UI provides resources to help students prepare for finals
To prepare for upcoming final exams, many students choose to cram alone in their rooms or at a coffee shop. However, the University of Idaho offers many resources for students to help them prepare for finals and relax in the process.
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ASUI Senator Austin Blacker hands out healthy snacks at the free
snack table in the library Tuesday night to help students during finals.
The library is one of these resources. Reference Librarian Beth Canzoneri said many organizations are partnering with the library to keep students hydrated and refreshed throughout the stressful weeks.
“For dead week, we are working with ASUI to provide — for three nights — healthy snacks like bananas, granola bars and smart-popped popcorn, coffee and school supplies,” she said. “They also take a cart to second floor and walk around.”
Thursday, a yoga instructor from the Student Recreation Center led a yoga session to relax the students cramming for exams in the library. While this semester was the first time yoga was offered, it is the fifth semester the library and ASUI collaborated to provide snacks and coffee.
“We’ve found that dead week is a much more active study week,” Canzoneri said. “That’s why we concentrate activities for dead week.”
Canzoneri said library hours don’t change for finals or dead week and the library will still be open until midnight Sunday through Thursday.
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Brittany Norberg pets Klondike, an American Eskimo cat from the Humane Society, in the Commons Wednesday.
“There are no distractions (in the library),” she said. “You also have some accountability when you’re studying in the library. If you’re in your room by yourself, you can suddenly find yourself on Facebook. If you’re in the library, you have people around you that are really going to keep you on task.”
She said librarians are on duty until 7 p.m. to assist students in finding relevant materials.
The Fishbowl, the windowed area on the north side of the library, is open 24 hours a day so students can continue to study even after the library has closed.
Although the library only provided snacks during dead week, from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday of finals week there will be a hot chocolate stand outside of the library provided by Vandal Health Education.
To kick off finals week, from 9-11 p.m. the Sunday before finals week, Bob’s Cafeteria will offer a free meal, called Late Night Breakfast. University Housing spokeswoman Cara Lehman said they have done the breakfast for a few years and it’s always been successful.
“It’s an appreciation from housing and dining to students for a good semester, as well as just a time to celebrate and wish students good luck on finals week,” Lehman said.
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Alysha Van Zante (left) and Zoe Ball (right) push around the free snack cart in the library Tuesday night.
Located in the basement of the Wallace Residence Hall, the Student Success Center is another resource for students. The Success Center welcomes all students, not just those living in the residence halls. At 7 p.m., Sunday through Thursday of finals week, the Student Success Center will host events to help students relax before and after their finals.
Activities will include games, origami and story time. Academic peer mentors, Area Assistant Victoria Slichter and Student Success and Retention Coordinator Colton Bjerke host all activities.
“We are having them in order to give students a chance to get their minds off their academics,” Slitcher said. “It’s important for students to do this during a stressful time such as finals. We bought coloring books and crayons, and it’s just kind of a fun way to just relax and take your mind off of your academics. We got Hello Kitty, Captain America and Lion King coloring books.”
Bjerke will offer extended office hours during finals week to help students with their studies. Bjerke will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Monday and Tuesday and 3-5 p.m. Wednesday.
Kelsey Stevenson can be reached at [email protected]