UI offers students stress-relief for finals

If you see more stressed-out students than usual in the coffeehouses, libraries and other study spaces around the Iowa City area, that's because it's Finals Week at the University of Iowa.

Recognizing that students need a bit of a stress relief as they demonstrate how well they've been listening in their classes over the course of the semester, UI officials have organized a number of options throughout the campus.

The activities at the Iowa Memorial Union began over the weekend, kicked off in earnest with a Monday morning pancake breakfast and will continue throughout the week with quiet study spots, free snacks, yoga and massages.

"We've been talking a lot about stress reduction ... and about how easy it is to not feel supported during (the finals) process," said Tyler Hackman, the student marketer responsible for the Finals@IMU programming. "Our goal is to help guide (students) through this process and help them have a more positive experience."

During Monday's pancake breakfast, Jose Almendariz — a freshman biology major from Addison, Ill. — described himself as being "overly stressed" this week. He has three finals, with the last one scheduled for Friday, and he said he plans to take full advantage of the massages being offered.

Natalie Fuglewicz — a pre-med freshman from Itaska, Ill. — described her stress level as being "10 out of 10" with five finals scheduled for this week. She had just finished her final in general chemistry before joining the pancake breakfast Monday, and her last final, anthropology, is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday.

Freshman Jalyn Clark, a pre-business freshman from Winterset, said her stress level was "better now" that her first final was over Monday morning. But with two more to go, she said she's planning on taking advantage of the massages and "all the free food" before Thursday.

Cathy Vanhxay, a pre-med sophomore from Sioux City, said she won't have the first of her three finals until Wednesday. She said her stress level is "about average," but she'll expect it to spike over the next few days.

"I've been taking it easy," Vanhxay said. "I'm breaking up the studying into chunks."

The students said they found about Monday's pancake breakfast largely through friends and social media, as opposed to any official announcements from the university. They will be spreading the word about the other activities.

Hackman said this is the second year in which Finals@IMU has been organized to such a degree. The list and times for the services offered, he said, have been adjusted over the past two semesters based on student feedback.

Bret Gothe, director of strategic communications for the UI Division of Student Life, said there are Final Week events being sponsored by many individual colleges and departments.

"We are just a small component of how students are supported across the campus," Gothe said.

But given UI's goal of continuing to transform the IMU into a more central location in the lives of students, Gothe said Finals@IMU has become one of the "flagship events" hosted at the IMU.

"Saturday and Sunday have been crazy," Gothe said. "Our hallways are a bit of disaster with all the (free) popcorn. Our tables and chairs are being dragged around. But that's alright, (as long as) students are feeling safe and comfortable."

Higher education reporter Jeff Charis-Carlson can be contacted at 319-887-5435 or jcharisc@press-citizen.com.

If you go

The University of Iowa has scheduled several stress-relieving options during Finals Week. The list of Finals@IMU activities include:

• Quiet study spots: Starting at noon each day through Thursday, the IMU Main Lounge will be open for student use.

• Free snacks: Healthy snacks are available starting at 2 p.m. through Wednesday.

• Yoga: Classes will be available from 11 a.m. to noon and 9 to 10 p.m., through Thursday, at the South Room. (Mats not provided.)

• Carbs and caffeine breakfast: Starting at 6:30 a.m. through Thursday.

• Massages: 8 p.m. to midnight through Wednesday.

• Free coffee and free popcorn: Through 11 p.m. Wednesday.

• For a full list of activities, go to http://studentlife.uiowa.edu/news/finals.

For additional assistance

Angie Reams, the University of Iowa's assistant to the dean for student care initiatives, said her office doesn't usually see an uptick of students requesting extra supports during Finals Week.

"We see a pretty steady stream throughout the semester, Reams said. "What we do see are students who know when they are stressed and when they need to reach out for assistance."

The Finals Week support events, Reams said, help keep students engaged with each other.

These activities "let students know, 'I'm not alone in this stressful week,' and they help students work through some of the stress of finals," Reams said.

For those students who are feeling more overwhelmed, however, Reams encourages them to reach out to:

• Their personal support systems.

• Their RAs.

• UI's Academic Support and Retention, uc-retention@uiowa.edu or uc-swatprogram@uiowa.edu.

• University Counseling Services, 335-7294 or http://counseling.studentlife.uiowa.edu.

• The other services available through the "student assistance" page of the UI dean of students' website, http://dos.uiowa.edu/assistance.