The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board.

The meaning of “dead week” is different for each university, but changes made at Murray State during the week before finals have students experiencing whole new levels of stress.

There are multiple reasons why it feels like Murray State is working against us during a time when we need all the help we can get.

While some universities cancel classes the week before finals, Murray State follows regular class times along with giving regular homework assignments, stacks of papers due at one time and provides a severe lack of resources for students to be successful.

Fortunately, Waterfield Library offered 24-hour services to students during dead week from?Monday through Thursday. The hours were cut last semester and were brought back this spring so students can cram.

If faculty justify making multiple papers, projects and assignments due at one time while also expecting us to be prepared for final exams, we need all the study venues possible.

Since the University could not refrain from dumping a massive workload on students, cutting the library hours seemed unfair and impractical, so students urged Murray State to reconsider the decision.

Some college students also have additional responsibilities of working jobs, paying bills and supporting families. Graduating students have the added stress of preparing for careers, moving out of Murray housing and preparing for another chapter beyond college.

The unreasonable amount of work dumped on students comes in conflict with balancing other parts of their lives and makes it difficult to fulfill other priorities.

It is an ongoing joke that dead week makes students resort to a zombie-like state. The campus is eerily silent, and students skip sleeping and eating to get in extra study time. Some turn to ADHD?medication to perform better, which is another problem in itself.

Is this the impression that Murray State wants to give to future students? People don’t want to attend a school that doesn’t allow them to lead normal, productive lives because of the stress the week before finals brings.

This is a time when faculty need to be more understanding of the demands placed on students. They should realize that the majority of the students are considered full-time students, who also have to worry about at least three other classes.

Teachers notice the dropping attendance numbers during dead week and don’t understand why students are not showing up. We are in a position where we have no choice but to prioritize some obligations over others instead of taking everything on at once. Missing a class means more time to study for a test.

We are not looking for a reprieve, but we are looking for professors to work with us and accept that we cannot perform at our best under the circumstances Murray State has given us.

We were warned that college wasn’t a cakewalk, and we didn’t expect it to be, but the expectations placed on us are some that even the best students find difficult to fulfill.

Murray State places high importance on students being successful and prepared to excel both in the classroom and outside of it. For students to perform well in their classes, especially during finals week, the University needs to meet us halfway.