REGINA – Exam season doesn’t start until Friday at the University of Regina, but already students are feeling the pressure.
First year international studies student Jamie LaRose said that she has five exams, with four back to back in one week. So while classes may be over, she still can’t escape the library, something she said makes her “a little stressed”.
LaRose’s situation isn’t an uncommon one.
Across campus, students were huddled in corners, frantically making notes and joining study groups, all preparing for their first exams.
But along with telling students to hit the books, the U of R held a “study break” to help promote mental health.
Exams are among the most stressful periods for university students, according to Timmons. That can take a toll on their mental health.
The university held this study break to alleviate some of the stress. Timmons’ handed out cookies with “realize your potential” written on the front, and the back contained information on the university’s counseling services.
Masters student Stephen Hodgson stopped by the event while writing his thesis.
“I’m quite happy to be able to take a break,” Hodgson said. “It means a bit of a stress reliever at a busy time of year, and it’s great to have a cookie, especially when I’m writing all the time.”
The study break was part of a larger project at the University of Regina called Project ‘You Are Not Alone’ (YANA).
The project was created by student Kyle Moffat, who’s father took his own life after losing his long battle with mental illness last August.
Since then, Moffat has been an advocate for more mental health resources in the community, including his own school.
“All we’re trying to do is remind everybody that we’ve been there, that everybody’s kind of in all this together, and that sometimes those marks aren’t the be-all end-all of what you’re trying to do here at university,” he said.
In March, Moffat and other volunteers asked students to come up with inspirational sayings in six words or less that they thought would help them through their exams.
The sayings ranged from “believe in yourself” to “exams are tough but so are you!”. Project YANA took those sayings and created posters to hang around the school in a show of solidarity for their fellow students writing exams.
A nationwide survey last year found that the U of R was not providing enough counseling services for its students compared to other universities in the country.
Since then, the U of R has been working to improve services for students mental health, and project YANA is part of that.
“Can we do a better job? Absolutely,” Timmons said. “That’s part of this project… To do a better job in letting students know that one, we care about them, two, other students care about them… and three, that there are supports here for them if they need it.”
The university has already increased counselling services, including offering an Online Therapy Unit that connects users with a therapist online.
During exams, the university is bringing in therapy dogs every Tuesday, and is holding sit-downs with the president over coffee for students to come talk to her and relax. Project YANA is also encouraging students to reach out to each other themselves to make a difference.
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