Study on Sunday gave University students the opportunity to study, learn from tutors, de-stress and unleash their inner kindergartner.
A program existing since the Learning Commons was created five years ago, Study on Sunday, or SOS, has offered students the opportunity to prepare for exams and de-stress in the library before finals in both the fall and spring semesters. Mark Nelson, director of the Learning Commons, said it’s that last “cram session” before finals.
“It kind of started out a smaller version … and then we keep adding,” Nelson said.
This year’s events included free popcorn, tips to conquer stress anxiety from the Counseling Center, licensed therapy dogs, pixie stick making and a night snack and coffee from the Undergraduate Student Government.
Another popular event at SOS was Back to Kindergarten. During this event students were able to take study breaks to do crafts, color and play with play dough.
“We like to create a nice atmosphere for students … it’s kind of a home away from home place to study,” Nelson said.
Junior criminal justice major Callen DeLuca said that the library definitely creates a helpful environment for students and “pertains more to an academic context” than other studying locations. She said by seeing other students studying, it is motivation to study as well.
“It’s kind of like a silent way of cheering people on,” DeLuca said.
Abby Pawl, a sophomore biology major, also decided to utilize the Learning Common’s SOS to study for finals. Pawl said she has used the library more often in the last couple days than she had during the rest of the semester. Previously, Pawl had studied in the Union.
“Since it’s finals week, I figured the library was a better option,” Pawl said. “It’s more of a study atmosphere than a social one.”
In addition to the different therapy events, there were hours of drop-in tutoring available for students in a variety of subjects, along with the usual Learning Commons writing appointments.
Senior mathematics tutor Jennifer Rudy has been tutoring for the Learning Commons since the fall of 2013 and said SOS can be helpful.
“It’s important for the students to get last minute help … on things that they may have learned early in the semester and forgotten,” Rudy said.
Nelson said that on Finals SOS, Learning Commons tutors and staff see a lot of students who have used the services throughout the semester, but a lot of new students come as well.
“We designed it, when we came up with the idea, as a way for students to kind of fine-tune their studies before they head into finals, so they can do well,” Nelson said.
