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Less distracting, more helpful relief this week
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After interviewing students about what would provide real finals relief, Student Activities Coordinator, Autumn Haynes, decided it was time for some changes.
“We’ve tried to be a little more student-friendly. Students told us that they didn’t want to be entertained or distracted. Instead, they wanted help getting through their finals,” Haynes said.
With this information, Haynes set about working to provide services that would make all the aspects of studying easier.
As a result the Alberston’s Library will be open 24 hours a day during finals for studying only. Licensed providers will provide free childcare through Wednesday in the Cataldo room of the Student Union. On-site tutors will be available in the Student Union until Wednesday for varying hours.
The idea for on-site tutors was a real “brain child,” said Haynes. “We thought about the process of studying and realized sometimes you have a math formula that you just can’t figure out and you just want someone to help,” said Haynes.
Relaxation was another area students emphasized, Haynes said.
“We will continue to offer free massage and we have ordered lots of food, small toys, bendy pens, bubbles and stuff like that to help people relax,” said Haynes.
Another problem students identified was the lack of available computers in computer labs, Haynes said. With the help of ASBSU funds, Haynes said computers were made available in the Student Union Gibson room last week. Haynes hopes to extend this offering next semester if resources are available.
“We can’t remedy the situation but we can try to alleviate it a little,” Haynes said.
Haynes observed that students’ responses to the computers have been favorable.
“I think that it surprises them that it (computer room) is here,” Haynes said. “The response has been, ‘Hey, this is great I don’t have to go across campus to use a computer.”
Another way Haynes found to take the stress out of finals week was to work with the Parking Committee to try to alleviate parking woes.
Although all did not go as Haynes had hoped, she was able to negotiate free metered parking during finals week and the East stadium lot will be open parking with no permits required.
Haynes also learned that in an effort to encourage students to pay their parking tickets, the Parking office offered to discount all fees by half for those who pay their fines from Today until Thursday.
With these programs in place, Haynes felt it was important to get the word out to students and made an extra effort to produce a “user-friendly” publication.
“It wasn’t in our budget to do these (finals relief info-schedules) but we thought that students weren’t getting the information on what’s going on,” Haynes said. “So, we scraped up some money and printed 500, next semester we hope to do 1000.”
Plans are already being made to extend the Finals Relief offerings next semester, Haynes said.
“We’re really excited about doing some work with the new recreation center next semester. Not only extending their hours but possibly offering bicycling classes or something like that,” Haynes said.
For more information about Finals Relief, pocket info-schedules will be available at all Fine Host food service outlets, The Bookstore, and the Student Union Information Desk.
Julie Underwood