Posted on 02/22/2013 10:00:47 AM PST by reaganaut1
Petitions for a nap space in Harvard Yard, extended dining hall hours, and weekend brain break are all slated to receive official responses from Dean of Harvard College Evelynn M. Hammonds, likely by the end of the semester.
The student-initiated petitions were submitted to Hammonds as a part of the “We the Crimson” initiative, started by the Undergraduate Council last November. The initiative features an online portal that students can access to submit petitions and vote for other submitted petitions. At the end of each month, the top three petitions are submitted to the administration for an official response.
One of the petitions, started by Yuqi Hou ’15, proposes the creation of a space in Harvard Yard for students to take naps.
“People don’t realize how important it is to take a nap,” Hou said. “It improves your GPA because you’re actually more focused.”
Hou first thought of the idea in December. After meeting with the Harvard Center for Wellness and Interim Associate Dean of Student Life David R. Friedrich, Hou turned to “We the Crimson” to gain student support for her idea.
Hou complemented the petition, which received 184 votes, with an online survey.
Of the 432 undergraduates who responded, only 21 percent felt well-rested on a typical day. Almost 60 percent of those surveyed were in favor of a designated nap room in the Yard.
However, some students who were supportive of the petition also voiced concerns.
Harry W. Hild ’16, supporter of the idea, pointed out that 96 students ranked cleanliness of the nap cushions as the most important factor.
“I’m not sure I’d want to hop on someone else’s beanbag after they’ve used it,” he said.
Two other petitions from January were submitted to the Dean for response.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecrimson.com ...
The inmates are running the place. Once you give a voice to a bunch of smart, idealistic teenagers you’re in trouble. Problem is that the professors think similarly.
But first, they need a nap.
This sounds more like a pre-school than Harvard University. How valuable will a diploma from Harvard be after these changes are in effect? I know that this Ivy League school will still charge Ivy League prices for the privilege of spending four years in Cambridge, but would you really want to pay a professional salary to someone who takes naps in the middle of the day?
And these are our future ‘leaders’.....................
If they wouldn’t spend all night partying and getting stoned and drunk they wouldn’t need any damn NAPS...............
Sounds like YOU may have a new job at HARVARD!............
We had this privilege at UC Berkeley in the 1950s. There were hidden “nap rooms” (segregated male and female) all over campus. I remember one, in particular, adjoining the Ladies’ Room in the main library. And there were some in the gym, too.
These darkened rooms had as many as a dozen beds made up with fresh, starched, ironed, pink sheets and could be accessed at will by any student in need of a nap between classes. I do not remember any monitors and I don’t know how ofen the sheets were changed. Theyalways looked brand new. I don’t know what the male rooms were llike because I wouldn’t have dared to peek in there.
I have often wondered what happened to these oases of retreat during the campus riots in the late 60’s. I’ll bet they were closed after the students demolished all rules of decorum.
I have spoken
“Hou complemented the petition, which received 184 votes, with an online survey.
“Of the 432 undergraduates who responded, only 21 percent felt well-rested on a typical day. Almost 60 percent of those surveyed were in favor of a designated nap room in the Yard.”
Oh, yeah. This is really, really popular at Harvard. It’s absolutely the focus of every undergrad in the place. Not.
There are 6500 undergraduates at Harvard. Almost 3% of them saw fit to sign this petition, and almost 7% expressed an opinion, one way or the other, in an on-line survey, with only 60% of respondents favoring the proposal. Or, in other words, almost 4% of undergrads.
Harvard's party culture is mostly about Friday nights. During the week, students often work to fairly crazy hours. All-nighters are common.
But that prepares them for Friday night, as they're already used to staying up all night!
It's an interesting place. There are no courses that meet before 9 am, and realistically, most folks don't do class until 10 am or later. But study groups, labs and sections often officially run till 8 pm or 9 pm, and for the tougher subjects, those groups may still be going strong at midnight.
sitetest
While I might agree with you about all night partying at many colleges these days, Harvard is a bit different. The kids might party a bit on weekends but there is a real study culture there. Harvard, MIT, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, and similar places are quite unlike the usual party-every-night colleges found elsewhere.
If they want a nap, wth prevents them from going to their dorm room or apartment?
Sounds great! lol. But not a liberal school....we need a good conservative place. Where learning and having good morals and ethics is important. But damn, a good nap is fine too....lol.
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