By Scotty Vann
Beginning on April 1, Southern Virginia University will now implement two separate changes regarding wifi usage policies.
First, to foster better mental health habits and encourage more sleep, wifi will now have quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
“Wifi usage between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. takes up 95% of the day. We don’t think students are sleeping enough, so we want to encourage more sleep with these wifi quiet hours,” says Jeff Swift, Director of IT.
Every student we talked to was in support of this change. The increase in sleep will have lasting effects on grades, athletic performances, and overall mental health.
Second, during school hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. the wifi will disable social media. This includes, but is not limited to, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, the Mutual dating app and others.
Disabling social media supports personal wellness, creates better interpersonal relationships, increases study time, and promotes mental health and wellness across campus.
“This is a drastic change, but every student we talked to is on board, so we are going to roll this policy out effective immediately,” states Swift.
In my opinion, I think this is a welcome change. After last Friday’s forum and the increase in student feedback, this will be a positive change here on this Friday, April 1st.
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