Angelique Inchierca
Social Media Director
The last two weeks have been full of events meant to bring fun and entertainment to the students at Keene State College. But now, as my exams have finally approached me, I am left to wonder if it was really worth it.
This week in particular, the Social Activities Council held Keene State Calling. But was the call really so important? I personally love the ideas and efforts given to try and give us students a good end to the semester, but I found it entirely distracting and in all not as fun as it could have been if there were more students participated.
As the end of my second year here is approaching, I have seen a strong pattern in social lives and campus involvement. My opinion still stays the same; students don’t care to participate. I have seen clubs and organizations hold events that are open to the public, but only a select group attend, and usually it is the people running it.
Of course this is not the case for every event, but student involvement has been plummeting since technology began to rule our lives. I’ve heard many students, professionals and staff display their worries about the subject.
Did I go to the comedy act? No, but I would have if I didn’t have to pay money. Sure, I was also working but why would I spend money to go see someone I can look up on Netflix or Youtube for free? And while many of my peers who went to the hypnotist show came back with smiles stretched across their face, I still feel as though every academic conference I have attended brings a hypnotist. Instead, I could’ve been working on my final projects or studying for the big exam I’m about to take. My friends tried to humor me by saying, “This was not like others though, it was like Rated-R.” Maybe it was fun, maybe it would have been a nice escape from the load of stresses on our mind. I cannot speak on behalf of every student when I say I wish the school was more original in its event picks.
One event that sounded really fun was Thursday night’s Glowfest. I wasn’t able to attend but the idea sounded extremely exciting. Sure, I was nervous no one would attend but I would have still made an appearance after work. The problem is that one of my friends expected me to skip work to attend the event. After many conflicts with my friend, I started to think about the pressure that was being put on me to skip my necessary duties to attend an event that really wouldn’t help my academic journey. Then I started to wonder if my peers felt the same.
I often hear students say they suffer from the ever disastrous Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). For students that feel drowned by work, these distractions at the end of the day may seem like a great destressor but I feel it could also go the opposite way. I’m nervous that these specifically dated and very time consuming events could be worse for those with anxieties. The looming exams that are now here and the sheer fact that now you wished you had those extra five hours of sleep. You compromised your sleep and health so now you’re stuck at two in the morning the night before that 40 percent-of-your-grade test is to study “just a little longer.” My friends are staying up to study and finish projects, but what they don’t realize is they could be damaging their mental and physical health at risk.
Many counselors and psychologists warn students about the effects of lack of sleep, mass amounts of stress and other important health habits. I think if the school held all-day events similar to Student Government’s Carnival then students would not feel pressured to spend more than an hour or two of their day to relax before work or studying. This would also help them be able to sleep at earlier times.
I wish everyone luck on their finals but also urge them to remember to take care of themselves. Nothing is more important than your physical and mental health, even if it means you won’t be attending an event that will most likely be replayed again next year.
Angelique Inchierca can be contatced at ainchierca@kscequinox.com
