Starting Friday, librarians stopped writing passes for students to come to the Library Learning Commons during study halls.

This policy is unfair to students who consistently go to the Learning Commons in order to do their homework. However, this policy makes sense for the students who go to the Learning Commons in order to goof around.

The new policy prevents overcrowding because fewer students will use the Learning Commons, according to librarian Annette Tate. With fewer people in the Learning Commons, it will be easier for students to focus and do their work.

In addition, without underclassmen in the Learning Commons, fewer people hang out and disrupt those who are working.

Special education teacher Stephan Hess said, “A good portion of the kids are going to the Learning Commons to socialize, and some kids go there to study. It’s not fair to those who are studying.”

Similarly, some students who want to use the computers for homework cannot do so because other students are on the computers, playing games and using Facebook.

On the other hand, this policy can be inconvenient for students who need Learning Commons’ resources to complete their homework. Because the librarians will not give these students passes, these students are unable to do their homework during study hall.

It is possible for students to ask their teachers for a pass to the Learning Commons. However, this is not a reliable system for getting a pass to the Learning Commons because a student might want to do homework for a teacher that is absent or for a class that does not meet that day.

Because the new policy is not fair for some students, everyone needs to make a concerted effort to act respectfully in the Learning Commons. After all, the Learning Commons is a place for quiet studying.