At any given period, the ARC is swarming with students yapping loudly.  In the middle of the floor, a large blanket is set up, piled high with bags and students while music blasts loudly from speakers.  In the back of the ARC, girls flip though old seventeen magazines while talking loudly about the upcoming dance, their voices heard throughout the building.

We know the ARC is not your traditional, silent library, but can we turn the volume down a notch? This is not your living room.

It’s great to see math teachers helping their students with homework and a group of girls studying for the next chemistry exam. We fully support people who use quieter, “inside voices” appropriate for a studying space.

However, we don’t want to hear girls, who aren’t doing anything productive, goofing off. There is no escaping the perpetual banter and chatter, which hinder other students who wish to be studying.

Marlborough girls (and teachers) have busy lives after school, and those 45 minutes of open time during a free period are precious time to get homework and studying done, and they need a quiet space.

The study carrels, a former haven for last-minute cramming, are no longer safe from the incessant gossiping that echoes through the ARC. Although the study rooms may seem like a great alternative, the three small spaces are usually filled the entire day.

Obviously, we can’t rip apart the building again and erect walls to create a “silent side” like the one in the Salvatori Library. But something does need to be done about our noise-pollution.  And it needs to begin with you, the student population, not another construction project.

So next time you have the urge to chitchat, kindly remember that some people need to focus. If you can’t talk quietly, please move elsewhere.

What do you think about noise in the ARC?  Do you agree with us, or disagree?  Please comment below!