The Calm Corner, located next to the Student Health Center, hosts a plethora of activities, such as art therapy, meditation, and singing bowl. However, it is infamously introduced among students as the “sleeping room.” This past summer, the student health center went through a leadership change, and coincidentally the Calm Corner went through an unrecognizable makeover. The once cozy, inviting room with warm lighting once full of soft cushions and art supplies was now barren and dark. Why did this happen?

At first glance it would seem as if someone took all of the furniture and activities out of the Calm Corner before the start of the semester, to eliminate spaces for students to sleep on campus, and slap a band-aid on a much larger problem. However, Jordan Loo, Health Promotions & Student Wellbeing Specialist, tells a different story.

After talking to Jordan about the students’ concerns, he mentioned that the main reason the Calm Corner looks so different is because of hygiene concerns. Jordan mentions that the Calm Corner was empty because it was being deep cleaned, stating “mainly for hygienic reasons because when they cleaned it out they discovered that the pillows were never washed, [and] you weren't able to take off the covers…”

“It was pretty gross,” he said, also noting that there are plans to put furniture back in the Calm Corner very soon.

Despite the changes made to the Calm Corner, it seems that the function of the room has not changed at all. When asked about opinions on the Calm Corner being frequently used as a sleeping room, Jordan said “it doesn't matter if it's fully furnished or empty. Students, if they want to sleep, they're going to come and sleep anyway.”

“Every morning when I come in, I open both doors, I turn on the lights, and I open the blinds, right? The first student who comes in to use the Calm Corner will close the door, turn off the lights, and pull down the blinds. Every day. Like just happens every single day."

The use of the Calm Corner as a “sleeping room” regardless of its appearance or actually intended uses can highlight a common perception among the student body, that being designating the Calm Corner as the room to sleep in during the day. Jordan mentions that while there is nothing wrong with taking a quick power nap in the Calm Corner, there are many beneficial resources that are overlooked due to the room being widely known among students as the sleeping room. The Calm Corner is advertised by the university as a place for members of the NYU Shanghai community to “decompress through meditation, stretching, working on a puzzle or coloring.” However, this differs from how it is advertised by people within the university. When student leaders give tours to new students they will walk past the room, even marketing the space as the sleeping room.

This highlights the disconnect between the Calm Corner’s initial purpose and students’ perception of what the room offers. While Jordan says he does not have a problem with students taking a quick nap in the space, he offers insight into the prevalence of the “napping culture” on campus. There are multiple events a week that take place in the Calm Corner that may benefit students more than an hour long nap. Jordan hopes that students will not only be mindful of their health, making it a priority to get enough sleep and practice other healthy habits but also engage with the Calm Corner for other reasons than just a power nap.

The Calm Corner still offers many of the same services, with one of these being the option to take a quick nap if needed. What we hope changes, though, is the culture surrounding the space. The Calm Corner is more than a sleeping room and offers engaging activities such as:

Clara Akhlaghi, Class of 2025, says “The sound bowl event is really nice because you get to relax and de-stress from school and sometimes you can fall asleep and it's very peaceful and relaxing and I really enjoy it.”

Not only can students go to the Calm Corner and relax, but they can also receive the benefits of sound healing, which is just one of the many ways students can utilize the Calm Corner for benefits other than a quick nap.

So did the Calm Corner really ever change, or did we change the way we engage with it over time? I argue that the current culture surrounding the use of the Calm Corner comes from a misunderstanding among students of all that the space truly offers. This can be gradually changed by individually practicing healthier habits so there is less of a need to sleep during the day, and seeing what the other Calm Corner resources are like by attending events. The Calm Corner has not really changed much, but the removal of furniture highlighted what students value about the space, and what they know about it. Hopefully, through increased engagement and mindfulness, we can as a student body better understand the utility of the Calm Corner, and see it as more than just the “sleeping room.”