THURSDAY, MAY. 5, 2022 VOLUME 96 ISSUE 31
Graphic by Carlos Gonzalez Photo by Olivia Raymond
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FINALS FRENZY
MAY 5, 2022
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HEALTHY HABITS
Feeding your brain for final test success
By JULIANNE CERVERA Staff Writer
The end of the spring semester is approaching here at Texas Tech and the preparation for finals begins for many students. There are many ways to cater to the mind and prepare for the exams and assignments to come. Alison Childress, a clinical dietitian and assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Tech, said that creating a healthy diet routine benefits students studying for the end of semester. “Definitely eat regularly, preferably three times a day but you know if possible even maybe five times a day. Having that infusion of glucose every few hours will help with our stamina” Childress said. “That will help a lot. So definitely eat often and spread it out.” Childress stresses the importance of drinking enough water throughout the day. She says students should have an equal amount of water for every caffinated drink they consume to stay p r o p e r l y hydrated and healthy. “Most of us are chroni-
cally dehydrated and so whenever we are not hydrated properly, our brain is not functioning well,” Childress said. Childress emphasizes dietary choices such as carbohydrates and micronutrients in fueling the brain to keep the mind and body active and stimulated.
Childress said students should make sure to get enough carbohydrates throughout the day, specifically those high in nutrients like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, to stay healthy and focused. “So even some dairy carbohydrates, like Greek yogurt are also good. So we want to make sure that we’re getting plenty of carbohydrates for the brain,” Childress said. John Purcell, counselor on staff at the Student Most of us are Counseling Center and chronically MindSpa coordinator, said addressing mental health dehydrated and so whenever we are not reduces the high stress levels during these times. hydrated properly, “Just taking care of our our brain is not holistic health is going to be functioning well. helpful” Purcell said. “OfALISON CHILDRESS tentimes we don’t realize CLINICAL DIETITIAN that we carry a lot of stress in our bodies. And so while we’re focusing on tests or whatever is happening, “Our brains preferred the stress response in the fuel is glucose, and glucose body primes us to respond comes from carbohydrates. to threats, and it does it in So this is certainly not a the same way that it does time to go on a low carb physical threats versus diet or try to restrict carbo- threats such as tests or hydrates,” Childress said. final projects.” Purcell recommends “Your brain needs those focusing on time managefor fuel.’
ment to avoid cramming information and allow the mind to take much needed breaks. “I would recommend that people be deliberate and intentional with how they spend their time with studying”, Purcell said. “Have structured time to study but also make sure that you take breaks. Our mind is not able to retain big blocks of information” Purcell recommends students take frequent breaks while studying and get enough sleep every night to keep their brains healthy. “Try to keep study sessions down to an hour and 90 minutes. Not letting yourself kind of get too locked into that without giving the mind breaks”, Purcell said.
Have a structured time to study but also make sure that you take breaks. JOHN PURCELL MINDSPA COORDINATOR
JULIANNE CERVERA/The Daily Toreador
Claudia Hernandez, a leading advisor at the Learning Center, highlights studying techniques to keep the mind prepared and ready for finals. “Make sure that you have all of your study materials created so that it’s going to be things like flashcards, study guide that you make yourself. Concept maps, summaries of the information you’re learning, practice problems pulled from past, study guides or maybe the internet or your friends. Create those materials so that you have all of that set for the days leading up to your exam.” Hernandez said campus resources and help from others are a great way to get interactive help to alleviate pressure on the mind. “I think that the tutoring support is probably
most beneficial for them during finals and exams” Hernandez said. “It’s just being able to talk it out with someone, because maybe when they’re sitting alone, they’re not getting that partner help. They’re not getting that support if they have a question in the moment. Hernandez said students should take advantage of review and tutoring sessions so they can ask important questions and get additional support from peers and teacher. “Take advantage of peer review sessions, residential tutoring, academic coaching and meeting with your professors for office hours. Really take advantage of your campus resources,” Hernandez said. @JulesCerveraDT
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FINALS FRENZY
MAY 5, 2022
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CAMPUS EXPERIENCE
Students, alumni share the Red Raider experience By GRACIE HANCOCK Staff Writer
The Red Raider experience is something that connects individuals across all walks of life. No matter if you are a freshman or alumni, the Red Raider experience is something that will shape the rest of your future. Current and past Red Raiders share experiences on campus, advice for future students, the hardest learned lessons and most memorable moments at Tech. “My freshman year was more figuring out my career path and what things I could really see myself doing,” Bentley Harbison, a fourthyear accounting and finance student from Shallowater, said. “This year it is cool to see it because it comes full circle. I got to use all the relationships and things I’ve learned along the way to seek out jobs that I have worked
so hard to get.” Harbison said he has had the unique opportunity to experience campus before, during and after the campus closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a difficult time dealing with campus closing down and having to renavigate campus life, Harbison said. “I have been amazed at how campus life has returned to normal,” Harbison said. “COVID was such a weird time, but I think Texas Tech and the students, in general, have done a great job of returning to really feeling normal. Campus feels just how it did when I was a freshman and I love it.” Harbison’s most memorable campus memory was getting to experience the basketball team’s Final Four run during his second year. “I have been a huge basketball fan my whole life, so
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Daniella Garcia, a first-year education student and a Houston native.
