Top 5 Most Underrated Resources on Campus

The University of Richmond is reputable for its many on-campus resources offered to students, including top-notch career and dining services. 

But what about the resources that most students don’t know about? Students may live their whole UR career without knowledge of some of the best and most extensive resources this school offers. Here are our top five most underrated resources for students that might be overlooked on campus.

TLC, The Technology Learning Center 

The Technology Learning Center (TLC) is located on the second floor of the Boatwright Memorial Library. Services and resources provided by the TLC include 3-D printing, poster printing, virtual reality experiences, film equipment and individual recording rooms. Students can rent recording equipment, lighting equipment and high-end cameras including DSLR, GoPros and video, completely free of any additional cost. 

TLC staff gives a brief breakdown of how to use the equipment and ensure that it is working before renting it to students. Staff members also provide consultations about the Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office Suite on the desktop computers within the lab. 

Sophomore Doro has worked at the TLC since his first week of school. 

“We can help any staff, student [or] faculty with whatever academic project they want that requires technology,” he said. “If you have a project that you want to do, but you don't know exactly how to do it, we are a great place to get started.” 

A unique feature of the TLC is the 3-D printing room, which is recognized by TLC staff as one of the most underutilized elements of the TLC. 

“We allow for students to be very hands-on. We help set up the prints for students, but we want to encourage students to learn to use this equipment on their own,” Doro said. “We are here to support [you], but we want you to learn how to do it yourself first.”

There are also three soundproof rooms in the back of the center available on a booking basis. They are equipped with podcast tools, microphones and green screens that can be used as study spaces for silent-study lovers. 

Nourish, Nutrition Counseling 

Whether you have a newly-discovered dietary need or are trying to improve your eating habits in general, Nourish offers counseling and dietary reference guides to help navigate on-campus dining. The nutrition office is located on the first floor of the Well-Being Center. 

“It’s very unique to have two campus dietitians, especially on such a small campus,” Madeline Nathe, a registered dietician at the Heilman Dining Center, said. 

Students can make appointments to discuss campus dining, food allergies, weight management, body image concerns, disordered eating or intuitive eating practices. Nathe can also help students with creating more balanced meals and general eating habits into their busy schedules. 

“We first make sure the students are eating enough. Sometimes, we pull up students’ class schedules and to make sure they are making time for each meal and aren't skipping any,” Nathe said. “Then, we can look at something like the dining hall, and I will ask students, ‘When you walk in, what's your approach?’” 

Nathe also leads demonstration kitchen classes and events, which invite students to take part in creating healthy dishes with minimally-processed ingredients. Participants will get to experience a hands-on cooking session and learn new cooking techniques, according to the UR Dining Services website.

Nathe and Senior Registered Dietician Karen Hensley can be reached at URdietitians@richmond.edu or (804) 289-8521 for appointments or dietary-related inquiries. 

PhiloEdu

UR has a partnership with Philo, an internet television company, to provide IPTV streaming services for TV cable channels for no additional charge. Philo is available for all students who are housed on campus, as well as for in-class use by students and faculty. Students can watch the same programming available on cable television systems on personal devices. They can watch Philo on their computers, tablets, mobile phones and Roku TVs. The service also includes a DVR feature that allows up to 20 hours of recording time per account. 

Students can log in using their university ID. 

Salt Therapy Appointments 

The Well-Being Center has an exceptional list of resources for students’ health and relaxation. Located near the Meditation Garden on the first floor, there are halotherapy rooms available for Himalayan salt therapy appointments. Halotherapy is an all-natural, holistic form of therapy in a room set to mimic a salt cave, according to the Well-Being Center’s website. Walls lined with Himalayan salt help neutralize negative ions that can combat overstimulation and relieve stress. 

All students and faculty are welcome for free salt therapy sessions that can be scheduled on the UR Weinstein Center portal. 

Time & Stress Management, Academic Skills Center

The Academic Skills Center is located in the Boatwright Memorial Library Administrative Wing. According to the Academic Skills Center website, students can receive stress management or time management counseling by trained staff to help them conquer anything from test anxiety and disorganization to physio-emotional responses to stressors.

“We do a variety of skills and different techniques, sometimes to rev up our sympathetic nervous system so we can feel good and excited,” Roger Mancastroppa, associate director of the Academic Skills Center, said. “We teach our students to stop and notice what they are feeling, breathe, manage the physical [reaction], and then notice what happens with the mind and then the feelings that follow.”

Mancastroppa also helps students with building an efficient and rewarding time structure. 

“We build calendars and use them to manage all of the things that you don't want to carry around in your head all day, because when you're carrying everything that you have coming up, things tend to slip,” he said.  

Stress and time management appointments are open for all students and can be arranged by email through hwalton@richmond.edu or rmancast@richmond.edu. 

The countless resources offered by UR are designed to improve student’s quality of life and benefit their academic and personal experiences on campus. Be sure to stop by or use one of these free, on-campus resources while you can; you might be pleasantly surprised! 

Contact lifestyle writer Katie Kapostas at katie.kapostas@richmond.edu.