By Danny Nikander
Assistant News editor
Plans to renovate the third floor of The Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library in an effort to increase academic support are currently underway.
According to Jean Peden Christodoulou, the assistant vice president of Student Affairs, the new space will aim to foster a better connection between students and the library resources by creating a central location for students to go for help with schoolwork.
“I see it as the intellectual hub for the University and there’s no better place for that than the library,” Christodoulou said. “Any student can start there [on the third floor]. If the service they are looking for is not offered there, the staff will be able to connect them to it.”
Currently the third floor contains mostly books which will be moved to other floors in the library. The plans for the layout are still in discussion; however, Christodoulou said the design and layout of the floor will incorporate a combination of offices for the Center for Academic Excellence as well as spaces for individual and group tutoring.
“I think the great thing about it is that the campus is coming together to improve academic support for students,” Christodoulou said.
Some Hofstra students also seem to be in favor of the renovations.
“I would say it’s very beneficial,” Nikki Lilly, a junior psychology major, said. “We need more spaces to go and study. I feel like other spaces don’t always get utilized as much as they should. If the third floor had an easy layout to sit and focus, I would use it.”
Aisha Kitcher, a first-year graduate and pre-med student, feels she will not utilize this new space because being a graduate student rarely calls for this type of service. Nonetheless, she believes it will be beneficial to undergraduate classes and departments.
“It would be nice to have a central location at the library,” Kitcher said. “I think anything that would make it easier to access help is a positive change.”
The plans to renovate the third floor were revealed in an email sent out to the student body. In addition, there was an open forum held on March 9 for faculty, staff and students to learn more about the renovations and to ask questions. Despite this, some students feel they were not properly informed of these changes.
“I had no idea this was happening,” Danielle Jones, a first-year graduate and organizational psychology student said. “I feel like you have to look for this information to understand.”
Kitcher agreed with Jones and added that if students are not aware of these changes, then the new spaces might not be utilized.
Laura Bellini, a junior political science and journalism major, said, “I think it’s a hand-in-hand effort. I wasn’t seeking out this information, but more communication would have been better.”
While there is no date set for when the renovations will begin, Christodoulou said the goal is to complete the project within the next academic year.