getting to go to every game that year and getting to see such a monumental season up close was awesome,” Harbison said.
My advice to freshman would be that it is okay to figure it out as you go. College is a time to grow, learn and just figure things out. BENTLEY HARBISON FOURTH-YEAR ACCOUNTING & FINANCE STUDENT After classes, Harbison said he enjoys walking and taking in the beautiful sights of campus. “After sitting in a mundane class for an hour, it always feels great to take a 30-minute walk, taking in the sights of campus and disconnecting,” Harbison said. Harbison said he cherishes the experiences, relationships and lessons that he has learned during his time as a Red Raider. “My advice to freshmen would be that it is okay to figure it out as you go. College is a time to grow, learn and just figure things out,” Harbison said. “You do not have to know everything or have it all planned out.” First-year Daniella Garcia, said her most memorable moment this year was getting her big for her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi,” Garcia is an education student from Houston. Garcia said she was worried about starting college after experiencing high school during COVID-19. However, Garcia has really enjoyed her first year on campus and her experience with Greek life. “School has definitely been a little different compared to previous years but
as time went on the school year began to feel like the traditional college experience,” Garcia said. Garcia said she has made a lot of friendships this year and enjoys spending time with her new friends around campus. “My favorite thing to do on campus is to meet up with friends and have study nights,” Garcia said. Like Harbison, Garcia said she has had to learn that it is okay to know what exactly she wants to do in the future. “My advice to future freshmen would be to stay organized, manage your time wisely and make the most out of every experience,” Garcia said. Angela Bryan-Perkins native of Winters, was a member of the 1998 graduating class. Bryan-Perkins said she loved being a Red Raider and experiencing Tech’s campus traditions. “And we officially have the coolest mascot,” BryanWinters said. Bryan-Perkins said she made lifelong friendships during her years at Tech and was a member of the finance association, which provider her an opportunity to travel to San Francisco where she found her first job, where she has been for 23 years.
My advice to future freshman would be to stay organized, manage your time wisely and make the most out of every experience. DANIELLA GARCIA FIRST-YEAR EDUCATION STUDENT Bryan-Perkins encourages current and future Tech students to get involved as much
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Bentley Harbison, a fourth-year accounting and finance student from Shallowater.
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Angela Bryan-Perkins, a Winters native, graduated from Texas Tech University in 1998. as possible and utilize campus benefits. She recommends part-time on-campus jobs as they are a great opportunity for students to gain work experience. “My favorite memory while living on campus was walking to football games with my dorm buddies,”
Bryan-Perkins said. “This was in the early tortilla throwing days.” Current and former students agree that the ‘Red Raider experience’ is like no other and have each had life changing moments while on campus. @GracieHancockDT
OPINIONS
Page 4 Thursday, May 5, 2022
COLUMN
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COLUMN
Tech should offer dead Dead day is more beneficial than a week week instead of a day It would be very nice to have a dead week at Texas Tech. Using all that time to study and finish final projects. I would not feel as pressured or even stressed. However, I need the stress in order to get my stuff done. The reason having a singular dead day is more beneficial, is all about time management. Having a week off would not only be seen as a vacation, no work would actually get done. I could see by the students who would actually enjoy the extra few days taking full advantage, but that would not be the case for all. According to The Calendar website, source about productivity says working under a deadline waste no time. Why would students want to waste their time? If there was a dead week, students would still have to go back to school and then have a break. There would be no actual break until finals are over. However, if finals immediately start after the last day of classes, there is no time wasted. Realistically, students should have been studying beforehand and most of the time professors do not pile on a bunch of work if they know they are about to take a final. I have been in classes where they ended early so more time can be taken to prepare for the final test. The website also mentions accountability. Because there is a quick turnaround deadline, the work should definitely be done. Although, if there is a
Chyna Vargas is second-year journalism major from San Antonio.
