Dear Vanderbilt,

It is only the second week of school, and people are already stressed out here at Vandy! From keeping up with friends, picking out a perfect schedule, and getting to Rand to beat the lunch rush, Vanderbilt students have a lot to worry about. So what can we do about all this stress? Wait for the weekend? Count the days till summer 2010? No, there must be a better way!

Our project, DEAR Vanderbilt, is testing the levels of stress in Vanderbilt students and finding was to cope with stress effectively. We are really excited about this project because we believe this is a very relevant topic in the lives of all students, on varying degrees of course.

Our first step is to take a poll of the Vanderbilt community. This includes students, teachers, and administration. How stressed are students? What are students stressed about? How do students cope with stress?

By examining the results of the survey, we hope to seek out ways to pair stress management strategies with the specific needs of the students that will be our big goal for September.

Every so often just remember, Drop Everything And RELAX Vanderbilt!

Stay classy vandy,

Marwah Shahid

DEAR Vanderbilt

P.S. Whenever you need a study break, just pretend you are in the Maldives on the beach!