More electrical outlets will be installed this semester in the University Library before finals week.
Lucy Nguyen, Associated Students Inc. president, contacted David Salazar, the associated vice president for physical planning and facilities management, via email about students’ need for more outlets.
“[The issue has] always been on our radar,” ASI Vice President Stephen Thomas said. “In previous years, we noticed there was a chaining of power strips where you plug one power strip into another, into another, so at the beginning of our term we brought up the concern to David Salazar … and we’ve been working together to improve [the issue].”
Students have been concerned about studying in the library with the lack of outlets during finals week, especially when numerous students bring their laptops to study.
“We were noticing that there was a concern from students about the accessibility of outlets in the library … so we contacted the dean of the library and we were able to work together,” Thomas said.
Additional electrical outlets were added to the library in late spring 2008 and summer of 2010.
The library will begin installing the majority of the new outlets during spring break and will continue beyond that week. The installation is set to be finished before finals week this semester, according to Salazar.
“There was a renovation that took place about 2010, and, when they did the renovation, they undersized the amount of outlets and now basically we’re just retrofitting it, making it more user-friendly in terms of the amount of energy that students need for their laptops or cellphones,” Salazar said.
The installation will start at the lower level of the library, on pillars, and work up to the pillars on the second floor. The outlets will then be installed on the walls of the third and fourth floors.
“[The new outlets] should make a difference for the students,” Salazar said. “We’re looking forward to getting the job done too.”
Are new outlets going to be installed on the fifth floor?