dead week and say a student had an entire week to finish a project, the project will be graded as if the student had an entire week to get it done. When in reality, the student did it the night before. This is why there should just be a dead day if students procrastinate anyway until the last day. The sooner students finish the final, the sooner a break can be enjoyed for students. That would not necessarily happen if there is a week buffer in between and students still have final projects and test hanging over their head. A day is plenty of time to get a mind right to finish the semester strong. If students had any more time, there would be too much relaxation and no productivity at all. Being a Red Raider also means thinking I have time to do whatever because it’s a dead day. Having a whole week would lead others to believe there is ample time as well. Which is not the case. A dead day is not even a break, but merely a pause. It is allowing students to wrap their heads around they have one more task before they can leave for summer break. That is where there is miscommunication and students think having a dead week will benefit them, although that would just
mean more time to procrastinate. Which goes back to stress. Having a week to prepare for finals when all students want to do is be done with them creates a lot of anxiety.
The sooner students finish their finals, the sooner a break can be enjoyed for students. That would not necessarily happen if there is week buffer in between and students still have a final project and test hanging over their head. Test anxiety according to the Very Well Mind website is when a student feels nervous before an exam. Which they say can actually be good before an exam. However, an excessive amount of anxiety is not good. By having a whole week, anxiety is just building up and doing more harm than good. Students want to be done with school and their final exams and prolonging them to have the illusion of more time is more stressful. A dead day is enough for students to rest up and get back out there with confidence. Students don’t want to lose the momentum and want to do well and having one day to prep allows for just that. @ChynaVargasDT
Texas Tech has a dead day every semester before finals begin. Dead day is the day after classes end, and there are no scheduled classes or finals. This day, each semester gives students the opportunities to study for finals, pack to go home and prepare for the summer. However, Tech should offer a dead week. The week before finals begin should be like a second spring break. I believe this could be mentally and academically beneficial to students. First of all, a dead week would give students a longer time to study for their finals. When students are preparing for finals, they often have other class work to submit, classes to attend and many other things to take care of. Students are also trying to study for numerous finals in one day, which can be extremely stressful. If they had a week with no other responsibilities, students’ final examination grades would increase immensely. According to fastweb, it is important for students to begin studying for finals as early as possible. However, when students are still working on other assignments and attending classes, there is rarely time to begin studying early. A dead week would give students the opportunity to focus solely on studying for their finals. Not having enough time to prepare for finals can be draining on a student’s mental and physical health. Trying to cram an entire semester of work for five or more classes into one study session can cause sleep deprivation. According to fastweb,
Tana Thompson is a first-year journalism major from Albany.
not being fully rested can affect a person’s ability to focus. During dead week, professors would also have the opportunity to meet with students in study groups or one-on-one sessions, which can be very beneficial to students’ grades. Students would also be able to gather with classmates and friends to study and break down the class section by section, which is very helpful when studying a semester’s worth of content. Dead week would also be beneficial to professors. Having a week to prepare to gives hundreds of students an exam over a semesters worth of content would allow professors to break down the content and ask deeper questions.
Not having enough time to prepare for finals can be draining on a student’s mental and physical health. Along with cramming for finals, students are also working on moving out of their dorms during and prior to finals week. This adds another responsibility to their plate, which causes stress when studying.
If we had a dead week, students would have the chance to pack up their things and take them home or to their next living place during that week. Trying to pack while also taking care of other responsibilities can be very difficult. Students have bought way more items at college than what the brought here with them, making it difficult to be able to take everything home in one single trip. If we had an entire week off before the day we have to move out, students could make a trip home with a load of their belongings, return to school, and do it again. Also, studying and thinking about how much packing still has to be done can be very distracting. In order to succeed in their finals students need to focus on what they are learning, distraction free. When packing up to leave college for the summer, students are also saying goodbye to their best friends for three months. Having a week of no classes would give students the time to say goodbye to all of their friends. Students have built their own lives at school, and leaving that behind for the summer can be hard on mental health. Having time to process what the summer and next semester will be like can help a student prepare for the next chapter of their lives. Personally, I know I would benefit from a dead week over a dead day. There are numerous reasons why a second spring break can be beneficial to students. @TanaThompsonDT
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Movies love a comeback story. This summer, it’s their turn This summer at the movies, Tom Cruise is back in the cockpit behind those iconic aviators. Doctors Grant, Sattler and Ian Malcolm are returning for another round with the dinosaurs. Natalie Portman is picking up Thor’s hammer. And Jordan Peele is poised to terrify us with the unknown. Again. Hollywood is bringing out some of its biggest and most reliable players for the 2022 summer movie season, which unofficially kicks off
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this weekend with the help of Marvel and Disney’s “ Doctor Strange and the Multitverse of Madness ” and runs through the end of August. It’s an uncertain time for the movie business as studios and exhibitors are still making up for losses incurred during the pandemic and adjusting to new ways of doing business, including hortened release windows, competition from streaming and the need to feed their own services. And everyone is wondering if
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movie going will ever return to pre-pandemic levels. But though the pandemic lingers on, there is optimism in the air. “We’re still waiting for older audiences to come back. But it really feels like we’ve turned a corner,” said Jim Orr, the head of domestic distribution for Universal Pictures. “You get the impression that audiences want to be out, they want to be in theaters. I think it’s going to be an extraordinary summer.”
