For students, it’s no secret that the majority of the weekend is used to decompress. Sunday, however, is for getting back to reality and wrapping up homework. It would be nice for Baylor to realize this and make its facilities and resources available earlier than 1 p.m. on Sundays.
The most integral buildings on Baylor’s campus — such as Moody Memorial Library, the Baylor Sciences Building and the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation — do not open their doors until 1 p.m. on Sundays, which does not allow for students to capitalize on one of the most peaceful and productive times of the day.
Sunday evenings can be the busiest times for the libraries and other study spots on campus. We have all had a night where we roam around every campus library unsuccessfully and are forced to study at home or in a more distracting environment. If the libraries and other study spaces are open earlier in the day, the flow of students going in will be much more even, allowing for ample workspace throughout the entire day.
Not only can students not capitalize on the most peaceful times of the day under the current hours, they are also missing out on their brains’ most productive hours. According to board-certified sleep specialist Michael Breus, “peak working hours” start at 11 a.m., a whole two hours before the libraries open on campus on Sundays. With a week’s worth of assignments due, Sundays are the time to utilize your brain’s most productive hours. This is especially true considering that during the upcoming week, many students will be in class during those “peak working hours.”
If the motive for keeping campus buildings closed till 1 p.m. on Sundays is because of church, many local churches offer early service times. Therefore, students or staff members could go to church in the morning and then be able to be on campus ready to work by 11 a.m. Additionally, what about students or staff who don’t go to church? These members of the Baylor family shouldn’t be denied access to campus facilities to work or eat just because it’s a Christian university.
For students who live on campus, Sunday is the doldrums of dining hall eating. On Sundays, only two dining halls are open to all students – East Village and Penland — and only Penland is open before 5 p.m. Within the SUB, only Panda Express is open on Sundays, and not till 2 p.m.
The restrictive hours of academic and dining building on Sundays isn’t fair to those who need to be on campus before 1 p.m. and eat before dinner. Campus should make all students feel welcome and supported, academically and health-wise, every day of the week.
