student life

Back to the Basics: the 3 Pillars

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College. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you most likely have experienced some time here at Ohio State and have recognized the fact that it can be difficult to take care of yourself. It’s okay, a majority of college students feel the same way. I have gone through my own situations where I wasn’t taking care of myself as well as I should have been. However, I believe taking care of yourself is a process. For processes, it’s more beneficial to have a plan. You can’t just wake up one morning and decide that you want to take care of yourself better then have it immediately happen, unfortunately. That’s why I’m here to hopefully give you some insight on how to start this process; it all starts with taking care of the basics of making sure you’re healthy.

Sleep

College. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you most likely have experienced a night with like…somewhere between 5-6 hours of sleep. Maybe (hopefully not) less. Those coffees and Monsters on campus can only help so much.

Many resources state that for us adults, 7-9 hours is a healthy amount of sleep per night. If you make getting less a routine, you may start feeling lack-of-rest effects like a loss in alertness, a loss in ability to remember/process info, an increase in moodiness, and of course a decrease in energy.

Sleep, like classes or that meeting for the group you’re in, can simply be a scheduled time block. Fitting sleep into your routines/calendars and then working out your plans for studying and socializing around it will hold you accountable and hopefully keep you on track.

As for naps, if that’s something you can fit into your schedule, it’s best to avoid naps over 60-90 minutes to avoid sleep inertia (grogginess), while still gaining the rejuvenation effects. The optimal time is midday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., so that way your night schedule isn’t messed up!

Diet

College. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you most likely have experienced a questionable diet choice at some point. Whether it was forgetting to eat for 14 hours or downing 3-4 Buckeye Donuts, most of us students have done something that probably wasn’t for the better.

Diets are tricky…unlike sleep, there is no magic diet that everyone should follow because everyone is built differently, has different needs, and different goals/values. However there are a few “avoidables” that can benefit everyone’s physical health:

  • Greasy/Fried foods
  • Excessively sugary foods or drinks (there IS a difference between natural sugars and added sugars)
  • Excessively salty foods
  • Highly-processed foods

Honestly, I could go into way more depth and detail with this section, but to keep you from getting bored, I’m going to stop it there. Basically, it is pretty much known if something is unhealthy. Slight substitutions will go a long way towards benefiting your physical health and energy. Have any questions about on-campus food or want some more info? Visit the University Dining website or contact someone within the Student Wellness Center (they do a lot with nutrition/diet counseling and education – it’s free, too!)

Other basics tips?

  • Try to eat until you’re satisfied, rather than full.
  • Eat a variety of healthy foods, which provides you with a broader intake of nutrients and keeps you from getting bored!
  • DRINK WATER. It is essential. The benefits would be a whole other section. There are a bunch of different recommendations as to how much you should be drinking, but I’ll let you research that on your own (everyone is different, like I said). Although I do recommend a glass of water every morning to kick-start your day.
  • If you’re struggling to find time to eat, do the same thing as sleep and establish time blocks within your schedule!
  • Add some vegetables.

Exercise

College. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you know of the large campus we have here at Ohio State and all its gyms it has to offer. Have you taken advantage?

Like diets, everyone’s needs are a little bit different, especially with regards to goals. The general “rule” is that it’s considered healthy to partake in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day. As students, it’s almost easy to have exercise take a backseat in priorities. Most of our time with academics is spent sitting in classrooms and then sitting or laying down to study.. then, to add to it, when we’re finished up, we just want to relax.

However, by incorporating physical activity into our routine (whether that be aerobic activity or strength training) we can combat the negative health effects of all of our sitting.

Exercise, along with all of its benefits, will boost your moods and energy overall while reducing health risks. As a student, we need as much of those benefits as we can get. The good thing about exercise is that there are so many different types and opportunities on campus. The gyms here also have very broad hours, meaning you can incorporate a full workout or a quick sweat almost anytime during the day! Check out the times (and more) at https://recsports.osu.edu/facilities.

It all starts with…

This article was by no means professional advice, but rather general advice from a fellow college student. I’m not an expert in sleep, diets, or exercise. I also want you to know that I sometimes fall short of taking care of myself in these three basic areas. There have been times where I’ve gone to classes with 5 hours of sleep. There have been times where I have eaten 2 Mirror Lake meals. There have been times where I decided to play 2K instead of going to hit back/bicep day. I am in no way asking you to get 9 hours of sleep a night, skip out on every Snickers bar, or go deadlift 500 pounds. I am simply just trying to get you thinking about bettering yourself – these pillars are crucial for that.

