Students protest cut hours with library study-in

By Brian Maxey | November 20, 2009

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Brianna Campbell / The Collegian

Students took over the Henry Madden Library at California State University, Fresno on Friday night to push the administration to extend library hours.

Ninety-four students, along with several staff and faculty members, remained inside of the library after it closed at 5 p.m. Students who were present said they planned to stay inside the library for 24 hours.

Organizers of the event, who spoke to The Collegian anonymously, said current library hours were inadequate and showed the administration’s lack of shared governance.

Administrators present at the library included the dean of student affairs, Carolyn Coon, Ph.D.; the associate library dean, David Tyckoson, the library dean, Peter McDonald; and the director of University Communications, Shirley Armbruster. After the library’s closing, the administrators sat inside the first floor of the library as more than 20 students, parents and community members watched from the outside.

Police officers were also present during the sit-in, according to official reports. Police are generally present whenever students occupy the library, according to Armbruster. The administration was careful to make the distinction between operational hours and the study-in, Armbruster said, so police had to be present.

Supporters of the sit-in who were left outside brought foldout chairs, food and drinks as they waited to be let in. At approximately 6 p.m., a chant of “si se puede” erupted among the crowd outside, as students participating in the sit-in on the inside made their way to the bottom floor of the library.

McDonald, the library dean, then addressed the students inside of the library and said that no one who was outside the library would be allowed inside, according to a Collegian reporter inside. McDonald also reportedly said that students who were already inside the library would be allowed to stay as long as they remained quiet and studied.

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Lennell Freeman, a 19-year-old sophomore, arrived at the library after it closed because he had a late class.

“I’m hopeful that I will be let in,” said Freeman, who arrived on his Razor scooter with two pillows and his book bag. “I plan to stay the night as soon as I get up there.”

Freeman camped outside despite the rain. He said that he would remain optimistic.

The Henry Madden Library, the largest library in the CSU system, is open to the public six days a week. Eleven CSU campuses have libraries that are open seven days a week.

Carl Box, 21, said he hopes that the sit-in will get administrators to open the library seven days a week and extend its hours.

“I go to the library to do research all the time,” said Box, who was denied entry to the library by police officers and administrators at around 5:45 p.m. “We need more time, and I think this is a good cause to do so.”

CSU officials closed libraries on Saturdays and reduced hours of operation this year to save money, a measure that each on-campus department had to carry out to contend with budget reductions, according to Armbruster.

McDonald made the call to cut the library hours in response to the larger cuts that were made to the CSU system.

According to McDonald, the library’s collection took a $400,000 hit, the operational budget was slashed $166,000 and the student employee budget was reduced by $260,000. The student employee budget, McDonald said, is used as the primary source of funding to keep the library open later.

The CSU is currently facing the largest budget deficit in its history, contending with a $364 million budget gap. Fresno State, likewise, is faced with bridging a $44.6 million budget gap.

Staff writer Thaddeus Miller contributed to this report.

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Comments

  • Hector Cerda
    We are still in here and we are taking full advantage of the study time. Thanks to all who have supported us, who have brought food, drinks etc. and we apologize for those of you who could not make it in on time such as Freeman, we saw you out there with pillows and all......it was out of our control. We hope you will stand in solidarity with us on this movement. Thank you all for being civil.
  • The helper
    Being that it is America, you can speak any language that you want or feel the need to.

    I also want to show support for my fellow students who took the initiative to do this. Hopefully library hours can be extended for good instead of just for the rest of this semester because of a shot of stimulus money from the federal government.
  • sam
    Also, at "Fidel": I don't think the point of this study in is only to get the library for more time to just sit and study. There are books and more that students need in the library including many other valuable resources.
  • sam
    At racist: I'm glad the Collegian staff is working right now to delete all or most of your comments. Also, I would not talk about others making mistakes while typing when you can't even speak in whole sentences instead of fragments.
  • mayacanogop
    Well it feels good to do something worthy for students in this peaceful protest against an academic injustice but I have notice that there was no sufficient ASI Senatorial representation. Perhaps they are showing that they are lap dogs for Welty. This peaceful protest should be an example in how students could unit. We should do this more often, perhaps we should camp out at our University house, the one that Welty is living in to send a stronger message.
  • colt
    I just saw this story on abc30. I applaud all the students who participated in this demonstration. Show the university administrators whos the boss. Without the students, the administrators would be out of a job.
  • Megan
    Haha this is great. I can't believe I missed this. I hope this works because I sure am tired of not being able to go in on Saturday's, it is such a pain. Good luck to everyone inside! You guys are awsome!
  • Daniel ortega
    I so want peace on earth and good will to all men and women. There is so much hate in the world that I commit to being a force of peace. i love you all so much. peace be with you, love your brother. love your enemy and turn the other cheek. treat others as you would want to be treated
  • colt
    Why does being poor or ugly have anything to do with their rights? They're protesting a sit in because the university is cutting down their library hours.
  • Anastasio Somoza
    the new Daniel?????????????????????????????????
  • Drunk_Dawg
    Just the the pointless protest if you can even call it that. Heck! I bet most of them are on facebook instead of studying. All, these students are complaining about not having a place to study why don't they go to the Fresno County Library unless they think they are to good for that place. If I would complain I would demand that they keep The Bucket open longer on weekdays so that I can drink beer and study. That would be my wish! Next, thing you know they are going to ban beer on campus that would be a tragedy. Seeing, the young lady Senator from The School of Social Sciences reading from that document. How is she going to make an argument about library services when it polled on about 90 students and during the summer. During, the summer students could careless about the library they are making money or doing whatever. So, come on you better do a little better research before you start to get your 10 seconds of air time. These are going to be great war stories I guess the, "Dog Wars" have started. Great stories your going to get to tell your young ones in the future I guess. So all you people in the library writing to your friends on facebook faking the game get a life! About the Mexican bashing that is not right even though I have certain views about people that is just not right.
  • Ken
    Drunk_Dawg, some of those students dont have cars, they live on campus. They dont have the transportation to go downtown and study. Why study elsewhere when the tuition you pay to Fresno State also goes to the library. And your part about keeping The Bucket open longer, why dont you just head on over to a bar? Thats what a bar is for.
  • Ken
    Anastasio, race has nothing to do with this. Who cares if they chated se se puede. Last I checked, spanish is the official second language of the U.S.
  • Ken
    Anastasio, why study in dorms or apartments when you pay your dues to study at the library? The library is there for a reason. It's not there to make the campus look good!
  • The helper
    The United States has no official language(s).
  • Ken
    They can chant in whatever language they want, because we live in America. It's their freedom of speech.
  • THE BREAKFAST CLUB
    Dear Fresno State,

