Joshua Klarich's Webfolio
Date: April 13, 2025.
To: Mrs. Cara Walker, Ed.D
The Director of Student Development Services at TCC Northeast Campus
From: Geraldine Todorov, Student at Tarrant County College.
Venisi Faletau, Student at Tarrant County College.
Olumide Olaoye, Student at Tarrant County College.
Joshua Klarich, Student at Tarrant County College.
Subject: Proposal for Napping Areas with Sleep Pods at Tarrant County College NorthEast Campus
Purpose
The purpose of our proposal is to analyze whether or not sleep pods would be beneficial to students and professors at Tarrant County College Northeast Campus. We hope that this proposal is taken seriously and to one day see sleep pods on campus.
Summary
For our Technical & Business Writing class, taught by Dr. Stuewe, we were assigned to create a proposal for a problem we see on campus and wish to fix. The issue we decided to focus on is the lack of a designated rest area. Although there are many places to sit and study on campus, there are many students that require places to relax and nap. The sheer amount of students you see sleeping in random places when you walk around campus is too many, hence why we believe the introduction of sleep pods is necessary.
Whether it's on couches, on desks, or even on the floor, tired students will fall asleep on whatever they can find. Especially for students who have classes all day, are on campus very often for extended periods of time, or live far from campus, sleep pods would be a beneficial place to rest and recharge to get through the day.
Our group wanted to determine the need as well as the desire for sleep pods on university campuses, the Tarrant County College Northeast Campus in particular as it is our home campus. Our proposal suggests researching the need for sleep pods and the pros and cons with implementing them. To reach our desired result, we put together a list of tasks that would help us achieve it.
To be more precise, we thought of six tasks to define our outline. First, we would do preliminary research. What are sleep pods, which ones are the best, what do other colleges who already use them think of them, the benefits of using them, etc. Second, we split up into two groups to survey students and professors. One group surveyed in person, while the other created a form and stuck QR codes around campus for online surveyors. Our third task was to interview Ms. Williams Janjura, the Coordinator of Intercultural Network and Student Success. Next, we needed to get quotes from companies to understand the prices of sleep pods and find the company best suited to our campus. After that, we used this information to perform a cost analysis. Finally, we compiled all our research together.
If this proposal catches the attention of our desired audience Intercultural Network and Student Success after submitting this proposal, we would further our research and work with TCC to implement sleep pods, or something along the lines of it. Our goal is to have a rest area for students at the Tarrant County College NorthEast campus.
Introduction
On March 25, 2025, Dr. Stuewe assigned to our class of Technical & Business Writing a proposal for an issue on the Tarrant County College NorthEast campus we’ve seen and want to resolve.
We took this assignment and carefully thought about what impacts the most students, and we came to the conclusion that our students are in most dire need of sleep/rest. Whenever we walk around campus, we see many students sleeping in the most random of places; couches, desks, or even the floor! This seems uncomfortable, so we have designed a proposal to accommodate these students.
Many universities have begun implementing sleep pods or floors designated for silence and rest. Universities such as Texas A&M at Corpus Christi and the University of North Texas have already enacted sleep pods and have been getting positive feedback from their students. The reviews have stated that the sleep pods are a great place to take some time to rest between classes and they rejuvenate students who have been unable to sleep much at night. Although this isn’t a replacement for full sleep at night, sleep pods are helpful to boost students' energy during the day. Even to people who get the recommended 8 hours of sleep, studies say a daily 20-30 minute nap is great to keep a person awake and functioning optimally.
To counter this problem, our team has come up with 6 tasks to discover the need for sleep pods and whether or not they’d be beneficial.
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Research
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Survey Students as well as Professors
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Interview Ms.Janjura Williams, Coordinator of Intercultural Network
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Receiving quotes from Sleep Pod Companies
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Cost Analysis
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Analyze data and research
In the below sections, we provide additional details about the proposed tasks, schedule, and budget, as well as our credentials and references.
Proposed Tasks
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Research
We began our research by looking up articles and journals online about sleep and the effects of sleep pods. Through our research, we have found that multiple universities started investing in sleep pods and rest areas designated for complete silence. We found one study where the University of North Texas designated a floor of their library as the “quiet zone” for people who want to study or sleep.
“A college student needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night to function optimally. However, studies have found that the average amount of sleep students get is around 6 hours, which is not nearly enough. According to a study led by Shelley Hershner and Ronald Chervin, 70% of students report getting insufficient sleep, of which 50% report struggling with daytime drowsiness.”
Based on this research, we can infer that the demand for rest and sleep is high and students would find a rest area highly beneficial to keep up with their studies and perform at their best.
2. Survey students and professors
Due to a recent survey, survey shows that out of 103 people surveyed. 57 students think sleep pods will not do any justice due to the fact they can go home or back to their dorm rooms. 32 students that were studying full time said that they would do it at least twice a week. 2 students were transient without places of residence that it would completely benefit them. Being that they don’t have a place to live and it's a place of solace while they try their best in school. 1 student talked about skateboarding negating the entire topic of sleep pods. 11 teachers teaching more than 2 classes stated it would completely benefit them during their work week teaching classes. These interviews were taken from students at TCC NE, NW campus, UTA, DBU & UNT.
