Culture
Culture Editor: Katelin Pompa – xzgw@iup.edu Lead Culture Writer: Haley Brown – tbfx@iup.edu
(The Penn Archives)
The IUP library is open Wednesday through Thursday from 8 to 12 a.m.
It’s time to hit the books Finals will be here before you know it EMILY LOOSE
Staff Writer e.d.loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Finding a place to study may be difficult, but it has proven to be more difficult during a pandemic since many places are now off-limits. The end of the semester has almost arrived at IUP, which means finals are also on their way. As students prepare for finals, they have had to be creative in finding new spaces to study as social distancing continues adaptation to the situation has become the new reality at IUP. Claire Shemon (junior, biology) said that the library had been her favorite spot to study in with groups prior to the pandemic due to the study rooms. “The white board allows us to go over problems and concepts, and to teach it to each other to
Culture
(congerdesign/Pixabay) see if we know it and can explain it,” she said. “This worked amazing for physics, chemistry, calculus and biology.” Now she said her study groups use Zoom because not all of them are on campus. When studying alone, Shemon said she preferred using local coffee shops due to their quiet nature. Her favorite coffee shop for studying was Commonplace.
Bailey Walters (sophomore, psychology) also said she enjoyed going to coffee shops to study. She preferred using Starbucks when they are open. “I love the atmosphere,” she saiad. “It is always calm, and they play great music.” According to Walters, there has never been any distraction while she studied there. “If it ever gets too loud, I can
December 2, 2020
always pop in my headphones and get to work, too. I have never been disturbed while doing my work either.” Elissa Ridenour (junior, biology) said that the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) building was a good spot when she needed a lot of space for studying. “The building has no one in it. I just find an empty classroom and wipe down my area and get to work,” she said, “There is a whiteboard and everything.” Though she is not sure if it is allowed or not, she said she is careful while using the rooms. “I do take precautions, like wiping down my chair and area when I get there and before I leave,” Ridenour said. “I have not gotten yelled at yet for it.” Tyler Degenhart (sophomore, biology) said he found it easy to study anywhere due to the motto he had. “If you can’t do work every-
where, then you can’t do work anywhere,” he said. Due to the changes within the semester, students said they were still worried about finals. Their worries were more toward projects rather than studying, though. “I’m only really worried about finishing my final painting for my oil painting class,” Shemon said. “I missed the last two weeks because I was sick and in quarantine with COVID.” However, Shemon said she is still prepared for the rest of her finals. The last day of classes for the semester is Monday with finals taking place between Dec. 8 and 11. The final exam schedule can be found on IUP’s website at https:// www.iup.edu/news-events/calendar/academic/fall-2020-final-examschedule/. Good luck on your finals, IUP. Remember to get some sleep and don’t overload on caffeine.
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