The thing is, it all starts with you. Building goals and then proceeding to build commitment to those. Self-responsibility and motivation are key, but practicing consistency in these areas is almost even more important and will benefit you more in the long run.

Oh yeah, and make your bed every morning. I have to work on that too.

Extra Note: Are you or someone you know struggling with having food to eat? Ohio State has food pantries for students.

What Does Undergraduate Dean Wayne Carlson Do?

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I’ve heard the following many times over the six years I’ve been in my current position at Ohio State University: “So, I get what my Department Chair does… he or she coordinates the activities in the department, assigns faculty and teaching staff to classes that are taught each semester, evaluates the performance of the faculty and staff, and oversees the budget of the department.

“And I get what the Dean of the College does… he or she sets the strategic short and long term goals for the college, supervises and oversees department chairs, does fundraising for the college, coordinates outreach and communications related to the college, and generally makes sure that the academic mission of the college is achieved.

“But what do you, as the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduates, do?”

I have two titles: Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies and Dean of Undergraduate Education. I report to the provost, who, as the chief academic officer of the university, is in charge of all educational affairs and activities, including research and academics. As one of the vice provosts in his office, my job is to coordinate all of the academic-focused units that report to me. These include the Military and Veterans Services Office and the ROTC, the Student Athlete Support Services, the Undergraduate Research Office, Honors and Scholars, including the Collegium and the Undergraduate Fellowship Office, the Service-Learning Initiative, and University Exploration, our office for undecided and re-deciding student advising.

This “business, or Vice Provost” side of my job also has me collaborating with external constituents, such as the Board of Regents and industry and community organizations interested in undergraduate education, as well as with internal groups, such as Student Life, Enrollment Services, and First Year Experience. I also coordinate the academic part of the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program, working closely with Student Life.

The “academic, or Dean” part of my job is more focused on the academic programming components associated with undergraduate education. This includes working with colleges on General Education expectations and curriculum, and with evaluating and assessing the learning outcomes that are necessarily part of this important curriculum.

I am responsible for overseeing and implementing policies related to undergraduate academic programming, working with colleges to propose and implement policies of the faculty with respect to the development of programming for challenging academic experiences, and working with colleges on curricula and requirements for baccalaureate programs and new and useful undergraduate programs.

One of the most important parts of the “Dean” job is to coordinate advising across the university. Academic advising, like many other functions at the university, is distributed throughout the colleges. For example, the College of Engineering employs its own advising staff, and they focus on the courses and curriculum required in each of its departments.

Arts and Sciences (ASC) has its own advising staff for its departments, and they are also very knowledgeable about courses and curriculum in the general education, most of which is in ASC. The same is true for every other college. But there are policies and processes related to advising that cross boundaries of the colleges… that’s where my office comes into play.

My office coordinates those advising activities related to university-wide interpretation. We also coordinate advisor training and develop technology tools used by the individual advising offices.

This year we are embarking on an effort to review and improve academic advising across the campus, and even across all of our regional campuses. We are conducting surveys and running focus groups of students, advisors, college reps, and the overall undergraduate community to determine where we are and what are the needs related to increasing the quality and efficiency of advising.

Our goals are fairly well defined, and will benefit students from the time they arrive at OSU:

  1. We will develop opportunities for better student-advisor engagement
  2. We will provide professional development for advisors
  3. We will define and assessing learning outcomes for advisors
  4. We will improve advising-related information availability and access
  5. We will look for opportunities for enhancing advisor collaboration

To get there we will need to

  1. Identify obstacles to these goals
  2. Build assessment criteria and processes
  3. Expand web and system services
  4. Enhance training for advisors
  5. Enhance communication to all of the campus, including to students, faculty, and administrators

These efforts are all part of what we call the “Quality Initiative,” which is a required part of the accreditation of the university by the Higher Learning Commission. But they are also an essential part of our long-term desire to meet the needs of our students, and to provide the kind of support that will help to achieve student success. All of our students, both continuing and incoming, will benefit immensely from this QI effort.