By Samantha Land
MSU Libraries Marketing Intern
Studying and being active don’t always go hand-in-hand. But thanks to input, encouragement, and financial support from the MSU Student Association, that is changing.
This spring the Mississippi State University Libraries introduced new studymills and a new activity / exercise space dubbed the Learn and Burn room!
MSU Student Association Senators Morgan Bevon and Lucy Mellen approached Dr. Lis Pankl, Dean of Libraries, with the idea of incorporating the equipment in the library. Working through a partnership between University Recreation and the Libraries, and with funding and support from the MSU Student Association, the idea became a reality.
Students can now study and get their steps in at the same time.
“The studymill is a treadmill desk that allows students to walk and have a place to set their study materials,” according to Stephen Cunetto, Associate Dean for Community Relations & Strategic Initiatives.
The studymills do not go faster than four miles an hour, so the brain can stay focused. But students can adjust the speed up to four miles per hour, so they are comfortable. They can also adjust the height of the table.
Bevon and Mellen said their goal is to create an environment for students to be able to work their mind and body. Mellen, the college of arts and sciences senator and a sophomore environmental geoscience and political science double major, came up with the idea while sitting in the library for hours.
“You spend so much time in the library during finals and you just sit there, and you know you have not stood up for hours,” Mellen said. “You feel like you need to stay in the library or else you will not come back to study. So, there needs to be a way for people to move their bodies during finals.”
Bevon, the campus wide senator and a sophomore accounting major, said that when doing research, she found that any form of exercise can help when trying to study.
“Even 15 minutes of walking or exercise or just stretching can help you so much more with studying,” Bevon said. “It improves brain function overall.”
One of Bevon’s biggest takeaways and something that she wants people to know is that you can manage your mental health as well as your physical health. She said she learned that there is a way to do both.
“You do not have to compromise your health to study,” Bevon said. “You can take care of yourself while also taking care of your studies.”
The studymills are located inside the Research, Instruction and Outreach unit on the second floor, and the Learn and Burn workout room can be found on the third floor in the A-M reading room.
The MSU Libraries hope students, and faculty and staff, will think these new additions are a fun, innovative way to take a break from studies or homework. Come to the library and try it out!
The MSU Libraries hope students, and faculty and staff, will think these new additions are a fun, innovative way to take a break from studies or homework. Come to the library and try it out!
