact on their website under the pretext of letting students know comes across as pouting and an unnecessary jab at the university when in fact other options exist for the initiative to go ahead.

Along with every other group and individual that put forward ideas for the SIF, WLUSU needed to go about an application process and abide by criteria to be considered for funding. Ignoring due process and publicly announcing their unsuccessful bid when information about their application was revealed in confidence is conduct unbefitting of student body representatives.

Let’s just hope the WLUSU’s bridge-burning antics don’t interfere with moving forward a good idea that stands to benefit students who want to study past midnight.