Posted on Dec. 5: Little shut-eye for students preparing for exams
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/studying_web.jpg” caption=”Cecilia Iosif”]Crunch time's on. From a walk around campus, it's unmistakable. In the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC), baggy-eyed students are surrounded by papers and books. In lounges, groups are huddled in serious discussion. And libraries are the busiest they've been all term.
The McMaster campus is a quiet place these days, with students preparing for the 60,277 examinations that will be written between Dec. 4 and 17.
But studying might be a little less stressful because of accommodations made by University services and student committees.
The McMaster Students Union
Student Life Committee (SLC), for example, has co-ordinated an All-Night Study Program in the MUSC, where all floors are dedicated to students studying for exams. Silent areas and discussion areas have been established 24 hours a day in meeting rooms, banquet halls, lounges and the atrium. Consideration hours are in effect 24 hours a day, while no tolerance hours are between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Free coffee, donated by Hospitality Services, tea, hot chocolate and Coke products are available to students studying in the MUSC. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, the SLC is selling cups for $1. Chocolate bars and chips are also for sale for $1 in Room 203 of MUSC. All proceeds will be channeled back into the program.
Students appear to appreciate the sugar and caffeine. On an average night, the SLC pours 10 pots of coffee an hour, says SLC chair Erin Robinson.
Several University services have contributed to the program, Robinson says, including Student Affairs, which provided $1,000 towards the cost of the program, McMaster University
Student Centre administration, which is allowing the SLC to use the centre and Physical Plant, which has placed additional garbage cans and recycling bins throughout the MUSC.
The program, held in libraries in previous years, helps students prepare for exams, Robinson feels. “We found that students don't have many places to study on campus,” she says. “A lot of places, such as coffee shops in Westdale, close around 10 p.m., and many students were also studying in the hospital. By using a building on campus, most students can get here and a lot of resources students need are available for them here.”
Studying in residences is not always ideal either, says Robinson, who notes a 22-hour quiet time has been imposed in most residences and halls during the exam period. “That doesn't work for students who want to have discussions,” she says.
“I think the new student building is phenomenal,” she says. “The building is huge, the couches are comfortable and there is a lot of space for students to study. There are a lot of little nooks and crannies that students can tuck themselves away into. It's absolutely great that we get to use the student centre for this.”
Students also have access to the Internet through Ethernet connections in some MUSC rooms and lounges, she says. And for those students seeking a break from studying, the House of Games, located in Rm. B118, MUSC, has extended hours from 12 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The student centre also offers a safe place to study, Robinson notes. At least two students at a time monitor the building for safety during the All-Night Study Program. As well, Student Walk Home Attendant Team volunteers are available to walk students home between 5:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. seven days a week. For a walk home call ext. 27500.
McMaster Libraries are also busy with students preparing for exams. For libraries hours from Nov. 30, 2002 to Jan. 4, 2003, click here
For an exam schedule Click here
Photo caption: Third-year commerce student Cecilia Iosif studies in the McMaster University Student Centre. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay
