In an effort to keep the library free of litter, the librarians decided to take away candy boxes for the duration that the sellers are in the library. When sellers enter the library, they are told to hand over their candy to a librarian, who keeps it in his or her office until the students leave the library.“We’ve had complaints from the custodians about students eating candy and leaving the wrappers on the floor,” librarian De Lisa Brown said. “I’ve even seen some mice running around and they sometimes leave droppings on the tables.”There are close to 150 students in the library every period. The librarians usually take away boxes from two to three people each period.Sophomore Stanley Chan doesn’t mind the new rules and voluntarily hands over his candy box. “Some of my candy got stolen last year, so it’s safer to keep it with the librarian,” he said.Others, like freshman Jason Tsui, are skeptical of the effectiveness of the new rule.“Taking away boxes won’t stop [students] from eating in here,” said Tsui, who had his box of candy taken away. “People get back the boxes and just sell in the hallway right outside.”“I still see people eating in the back and selling under the tables,” said senior Rene Grant, a library monitor. “[The librarians] can’t be everywhere at once.”Last year, policies had been established that banned candy selling in the library, but they were not heavily enforced. The new rule isn’t official, and different librarians have enforced it to different degrees.Librarian Chris Asch chooses not to confiscate boxes. “Students should be able to raise funds for their clubs and teams,” he said. “But they shouldn’t eat in here and I do kick out those who do.”Brown has noticed a decrease in the amount of candy wrappers left on the floor since she started keeping boxes in her office.“I’m just enforcing a policy that has already been set,” she said. “I’m just trying to keep the library clean. If people want to sell candy, there are places to go and do that. This isn’t it.”
