Russell House offers study space, stress-busters for exam week
In the midst of impending final exams and nail-biting late-night cram sessions, the Russell House is offering the perfect cure for stressed students: puppies, bubble wrap, free food and copious amounts of coffee. Beginning last fall, Russell House directors convert the student union into a “study union” during finals week of each semester, offering both quiet spaces and “stress buster” events in response to requests from students who had been crowded out of the Thomas Cooper Library.
“[The Russell House] has been a hidden gem for studying, but we didn’t see numbers increase until we started the ‘study union’ initiative,” said Ryan Gross, assistant director of Russell House Operations. “We like to think of ourselves as the ‘living room of campus,’ and the living room is a great place to study.”
Positive responses from students have led the initiative to expand its services each year. This year, Russell House will be open until 2 a.m. Dec. 4 through Dec. 8, offering any rooms not being used for “finals frenzy” Supplimental Instruction review sessions for group and individual studying. The Information Center in the basement will allow free copying, and complementary coffee will be served outside the theater Dec. 6 through Dec. 8.
This year, the Russell House has paired up with Changing Carolina, an extension of the Student Health Services, Sodexo and the Academic Centers for Excellence to put on this year’s “Russell House Review” Dec. 5, a four-hour stress-buster event beginning at 10 p.m. Students can fuel up on free late-night breakfast food at Grand Market Place, take out their stress on bubble wrap by foot and play with puppies and kittens from Pets Inc. Changing Carolina will bring their annual “de-stress fest” to the event with free messages and relaxation technique sessions. The Academic Centers of Excellence has also joined the initiative, preparing study packets for the Russell House Review.
Changing Carolina peer leader Simone Diggs, a third-year psychology student, encourages fellow students to leave enough room in their schedule to attend a de-stress event.
“As college students, we’re consumed with balancing our lives, but we neglect our mental health, which is important when taking tests,” Diggs said. “We have to be healthy to carry out our obligations.”