Just a few years after their arrival on campus, the sleeping pods in Gleason Library may soon be gone.
That was the message given to SA President Jordan Smith and Vice President Becca Mooney by Dean of River Campus Libraries Mary Ann Mavrinac.
Five sleeping pods were purchased in 2015 by SA after the idea won the organization’s annual 5K Challenge. River Campus Libraries purchased an additional three sleeping pods.
“Five remain,” Mavrinac said in an email to the Campus Times. “But we think we may lose one to two more by the end of the spring semester.”
The main reason three pods have been lost, Mavrinac said, is because parts of the sleeping pod base or stem break. The pods, according to Mavrinac, are not designed to be moved around, and apparent student attempts to move them has resulted in broken sleeping pods.
The library does not intend to replace any of the pods, due to their high cost, though it is exploring other options for furniture it could install.
“[It] is not a sound decision to replace an $800 piece of furniture every three years,” Mavrinac said.
Smith and Mooney said in an interview that Mavrinac had told them that a new type of sleeping-pod-like solution was being tested out in Carlson Library.
The Campus Times has not been able to confirm this.
Several students have experienced first-hand the deteriorating condition of the sleeping pods.
“They’re nice to get away from everything,” freshman Victoria Staff said from a sleeping pod inside Gleason library. “But this one when I sat down made a really loud noise.”
Scattered near the base of Staff’s pod were pieces of concrete, presumably from the base of the sleeping pod. Staff also noted that her pod rocked back and forth a little.
The pods breaking have also scared some students from using them, like freshman Saffie Kaiwa.
“I think it’s needed,” Kaiwa said of a potential replacement.
Several weeks ago, she witnessed the top of a sleeping pod falling off the stem when another student sat down.
“For the fact that it fell off from the stand, I think that’s good enough.”
Some students, however, remain committed to the sleeping pods despite them breaking.
“I go in there a lot if I have lots of studying and need a quiet space,” freshman Lea Steinberg said. “I like the shape of the sleeping pods. They’re a nice place to cozy up. It’s like your own space.”
Still, several students who have used the sleeping pods harbor mixed feelings about them.
“It like them. They help block everything out,” sophomore Julian Maceren said. “[But] what makes it uncomfortable is that everybody uses them, and the pillows are deflated.”
One student was open to the change, since he appreciated how the pods allowed him and others to get a little bit of sleep without having to go back to their room.
“I found it almost impossible to study in them after I associated them with sleep,” sophomore Orion Haunstrup said. “I found it awkward to set an alarm when sleeping in them. I feel like a jerk.”
