Recently, the Wellness Room was closed for maintenance. 

Between the coffee stains, the spilled bean bag beans, and musty smell of To Kill a Mockingbird, the reek of AOC entitlement was the most noticeable aspect of the closed room. When two SEL members searched for the source, it dawned on them that it wasn't just one specific food item or one fart on a bean bag. 

It was an accumulation of unnoticed misuse and abuse. 

Each opportunity a student finds to violate the homework free, food free and quiet space the Wellness Room provides, AOC wears away at the values the room upholds. 

Overtime, these small choices are turning the Wellness Room into another UCEN cafe. That's grounds for it to close permanently. 

It's not just the gradual transformation that's concerning. It's also stress inducing. 

Stress, according to a University of Athens study, is causing early on-set cancer. 

If a human body's cancerous cells go unnoticed, cancer spreads to the brain and shuts down (kills) the person it infects. 

Are you letting cancerous choices do the same to the Wellness Room? 
Think before you act. 
​

Pelekasis P (2015) Is Intense Stress Related to the Onset of Brain Cancer? Shedding Some Light on a Literature Gap. Brain Tumors Neurooncol 1:e101. doi: 10.4172/2475-3203.1000e101

It's October! Happy Fall AOC!
Pumpkin spice lattes, late nights and college applications / SATs have faded in to replace the mild stress of summer COC classes. Between the chaos of the busy, pre-holiday season, and school work, it's sometimes it hard to take a minute to breathe -- especially if you're already half asleep. Here's our fall survive guide. 

1. Prioritize your work 
If you have a project due tomorrow, is studying for an SAT in a month going to be realistic? Try to do work with the first upcoming due dates sooner rather than later.  

2. Set Reminders on Your Phone
Sleeping in the dark hours of the early am and being functional by 7:45 is difficult. While its a challenge to sleep, setting reminders on your phone can help remind you to sleep on time. 

3. Make time to Relax 
It may sound weird, but scheduling time to relax and unwind not only guarantees a time to de stress but also gives you something to look forward after doing your work :).

Hey AOC! This week SEL wanted to reflect on self-care. 

It's easy to get caught up in our school work, staying up late to finish a paper for COC or a project for an AOC class. Academics are always a clear priority at AOC but at what point do we need to prioritize our health? How do our paradigms of self care affect how we act on it? 

Google, Instagram and Twitter threads seem to sometimes have answers. But nothing concrete.
According to Oxford dictionaries, its "preserving or improving one's health." Tbh -- an unsatisfying response.  What did it mean to 
We wanted to know what it meant to our school community so we 

"For me, self care means taking time for myself to recover from the week. It's a healing time! I like to play instruments, write in my journal, listen to music and improv dance :)" 
- Willa

"Self care is about balance. What constitutes balance for you is different for me.  Are you spending enough time with family? Are your intellectual needs being met? Are you physically active enough?" 
- Malko

"Self care to me means putting your personal well-being before others. Being reasonably selfish is vital in order to take care and love the beautiful human you are!" 
- Joelle Min

"Being able to prioritize my needs for my well being and understanding my goals. Also not overworking myself"
- Kat

"Self care means not caring about others, jk, it's making sure your body grows as well as your mind" 
- Mark

"Self care to me is eating without feeling guilty :)" 
- Matthew 

"Self care to me means putting your physical, mental, and emotional health as a priority :)"
- Grace