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Show Monday, August 23,2010 CLASS & CAREERS ause and de-stress at Weber In-campus relief for jjress of college life Kory Wood tdres editor The Signpost fibr incoming freshmen, school |»be a source of new stress, but p are several campus facilities Jjgned for stress-coping and hi recreation. [think that everyone relieves stress in different ways," Brett Ciagun, a WSU junior fpring in psychology. "Campus ides lots of different ways for £ e to relieve their stress." Wildcat Lanes, which features leight-lane bowling alley and fcral pool tables, offer relaxing fcsical education courses Ig the day for students Johing for a break from more iemic classes, and also are Jprally open to play during less hours, Monday thru rday. me, the campus is a .rtiful place," Cragun said. "I Iforhat they have done with the | Tower and the square there le running water is a stress£ver. Other people, though, the found in the billiards, or fling; even the computer labs rfce a stress-relieving tool." )ther on-campus options £ relieving stress are readily Jable.The Stress Management : which is located in the json Gym and provides ition techniques and other ss-coping tools, is generally to students during school 3R5. The lab is meant to give students a "large number of effective tools that work to reduce (their) stress and help (them) feel a lot better," according to the lab's director, Dr. Michael Olpin. The Swenson Gym is also regularly open for all students who relieve stress through exercise. "My wife and I use the campus gym facilities at least four or five days a week," said WSU senior business major Jordan West. "They have a lot of stuff to do. When I'm in that weight room, I can just vent. The negative energy is just released." West is a cheerleader for the WSU squad, and exercises outside of his required team regimen. "I like to go golfing," West said. "It makes me forget about other stresses because I'm so stressed at my golf game. My wife Kamri likes to go trail-running on the trails above campus." Also a cheerleader at WSU, Kamri West said she has benefited from leading an active lifestyle. "I used to not go lift and work out, but I really like it," Kamri West said. "It makes you feel good about actually doing something. I also enjoy my time off. If I had advice for freshmen, it'd be to make sure and keep a good planner. I started to plan in time off, time to go see my mom, time to go to the gym ... and it helped a lot. Because if you don't, you just don't get to that." An active lifestyle has been PHOTO BY BRYAN 8UTTERFIELD | THE SICNPOST Jeremy Jensen reacts to his break in the Wildcat Lanes billiards hall as Casey Wood looks on. Students are welcome to use the billiard tables and eight-lane bowling alley at reduced prices. heralded as the best cure for student stress, and has also been encouraged by researchers at an unspecified university in the northern United States that presented at the June 3 annual meeting for the American College of Sports Medicine, according to Georgiann Caruso of CNN. According to this study of 266 undergraduates ages 18-22, 20 minutes of "daily vigorous physical activity among college students may lead them to have grade point averages about 0.4 higher, on a scale of 4.0, compared with students who do not exercise," reinforcing the message that "exercise reduces stress, improves performance and increases a sense of wellbeing." Other students have found recreation. I had a lot of studying recreational means to relieve time my freshman year without stress buildup. any activity, and it was really Jason Lewis, a junior radiation ineffective, but my mind was a therapy major, picked up lot more active after rrnade sure to do some things I enjoye<j. on racquetball as a sophomore. *" "You can pick it up really the side." quick," Lewis said. "You don't For students seeking even to need to take a class. There counseling for psychological are free courts in the Swenson issues like sleep disorders, Gym ... and it's year-round, learning disorders, anxiety, which is especially good for depression and relationship Weber State, where the weather's problems, the Counseling and bad outside. You really only need Psychological Services Center one other person, too." is also available. Located in the Like the Wests, Lewis Student Services Building, it encourages freshmen to make is also equipped with a highly time for recreation to alleviate trained staff of professionals who are used to working with a wide the stress of academic life. "Something I learned from population of students. my sophomore year was to stop Comment on this story at and take some time to put in wsusignpost.com. f l y O l I C I continued from front 1 i VERYTHING IS SO LAST SEMESTER. SO GO AHEAD AND TRADE IT IN. THESHACK TRADE SAVE BRING YOUR ELIGIBLE WORKING ELECTRONICS INTO THE SHACK AND GET A GIFT CARD. With our Trade & Save program, you can get the best for less! Alt you have to do is bring in your eligible electronics and The Shack will give you a gift card for the appraised value. It's the best way to get the newest gear for less. Mobile Phones MP3 Players Cameras & Camcorders GPS Receivers "These are just the departments that are willing to give it a chance," Turman said. "Every semester we get different people that will jump in or jump out." One instructor who opted to "jump out" after a semester of teaching a 7-week hybrid course was geoscience instructor Michael Hernandez. "The fact that you're getting a lot of new information in a very short amount of time in a subject that you're probably not familiar with, particularly if it's gened, then it could be overwhelming," Hernandez said. Hernandez said one student who passed his class will retake the course to make sure she understands the material before moving on. Part of the difficulty of 7-week hybrids, Hernandez pointed out, is not having the dialogue with students necessary for reactive teaching. "A lot of students can still be successful, but there are others that will not be that would be successful, I believe, in the face-to-face class," Hernandez said. "You don't really have time to develop that conversation you would normally develop in a face-toface class." Steve Stones, an adjunct professor of art who offers a hybrid Art 1010 course, echoed some of Hernandez's concerns. "The biggest challenge is trying to get all that information in seven weeks," Stones said. "Obviously, I have to cut out certain things here and there." Unlike Hernandez, Stones decided to continue teaching a 7-week hybrid course. Stones said teaching a 7-week hybrid course accommodated students who worked during the day or who wanted to, earn credits in half the time. He also said the weekly classroom session promotes healthier communication with students than online courses provide. Many students shared Stones' concerns and likes in a survey. When asked what they disliked about the 7-week hybrid course, 21 percent of students responded the course was too fast. However, when asked what they liked about their hybrid course, 42 percent responded they liked finishing the coursework in half a semester. Due to condensed class time, attendance at the weekly session is crucial, according to Turman. "Most of the instructors have on their syllabus you may not miss," Turman said. "And seriously, they shouldn't because that's like missing two straight weeks in a regular class." History professor Kathryn MacKay is teaching a hybrid course for the first time this fall, despite her concern that hybrid courses may not provide the rich learning environment she feels comes with face-to-face interaction in the classroom. "Any online courses are a challenge for new students or maybe less mature students that are not used to the kind of rigor of a college course," MacKay said. "I'm hoping that the hybrid course, because it's a combination of online and face-to-face, will be a more supportive environment for students." ' Comment on this story at wsusignpost com. 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