By Sleeping Beauty
WC’s Resident Princess
On March 21, the administration, in collaboration with the Student Government Association, passed a proposal titled “Nappie Time.”
The proposal allocates time during the day for all-campus naps. Every day, at 2:30 p.m., the lights across campus are switched off, and students must nap for a half-hour.
“The whole idea was proposed by SGA because of student complaints about how tired they are during class,” SGA president senior Nova Harper said.
According to Harper, the SGA released a mental health survey and realized that students were not prioritizing nightly rest. In response, they created the proposal and presented it to the administration.
Approving the plan took some time, since decisions had to be made on whether to mandate these naps or make them optional, and also how to compensate for missed class time.
Fortunately, the administration agreed that it would be in the students’ best interest to mandate the daily naps.
Some students were initially skeptical of the plan.
“I didn’t want to just have a random nap during the day,” sophomore Queen Solace said. “But as we talked about it during the meeting, I realized how beneficial it would be students.”
At first, it was an adjustment for some students. Even though the naps are at the same time every day, some students struggled to change their schedules.
“The first nap on Wednesday caught me by surprise,” freshman Flora Mansfield said. “I was in the library with my friends, and suddenly the lights were out, and everyone had to stop what they were doing. I felt like I was back in kindergarten.”
The 2:30 p.m. time slot is perfect for most students, since it is not directly after lunch but also not too late in the evening. According to Harper, this time was chosen based on nap-related research.
At first, this idea seemed bizarre, but students have become accustomed to it and are starting to enjoy the rest time.
“I normally have class at 2:30 p.m., but I’m usually exhausted so I can’t focus. The nap time helps refresh my mind before doing any class work,” junior Mason G. Wyatt said.
Some professors support the proposal, while some brought up concerns about missing class time.
“The class setup that I have is hard to integrate online work since I don’t usually have homework or any outside class work, so the students will really just be missing class,” associate professor of biology Dr. Oliver Silas said. “SGA definitely should have slept on the proposal before passing it.”
To account for missing class time, teachers can assign additional homework assignments.
Students are in favor of the all-campus naps. The daily, half-hour block of time fits easily into students’ schedules, and leaves them feeling well-rested for the remainder of the day.
However, not all students are in favor of this mandate.
“I don’t like that I am being forced to take a nap. I understand the reason for it, but I don’t understand why everyone should be required to take a nap,” freshman Tyler Johnson said.
Others feel they cannot get comfortable in a public setting, like the library or even in class.
“It feels weird to fall asleep in a room full of people. I’d rather just nap in my room,” sophomore Fauna Kenningston said.
As expected, there are some students opposed to the all-campus naps, but everyone cannot be pleased.
“You don’t have to necessarily be asleep. You just need to rest from work,” Harper said, addressing the opposition.
According to SGA vice president Liam Anderson, the all-campus naps are a pilot program this semester. They are going to revise the plan next semester in response to student feedback.
However, it seems many students are positively benefitting from the campus naps, arriving to class on-time and well-rested. Discussions are more engaging, and test scores are rising. All-campus naps are here to stay.