Tune In Tuesday
Here at Vanderbilt, many students are high academic achievers. They are also often passionate about a number of organizations and activities in addition to their academic pursuits. This can result in students not taking the breaks they need in between homework, meetings, and events- leading to a feeling of sleep deprivation or lack of motivation.
Vanderbilt has recognized this problem, and is working with us to solve it. The Vanderbilt Programming Board and other Vanderbilt groups put on relaxation events to give us the opportunity to get away from our work for a bit. For example, the Mega Stress Fest that occurs the week before finals features free massages, facials, and treats for students to de-stress before testing. However, we know what we need to relax best, and Vanderbilt is committed to giving us the resources we need to have the optimal alternative study breaks.
My favorite example of this is the Tune In Tuesday project, hosted biweekly in a Mayfield Lodge. The Mayfield Lodges are a series of houses on campus, each containing ten singles distributed on two floors, along with a living room and a kitchen. In order to live in a Mayfield, you have to apply with a project you work on throughout the course of the year that serves the Vanderbilt or Nashville community. This year, my friends in Mayfield 16 recognized that a lot of students like to play music to de-stress after a long day, and often like to spend time jamming with friends to relax. Because of this, one tenet of their project, titled Tune In Tuesday, gives students the opportunity to jam on any number of instruments with friends (and free doughnuts!) for two hours on Tuesday nights. Every Tuesday, this Mayfield is filled with laughter and music, and we leave after the two hours feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the days ahead. The students who coordinate Tune In Tuesday use school venues to promote this event, and also receive some funding to aid with project development from the school.
Overall, the event has been wildly popular, which goes to show that everybody here is striving to find the perfect balance. As Vanderbilt students, we are trying to work hard and better ourselves constantly. However, we also know how to relax and enjoy ourselves, as evidenced by student-organized events such as Tune In Tuesday. Thankfully, Vanderbilt helps us to do this every step of the way.