From the dining booths at the University Food Court to the comfy chairs at Booth Library, there are places all around Eastern’s campus for students to study and relax.

Sophomore accounting major Victoria Wharton said she sits in Booth Library between her classes every day.

“I just like sitting by the window,” Wharton said.

The library is an open space for students to observe all the activity going on outside around them, and natural light fills the entire room.

Summer He, a graduate student majoring in sustainable energy of and master of business administration, said, “I’m a student worker, so I work (at Booth Library). It’s a quiet environment.”

With her being a busy graduate student, she said she comes to the library to find a place away from all of the noise on campus.

The calm, quiet atmosphere is something she said she prefers to areas with more student activity, such as the 24-hour Lounge in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“I don’t like to study in the 24-hour Lounge in the Union because it’s not a library, so sometimes it’s very noisy and people are talking out loud,” He said.

The 24-hour Lounge is another place students can go to study and relax on campus, and, as the name signifies, it is open all day, every day.

Jamiya Smith, a sophomore family and consumer sciences major, said, “(The 24-hour Lounge) is pretty quiet, and everybody’s pretty considerate of other people. They try not to talk too loud, and I like that it’s quiet and I can focus.”

In contrast to He’s opinion, Smith said she cannot study at Booth Library because she finds it too quiet.

Senior biology major Brittany Banks said she tries to go to the 24-hour Lounge when she can.

“I like (the 24-hour lounge) because it has a microwave where I can warm up my food. It’s also quiet and peaceful,” she said.

The University Food Court is a place where Banks said she cannot study because of all of the commotion.

Senior sociology major Ambria Durham said she hangs out at the Food Court about four times a week.

“I don’t have to be too quiet, so I can still talk to people and study at the same time. (The Food Court) is super chill, and I need noise,” she said.

Senior sociology major Tatjana Williams said she thinks the library is not somewhere she can study because it is too quiet to focus, which is why she prefers the Food Court.

Another study spot on campus is the Java Beanery and Bakery.

According to Eastern’s website, “Java B & B, located in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union next to the Bookstore, offers Seattle’s Best Espresso, freshly brewed coffee, and iced specialty drinks along with gourmet baked goods. All these items are presented in a relaxing atmosphere where students can study, read or access WiFi. Dining Dollars, cash, credit and chip money can be used to purchase items from Java B&B.”

Amber Salutric, a junior communication disorders and sciences and Spanish major, said she thinks the coffee shop is a good place to sit down and work on homework.

“I like that I can still see people walking by, but I’m still able to be by myself and still focus at the same time. And (there is) coffee,” she said.

Depending on the week, Salutric said she studies alone or with friends, but when she studies with friends, she prefers the library.

Abby Lee can be reached at 581-2812 or at aalee2@eiu.edu.