Last week, studio executives and movie stars schmoozed with theater owners and exhibitors at a convention in Las Vegas, proudly hyping films that they promise will get audiences back to the movie theaters week after week. Expectations are particularly high for “Top Gun: Maverick,” which Paramount Pictures will release on May 27 after two years of pandemic postponements. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer
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says he never waivered for a moment in wanting to release “Top Gun: Maverick” – a full-throttle action film made with extensive aerial photography, practical effects and up to six cameras inside fighter-jet cockpits — exclusively in theaters. “It’s the kind of movie that embraces the experience of going to the theater. It takes you away. It transports you. We always say: We’re in the transportation business.
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FINALS FRENZY
MAY 5, 2022
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TEXTBOOKS
Keep, return or sell: students final textbook decisions By JONATHAN KATH Sports Reporter
Around this time of the semester, students have completed 18 weeks of classes and have used countless materials to get to this point. One specific tool students use is their textbook and with the semester coming to an end, students will need to find what to do with their textbook.
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Students return books back to the from TTU campus Store in the Student Union Building . If a student is looking to sell the textbooks they purchased, the common place to go is one of the book stores in Lubbock. Andrew Cicherski, the general manager and vice
president at Varsity Bookstore, said Varsity does book buybacks and rentals. “Anything that doesn’t have an access code in it we will rent out, and even some that do have access code will rent out,” Cicherski said. For Varsity to buy the book back, the book cannot have any damage to it. A lot of students also write or highlight things in their textbook, lowering the value of the book itself or making it to where bookstores will not buy it back at all. Another avenue for selling books is selling them to your friends or on some third party site. Lorraine Macharia, a second-year student from Dallas studying human sciences, said she can make a profit off her older textbooks. “I either throw them away or sell them to the grade below me,” Macharia said. “If I sell them I put them up on Ebay or a site like that, or just put it on Snapchat and put a picture and the price of the book.” Selling books to other stu-
dents may seem like the easier route for some, especially if they are your friends. Some students will also just give books to their friends, not charging a dollar. Zealand Davis, a secondyear student from Santa Maria, Calif. studying agriculture economics, said he will hold onto the physical copies of his textbooks in case someone who has yet to take the class wants to buy the book from him. “I just keep them for now,” Davis said. “If I meet any underclassmen that will need them next year, I’ll probably sell them for like half off. If they are my friend, I just give the book to them for free.” Like many students, Davis holds onto his books if no one needs them. Not because he is lazy and does not want to sell them, he said, but because he may use them for another class. “If I don’t meet anyone that needs the book, I always look back at them to see if I can use them for a class, especially in my agriculture
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TTU Campus Store offers students the ability to rent out or purchase books for the semester. Many students choose to rent books due to being cheaper. classes,” Davis said. “Some of the material in my introduction courses are being used, so it’s nice to be able to look back and refresh my mind.” There are some students who do not even try to sell them, but instead put them away somewhere and try to forget about the semester. In some cases, like Seth Wallace, the student had a bad semester and wants to forget
Student move-out information According to Student Housing Services, students must move out of the dorm rooms 24 hours after their last final exam or on Wednesday, May 11 by 10 a.m. Staff members will be starting all room checks after the residence halls doors close on that same day. Seniors for the May graduation commencement must sign a contract extension request form by May 9 to be approved to vacate the space by 11 a.m. on May 14, 2022. Housing says do not forget to fill out the abandoned property agreement located in the forms folder on Roompact and to make sure to clean the room while moving out. Cleaning supplies will be located at the front desk of the residence hall. If students rented a microwave, fridge, or anything else from collegiate concepts, make sure to defrost the fridge and unplug the appliances, leaving them in the room and someone
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about it. “Honestly, I put all my old work and books into a box and put it in my storage unit and try to forget about it,” Wallace, the Lamisa native said. “If I know someone that needs the textbooks then I will just give them to them, but I usually just put them away.” Wallace, the fourth-year conservation law enforce-
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FINALS FRENZY
MAY 5, 2022
6
TIPS FOR TEST
Final exams require supplies, preparation By ASHER MCPHERSON News reporter
