After years of mystery, the notoriously vacant second floor of the library is finally in service, being temporarily occupied by the Career Development Services and Office of Business Affairs.
The empty floor of the library, St. Augustine Hall, has been a subject of intrigue among many of the University students, particularly upperclassmen, because of the unusual vast unused space in a busy building.
Now, since Career Development Services has momentarily moved there, it may finally give students a reason to step inside.
Michelle Kyriakides, Associate Director for Career Development, said the plans for the center to be moved from the old University Center to the second floor of St. Augustine Hall were announced during the summer.
“Aug. 24 we moved out of the UC and by the 27 we were fully operational,” she said. “We were only off-line for a little less than a day.”
Kyriakides said she has interacted with students who were enthusiastic about the space being occupied.
“Students are excited because it’s in a building that they’re used to being in,” she said. “It’s in a much more centralized location.”
Kyriakides said that the career center has a location in mind for when they move from the second floor of the library, but declined to comment on where it would be. She hopes that the move will take place some time in next spring semester.
An executive in the facilities department declined to comment on the plans for the second floor.
Many of the students in the library had opinions on what should be done with the space after the move.
Konrad Li spends many hours in the library and often witnesses the overcrowding at the library during the hectic semester.
He feels the career services shouldn’t be part of the library and instead have the problems of congestion addressed.
“I believe that the additional space in the library allows for more people to sit down and study, as you would have difficulty finding a seat during busy hours,” he said.
“I think the second floor should remain as an extension of the library.”
Peter Masoud believes the second floor should turn into a more relaxing capacity like a “lounge-type area,” but also sees the benefit of having the career services facility there.
“I feel like it’s going be more recognized and utilized by more students because it’s going to get more exposure in the library area,” he said.
