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CAPS Presents – Stop Feeling F.I.N.E.

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As we inch closer to exam week, it is easy to feel F.I.N.E.—Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional. 

While the stress of exams and the holiday season might cause overwhelming feelings of needing to “get it all done,” it is important to remember that only so much can be completed in one day. College students are often faced with the temptation of pulling “all nighters,” assuming that the less sleep one gets, the better their performance will be on an exam. Instead, lack of sleep can actually decrease cognitive performance and memory, leading to more forgetfulness and mistakes while completing tests or papers. 

Rather than running on fumes, take a moment to consider taking care of yourself this exam season so that you can show up with a clear mind and put your best foot forward.

Here are some self-care tips to help you keep a sharp mind and positive attitude:

Work in shifts: Even if you are cramming, it’s hard to retain a large amount of information without giving time for memory consolidation. Consider taking short breaks between 5-15 minutes for every 45-60 minutes of studying/working.

Play study music: Music without lyrics can help break up the monotony of studying without being distracting. Consider free study tunes on YouTube, such as classical music, Chillhop or coffeehouse jazz.

Remember to eat: Being busy can easily turn into forgetting to eat, or eating too much junk food. Try to balance between the two by planning a break to go to the dining hall, or meal prepping. Even simple healthier quick snacks, like nuts, fruit, sparkling water instead of soda or protein bars can help keep you fueled and focused without the sugary crash.

Catch some Z’s: Resist the all nighter! Even a little bit of sleep is better than no sleep at all. If you find yourself having trouble overthinking while you try to sleep before an exam, try taking a moment to tense up your muscles, then slowly relax them. Do this for different muscle groups to help take your focus off of your thoughts. Or try paying attention to your five senses while taking slow, controlled breaths. Lastly, calming music or white noise can help with relaxation. Even searching “ocean waves” on YouTube and playing it while you fall asleep can be helpful.

Manage your worry: Some worry about exams is healthy and productive. It might help you to start studying NOW (*hint, hint*) as opposed to last minute. Unproductive worry comes when we have difficulty focusing on work or completing tasks. It might cause us to feel overwhelmed and lower confidence. Challenge the unproductive worry with helpful reminders that you will be okay, no matter the results:

“I studied as much as I could, now it is time to perform as best as I can.”

“My worth does not lie in any single course, assignment or test. I am still a good person even if I don’t perform as well as I would like.”

“Rather than overthinking, I am going to take this time to cope and reset so I can get in some productive study time later.”

We hope you find these tips helpful in navigating your end of semester to-do list. On behalf of CAPS, we wish you a successful end to your semester and a relaxing winter break!

Florida Tech fails to acknowledge reports of rape required under federal law

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By: Emily Walker, Olivia McKelvey, Kevin Boodoosingh

Florida Tech failed to acknowledge multiple reports of rape within the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports under the Clery Act.




  • The Campus Crime Statistics lists zero sex offenses have occurred in the in the past three years. If there have been cases of sexual assaults that were not included in the crime statistics, then that is a violation of the Clery Act. 

Two students have come forward with accounts of rape and how they reported their cases through Title IX and Security.

Their cases did not appear on the Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports, which is in violation of the Clery Act.

What is the Clery Act:

In 1986, Jeanne Clery, a student at Lehigh University, was raped and murdered in her residence hall.

Four years later, the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 was established in order to create accountability for reporting violent crimes and providing transparency on campus crime statistics.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act—the Clery Act— is a federal law requiring United States colleges and universities to disclose information about crime on and around campuses.

Due to the fact that Florida Tech receives federal funding, it is required to publish an annual security report for both students and employees every Oct. 1.

What is included within the Clery report:

Florida Tech’s Office of Safety and Security prepares an annual report in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies such as Melbourne Police Department, Palm Bay Police Department and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Other university departments also work in collaboration with compiling crime reports and statistics such as the Title IX office.

