Campus groups reduce finals stress

As final exams draw closer, organizations across campus will be offering ways for students to relieve stress throughout dead week.

Residence halls and the resident assistants from individual floors are looking forward to planning events with their residents and are open to suggestions. 

Matthew Ruehling, a junior and resident assistant in Read Center, said his residents will be able to attend events such as pancake dinners and massage therapy sessions.

“On my floor, we’re having an ice cream social on Saturday,” Ruehling said. “Another floor is doing Baked! cookies on Thursday.”

Laura Housel, the office service assistant of Collins LLC, said Collins will also have a pancake dinner and a stress management clinic from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday. A representative from Counseling and Psychological Services will talk to students about managing stress during finals.

Along with residence halls, other organizations will be hosting events to ease some of the studying stress bogging down students in the coming week. Program Services Assistant of Extracurricular Programming at Hutton Honors College Anna Duquaine said there will be finger painting for students in the Hutton Great Room from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The Latino Cultural Center scheduled events from Monday until Thursday this week between 7 and 8 p.m., offering food and activities to students.

“All week we have dinners, and during the dinners we do different kinds of things,” Director of La Casa Lillian Casillas said. “We make sure they get fed well.”

While eating, students can play games and learn how to manage stress. On Tuesday, students can take part in a Zumba class, and Wednesday they can take a break in a free massage chair. 

For a more physical way to blow off steam, Chris Arvin, director of Fitness and Wellness, said the Student Recreational Sports Center will offer additional free sessions and classes for students to take a study break.

“Tuesday at 4:45 and Wednesday at 6:00, we do have two special free yoga sessions for students with their IDs,” Arvin said. “Students always love yoga. It’s a great way to work through the stress of finals week.”

When it comes time to study, a variety of locations, including Herman B Wells Library and the Indiana Memorial Union will be putting out study tables and opening up rooms where students can have quiet study breaks without the stresses of loud residence halls.

IMU Marketing Manager Damen Morris said study rooms and conference rooms will be open for students throughout the IMU, mainly on the second floor. Schedules will be released for each room for each day, and space will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

University Information Technology Services developed an application that allows students to find empty seats in computer labs across campus, Chief Software Architect Brian McGough said.

The application can be accessed over the web and on mobile phones with IU Mobile. It includes a map detailing the locations of available seats in real time.

“What we intend to do is give you an indication of which rooms have seats available,” McGough said.    

Wells Library will have extended hours in the East Tower of the building, stretching the hours of operation from midnight to 2:00 a.m., said Diane Dallis , associate dean for Library Academic Services. The rest of the library will be open 24 hours a day.

“Things get so intense around here,” Dallis said.
   
Follow reporter Amanda Marino on Twitter @amandanmarino.