On Monday morning, an email to be forwarded “freely and hugely” made its way across Stanford email lists. The message presents another summons to occupy University space, again in the spirit of the worldwide Occupy movement. The email assures students that, while you may be busy, this gathering will engage you in a spirit of action and protest. Perhaps to encourage students who may be otherwise occupied with their studies, the allegedly permanent, 24/7 gathering is to be held in Meyer Library.

Stanford has two major libraries at its students’ service: Green and Meyer. While Green arguably boasts more available space for studying, it also requires students to swipe their SUID cards upon entrance and prepare bags for inspection upon exit. Meyer, free of these constraints, lends itself better to students coming and going, whether they are printing a last-minute paper or even cutting through the building, which sits squarely on top of a four-way intersection. However, plenty of students also use Meyer as their go-to library for long bouts of studying. And these students are not likely to appreciate an Occupy gathering in their study space.

It is unclear precisely what this new occupation will entail, and even the italicized keywords in the email remain vague. Is this a protest? A sit-in? No, it is a “presence.” Students are encouraged to study in solidarity, to make signs or to have a conversation about the events of our changing world. While a “presence” might be less disruptive than other potential types of demonstration, distractions of any kind in a library setting are generally frowned upon.

Why Meyer Library? Meyer is a study space, and with that in mind the timing of the Occupy gathering is woefully inopportune. Stanford students are fast approaching the end of the quarter and a week of final exams. Many students will be taking their first ever series of final exams at Stanford. At this time of academic stress, students increasingly rely upon libraries to be places of refuge from other distractions, from constant study breaks and social contact, or as environments in which a study-focused atmosphere can facilitate concentration upon their notes and textbooks.

Perhaps the Occupy gathering was scheduled to take place in Meyer precisely because it is likely to be a hub of student activity in the coming two weeks. Perhaps Occupy would like to increase its popularity on the Stanford campus, for it certainly has not been able to do so as yet. It would be more than fair to acknowledge that Stanford students have not enthusiastically embraced participation in a large Occupy Stanford movement. The email gives students the benefit of the doubt, suggesting, “You’re busy. You’re at Stanford,” even while insinuating that it is merely homework, class and extracurricular activities that have kept students from Occupy Stanford activities.

Few can argue against the possibilities of dialogue, open-mindedness and learning. As an elite institution, Stanford stands for the very principles in which these activities are rooted. But there are times and places for dialogue that are more appropriate than others, and this time, Occupy has shown its disrespect for students’ study habits by choosing to hold its open forum in a common space utilized specifically for academic purposes. Rather, we hope that students will utilize the plethora of other forums for dialogue that currently take place on this campus, such as the ongoing series of “Occupy the Future” lectures by faculty members, sponsored by the Haas Center for Public Service. Dialogue can happen in the classroom, in the lecture hall, in any number of meetings; please leave the library to the students in the next two weeks.