The report is required to include data from the past three years on the following crimes:

  • Criminal homicides such as murder and non-negligent manslaughter and negligent manslaughter
  • Sex offenses such as rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape
  • Arrests and judicial referrals for liquor law violations, drug abuse violations and weapons law violations
  • The “other” category, which includes robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson
  • The Violence Against Women’s Act—VAWA—is an amendment within Clery that expands the rights to campus survivors of sexual assault and includes the following crimes:
    • domestic violence
    • dating violence
    • stalking
  • Hate crimes, which include offense definitions relating to hate/bias-related crime, larceny, simple assault, intimidation and destruction/damage/vandalism of property

Clery cites that the following individuals on campus are Campus Security Authorities—also known as mandated reporters— a term created by the Clery Act that encompasses groups of individuals and organizations at Florida Tech:

  • Dean of Students
  • Director of Security
  • Security Department
  • Title IX Coordinator
  • Senior Vice President for Academic Administration
  • Chief of Staff
  • Athletics Director
  • Athletic Coaches
  • Office of Student Life
  • Director of Student Housing
  • Other Campus Security Authorities that have a “significant responsibility for student and campus activities.”

Clery geography:

Another factor Clery examines when categorizing data is geographical location of a specific crime.

Clery includes both on-campus and non-campus locations within the report.

An on-campus location is defined as any building or property owned or controlled by an institution, such as an academic building or dorm.

Non-campus geographic location can refer to any Florida Tech owned entity that is frequented by students.

The non-campus definition also includes campus leased or rented spaces for an event that was sponsored by the university or any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the institution.

How Florida Tech violated the Clery Act:

In the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports, all sex offenses, including rape, were cited as zero for the past three years.

According to definition in Florida Tech’s 2019 Annual Safety and Fire Report, rape is defined as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

An anonymous student has gone on record and said that her rape, which occurred in 2018 on campus, was not included in the Clery report.

“I went into the Title IX office because I wanted this put down on record,” she said. “I wanted them to know that women are being assaulted and raped on this campus.” 

The student went to the health center and Counseling and Psychological Services, neither of which are mandated reporters.

She later went to Linda Jancheson, the Title IX coordinator, who reports to, as listed in Florida Tech’s organizational chart, VP/General Counsel.

“I spent 20 minutes waiting in the Title IX office, five minutes in Jancheson’s office and I left with three extra papers that I didn’t know what the hell meant,” the student said.

The student later talked to another Campus Security Authority and discussed her options with Security.

She ultimately decided not to take action against her rapist and no charges were filed in this case. 

Despite the student not taking action, according to Frank Iannone, director of security, whether or not a victim decides to pursue charges, a report is made regardless of the outcome.

When asked how many cases of rape have been reported to Jancheson for the past three years, she said, “I do not know the exact numbers.”

When asked how many Title IX reports Jancheson handed over to Security to include within this year’s Clery report, she said, “I do not know.”

The Title IX coordinator was asked these same questions two times, in two separate interviews, and responded with “I do not know,” in each instance.

Jancheson went on to say that she was not in the Title IX coordinator position when reports were made last year in 2018, though her start date was February of 2018.

Another anonymous source was raped in 2017 on campus and reported her rape to Security in 2018.

The student went through an investigation and disciplinary hearing, which took over one year and resulted in disciplinary action for her rapist. 

This student’s rape was also not included within this year’s Clery data. 

“Sitting down with two security officers not once, but twice to relive the details of my rape in depth and on record was anything but a warm environment as a victim,” she said. 

After her initial report, the student heard nothing for five months regarding the investigation and the scheduling of the disciplinary hearing.

“It was the worst experience of my life,” she said. “The process of reporting it was nearly as bad as my actual rape.”

It is not immediately known whether or not campus security filed these two reports of rape with local law enforcement.

Both sources will remain anonymous. The Crimson does not disclose the names of sexual assault survivors.

Repercussions for violating Clery:

According to a press release from the National Association of Clery Compliance officers and professionals, as of February 2019, the new amount that the U.S. Department of Education can impose for noncompliance with the Clery Act is $57,317 per violation. 

In 2016, Penn State was fined 2.4 million dollars for having been “out of compliance” for 11 serious cases dating from 1998 to 2011.

In 2018, the University of Montana was fined $966,614 for “inaccurate and misleading crime statistics” from liquior law violations to cases of rape between 2012 and 2015. 

Two anonymous students at Florida Tech have come forward to discuss their rapes in 2017 and 2018 and how they reported it to Security.

Those cases have not been cited within this year’s Clery report. 

Iannone said that from the statistics that are provided within this year’s Clery report, he feels the numbers accurately represent the campus.

