Should Universities Have Nap Rooms?

[BvBPL]

I'm in law school. It isn't unusual (although not necessarily the norm) for it to take three hours of prep for one hour of class. That doesn't include assignments or subsequent outlining and studying for tests.

I'm also a commuter student. I live half an hour away from class. It doesn't necessarily make sense for me to head home after one class and then return for the next if, as in today's case, I have about 4 hours between classes.

But, you know, I'm Goddamned tired today. I might want to take a nap between classes. Should my university have a nap room for me?

(Disclosure #1: During finals, I did see a person in the library at final's time last month who was passed out cold in the library, catching ZZZs in his books. Disclosure #2: This will surprise no one who has been to law school.)

 

[Synobun]

Considering the copious amounts of money that students pay to the university just to attend, I'd say yes. Buying smart, you could probably get 15-30 decent beds for $10k. Hell, $100k and you'd have enough beds for all the students.

But then again, businesses do not buy smart. They'd probably buy their beds from an overpriced vendor. $5000 for a bed you could get for $400 at a Wal-mart.

Either way, though, that could be cool. Potentially abused, but cool.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I say yes, though nothing but discomfort is stopping you from napping in most quiet places already. I used to commute and when I was really tired I would find an empty classroom to take a nap in. Of course I had plenty of practice in high school at falling asleep in a desk.

Tables are much better for napping on than desks though because then you can get up and lay on top of the table, using your bookbag as a pillow.

Still, dedicated nap zones would be great.

 

[Mise]

Most departments in my uni (all?) had common rooms where you could have a little nap, and study rooms where you could do the same as long as you were very quiet about it. The computer labs were usually free, too, so we used to nap there a lot as well. And you could always find an empty lecture hall if there was no space anywhere else. Actually I spent rather a lot of time in uni napping, both in lectures and out. There's something oddly soporific about a professor with a German/Austrian accent talking about muons.

I don't think there needs to be any special area for napping. You should be able to nap wherever and whenever you want. They do, however, need them at offices......

 

[ParkCungHee]

Most Universities have informal nap rooms.

These are usually labeled Student Unions, Cafeterias, Libraries, Club Rooms, Empty Classrooms, Common Rooms, Bathrooms etc.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

If bathrooms are informal anything, they are local drug bazaars.

 

[FriendlyFire]

But, you know, I'm Goddamned tired today.

Tankers chocolate !
Any quiet area will do.

 

[Gucumatz]

We have like 15 Libraries at our university - I think I have napped in a third of them . Either way doesn't sound like a bad idea, but libraries already serve that dual purpose.

 

[Mise]

Is there actually anywhere in university where you can't nap?

 

[downtown]

Is there actually anywhere in university where you can't nap?

Yeah, I'm really confused by this.

I slept in one of Ohio State's engineering libraries a few times when I went there, and I know lots of my friends occasionally napped in either one of the libraries, or the student union. If you're attending a large university with more than one library, how is there NOT place to nap?

Building a facility with beds specifically for napping feels like a waste. Better to spend that money on faculty, labs or parking options.

 

[Camikaze]

For a lot of people, sleeping is half the point of going to the library. That's why they have sofas and stuff. Particularly given most people commute here (mine's an hour each way), so if you've got a break (next semester I have one hour of break for fifteen hours of class ), and either don't have any work to do or are feeling lazy, there needs to be somewhere to crash. But then that's pretty much any empty room, or any bench or seat. Lots of people who live near or on campus seem to do the whole 9-9 thing in the library too, complete with food, toilet and nap breaks. So it's entirely normal to use university facilities as a living space.

 

[Kennigit]

There's probably places you can find.

besides just sleeping in general student-populace common areas (libraries, student commons, etc), as others said often the departments have common areas themselves where you're much less likely to be perturbed.

Some places you can rent out a small room in the library or something for the semester. An individual study carrel but behind a door that you get the key to; tiny room but you're alone.

My university you can also make a reservation for like an hour at a time in the um counseling? center. They have maybe 2-4 rooms or so that you're free to lock up in for an hour, with maybe a couch and tv.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I hate students who monopolize study space. I don't have much sympathy if their stuff gets stolen while they're saving spots or sleeping in them. If nap rooms would alleviate this annoying problem then I'm all for it.

 

[BvBPL]

There's probably places you can find.

The fact that there are places that one could find to nap doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't a need for nap spaces.

Let's assume that "a good night's sleep" speaks not only to the action itself and the time of the action, but also speaks to the quality of snoozing itself. A respite for 10 hours under uncomfortable conditions may be less valuable than sleeping for 8 hours in ideal conditions.

if we assume that students are going to nap on campus then it sort of makes sense for them to maximize the value of that sleep by sleeping under superior conditions. That probably means dimmed lights, comfortable areas, and maybe a situation where you could feel comfortable with some degree of privacy, in unbuttoning your pants. While you can certainly nap in the library, you can't necessarily act to maximize the benefit of that sleep through the conditions set out above. That's where nap spaces might be valuable.

Still, I'd much rather my school spend its money on career services and other critical functions than on nap rooms.

 

[downtown]

A comfortable place to sleep for extended periods of time? I believe those are called dorms.

 

[BvBPL]

But I'm a commuter!

 

[downtown]

Even a commuter shouldn't need a nap room for more than 2 hours! The utility of a specific facility for long-range napping of commuters would be so small compared to the utility of other projects a university could do with that money. Spending on a nap room would be awfully hard to defend.

The university could set something up so students could rent their dorm beds for specific hours, while they are in class and commuters could nap, if you were really THAT desperate. Then it's free for the school.

 

[Angst]

It's not that they should, that is, should have to, but I don't see an issue with a university implementing a nap room.

On the other hand, I don't see an issue with sleeping in the cantina couch either.

 

[Quackers]

Who can get to sleep in a library? Or lecture theatre? I need comfort.

 

[History_Buff]

Who can get to sleep in a library? Or lecture theatre? I need comfort.

I could. I had acquired the skill to sleep anywhere (including classrooms with lectures going on) within two months of starting University.

Very convenient for flying now that I'm out. Assuming it's a flight at some odd hour, I'm usually asleep before take off.