J.C. Williams Center: an opinion piece of a staff writer pushing for it to never close

It is not unusual for college students to burn the midnight oil. Whether they are immersed in conversation, watching a movie or studying for an exam, students often do not end their day before midnight.

Franciscan University is a stellar establishment and a student could boast of the perks for ages. But if there is one major flaw on this campus, it is that there is no place for students to congregate after midnight on weeknights – with the exception of the Portiuncula Chapel. This is something that must change sooner than later.

The J.C. Williams Center is a great place to gather with friends, grab a snack or study. But as soon as the clock strikes twelve, every student is forced to pack up their bags and high tail it out of there.

Upon leaving the J.C., students might head to one of the dorms, praying that their patron saint will intercede for them and secure an open common room. This is usually to no avail as there are so few. If there is an open common room for the students, whatever they are planning on doing will be shut down by 1 a.m. when the hall closes if there are both males and females, so there is hardly any point in going at all.

Very often, students are put into group projects that contain both male and female members. Even more often, a boy and a girl in the same class may wish to prepare for an exam together. And heaven forbid that a boy and girl may want to hang out. Well, at Franciscan, they may as well count this option out because the chances of them finding a free hour in the day between their jam-packed schedules is highly unlikely, and after dinner, sports practices, household commitments, and various other activities that are highly encouraged by faculty, staff and advisors, students are left with an extremely minimal amount of time to spend in community with both men and women.

Every student on this campus has at least one thing in common – they are all college kids, meaning each one should be given some level of responsibility as well as trust.

When students are robbed of such little ways to prove their maturity, such as the opportunity to be with someone of the opposite sex after midnight, it brings out frustration, and in some cases, it stirs up a desire to rebel against or feel angry at authority.

The majority of students at Franciscan are grateful for many of the rules, including the rule of open hours that restricts males and females from being in the same bedroom together. However, when students are kicked out of every other place, including their own room, it only seems right that the university would offer an alternative.

If the outdoors was a viable option year round, there may be less of a demand for a 24 hour building. But not many students want to spend any number of minutes, let alone seconds, outside when it is below freezing, as it is here for several months of the school year.

The fact that campus does not have a 24 hour building is especially challenging for the freshman and sophomores, not to mention some juniors and seniors, who do not have a car on campus. This means that after midnight, there is absolutely no chance for them to grab a cup of coffee, have a snack or study with a group (of both genders).

The J.C. would be the perfect place to allow students to congregate for 24 hours. If idea was implemented, there could be additional shifts at switchboard so it could be a S.W.O.P job on campus as it already is. There would be little to no need for alterations to the training for the position or to the job description. The same would go for Cupertino’s Café – students would have more opportunities to work with more hours added to the schedule. Many students would be willing to work these new hours because they are often eager for a chance to earn a few more dollars.

Because Jefferson Security officers already patrol campus around the clock there would be no need for additional guards. And since Franciscan’s campus enjoys a very low rate of crime, there would not be a heightened risk for students to be out and about in the early hours of the morning.

When all the factors are weighed, it seems that there is a plethora of pros for the J.C. staying opened 24 hours. If the faculty and staff took these points into consideration and implemented the change, the student body would be eternally grateful.

#opinion