If you're new to the SIU campus, really tired of taking the time to go home midday or just don't have it in you to make it through the day, what you need to do is find some good spots to nap. Like most universities, ours has tons of suitable locations, and after my own research and personal napping experiences, these are what I have meticulously gathered as some of the best places to konk out on campus.
1. Inside Morris Library
Everyone has their own favorite place to nap in the library. There are SO MANY opportune spots. Personally, mine is the 3rd floor rotunda on the big leather chairs right in the sun. Most of my friends prefer the 5th floor in the chairs along the South wall. The basement is always completely silent. Hell, I've even seen people sleeping in the lobby on the first floor amidst the chaos of the day. Go there between classes, put your headphones in, and crash. Do it. We all know that that's what the "quiet floors" are really for.
2. The upper floors of the Student Center
I didn't even know these existed until the end of my sophomore year, and hardly anyone else knows about them or utilizes them, either. On the 3rd and 4th floors there are some small lounge areas with comfy chairs and whole walls of benches for you to pass out on. There's also a study room on the 2nd floor that almost no one ever uses. Other perks of these places include the best, fullest vending machines and the cleanest, emptiest bathrooms.
3. The library rocks
Only maybe 1 of the lot is actually comfortable whatsoever to sleep on, but on a beautiful day in Carbondale, nothing beats climbing up onto one of them to bask out in the sun, have a smoothie from Delyte's, and snooze.
4. Your car
If you're a commuter, your car might be a more private option if you're weird about napping in public. Nothing beats reclining your seat and ignoring the fact that you're on campus for a bit.
5. The Quigley Gallery
If you live in Quigley like I do, or if you just have to be in that terribly small auditorium for one of your classes, the Quigley gallery has some decent upholstery you can crash on. Plus, the lights are never on, and the concrete floors make it absolutely freezing at almost all times. Bring a blanket, even.
6. The basement of the Student Center (the Craft Shop)
This is one of my favorite undiscovered gems of campus. The retro-esque basement of the Student Center has a wood shop and craft shop for students to use, but the best part is all of the booths and tables that no one uses. The lighting makes the whole room seem kind of creepy, but it's the best if you need some quiet, uninhabited space to study or sleep.
7. Lawson
I don't necessarily want to encourage sleeping in class, but I'm pretty sure that the best sleep happens when your professor's voice bores you to sleep in a dark lecture hall with 200 other people. You can't deny it.
8. Neckers
My experience with Neckers is that it's a clutter of desks, couches, and chairs around some super nice auditoriums. I've been told that the 4th floor in particular has a really nice couch for sleeping. There's also a crazy nice view out of the massive four-story curtain walls in the fall.
9. The 2nd floor of the TEC
This is totally out of my experience, but friends have relayed to me that for our off-campus majors, the 2nd floor of the TEC has a bunch of chairs that you basically melt into. Utilize them.
10. Literally any slightly secluded place you can find
We're college students, and one of our biggest super powers is being able to nap wherever we want and really not giving a sh*t. And sometimes, we really need to sleep whenever and wherever we can.
Extra tip: if you're ever having an extra terrible day, all of these places can also be used as quiet places to cry. Keep on sleeping on, Salukis.