    You see us as you want to see us…In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is we are all the same. Even those, here, on this website leaving horrible comments about us students. You are also the same.

    Sincerely yours,

    The Breakfast Club
  • you should all be arrested for trespassing------------and you, Hector Cerda, for leading the charge.
  • 'si se puede!'? Really?????? You idiot protesters have the audacity to come out like that?

    -----so here is what we have: many of the children of the persons who entered this country unlawfully are demanding a state institution (which should not even enroll out of status students in the first place, or at the very minimim, the CSU should expect them to pay as international students) extend services that cannot be provided due to fiscal considerations. That inability to maintain those services at standard levels can be attributed mainly to the lack of money that very institution receives from economically 'special' and 'unique' students-----wow---how will this country survive if the borders continue to remain unsecured, the children of undocumented Californians send their many, many children to state universities, expect taxpayers to foot the bill for a reduced fee (or even free) education, and then wonder why economics become a critical issue.

    This is the future in Obama's America once the healthcare bill and immigration 'reform' take place this year and next. Its scary, fellow students, fellow Americans. In the past, protesters used to have clout. They used to make good points. Now protesters who really don't have a claim to grievances (or any form of 'standing')----are making their demands known...........scary
  • stupid
    The above poster must be listening to a little bit too much Conservative talk radio and so on. Do you also believe Obama is Hitler and immigrants to this country are stealing Americans' jobs, many of which American citizens in this country
    would definitely NOT move to do even if they were jobless?
  • First, 'conservative' is not a proper noun, and hence, does not warrant capitalization. Next, when were any of the other comments located within my posting? Lastly, read more critically to see that the post was about the issue of state services and that Obama was used as a way to reference the economical-social-political climate of a potential future.

    The screenname you've chosen is highly appropriate for yourself.
  • stupid
    Question for you: If you are so smart then why couldn't you spell arrest correctly the first time for YOUR username?
    Secondly, conservative was used as an adjective and it's capititalized for no real reason, not to be incorrect or as a mistake, but just because I felt like it. I could have just as easily spelt it as "kunservative" or likewise. This is the Internet and not a term paper.
  • A Real Alumnus
    The truly moronic people here are the racists: Proud Alum and Arrest.... I was in the library during the early stages of the Study In. It needed to be done. Now, let's take that $5 million of taxpayers money going to that public embarassment of a sports program and put it where it belongs--paying for additional classes and instructors.
  • ohhhh proper nouns, good point!
  • Irritated
    Instead of criticizing, maybe you should be thanking the students that spent their entire Friday night in the library. Its something that needed to be done. Its ridiculous that our fees are increasing 30% yet the services received are being dramatically reduced. The administration needs to know that the students are not going to this lying down.
  • Libarary Helper
    hey ARREEST THE PARTICIPANTS aka ARREST THE PARTICIPANTS:

    You seriously need help. Come see me at the library reference desk for some dictionary and grammatical skill taking books to check out.

    You didnt know how to spell ARREST(arreest), then you did the same with MINIMUM(minimim) and i think you meant to say EVERY INSTITUTION not "very institution" on line 6 of your first comment. You also did not need to use so many question marks on your opening line with the the word REALLY????????? the correct format to do so is "Really?" so when you have the time make good use of the extended library hours that your fellow protesting students have made possible for you.
    That is if you have the skills to even read this comment correclty and then find your way to the library and read the signs posted to guide you to the reference desk.
    See you then.
  • A Real Alumnus----off topic, no?
  • A Real Alumnus------droppin' the 'R' word? very smart-----a true favorite of the extreme left-wing Latino population whenever the most harmless and minor comments targeting California's complacency towards illegal immigration and state benefits is made by the silent majority of state taxpayers.

    'Si se puede' has what relationship to the issue of library and school service hour cutting???? Please explain that one. When Obowma gives a pass to the 'si se puede' yellers and extremist element during his presidential campaign, it's bad enough. But the topic of Friday and Saturday's protest here has no relationship to amnesty or the like.

    The MECHA, Aztlan, and reconquista groups who appeared to stage this apparent protest are the real racists.
  • shame
    At Yukmouth: Before you make a statement about what's being spoken about maybe you should actually read every comment that people have left here. You also should ask about what this racist/prejudiced idiout has been leaving as comments for a while. Calling people racists and make blanket statements using your own views with no facts presented just proves that you do not care about the facts, even if some are right before your eyes. It proves you have your own agenda and will say anything, some true and some obviously false, to get individuals to sympathize with you.
  • shame
    At A Real Alumnus: Not both or the posters you seemed to target with your comment posted something racist.
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