According to a recent report, the number of books being borrowed from the library has remained unaffected.
Photo by Liv Gilbert
Effective this school year, UC San Diego’s Geisel Library has cut its hours by a significant margin. According to one recently discovered poster which was found hanging inside a second-floor bathroom stall, Geisel will now be open for five minutes each weekday and one minute each Saturday and Sunday.
While recent budget cuts have affected many areas of the school, they have only served to bolster Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla’s paycheck, which increased in 2023 from about $600,000 to $1.4 million. When asked about the reasoning behind his choice to further cut the library’s hours, Chancellor Khosla responded, “Do you even know how much I’m paying these library employees?! Well, me neither, but whatever it is, it’s far too much for those little guys.”
As the midterm season begins, more students are expressing an increased amount of stress, especially those with rigorous courseloads. “How the hell do you expect me to finish my MATH 20C homework that’s due at 2 a.m. in these conditions?” asked disgruntled third-year bioinformatics major Ned Sleeper. “My three roommates’ snoring is too goddamn distracting to get anything done. Why does my tuition have to pay for never-ending construction that wakes me up at 6 a.m. instead of quiet places to study?!”
A study conducted by the Student Organization for Geisel’s Grand re-Invention (SOGGI) found that the library’s reduced hours have led to overcrowding when it is open. “There is literally nowhere to sit,” said SOGGI president Nadia Spencer. “We get there bright and early every day to analyze data for the study, and we keep wandering around for 20 whole minutes before being forced to leave for the day!”
Students have expressed negative feelings about the Chancellor before, especially regarding his response to the Gaza Solidarity Encampment this past spring, but it has been reported that the current approval rate of the Chancellor is at an all-time low of 0.0001%.
The operating hour cuts have also affected librarians, custodians, and security guards. Geisel Head Librarian Teddy Sousle reported, “Students have started to take out their newfound anger on those of us who work here. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been called hurtful things like ‘Khosla’s little library bitch’ or ‘education traitor.’ Guys, it’s not like I have a say in the matter — I’m literally the president of the Unofficial Khosla Hate Club!”
