By Izayah Morgan
Editorial Staff
Students now have access to rejuvenation rooms in all residential buildings.
The office of Residential Life opened them to provide a quiet space on campus for students, according to Glenn Cochran, associate dean of students. Cochran said the rooms were inspired by the Rams Refresh Room in the libary.
The Rams Refresh Room was instituted as part of the staff’s wellness initiative. Library staff members worked closely with the Health and Wellness Center to reimagine the room as a space for students.
“It is a sound-proof room that has a little bit of everything," Millie Gonzalez, dean of the library, said.
There's fidget toys, coloring books, Bluetooth speakers, therapy lamps, and a weekly meditation space, Gonzalez said. The Refresh Room is also a space where activities are hosted throughout the week, such as the weekly meditation session.
“We hear a lot of students who want the room expanded to more than one person, but for now, we're going to keep it limited to one person. Sometimes when you're on campus and have a roommate, you don’t get much private time. You have it here,” she said.
Residents are able to access the residence hall rejuvenation rooms with a key card, which can be signed out at the front desk as if they are signing out monopoly or pool balls, Cochran said. “That card access will unlock the door for use in the rejuvenation room.”
He said when students enter the room, there will be a massage chair and games to play. In addition, “The space is intended to be a place where you can relieve stress and hopefully get yourself centered.
“If you want a space to meditate, you can do that. If you want it to serve as a prayer room, you can do that as well,” Cochran said. “It could just be a place where you do breathing exercises or just a place to step away from everyone and just relieve some stress.”
For decorations in the space, “We tried to put some peaceful artwork on the walls and we will probably add some pieces as we go along,” Cochran said. Residence Life wants the room to be accessible, but also preserved.
“We don't want everything to disappear but the big heavy chair,” he said.
As of press time, rejuvenation rooms are open in all six resident halls - Peirce, Horace Mann, Larned, West, Corinne Hall Towers, and Miles Bibb.
“In regards to the launch, we had problems with locks on the doors,” Cochran said. “It is available to schedule for a 45-minute block and to do whatever you want. However, if students just want to use the room for as little as ten minutes, that option is available.
“The space in the library is great, and going off that, the rejuvenation rooms were made to be where the people are [living],” he said. “It’s made to be available all throughout the day, so when the writer's block hits you at 9 at night and your assignment is due at midnight, you can get it done.”
Security Desk Attendants in the dorm will log sign-outs of the room key to help keep track of usage. This will track how many people use the space so Residence Life is able to continually update the room based on usage, Cochran said.
“Every night when the RA goes on duty, they will do a slight inventory check to see if anyone made a mess or spilled something, but besides that, it is available 24/7 to students,” he said.
Senior Quentin Antonio, an education major, said, “The rooms are going to be a really positive thing for students. It will be great for when you need to do a late-night assignment.”
Nana-Yaw Afiedzie ’24 said, “When I was going to Framingham, it [a rejuvenation room] was just in the library, but it’s great to see its expansion to the dorms. I think students will really enjoy it.”
Junior Connor Aubin, a cybersecurity major, said, “The rooms sound really nice, I mean having a room that's free of all distractions is great - especially with all the electronics available right in your room.”
Junior Kayliana Sevieri said, “It's cool - especially since it has a massage chair. It sounds like a really good place to relax and wind down.”