You're talking about graduate students - they're likely going to be there for 5-6 years, and are actual adults. They might want to - you know - date someone. Or make a space their own.

And having been serious about one of those worthwhile degrees, I still watched TV. Living like a monk and doing nothing but studying for the entirety of your PhD, and pretending the surrounds you do it in don't matter, is a recipe for having a breakdown.