Students 'paid' to study

Residence Life is emphasizing academics in dorms by rewarding studying students with an incentive program, according to Iphy Tanguay, the residence life director at Norwich.

"To encourage more effective study habits, Study Bucks are awarded to students, by resident advisors or staff, who are caught studying," said Tanguay.

"Study Bucks" are dollar-looking certificates that are given to students who are "caught studying during those non-traditional times," Tanguay said. They are signed by a staff member.

"Residence Life is more than ‘Let's go carve pumpkins, have a pizza party, or have an ice cream social,'" Tanguay said, explaining that residence life helps and supports students in academics, with a focus this year on promotion.

Study Bucks are also points given to students, which then can be used to get prizes such as movie tickets, Ben and Jerry's ice cream and items from the Norwich bookstore.

Before exams begin, everyone who has received Study Bucks for the semester comes together. They put their Study Bucks into a hat for a prize drawing. The student whose Study Buck was drawn receives the prize.

Students who are found studying multiple times have more Study Bucks in the hat, allowing a higher chance of winning a prize, according to Tanguay.

"Getting caught on a Thursday night may get a student one Study Buck, but they might get caught on a Friday night," Tanguay said, "and get two Study Bucks instead of one."

Study Bucks are for civilian students; the corps has not yet incorporated Study Bucks.

Norwich is not the first school to incorporate Study Bucks. Many colleges around America have been using Study Bucks to increase student study habits. Norwich Residence Life wanted to emphasize studying: "I really wanted ResLife to be out there promoting academic importance," Tanguay said.

In addition to Study Bucks, Residence Life has added a program called Grade Bowl, where groups of four to six students create a team to compete against other teams in getting the highest grade point average.

At the end of the semester, the team with the highest GPA gets a dinner out.

Residence Life supports many extracurricular activities, but "We support your number one reason for being here: academics," Tanguay said.