If you have made a report to Security or Title IX and feel it has not been handled correctly, visit endrapeoncampus.org/the-clery-act to file a complaint.

As a student-run newspaper, your voices are extremely important to us.

If you feel you have experienced something similar as described in this piece and would like to speak with us, please contact us at crimson@fit.edu.

National Sexual Assault Hotline -1-800-656-4673
Women’s Center Counseling 321-242-1526

Walking with Gratitude

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Halloween is over, so you know what that means … Christmas! Just kidding. In between these two widely celebrated holidays, there is a meek holiday called Thanksgiving. 

While the face of Thanksgiving has changed over the years, many continue to celebrate traditions of remembering things for which they are grateful. This may seem a bit cliché, but the process of gratitude can actually help with managing stress, anxiety and depression. That’s right—the age-old tradition of being thankful is, in fact, a coping skill.

This November, take a moment to practice gratitude to help get you back to living in the moment and being mindful of the good things. Here are some gratitude activities/ideas that you can practice:

Gratitude Jar/Box: Decorate a jar or a tissue box in whatever way you wish. Then, on strips of paper, write at least three things throughout your day that you are grateful for and place it in your jar or box. It can be something as simple as your morning tea or coffee or as grand as your best friend. Over time, you will have a jar full of many reasons to be thankful for what you have. If you are ever feeling down, you can turn to your jar and read a few notes to remind yourself of who, and what, is good in your life.

Gratitude Journaling: Take a moment, maybe 2-3 times per week, to write down things you are grateful for. Try these prompts:

  • I am grateful for my family because…
  • Something good that happened this week…
  • I am grateful for my friendship with_________ because___________.
  • I am grateful for who I am because…
  • Something silly that I am grateful for…
  • Something else I am grateful for…

Gratitude Rock: Pick a rock, or another small object, such as a shell or a button, that represents what you are grateful for. Be sure to pick something you like to make it special for you. Carry the rock around in your pocket, place it on your desk or maybe wear it on a chain. Whenever you see or touch it, let it be a reminder to pause and think about at least one thing you are grateful for—whether it’s the sun shining on you or being able to go to college. When you remove the rock at the end of the day, take a moment to remember what you were grateful for throughout the day. Repeat this in the morning when you put it on again, remembering what you were grateful for yesterday.

Taking time to remember things you are grateful for can help bring focus off of anxious and negative thoughts. It can help you find a calm moment, which can help you better tackle your day-to-day life. Enjoy these gratitude activities or try some new ones you create on your own. Happy Thanksgiving!

CAPS Presents – Don’t Let Your Light Burn Out

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You’re busy, right?

Think of all the times you have used that as a reason to not do something.

“I can’t, I’m busy” or “I wish I could, but I’m busy” are phrases that are part of a typical college student’s vernacular.

Being busy is not a bad thing.

Many students thrive on having schedules, “to-do” lists, and several activities or responsibilities in which they are involved.

However, being busy can easily boil over into feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, or even burned out.

Many of us are familiar with feeling stressed or overwhelmed but burnout is a different type of feeling that many experience without knowing the lasting effects it can have.

Burnout occurs when you lose touch with the reasons why you are doing something in the first place.

You might feel apathetic, even cynical towards your work or people around you.

There is no clear cause of burnout, but the factors that influence burnout can include feeling overwhelmed or lacking control over your time, lack of social support, and school-life imbalance.

Feeling like you or a friend might be burned out?

Take a moment to reignite your flame.

Self-care is essential for managing a hefty course load along with other obligations, such as a part-time job, extracurriculars or volunteer work.

A great resource for students on-the-go is the Florida Tech Campus Wellness website.

It is loaded with resources to help you find and maintain balance and wellness.

Think of it as all of our campus resources packed into one site.

There are self-help resources for studying, career development, exercise, sleep, health, eating, and emotional wellbeing.

With the right resources, many students can make the minor adjustments they need to stay on track.

Campus Well is here to help connect you with those resources, whether from your phone, tablet, or laptop/ computer.

Take a moment to download the Campus Well app or visit the website and see how these easily accessible resources can prevent or reduce burnout and help you shine your brightest!

CAPS Presents: Lift Your Spirits

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Have you ever felt hollow or numb?

Have you ever felt like you were drowning while others around you kept afloat?

These are a few descriptions of how it can feel to have depression. Depression is often described as an emotional state (“I’m depressed” or “that’s depressing”).

