Humber Polytechnic has a variety of services available to provide for the individual needs of every student.
The sleep lounge is an example. It is above the student centre in KX204 and is open throughout the week from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
It is a service much appreciated during exam season by Desyack Morales, a third-year computer science student.
“I slept one time there because I pulled an all-nighter after my exam. My exam was at 8 and I just slept there for an hour. It was really nice and comfortable,” he said.
Komaljit Randhawa, a fourth-year student in kinesiology, emphasized how quiet the lounge’s environment is compared to other locations on campus.
“If you just need to relax, or like, you need the silence because I think that’s the only place on the campus that’s truly silent,” she said.
Randhawa said the sleep lounge also assists with the burden of long waits between classes.
“If you're commuting and you have, like, I don't know, four hours, five hours break in between, then yeah, like, an hour’s rest is better than nothing,” she said.
Morales said there’s a great advantage to having a sleep lounge available at school, as many other schools don’t offer that option.
“I think it’s something like none of the schools have, so having this is a big privilege that we should definitely use more because it's very underused,” he said.
Randhawa adds that whether students use it or not, it’s extremely good to have the service accessible.
“It's a pretty good idea to have this service. It’s, like, a good choice. If you need it, then it’s there for you, and if you don't need it, well, other people do,” she said.
Deyn Rodrigues, the administrator for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness, said there are two clinics that offer services for the Humber community, one in A107 and another in C105.
Rodrigues said it’s beneficial for students in the health and wellness program, and it gives the body a break from the consistency of schoolwork.
“It kind of moves you away from your day-to-day school regimen life by doing work. I think you should be prioritizing your health ... So, Humber does a great job of offering these services,” he said, adding it also helps Humber students in the program get their required hours.
Rodrigues described the variety of treatments available for students.
“Massage therapy, traditional Chinese medicine,” he said. “In the winter semester, we offer fitness assessments, so students can get a baseline fitness assessment. We have a hearing clinic, as well as nutrition counselling.”
Along with acupuncture and cupping, there are other services, such as hearing specialists and free clinics for faculty, staff and students.
He outlined the process for accessing massage therapy and what to expect.
“If you're doing a massage, you’d book an initial assessment first … (then) you would do a treatment. The students in the program would give you a treatment plan to meet your goals, what you want worked on,” he said.
Rodrigues said students’ insurance could cover some costs of this service, which provides a discount for students.
“We offer it to students for $15 each treatment,” he said. “And for a traditional Chinese medicine, so they do acupuncture, cupping and other modalities, it is $25. However, $20 is covered by their student insurance.”
Marcy Skribe, a dental hygienist for Humber Dental located by the IGNITE office, said there are benefits to the office’s location being on the North campus, as there’s no need to leave the campus.
Students are motivated to have check-ups when they pass through the dental service.
‘’I think that the biggest advantage is visibility in the sense that we have so many people come in and say, ‘You know what? I didn’t even think about having my teeth checked until I saw you guys when I was walking by.’ People are very grateful for the type of service we offer because we don't just clean your teeth.”
Skribe said the service offers information about oral health.
“We offer a lot of education along with that," she said. "One thing that we do pride ourselves here, we call it the ‘wow factor.’ So many people come in, and when they leave, they're like, ‘Wow, you know what? That’s the best dental visit I've ever had.’”
Skribe said the dental office offers a wide range of services.
“Just a wide range of dental services that you would normally expect, such as cleaning, complete exams, X-rays, wisdom tooth extractions, root canals, fillings, whitening, sports mouth guards, night guards,” she said.
Skribe said it’s highly recommended and important for all students to use this service.
“Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware that the health of your mouth is directly linked to the health of the rest of your body,” she said. “Having a healthy mouth is really important.”
