Good habits in the midst of midterms

MHC event aims to give students the support they need in stressful times

Medicine Hat College is hosting its second annual Long Night Against Procrastination Wednesday at the campus library.

The night goes from 5 p.m. until midnight and will have different stations set up for students — meditation, yoga and animals to pet for stress management, as well as pizza and access to the library’s resources.

It’s no coincidence that the event is taking place around the time of midterms, said Rebecca Nielsen, a fourth year education student who attended the inaugural anti-procrastination event.

“It helps you get a head start on everything,” Nielsen said.

Melissa Benson, the Students’ Association internal vice president who’s also a fourth year education student, said the purpose of the event is twofold — to teach students how to cope with the stress that contributes to procrastination and to give them extended access to academic resources.

“They have things to help reduce stress,” she said. “That way you can navigate through any assignments.

“They have all the staff there and extra hands — instructors and stuff like that — who will be readily available to help with assignments.”

Shawna Murphy, the school’s outreach librarian and event co-ordinator, said this type of study night has been popping up at campuses all over the world.

“It’s not a new idea,” said Murphy. “It’s an idea that all kinds of universities and colleges have taken up over the last few years.”

She said the first of its kind took place in Germany.

“The idea is to give students the tools before they get to that cram session, before they get to that lastminute rush, to actually start their assignments and get ahead on them,” Murphy said.

The stress-relieving aspect is a sign of the growing emphasis on the importance of mental health in education.

“We just wanted to showcase all the resources we have at MHC to help students through those tough times,” she said.

Murphy added that some campuses do an all-night event, but as a commuter school, there wasn’t much of an appetite for that at MHC.

Also, pulling an all-nighter defeats the event’s purpose.

“We’re trying to promote healthy study habits and staying up all night isn’t a good habit,” she said.

Nielsen said last year’s event helped her greatly in her struggle with procrastination.

“This is the first year where I’ve really been on top of my work,” she said.

“Now I know who I can talk to in the library and who helps me with what, and I can take advantage of all the resources that the library has.”