By Lydia Sing
All currently enrolled Grand Rapids Community College students will have an opportunity to relax, prepare, and connect with others at the Mid-Term Relaxer event on Tuesday, Oct. 6, hosted by Retention Services alongside the Academic Advising and Transfer Center.
The Mid-Term Relaxer will be held at the main campus in Grand Rapids in the third-floor lounge in the Student Center from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Lakeshore campus will also be hosting the same event on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the atrium from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Students will have the chance to eat some donut holes and drink cider, color and paint, and do other fun crafts. The student employee team will be hosting three rounds of trivia with a mini workshop after each round hosted by Academic Advising. There will be Calculate Your Grade, Professor Communication, and Test Anxiety mini-workshops. These rounds of trivia and workshops are happening at 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Academic advisors will also be present throughout the event if students want to get more help with midterm strategies.
Students will also have the chance to win some prizes at this event, including a $50 Amazon gift card, and other mini prizes such as GRCC swag, Otter-themed merchandise, parking passes, Raider Bucks, and Foodology cards.
Students who attend each trivia and workshop will get an additional entry into the door prize, up to a maximum of four entries. After the event, the winner for the door prize will be contacted via email and have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, to claim their prize.
Sondra Davis, a Support Professional in Retention Services at GRCC, highlighted the importance of bringing crafts and games to students.
“Some students find crafting to be a great way to relax and de-stress. Some students like to relax by playing a competitive game (trivia), all students benefit from picking up a few extra academic skills,” Davis said.
Davis also provided additional ways students can de-stress during midterm season, such as spending enough time studying in order to feel confident, getting the right amount of sleep, and keeping track of grades to help plan out the second half of the semester.
Jazz Waters, an Academic Advisor in the Academic Advising and Transfer Center at GRCC, discussed why Academic Advising got involved with this event.
“We want to help students be academically successful even if that means we aren’t directly teaching them how to study or which classes to take,” Waters said. “Success is much larger than just in-class work.”
Additional resources students can reach out to for help with academics or stress are Academic Support and Tutoring, the Technology Learning Center, and the Center for Counseling and Well-Being.