As finals week approaches, students are beginning to get ready for exams and are looking for resources and materials to prepare. The Texas Tech Library has different resources to help students be successful through the academic year and for finals week. The library offers WEPA printing services, laptop checkout at the service desk and 270 public computers. There are PC’s throughout the facility and Mac computers located on the second floor at dynamic media services. “There’s a lot of creative things that happen on the DMS,” library manager of communications and marketing, Julie Barnett, said. “You can check out digital equipment, like cameras, lighting kids, all sorts of things for projects.” Barnett said students can check out anatomy models for those studying anatomy, there is a VR lab, audio books and DVDs available for check out. The makerspace is also located in the DMS which has
3D printing and a Cricut for student use. “In addition to the equipment and computers and printers and study spaces that we offer, we have experts within our building that can help them with their research, with their projects and with navigating our website,” Barnett said. Barnett said the library works with a student advisory board comprised of graduate and undergraduate students who give feedback on what they need to succeed and what the library needs to offer. “A lot of that feedback is study space, and comfortable study space,” Barnett said. Barnett said students can plug-in and can connect with different screens or devices for a group project. “It’s just a good space that is comfortable and flexible and easy to access, easy to find, so we call that the study hub,” Barnett said. There are expert subject librarians that are available for each major, specialized towards one subject. They are available for face-to-face meetings or via the chat widget on the library website.
“So if a student is an engineering student, there’s a librarian that can help them research and find those resources that help them complete projects, papers and answer questions in general,” Barnett said. “We have all of these hundreds of thousands of resources and databases that are available via our website, and then librarians are available to help find exactly what they are looking for.” Barnett said this year H-E-B has generously donated a lot of snacks, water and coffee that will be available over the week of finals in the library building. The library will be open 24 hours during finals week, but the date the hours of availability change has not been finalized yet. Students can check the library website for the most updated hours. Another resource for finals supplies is the Texas Tech Campus Store. The bookstore is located on the first floor of the Student Union Building and contains different study supplies for students from orange or red scantrons, blue books and more. “We have colored pens to
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The campus bookstore has supplies for students while studying for finals. Students can purchase the supplies before the start of finals on May 5 - 10.
color coordinate, as well as flash cards,” general merchandise department manger, Emily Contreras, said. We also have a lot of notebooks for note taking and planners if they want to keep track of their finals schedule.” Contreras said they try and stay up-to-date with the materials they have, keeping up with current preferences for student access.
You’re setting yourself up for success if you start sooner rather than later. Adriana Botero Second-year student “It’s convenient that we’re right on campus,” Contreras said. “We want to get them in and out as much as they want to be in and out as well.” To prepare for finals, there are different things that students can do to promote their academic success. Between
her position as a community advisor at Chitwood Hall, staying an active member in the Hispanic Student Society and keeping up with academics, second-year biology student Adriana Botero works to stay on top of school and recommends students get prepared for finals sooner rather than later, she said. “You’re setting yourself up for success if you start sooner rather than later,” Botero said. “I am a procrastinator, but I realized if you just look at the information, like an assignment or something even if you’re not gonna do it, if you just look at it puts it in your head that it’s real, and you have to start looking forward to it or studying for it.” Botero said students need space to study and the closer it gets to finals, the harder it is to find a good spot. There are different places that students can go besides the SUB because the upper floors can get full too. “Check the days you have your finals on, make sure even the night before so you have rest and then double check the location,” Botero said. “If you need supplies
like scantrons, double check which one you need. I’ve definitely bought the wrong one before. But you can get scantrons in the SUB, and they have vending machines in the library and Holden Hall.” Botero said she recommends students take a walk, study for an hour or two, then walk somewhere around the building and come back to your spot to give yourself a mental break. “It’s becoming sunny out, so might as well,” Botero said. Botero said she knows most people want to study until midnight or 1 a.m., but students need to make sure they are getting enough sleep to retain the information. “You’re almost done,” Botero said. “Once finals are over, go home, go party, go read a book that you actually want to read. Something for yourself. Study hard until then but give yourself a reward because you did work hard for whatever grade you got.” The last day of classes was May 3, and finals begin May 5 to 10. @ashermcp_dt
EMILY KNEPP/The Daily Toreador
The Texas Tech bookstore, located in the Student Union Building, offers a variety of school supplies to help students get through finals such as sticky notes, pens and highlighters.