Students sit on the third floor of Roy O. West library in silence, interrupted only by the turning of pages and faint sounds of voices below when suddenly a ringing breaks the silence and concentration of many.
Following increasing disregard of unspoken rules in quiet study spaces and official complaints made by many students, DePauw Student Government passed a white paper addressing the issue and established official spaces in which silence is expected.
Weeks after the white paper’s March 7 passing, students have seen little change in the noise levels the white paper designated.
One of the white paper’s principle creators, senior senator Chelsey Jonason, said the white paper has not yet created the silence she had planned.
“I don’t think it has had the impact we were hoping to have, I think we really need sort of continual reinforcement of the expectations…then hopefully these things start getting reinforced,” Jonason said.
Senior Emily Meyers, who works at Roy O. West library, also said that she has seen little impact of the white paper and believes that this is due to student’s lack of concern for the white paper more than anything other factor. She mentioned various occasions in which students used cell phones or had conversations on the second and third floor, and in some instances she needed to ask students to keep noise to a minimum.
“You would just kind of hope that people would be considerate regardless of a white paper,” Meyers said. “I don’t like the fact that it is necessary, but it probably kind of is. Even with the white paper it’s still a problem because people don’t take it seriously.”
Jonason also considers the lack of change to stem in part from a lack of knowledge of the white paper. Sophomore Dave Goldense did not realize the white paper existed. Jonason explained that though the white paper has been published, shared in a student assembly meeting and printed in The DePauw, many students have still yet to see it. Jonason explained that student government will put up signs that detail the expectations regarding noise in quiet spaces to help foster change and awareness.
“Getting anything spread across DePauw’s campus is incredibly challenging…it’s just trying to find those avenues so that we can get the word out,” Jonason said.
Jonason said that if the signs do not promote the results the student government seeks, they will plan further action including sharing expectations for quiet spaces in mentor groups of the incoming freshman class. Reflecting on why she sought formalized change in promoting quiet spaces, Jonason said she hoped to return to a sense of respect among students.
“I’m a senior, and I remember as a freshman having these study spaces that people accepted and respected,” Jonason said. “I’ve seen that sort of disintegrate, so I’m just sort of wishing for a time that was and sort of hasn’t been that way this year.”
Goldense agreed that a white paper might be the only way of getting students to quiet down in designated areas. He said he doubts as to whether all students would follow the new guidelines, but felt by making them official and publicizing the white paper students would take more time to consider their actions before breaking the silence.
“I guess it will just make people more aware, so if nothing else, I think that will be the greatest thing it does,” Goldense said.
As DePauw Student Government continues to publicize its white paper on quiet spaces, phones continue to ring and conversations continue to buzz, breaking the sought-after silence in many studying spaces.
