by Alex Feit

Housemasters, campus aides and librarians devised a new policy that allows underclassmen with canceled classes to go to the Library Learning Commons, rather than stay in the cafeteria.

“We want people to be able to access the library because we recognize that students sitting in the cafeteria may have nothing to do,” Adams housemaster Mark Aronson said.

According to librarian Kevin McGrath, a librarian will go to the cafeteria every block that there is a canceled class to escort a certain number of students upstairs to the Library Learning Commons. Although the number of students they will escort will vary based on the amount of activity already in the library at that time, it will most likely gravitate around 15 students, he said.

If there is limited space, the students who most need time in the Library Learning Commons will be given priority over those who do not, McGrath said.

Students will still be expected to report to the cafeteria and sign in during canceled classes, Aronson said.

According to McGrath, administrators discussed the new policy before the beginning of the school year.

“The idea was that underclassmen had a hard time to be able to use the library because they do not have free-blocks or open campus. We wanted a way to make the library available to these students who aren’t usually able to have it available to them,” McGrath said.

Aronson said that the opportunity was not offered last year because everyone had just moved into the new building, and the administrator’s did not know what the school’s needs were then.

According to Aronson, more items such as televisions and possibly computers will be added to the cafeteria to make it a more interesting place for students to spend time during canceled classes.