Recap - Sleep

There are many things one can do to improve sleep habits. Lack of sleep can be detrimental to many areas of life – studies, memory, daily energy. Dr. Johnson Cheu, a professor at MSU, said he has had to talk to many students regarding their sleeping in his class. He said he finds this is most common in freshman who have not yet adjusted to college life. In order to beproductive and attentive, one must make sleep a priority. Colucci offered a variety of suggestions to improve sleep habits, including putting away electronics early on, designating one’s bed to be a place only for sleeping (not eating, or studying, etc.) so that one’s body will be accustomed to associating the bed with sleep, and not eating close to bedtime. Both Burrell and Dwyer have found MSU dorm life to be distracting, and have a hard time making sleep a top priority. However, MSU offers resources for students whose lack of sleep becomes a serious issue.

Preview - Sleep

College students quickly learn the importance of prioritizing the essentials – studying, eating, being social. However, many students forget to put sleep at the top of that list. Although sleep has been proven to be essential to one’s success, many students often sacrifice sleep for other responsibilities. Sarah Dwyer, a freshman at Michigan State University, said she drinks coffee throughout the day and even at night because her body needs the caffeine to function. Drinking caffeine and eating sugar before bed are two sure ways to inhibit sleep, according to Dr. Tony Colucci, the team physician for the Detroit Red Wings. Colucci also said that blue light, which is emitted by electronic screens, prevents restful sleep. This is a big problem for freshman Emily Burrell, who said she stays up late watching Netflix and browsing her phone. Students especially have a hard time shutting down their brains at night – especially after staying up late to cram for an exam. Colucci said that, in the grand scheme of things, it is more beneficial for a student to stop studying earlier and get optimal sleep, as the brain stops retaining information when sleep-deprived. At MSU, in 2014, more than 50 percent of students reported feeling the effects of lack of sleep.

Recap: Eating in MSU Dining Halls

While Caelen Malmstom and Hannah Lazarus both struggle to satisfy their dietary needs, they do recognize that the MSU dining halls are making an effort to accommodate their requirements.

"The caf staff is always helpful and willing to work with me when I ask," said Malmstrom.

The MSU dining halls face the challenge of meeting the dietary needs of specific students while also catering to the appetites of many of MSU's students.

MSU culinary services have made efforts to make it easier on students with dietary restrictions to find what they need with resources like the MSUtrition database and access to a registered dietitian.

Malmstrom and Lazarus suggest that the menus might be planned more cohesively to integrate their dietary restrictions with the everyday meals served in the dining halls. Lazarus thinks that adding more vegetables and vegetarian options to the menus will also help other students eat a healthier diet.

The dining halls have improved each year by adding new options to accommodate these dietary restrictions, and both Lazarus and Malmstrom are hoping that next year will be another step in the right direction.

Preview: Eating in the MSU Dining Halls

For many students, choosing what to eat in the Michigan State University dining halls is the simplest choice they will make each day. However, for others, this task isn't quite so simple.

Hannah Lazarus, a freshman at MSU, struggles to maintain her vegetarian diet due to the limited options the dining halls present. Another freshman, Caelen Malmstrom, faces the even greater challenge of being gluten-intolerant.

The MSU dining halls try to accommodate such students by labeling the meals each day with indicators for each dietary restriction, however the options these students have for food have much less variety and variability.

The dining halls also have special sections dedicated to some dietary restrictions – this especially helps to avoid cross contamination in the foods for those students who are gluten free.

Lazarus and Malmstrom both shared their thoughts on maintaining their respective diets in the MSU dining halls.

The vet: A recap

After taking Joanna to the vet, McDowell is uncertain about the results. She is glad the vet took x-rays of Joanna’s paws. Joanna is now shaken and nervous, acting quiet and timid which is unlike her normal self. The vet thinks that Joanna may have Carpal Vulgas, which causes the dog’s front paws to stick out awkwardly. The vet was unsure if there was also a small fracture that Joanna may have been limping on. Because the vet is not an expert on carpal vulgas, she sent the x-rays to their specialist to look at. She told McDowell to expect to hear within a week from the specialist. McDowell has noticed that Kevin’s paws have a similar deformity and is worried that she, too, might have carpal vulgas. However, the vet told her not to worry about it. McDowell is waiting for the call from the specialist and hopes he has good news about Joanna.

Joanna and Kevin go to the vet

It is time for the vet for Lisa McDowell’s dogs Joanna and Kevin. McDowell said she adopted Joanna and Kevin in May. McDowell is bringing the dogs to the vet because she noticed Joanna has been limping and McDowell is not sure why. She commented that Joanna’s front paws angle outwards and she is worried about that. McDowell is glad that their vet is nearby and was able to get her and her dogs in for an appointment on such short notice. The vet she goes to is Dandy Acres Animal Hospital in South Lyon, Mi. She has brought all of her dogs to this vet and loves how kind they are. Everyone at the vet loves seeing Joanna and Kevin so McDowell knows they will be greeted with smiles. McDowell puts leashes on Joanna and Kevin before putting them in the car to drive to the vet. The ride is short and the dogs are happy to arrive. They are all hoping the vet will have good news for Joanna.