Health Center Enforces New Fatigue Policy
During Monday’s faculty meeting, Medical Director Katharina Lilly informed faculty members of the newly-written Fatigue Policy, which restricts the number and the duration of student fatigues.
The new protocol restricts fatigues to one format at a time, and urges nurses to flag students after their third fatigue per term, or sixth per year. The students would then have to “complete an intake form before resting and develop a plan with the nurse to try to prevent future fatigues.” At this point, the Dean’s Office would also notify the student’s adviser.
“Fatigues cannot address larger problems that may be present (e.g. poor time management, sleep issues, academic difficulties),” Lee said. “What I like about the new policy is that it can give students a chance to rest and also provide some parameters that will help us identify and address other issues that may need further attention.”
Though students have used the fatigue process—which allows students to sleep in the Health Center during class formats when their academic or personal affairs have taken a toll on their well-being—there has never been a written policy in the student E-Book or Health Center documents until now.
As Health Center policy is not subject to faculty vote, faculty members were presented with the information during the Faculty Meeting. The new policy has already gone into effect, though the deans have not discussed whether or not it will be included in the E-Book next year. “The way we operate is each department has a great deal of autonomy and can generate policy as they see fit,” Dean of Student Health and Wellness William Coole said.
Many students were unaware that an official policy was being formed. During the process, neither the Student Council nor any other student groups were consulted, and there has not yet been a public announcement to the larger school community.
According to Coole, Dr. Lilly raised this issue upon first arriving at Exeter. The Clinical Health Team, consisting of Lilly, Physician Assistant Rebecca Fisher, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Szu-Hui Lee, all counsellors, the Director of Nursing Nancy Thompson, the Director of Athletic Training Adam Hernandez and health educators met on Oct. 9 to discuss the policy.
The new policy will offer methods for Exonians to handle stress if they frequently fatigue. “We have developed an educational handout to provide students who fatigue that may help prevent future fatigues,” Lilly said. “It is important to use downtime wisely. With good planning, fatigues are preventable following a day of no classes.” Physics Instructor Ms. Waterman echoed these sentiments, stating that the adults on campus “just want you to make good, healthy choices.”
According to Lee, the policy aims to help students prioritize their well-being. “Managing it all can sometimes take a toll on one’s health especially if one is not careful to protect their self-care,” Lee said. “Fatigues is one way to give our students an opportunity in their day to take a break and rest.”
The new fatigue policy will ensure that fatigues only last one format at a time. “All the science on sleep tells us that naps should be no more than 20-30 minutes,” Lee said. “If we allow students to sleep longer than that, we are not really helping the student gain the appropriate amount of daytime rest that will serve them the rest of the day.”
Lee noted, however, that while fatigues benefit students in the short term, they do not offer a long-term solution. “Fatigues cannot address larger problems that may be present (e.g. poor time management, sleep issues, academic difficulties),” Lee said. “What I like about the new policy is that it can give students a chance to rest and also provide some parameters that will help us identify and address other issues that may need further attention.”
According to Lee, taking a long nap can actually impair one’s ability to feel well rested in the future. “Sleeping too long could also negatively impact their sleep that night, creating a vicious cycle that is ultimately unhealthy,” Lee said.
Another aspect of the new policy is monitoring how many fatigues each student takes every term. “We want to track frequency of Fatigues so that once a student meets a certain threshold, we take the time to have a conversation with the student to see if additional resources are needed,” Lee said.
Some students expressed their appreciation of the fatigue program. “When I’m tired and if I didn’t get a lot of sleep, [the fatigue policy allows me to] sleep, while also not having to worry about getting a dickey,” lower Katie Moon said. Lower Oia Eng echoed her sentiments, stating that the fatigue program “allows you to rest up and not go to class distracted. That way you don’t go to class and not gain anything.”
Although surprised, Moon seemed happy about the proposal. In response to the adult intervention for those using the fatigue system too often, she said, “I think the counsellors will give you strategies [to better manage your time better], theoretically.”