If you give a student a cookie, he is going to ask for a glass of milk. Then he’s probably going to want some books and maybe even a red sofa to lounge in on the sixth floor – or at least that’s what GW’s library staff would like to think.

Milk and Cookies is a library-sponsored event that allows GW students to enter their residence hall into a lottery to win a night of free milk and cookies. The lottery draw is headed by the Gelman Outreach Committee, which is comprised of Gelman and Eckles staff members.

Senior Shannon Holmes, the student liaison for Gelman Library, said that the milk and cookies lottery is one way to make students aware of the other benefits the library has to offer.

“Basically once they get the milk and cookies, we can let students know that Gelman is more than a place to come from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. when you are trying to get your studies in,” Holmes said. “It’s an actual place that has a lot of great services available.”

Sophomore Jackson Trugman said he enjoyed attending the event last semester.

“I thought it was really great. I was starving because I was studying so much and I was really hungry and they had cookies and milk. It was cool, there was a bunch of other people there and we all needed a break because we were studying so hard.”

In the past, milk and cookies has been held during the week of finals in the Gelman lobby or in Thurston Hall, but this year the event will take the form of a contest with hosting rights as the prize.

Ballot boxes – located at the reference and circulation desks – become available for this year’s competition Monday and will remain open until Nov. 2. Students are encouraged to vote as early and as often as they want in an effort to balance out the disadvantage of living in a smaller dorm.

“Whatever residence hall is nominated with the most votes will have milk and cookies this semester. We are targeting on-campus students. You can be in Ivory Tower, even HOVA if enough graduate students vote for it,” Holmes said.

Gelman will offer an assortment of cookies and milks this year including soy milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk and Neapolitan cookies.

After contest results have been announced, the event will be held on Nov. 6. All students are encouraged to attend Milk and Cookies at the winning residence hall, but imagine how much sweeter the treat would be if held in the comfort of your own hall.

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