However, clinical depression is a true mental health problem, which can be treated.

It’s normal to feel down or blue occasionally, but it’s important to note if you or a friend are experiencing more than regular sadness.

Remember, you don’t have to be “going through something” to have depression.

While people often feel sad after a break-up or a stressful life event, sometimes people experience depression without having any life stressors or triggers.

Some signs of depression might include feeling sad most days of the week, withdrawing from others, sleeping too little or too much and sometimes feeling irritable or agitated.

Curious whether you or a friend might have depression? Oct. 10 is National Depression Screening Day, and you may want to consider taking a screening to help make an informed decision about getting help.

CAPS offers free online screenings for depression and other mental health problems, which can be accessed by visiting our website.

Sometimes depression can cause you to have thoughts of wanting to die or feeling you/others might be better off if you were dead.

If you, or a friend, are experiencing this, do not wait to get help. For emergencies, always call 911.

You can also contact campus security at 321-674-8111 .

The following services are also available for 24/7 free and confidential support:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK/8255 — suicidepreventionlifeline.org
The Brevard 211 Helpline: dial 211-or- (321) 632-6688 — www.211brevard.org
The Crisis Text Line: text “Home” to: 741741 — www.crisistextline.org

Consultation services are also available at CAPS if you have concerns for yourself or a friend.

While depression can feel like an uphill battle, having the right knowledge, resources, and tools can help to lift your spirits and get back to fully living your life.

For more information regarding CAPS’ services and support, drop by our center, call us, or visit our website.

CAPS Presents: Help Others and Yourself

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Many people enjoy helping others.

Aside from altruistic feelings, helping in the form of random acts of kindness, volunteering or civic service can keep you feeling engaged and connected with people in the community.

In many ways, helping others can lead to helping oneself in that it provides an opportunity to shift focus outward rather than dwelling inward on negative or self-critical thoughts.

Things like community service or volunteering can
also help build your resume and network.

Afterall, you never know who might have a connection that can help you out professionally or even personally.

Helping others can be as simple as offering to help a fellow student study.

It can also involve a larger commitment, such as regular volunteering commitments or donations.

Any way that you help, large or small, can have rippling effects on the community and on yourself.

This week consider ways in which you can reach out to help others.

Make time for a simple phone call or message to a peer who seems down.

Stop to hold the door open for a stranger.

Donate items to those in need.

Or, give your time and skills to a larger cause, such as mentoring or other forms of service.

You can also find new ways to get involved through visiting the Office of Civic Engagement’s website: www. fit.edu/civic-engagement.

Helping others also involves acknowledging and accepting help ourselves.

If you are in need of support, reach out to friends, family or others within the community, such as an instructor, advisor, supervisor and/or clergy.

Consider seeking professional help as well.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students learn how to work through life’s challenges, heal emotional pain and develop the necessary skills to lead healthy and balanced lives … and help you get back to helping those around you.

For more information regarding CAPS’ services and support, drop by our center, call us or visit our website.

CAPS Presents: Health and You

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Nowadays, many people talk about self-care.

But what does “taking care of yourself” actually mean? Taking medicine when you feel sick? Eating ice cream because you are sad? Making your own doctor appointments?

Maintaining good health and caring for yourself includes many moving parts.

At times it can feel overwhelming to know where to start, or even whether you need to do anything to maintain your health.

After all, if you feel more or less okay, that means you are fine, right? Not necessarily.

Generally, it is good for everyone to see their primary care doctor once per year for a check-up to screen for and prevent illness.

Dental cleanings are generally recommended every six months to prevent gum disease and cavities.

Regular exercise coupled with healthy, balanced eating habits can help to prevent heart disease, type II diabetes and obesity.

And if you are aware that you have a chronic illness, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism or bipolar disorder, it is good to keep your regularly scheduled appointments with your provider.

Sometimes managing your health can be stressful and overwhelming, especially if this is your first time dealing with a condition without significant help from relatives.

The first step is to talk to someone who might be able to help you better understand your body and mind so that you can reach your personal, academic and career goals here at Florida Tech. After all, knowledge is power.

