Last Sunday at around 4 p.m. I was with my friend looking for a place to do homework. The Academic Building seemed like a great place to study because classroom settings are the best way for me to focus and get my work done. However, even though the building is supposed to be open, my card did not work. My friend said her card worked to get into the building an hour before so I was confused. I called the non-emergency Drexel Public Safety number asking why we could get in an hour ago and not now, and the person who answered just repeated over and over how it was “after hours” and how I, despite being a Drexel student, was not authorized to use the building. I still do not understand this. The third floor of the Academic Building houses the Global Studies and Modern Languages department, so why can’t I access the building to do homework?
The Academic Building, according to the Drexel website should be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, however my card didn’t work at 4 p.m. The inconsistency of when the building is open to students versus when it isn’t can be a distraction to students who have a consistent way of studying. I do not want to have to ask someone who is in Westphal to let me in the building during its hours of operation. As a Global Studies student, it is difficult to find a place to study other than my dorm or the library, which is often crowded, especially during exams.
Drexel’s tuition is too high for it to limit its students to only a certain number of buildings to study, especially during the weekends when people are catching up or getting ahead on work. The hours of the building is not what bothers me, it is the fact that I can only sometimes get inside to study. The Public Safety officer did not listen to me explain that my card worked to get inside an hour before but rather interrupted me by saying I am not authorized to get in the building. I would at least like an explanation as to why I can only access this building on certain occasions. But overall, I strongly think I should be able to access the Academic building on weekends to study.