AGGIELIFE Inesday, April 26,2000 THE BATTALION Page 3 I LET THE CRANiilG BEGIN ' *)n-and off-campus establishments provide longer hours, freebies for students during finals riE WHITACRE enng major, e howtowir it her excel BY KELLY PREISER The Battalion e semester is finally drawing to a close, ut before students can bid farewell to his semester’s classes, they have to pre- e for what most students consider the most ^ jaded event of the year — finals. Late nights — or all-nighters — midnight :za delivery and coffee breaks are just a few the things students have to look forward to as als near. While the outlook may seem grim, many illege Station and Texas A&M institutions are ingwhat they can to ease the load on students. iese institutions and student workers are irking together to make finals run as smooth- as possible. S#eet Eugene’s, a local coffee house, is one many establishments offering its customers ex- iservice during finals. l“We will be open 24 hours the Thursday fore finals, [and] Sunday and Monday,” said Saturdai aron Brown, manager and co-owner of ' veet Eugene’s. Brown said that about 90 percent of his staff students, so he understands that students ;eda break. ■ f Contact ■ .“Tii,')'re [students] the reason we’re here. We , ' , ■they’re going through a hard time and will for details. „ v Z ■ , . ;upall night. Coilee is a great stimulant, so this A am v t 1 kill P er f ect place for the students to hang out. 6 6ran ’spreat atmosphere to get away. Plus, they’re 11 good people, they deserve to have this type of tiff done for them,” Brown said. He said there are many reasons behind the de- ision to change business hours. “We want to show the students we love them id that we care. Not too many places are open Plti ThPb lat late, so students don’t have too many place , , igoto. We try to give them a little alternative,” (iyday. where ever.': ■ jther to play gairri ' r0 p VIK , id t,it free food », e For an>0 , ne who does " 0 ' have access t0 an Rprrpatinn r , nt , .ff-campus location or who may want to escape , , f . fe flent atmosphere of the 24-hours of quiet time Aggies for Life: The display entitled "Whe Begin?" at 11 a.m. exas ajita Fest/Cook-off .m. at VFW Hall-1 818, North of Villa Mi ations at www.earthco' m. For more informal* Ddd at 775-4657. in the donns, there are also several facilities on- campus that are doing special things for Aggies preparing for finals. The Commons Dining Center, for example, will be open until 2 a.m. as a study hall and will offer coffee, hot chocolate and orange juice. “This offers the students a quiet place for them to study and a new environment to go to and get away from the dorms,” said Cedric Payton, man ager of the Commons Dining Center. Payton mentioned a few reasons why it is im portant to do things like this for students. “Of course, to help bring up their [grade point average] and help make A&M the best. But also, students without meal plans can come in for free and have a nice place to study,” Pay- ton said. The Department of Food Services is also co sponsoring Sterling C. Evans and the West Cam pus Libraries’ efforts to provide students with free coffee and hot chocolate. On May 2, there will be a “Fiesta Finale” which will be held in Duncan Dining center at lunch and the MSC and Commons Dining Centers at dinner. MATT ROY/Thu Battalion The “Fiesta Finale” will feature ‘Bevo’ pinatas, fi esta-type food and fiesta decorations. “We didn’t get to bash the Bevos last semes ter around Thanksgiving time when we usually do it, so we’re going to do it for finals. We’ll let the students bash them, sort of like a ‘beat the hell out of finals’ thing,” said Annette Ely, a food ser vices employee and a sophomore management in formations systems major. Rhonda Kcippler, marketing coordinator for the Department of Food Services said there are other events that are planned to ease students into finals. “Sunday, May 7, we’re holding a ‘Pancake- and Pajama Party’ from 9 to 11 p.m. There will be' complimentary pancakes and beverages during* study time,” Kappler said. v. He said on May 8, exam survival kits con-f taining snacks, will be handed out at lunch at alf three dining centers. Student workers are also adjusting their sched-; ules in preparation of finals. It can be difficult for student workers to balance work and school while [ getting ready for finals. “I think I’m going to have to go to work until, 5 [p.m.] then come home and take a break arid spend the rest of the night studying,” said Sylvia Wagner, who works at the Graduate Office of the Department of Chemistry and is a junior agricul tural economics major. “It can be really hard if you have more than one final on the same day. You have to learn how to balance your time and get used to staying up late,” Wagner said. “My managers are really good about letting us off when we need to study. Iff ever need off dur ing the day or anything, they’re fine with it, all I have to do is ask,” Wagner said. Andrew Saunders, a senior history major who works at the Texas A&M Bookstore in the Memorial Student Center said he and other bookstore employees will have to work more, hours than usual during finals week because of book buy-back. “We are expected to work more hours, but the bookstore works really well with our schedules. I think I’m going to have to make it through this with a lack of sleep, and I’m sure most of my studying will be done at night,” Saunders said. Student workers, from both on- and off-cam pus institutions and University staff are working together to make the transition into the hectic week of finals as easy as possible. “I just hope I pass all my classes,” Wagner said. Because on- and off-campus establishments are making efforts to accommodate students schedules, passing finals should be the only wor ry left in their minds. * Brntm (ISSN #10554726) is rough Friday during the fal 3«1 spn; londay llrough Thursday durinj mvarsrty holidays and earn pe«ls)iW anodicals Postage Paid at Wage W ASTER: Send address changes lo Pel niversity, 1111TAMU, College SlatmilrliK ews; The Battalion new depaiwiis .'i'? :nts at Texas A&M UniwsityinllitlW' edia. a uni! of the Department of e in 013 Reed McDonald Building. NwA 113; Fax: 845-2647; E-mail: IM# it site: http://battalion.tamu.edii vertising: Publicabon of adterbsingM 1 ship or endorsement by Rie Batlai® fills' national display advertising, cal 1 advertising, call 845-0569. Jdieft’j ’ 5 Reed McDonald, and office hoorsartii nday through Friday, fax: 845-267J. iscriotions: A part of the Student Scis 1 ft Texas A&M student to pick up a talion. First copy free, additional (»|ies ptiohsare$60 per school year, $39 W rester, $17.50 for the summer and ill rge by Visa, MasterCard, Disawon 845-2611. or Low-Risk llcohoi Use. sion lagroom beffore/fvnoLy: SSTUDY, STUDY, STUDY ^Eat healthy foods, avoiding too much sugar and caffeine (including over the counter stimulants-vivarin, no-doze) ^Get plenty of rest!!! ^Eliminate alcohol and other mood altering drugs-they upset normal sleep, lower concentration, and decrease memory abilit’ ,- v x; »j#^****W r Va.: /:;. /, . • • ■ b •—f 1 . i-i.i'i?'-'-.f ' Y* * • W'. -V 'cgt ' ^ ir -'v'- • V. - /V■. ' v-^- .Tf-' • .Vw. Daw froin June, 1998 CORE survey on a random sample of 861 students ^Guidelines from FACE, Truth and Clarity on Alcohol souncbreak corn the interactive online music experience « • e*’l. IN4 »•*>«« hctp://stujt fc.taunu.cdu/aclcp