Holzer Health Center – provides a variety of health and wellness services. Website: www.fit.edu/health
Phone #:321-674-8078
Location: beside CAPS (at the corner of Country Club Road and University Boulevard)

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) – provides a variety of mental health and wellness services.
Website: www.fit.edu/ counseling-and-psychological-services
Phone#: (321) 674-8050
Location: beside the Holzer Health Center (at the corner of Country Club Road and University Boulevard)

Want more information and resources about how you can maintain your own health?

Come to the Florida Tech Health & Fitness Expo on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 10:00-2:00 at the Clemente Center! There will be raffles, prizes and samples as well as several tables with plenty of information on health, fitness and wellness.

Be sure to also stop by the Holzer Health Center and CAPS tables for helpful resources and information about maintaining a healthy mind and body!

CAPS – The Panther’s First Semester

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Whether this is the first semester of your freshman year of college or your final “first” semester of graduate school, the start of a new academic year can come with so many new and different things.

Some might be exciting, like meeting new roommates; while others might be challenging, like repairing a suffering GPA.

Regardless of what experiences come your way, it is important to find a balance between school, work and your social and personal life.

A great way to start the new academic year is to establish a daily routine.

While classes naturally create a routine, there are many other areas of your life that could benefit from some structure.

Setting aside certain days or times for things, like hanging out with friends or catching up with family, can be just as important as scheduling time for studying.

Having an exercise routine can also be helpful and more than just managing weight.

Regular exercise can help manage stress, anxiety and depression.

Eating regular, well-balanced meals at around the same time each day can further help with overall physical and mental health.

Additionally, taking time to relax can help balance out the stress of studying, working or dealing with social/ extra-curricular demands.

Give yourself the gift of setting limits on where and how you spend your time.

It might seem like extra work now, but it will pay off when October hits and you find yourself not wondering where all your time went.

If you find yourself having difficulties that cannot be resolved with setting routines and engaging in self-care, reach out to someone for support.

You can also visit Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), where a variety of mental health and wellness services are available to assist students so they can successfully reach their own personal, academic and career goals.

We also offer weekly counseling groups, including Mood Matters on Mondays, a group on managing depression and anxiety; Let’s Talk on Tuesdays, which explores ways to improve relationship skills; Proud To Be Me on Wednesdays, which provides support for LGBTQ+ concerns; Understanding Self & Others on Thursdays, which explores personal identity and interpersonal success; and Emotional Flexibility on Fridays, which provides a variety of stress management techniques.

More information regarding CAPS’ services and support can be found by visiting: www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/

We are here to help you achieve your goals and be the happiest and healthiest Panther you can be.

CAPS – The Panther Gives Back

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Panthers are often thought to be dangerous and fierce creatures who only care for their own survival.

However, Dr. Mark Elbroch, lead scientist for Panthera’s Puma Program and ecologist who spent 15 years studying panthers, found that there is actually a compassionate side to big, carnivorous cats.

There is even an instance in which one of these fierce animals helped raise a baby baboon after its mother died!

The point is, we Panthers like to help each other out.

We care about each other.

Altruistic acts, doing things for others simply out of a desire to help, have been shown to activate important reward centers in the brain and relive negative thoughts and feelings within ourselves.

We often attempt to be empathetic and help each other out when we can, but sometimes we may not know exactly what can be done, or how our efforts can benefit most people.

With Earth Day on our minds, there are many simple ways to help both our environment and those around us.

Here are some ideas for expressing our gratitude for Mother Earth and our fellow Panthers:

Keep Our Beaches Clean!

We at Florida Tech are lucky to have beautiful beaches so close to us! Let’s do our part to keep it that way! Whether you volunteer for the many local “Adopt a Beach” cleanup efforts, or even just pick up that empty bottle from the sand and place it in a proper recycling bin, we can help make our beaches that much cleaner and safer for ourselves and the lovely creatures that call the beach home.

Be an Environmentally Conscious Consumer!

There are a number of ways we can help our environment just by changing our day-to-day consumer behaviors. For example, consider reducing your plastic use as many animals can die as a result of getting entangled or starve by consuming plastic they mistake for food. Cutting the plastic rings around soda bottles and cans before throwing them out and using paper bags or bringing your own reusable bag to your local grocery store, are some ways to help keep our environment safe just by slightly shifting your daily routine!

Simple Acts of Kindness!

