Nine months after its opening, students are giving The Oasis, a center for student health and stress management, mixed reviews.
Housed in the first floor of the Bell Tower Dormitory, students said the biggest problem the facility seems to face is visibility.
"I didn't even know what it was," said senior Allana Strong. "I had no idea."
Kevin Harrell, Student Health education specialist at The Oasis, estimated that on average about 25 students come in every night during the facility's operating hours from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
To address the problem, The Oasis has recently added a set of new programs and attractions to bring in more students. The most popular of these are two fully automated, massaging lounge chairs that offer Swedish, Shiatsu and stretch massages.
"That has been a huge draw for people," Harrell said. "People come in sometimes just so they can relax in the chairs."
Still, upperclassmen and freshmen said they did not take advantage of The Oasis' programs because of the facility's inconvenient location.
"I definitely think there's a big disincentive for upperclassmen... not only in it being on East [Campus], but in being so far removed from the bus stop and Lilly [Library]," said senior Allyson Johnson. "I feel like if they could convert a space on the Main [East] Quad for that same purpose, they might get more attendance."
Freshmen who live on East also said they are often unwilling to make the trek to Bell Tower to enjoy the amenities offered by The Oasis.
"I think it's a great idea," said freshman Vivek Upadhyay. "I just haven't been taking advantage of it."
Also new to The Oasis this year is a seminar series entitled "In the Know," which is co-sponsored by the Women's Center and educates students about various aspects of campus living.
Seminars, including "Know Yr Laundry" and "Know Yr Place," cover a wide range of topics that pertain to the college students.
Thursday, The Oasis will launch the Healthy Competition Challenge, which offers an end-of-semester social for the neighborhood with the highest attendance at Oasis programming.
Students who have made it to The Oasis responded favorably to the facility and its programs.
"I absolutely love it. As soon as you walk into The Oasis, you feel relaxed," said freshman Rebecca Yu. "It's such a calming environment."
First-time visitor Ashni Parekh, a junior, said she took advantage of the sparse crowd in attendance at The Oasis Sunday afternoon to take an extended massage.
She added that she will definitely be coming back in the future.
As for what some students characterize as The Oasis' inconvenient location, Harrell offers a different perspective.
"I really like that we are on East, an all-freshman campus," he said. "I think this is a great place to start a message about self-care and making sure that students come in and relax when they need to."
"Starting with freshmen will help get that message across and hopefully students will take that with them throughout their years at Duke," Harrell added.
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