As school is now in full swing and midterms have arrived, I have found myself in the library more than I desire. I used to enjoy going to the library to get work done because it was a refuge from noise and distractions. I am now finding my refuge tainted with non-students.

Recently I have noticed an increasing problem with local residents and/or their kids using the university library. It bothers me to know that our tuition money is benefiting those who are not even enrolled here.

For example, this past Sunday I was spending the afternoon preparing for tests I had coming up. I found it hard to focus when there were four people sitting around me under the age of 15. If that wasn’t enough, the mom was then instructing her oldest child to help his younger sibling with his homework. The constant request from the mother to her kids to be quiet was another distraction. This is just one of many occurrences I have experienced over the past few weeks.

Sometimes I wonder how our school can afford to pay people to walk around all day, and sometimes night, to write parking tickets to students but cannot afford to have someone patrol the library.

It’s a shame when students, who pay tuition, cannot access a computer because little Sally was checking to see when the new Miley Cyrus movie was coming out. This has been brought to the attention of the people working here. When something is said to the non-students, they just move to another floor.

By looking at my fellow students and seeing their constant stares and moans, I know I am not the only one who feels this way. That’s why I am issuing a challenge to the “powers that be” to do something to solve this ridiculous issue.