Helping out our neighbors doesn’t have to be a grand gesture; even small, random acts of kindness can be something that immensely brightens someone’s day. Paying for the car behind you in the drive thru is a simple act that can help make someone’s morning just a little bit better. The best part is that these efforts are often contagious! When we offer a helping hand, it inspires others to do the same. Some other examples include leaving change in a vending machine, letting someone in front of you in line, or even just giving a nice compliment to a someone you know or a stranger!

Whether it’s something large or small, simple or more challenging, every act of kindness can help you better our world in your own way.

Caring about each other and the world around us makes everyone feel better, including ourselves.

The more people who choose to partake in this kindness, the more benefit for our world as a whole.

We at CAPS and the overall Florida Tech community want to make the world a better place, so let’s work together and be the change we wish to see!

CAPS – The Triumph of the Overworked Panther

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Here we are again… Exam Season.

Right when we start to make plans for our wonderful summer break, we face one last hurdle for the semester.

Multiple choice, essays, fill-in-theblank…we know the drill.

It can be difficult to plan, especially when the very idea of a final exam may be anxiety provoking.

We all begin to get out our calculators to find the number that gives us that 89.5 %.

But there are other things we can do!

We can learn techniques and strategies to triumph over that test and get ready for the summer that awaits.

Some of the most common of these strategies can be remembered by using the following acronyms before, during, and after exams:

BEFORE – E.M.B.E.D. the material

EVALUATE

Manage your time so that you study areas you are less familiar with. Finding time specifically for studying will also help with procrastination and distractions.

MEMORIZE

There are many different ways to memorize material you’ve learned during the semester. Besides acronyms, you can use writing and repetition, flash cards, or using your imagination to create a link between the material and a particular visualized image.

BELIEVE

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.” Perhaps use a morale-boosting mantra like “I can do this” or “I worked hard and deserve this” to recite while you’re studying and before the test begins.

EAT

Even during intense study sessions, it is important to consider your health. Eat a nutritious breakfast before the test and pack smart snacks for ongoing energy. Look for foods that offer complex carbohydrates, rather than simple sugars that will lead to a crash.

DREAM

Get a good night’s rest! You will retain more information with a full night’s sleep as opposed to staying up and cramming all night.

DURING – Push A.H.E.A.D.

ANALYZE

Don’t rush through! Read the directions thoroughly and read all answers before making a choice or beginning the essay. There is nothing worse than putting time into a question and realizing you are not solving for x, or the essay is off target. Slowing down can help you stay focused.

HAPPY PLACE

If you find yourself becoming frustrated, take a breath and relax. Repeat your mantra or picture yourself in an environment where you feel very relaxed and happy.

EARLY

Arrive early to your testing location! Feeling rushed will only amp up the anxiety. Pack everything you need for the exam the night before and set the alarm so you can leave on time.

ARTICULATE

Again, there’s no rush! Just because you see that first person turn their test in, doesn’t mean there’s need to panic. There’s no bonus for finishing first, so take your time to articulate your answers on an essay or make notes to help answer a multiple choice question.

DETERMINE

Just because the test starts with #1 does not mean that has to be your starting point. Familiarize yourself with the test content after you receive it, and don’t be afraid to skip questions and come back to them later. Determining your best strategy can help you not only manage your allotted time, but it may even help jog your memory for previous questions!

AFTER – Go to B.E.D.

BREATHE

Take time to relax! The test is over! Specifically, you may want to use our previously introduced method of: “5 second inhale, 5 second hold, 5 second exhale.” You can repeat this as many times as you need to feel calm and relaxed.

ENVISION

Even after the test is over, it is important to keep an optimistic outlook and envision success over failure. Many students can get anxious about certain responses they did or did not write, but remember that you studied and tried your best. Now it’s time to envision the grade you hoped for!

DEBRIEF

After receiving your grade, it may be helpful to debrief and consider what sections of the test you excelled on, and which you may need to work on in the future. This is also a good time to reflect on the effectiveness of your strategies while you were taking the test.

To get some more tips and learn about coping with exams and test anxiety, please join us at our “How to Prepare Like a Panther” event taking place on Wednesday, April 17th from 7:00-8:30pm in Evans Hall, Room 202.

Test anxiety is a common experience, and sometimes it can seem like your whole semester of work comes down to a single exam.

Remember, when you study and prepare, test taking is putting to paper what you already know.

We hope this article guides you Panthers in your studying endeavors and helps you triumph over this final trial!