CU provides several opportunities for students to relax
It’s that time of the season again. The decorations are coming out, families are preparing to celebrate and students are pulling together what energy they have left to pass their final exams.
The stress levels are rising, and CU is doing what it can to provide students with various activities to counteract the stress.
“Stress is the number two reason students do poorly in classes,” said Lisa Jung, a sophomore majoring in integrative physiology and student coordinator with the Wellness Center. “Stress doesn’t help us focus well, it leaves us distracted and tired.”
The Wellness Center is providing a “finals haven” in UMC room 227 from Dec. 12-14, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. where they will be offering free massages, aromatherapy, tea, acupuncture and a relaxation room.
The relaxation room will have beanbags, lava lamps, coloring books and other things to help students relax, said Jung. They will also be handing out survival kits with condoms, earplugs, coupons for massages and food, and tips to help de-stress.
The Wellness Center will also be present at the annual Midnight Breakfast on Monday Dec. 18 giving massages and handing out survival kits.
The Connection in the UMC will be offering free bowling and pool from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. before the Midnight Breakfast.
This year volunteers for the breakfast will include the Chancellor and the dean and professors from the School of Music to help serve students. Last year, the School of Journalism was in charge of the breakfast.
“If the professor you’ve feared all semester is serving you breakfast, hopefully you’ll see that they’re human,” said Jan Owens, administrative assistant for the UMC student programs office.
Breakfast begins at 11:59 p.m. on the first floor of the UMC outside the Alferd Packard Grill. They serve breakfast burritos, French toast sticks, fruit, cereal, milk and coffee, among other things, said Owens.
This year, the theme of the Midnight Breakfast is “extreme” and will focus on extreme sports. They will be showing the ski movie “Pull,” a Matchstick Productions film.
The UMC usually feeds anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 students. The breakfast lasts until “we run out of food,” Owens said. “It’s a way for us to thank the students for coming in and utilizing the UMC and supporting us.”
Housing and Dining Services is also offering finals snacks for students with meal plans from Dec. 14-20, — excluding Dec. 16, from 9 p.m. to10 p.m. — in the dining centers. They are also offering a holiday buffet on Dec. 13.
“When students are up really late studying and when you live in the dorm, you don’t have anywhere to get food really late,” said Jenny Bergen, a junior journalism major. “But a lot of people go, so if you don’t get there in the first 20 minutes, the food is gone.”
Program Council is offering free movie showings, for students’ viewing pleasure. Tuesday Dec. 5, they will be showing “Water” in Hellems 252 at 5 p.m.; on Wednesday Dec. 6 “Pan Labyrinth” at 8 p.m. in Chem. 140; and Will Smith’s new movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” will preview on Friday Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. in Chem. 140. Tickets are free for students and available in UMC room 401 the week of the show.
They are also offering two concerts: Red Line Defiance is playing with Saving Verona, No Fair Fights and Hit by a Bus on Dec. 8, doors open at 7 p.m. and admission is $6. Second String is playing with Some Random Band on Dec. 9, doors open at 7 p.m. and admission for everyone is $5. Both concerts are in Club 156 in the UMC.
The student Rec. Center is also having a Final Frenzy Week from Dec. 16-21. They will be offering all of their classes free for students.
This time of year, the goal is to, “help students relax before finals,” said Jung. “Eating well and sleeping well may help too.”