3. Interview Ms.Janjura Williams, Coordinator of Intercultural Network and Student Success, to get a better understanding of the possibility and benefits of implementing nap pods in strategic areas on campus
The questions that would be asked would be stated below;
a. From your experience working with diverse student populations, how do you think access to nap/sleep pods could support students who face long commutes or challenging home environments?
b. Could implementing nap pods help promote a more supportive campus culture for students who may not already have somewhere private to rest during the day?
c. What are potential challenges you can already predict in getting administrative support for this idea, and what are alternatives to these challenges.
d. Are there other channels you recommend I can align this initiative with to help make this nap pod idea into a reality?
4. Getting quotes from companies
Homage Row: individual basic model $21,032 after taxes and shipping cost to 76010 zip code. A bulk of 50 or more brings the average cost of one to $163,098 per individual unit.
Elite Holistic Fitness: individual basic model $16,001 after taxes and shipping cost to 76010 zip code. In bulk, 50 or more brings the average cost of one to $11,000 per individual unit.
Ali Express: individual basic model $1,478 after taxes and shipping cost to 76010 zip code. A bulk of 50 or more brings the average cost of one to $857,01 per individual unit.
5. Cost analysis;
a. Nap Pod Units:
Average cost per unit (basic model): $8000-$12000
Estimated number of units (initial phase): 3 pods
Total cost for pods: $24000-$36000.
b. Installation and setup:
Electrical work, minor remodeling: $1000 - $2500 per pod
Total setup cost: $3000 - $7000
c. Maintenance and Upkeep:
Regular cleaning, minor repairs, and filter replacements
Estimated annual cost per pod: $500 - $1000
Total annual maintenance (3 pods): $1500 - $3000
6. Analyzing data and proposal report
Finally, we went over all our sources and summarized as well as highlighted the most important details in reference to our project. We found sources that were for the implementation of sleep pods and also ones that were against. Other sources include universities that have already implemented sleep pods and the effects on students.
Schedule
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Experience
We are students at Tarrant County College who understand firsthand the growing need for nap/sleep pods on the Northeast Campus. While some commuting students live nearby, some others spend long hours on campus, including those who work night shifts and head straight to class, or those who live far from campus and can’t conveniently return home between commitments and finally just generally tired students who need to take a break in between classes. These students are the primary audience we aim to support through this initiative. As college students ourselves, we recognize that rest is essential for focus, productivity and overall well-being. With the heavy workload that often comes with college life, a lack of adequate rest can negatively impact performance and mental health. By introducing nap pods around campus, we hope to bridge the gap between rest and productivity, making the college experience more manageable for everyone.
Venisi Faletau, Student at Tarrant County College, Occupational and Environmental Safety Major.
Olumide Olaoye, Student at Tarrant County College. Software Engineering Major.
Geraldine Todorov, Student at Tarrant County College. Computer Science Major.
Joshua Klarich, Student at Tarrant County College. Computer Science Major.
References:
Firebox. “Podtime: Napping Tubes for Pod People.” CNET, www.cnet.com/culture/podtime-napping-tubes-for-pod-people/?openLogin=1. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025. - https://www.cnet.com/culture/podtime-napping-tubes-for-pod-people/?openLogin=1
University, Cornell. “Sleep.” Cornell Health, https://health.cornell.edu/resources/health-topics/sleep#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20according%20to%20The,poor%20health%2C%20and%20low%20energy. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
Hershner, Shelley D, and Ronald D Chervin. “Causes and Consequences of Sleepiness among College Students.” Nature and Science of Sleep, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 23 June 2014, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4075951/#:~:text=Daytime%20sleepiness%2C%20sleep%20deprivation%2C%20and,and%2070%25%20attain%20insufficient%20sleep.
“Sleep.” Health Promotion, 6 Jan. 2025, https://healthpromotion.uga.edu/sleep/#:~:text=College%20students%2C%20like%20Americans%20overall,to%20an%20overload%20of%20activities.
Taghvaee, Laila, and Amir Ali Mazandarani. “Poor Sleep Is Associated with Sensation-Seeking and Risk Behavior in College Students.” Sleep Science (Sao Paulo, Brazil), U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2022, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8889956/#:~:text=Most%20college%20students%20are%20sleep,poor%20sleep%20quality%206%2C7.
The University of Akron, Ohio. “NAP Pods Give UA Students a New Way to Relax, Recharge and Rejuvenate.” The University of Akron, Ohio, 7 July 2021, https://www.uakron.edu/im/news/nap-pods-give-ua-students-a-new-way-to-relax-recharge-and-rejuvenate
Johnson, Sydney. “Sleep Pod Companies Want to Disrupt Naps on Campus - Edsurge News.” EdSurge, EdSurge, 27 Dec. 2018, https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-11-22-sleep-pod-companies-want-to-disrupt-naps-on-campus
“Benefits of NAP Pods at Universities - 2025 White Paper.” Restworks, 12 Sept. 2024, https://rest.works/en/article/nap-pods-at-universities/#:~:text=Daytime%20naps%20are%20also%20an,with%20positive%20feedback%20from%20students.