Energy Overload

When Charles Dickens wrote “Great Expectations”, he was not referring to the life of a college student.

However, a similar story to the one Dickens wrote can be applied to the many lives affected at Keene State College in the dreaded finals week.

Because when it comes to this week, expectations of students are great.
Coping with these expectations has become something of an art for many students. On the table for use are energy supplements such as soda, energy drinks and energy pills.
Director of the KSC Bookstore, Francis Brush has also been in charge of The Owl’s Roost in the L.P. Young Student Center since 2004.

Brush said he uses sales charts to determine how much of each product he orders each month.
According to the sales charts, the Roost sells an average of 75-100 regular Monster 16oz. loose cans each month. This month, the Roost has sold 960 regular Monster 16 oz. loose cans so far.

Similarly, the Roost has sold 606 Red Bull loose cans this month.
“It’s the fastest growing segment of the beverage industry,” Brush said, referring to energy drinks.

KSC junior Anna Land and sophomore Melissa Boccanfuso both work in the Roost and said they see Monster and Red Bull energy drinks, along with other brands, practically fly off the shelves this time of year. Land added that Mountain Dew is another drink that picks up more sales around finals time.

Associate Head baseball coach Martin Testo said his players are advised not to use energy drinks or intake an excess of caffeine.

 Testo said because of NCAA rules, his players are not allowed to have an excess of caffeine in their systems.

If a player is tested and found to have a level of caffeine deemed too high by the NCAA, that player could lose up to a year of eligibility.

Testo also said he stresses eating healthy and drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated, rather than using energy drinks or the five-hour energy shot.

“Why would you want energy for five hours when you can have energy for the day? If you do it right your body’s going to feel good all day versus five hours,” Testo said.
Recently, more students are turning to the pink pill called Adderall in an effort to stay awake and focused during finals week. According to Dr. Brian Quigley, Director at the Counseling Center, Adderall is a synthesized stimulant usually prescribed to children, young adults and adults with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

Quigley said for people with ADHD, the stimulant actually enhances their ability to stay focused.

This does not mean the pill will do the same for those without ADHD, however. Quigley stressed the importance of only taking prescribed medicine.
 “No one should ever take Adderall if it has not been prescribed to you,” Quigley said. “When a prescription is written for a person, it is written for that specific person, so it is a fine-tuned precise prescription.”

An anonymous KSC senior said she sells the Adderall prescribed to her to her friends.
“It’s gotten to the point where I don’t have to ask them if they want any because they are always asking for more, especially around this time,” she said.

Quigley said many students believe because Adderall is a medication prescribed by a doctor, it’s all right for anyone to take it.

He said  cultural ignorance plays a major role in creating this mindset. Quigley also said when someone is prescribed Adderall, they are evaluated for a history of heart conditions and other medical needs.

When someone takes Adderall that hasn’t been prescribed to him or her, there is no way of determining if that person should not be taking that level of dosage because of pre-existing medical conditions.

Similarly, if a student takes Adderall and then drinks an energy drink or a cup of coffee, they are only adding to the level of activity in the central nervous system.
As a result, the heart beats much faster and some instances of cardiac failure have been reported.

Coordinator of Wellness Education Tiffany Mathews said while the number of energy drink sales at the Roost shows that many more energy drinks are bought this month, it might not be indicative of the number of students actually using them.

While 606 Red Bulls were sold in the Roost this month, there are over 5,000 students attending KSC.

Mathews recommended preparing for a stressful week by buying nutrient-dense snacks such as multigrain pretzels and fresh fruit. Mathews said by sleeping, eating enough low-fat, high-protein meals and snacks and staying hydrated, students will develop a sustained energy, other than the spike in energy which they will receive from energy drinks.

What is certain during finals week is the Mason Library will be packed with students trying to meet the great expectations KSC has set for them. What they will be taking to stay in the library is still in question.
 

Lauren Danie can be contacted at ldanie@keeneequinox.com