Kelly never heard back from them.

This semester, five trained watchmen, wearing green polo shirts and police radios, will try to protect for students like Kelly.

Students excessively talking in quiet wings, stealing belongings, or smoking in prohibited areas near the library can expect a tap on the shoulder from the MSU police Green Coats.

Dave Oslund, MSU police coordinator for special events and Green Coat supervisor, hired students this year to assist the library in enforcing and explaining library policies to students not in compliance.

Green Coats are a security force that monitor athletic games and special events but MSU library officials requested that they patrol the library on a trial basis this semester.

Faye Backie, associate director of public services, said the high number of complaints and requests the library was receiving from students who wanted a quieter study area triggered the decision to designate the east wing as a quiet area and call for Green Coat patrol.

“We wanted to make sure if we were going to designate the east wing as a quiet study, that it was a quiet study,” she said. “We hope (students) will take (Green Coats) seriously.”

Kriss Ostrom, head of circulation at the MSU Libraries, said one Green Coat will be on duty at a time, policing the entire library between 7 p.m. and midnight Sunday through Thursday. If students are defiant, Green Coats can pull out their radios and call for campus police backup, Oslund said.

But students aren’t quite convinced that Green Coats can actually be effective in improving life in the library.

Kelly said he still doesn’t feel secure about the fact that only one Green Coat will be working a time.

“I think there should be more Green Coats working at a time to actually reduce thefts,” he said.