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At the "Takeout Study
Break," Colgate students make their own survival kits,
complete with granola bars, fruit, and many other treats that
the university offers to students for free. The Wellness
Initiative, a campuswide program that provides education
and opportunities for personal health, hands out
Chinese food takeout containers for student to fill up. Staff
members also hand out stress balls shaped like
fortune cookies.
In addition, Colgate’s Center for Women's Studies set
up a stress-free zone where students can relax, eat,
socialize, and sign up for a massage, biofeedback, and yoga
during finals week. Additional activities include Rock Band
and board games. |
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For
more information, contact:
Anthony Adornato, manager of media communications, Colgate
University, 315/228-6637 aadornato@colgate.edu
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| The UMBC Student Government
Association (SGA) sponsors the Stress Free Zone, now in
its tenth consecutive semester. Students can get free snacks
(hot chocolate, donuts, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches,
coffee, etc.), listen to music, play games, and relax. It runs
from Reading Day through the end of final exams and is staffed
by SGA members and other volunteers. There have been
activities in past semesters such as craft-making;
car-bashing; meditation sessions; and free massages, but the
core element is the space to "chill out" and take a
break. The SGA gives away t-shirts, always a very
popular aspect of the event. This semester's t-shirt features
a penguin, snowflakes, and "Chill Out" in big
letters. |
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| For
more information, contact Eleanor Lewis, senior director of
communications, University of Maryland, Baltimore County,
410/455-2065, elewis@umbc.edu |
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| College of Wooster students reduced
the anxiety of final exams by entering a "Stress Free
Zone," sponsored by the Wooster Activities Crew in Lowry
Student Center during the middle of exam week. Participants
were invited to relax by putting together puzzles, decorating
cookies, and making stress balls with sand and balloons. They
could also receive mini-massages provided by trained
therapists, and create a greeting card for the holidays or to
wish someone "good luck" on exams. In addition,
there was a therapeutic chalkboard, on which students could
write what was stressing them out most as a way to ease the
pressure.
Some students turn to prayer when facing the anxiety that
comes with final exams. The Catholic Student Association at
The College of Wooster hosted a gathering for Evening Prayer
from the Liturgy of the Hours, followed by sharing coffee, hot
chocolate, and brownies to take a break from studying on
Monday through Thursday of finals week. In addition to being a
chance to de-stress and take a break from studying, this
gathering gives Christian students an opportunity to
strengthen their spiritual lives during Advent, the four-week
season of preparation and anticipation of celebrating Christ's
birth at Christmas. |
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For more information, contact:
Julia Zimmer, assistant director of student activities,
College of Wooster, 330/263-2559 JZimmer@wooster.edu
John Finn, director of public information, College of Wooster,
330/263-2145, jfinn@wooster.edu |
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| Saint Michael's College offers a
Stress-Free Knight (Saint Michael's mascot name is Purple
Knights) in the student center. This includes a session on
healthy ways to handle stress, massages, henna tattoos,
Picture This (a game), and snacks. Information about handling
stress is distributed; 15-minute massages from a local
massage therapist is given; a raffle for a prize is
held; and a relaxing "living room" setting is
provided for listening to live jazz. Afterwards there is a
comedian performing in the dining hall. |
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For more information, contact:
Megan Ohler, director of new student programs/assistant dean,
Saint Michael's College, 802/654-2248, mohler@smcvt.edu
Grace Kelly, director of student activities, Saint Michael's
College, 802/654-2568, gkelly@smcvt.edu
Buff Lindau, director of marketing and communications, Saint Michael’s
College, 802/654-2536, blindau@smcvt.edu |
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| "Calming Down as Things Heat
Up" is a series of stress management programs developed
this year by Oberlin College’s Center for Leadership in
Health Promotion (CLHP) to help students understand, manage,
and reduce tension and anxiety.
During exam period, the CLHP hosts a study-break space in
the main library where students can relieve stress, refocus,
and become energized. Students are offered a variety of
services and items including free healthy snacks such as
fruits, juices, nuts, and water; a 15-minute relaxation
massage; an art therapy stress management session; and
instruction on relaxation techniques.
Also new this year is a wellness kit students receive
during exam period that includes chamomile tea, dark
chocolate, Biodots, a booklet on health education, and a
stress ball that bears an image of Oberlin President Marvin
Krislov.
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For more information, contact:
Lori Morgan Flood, director of Leadership and Health
Promotion, Oberlin College, 440/775-8462, Lori.Flood@oberlin.edu
Scott Wargo, director of media relations, Oberlin College,
440/775-5197, Scott.Wargo@oberlin.edu |
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| Bentley offers a variety of stress
busters for students during finals, including:
Wellness
· Students painted large
canvases for their rooms for stress relief and also
contributed painted canvases for the fitness studio (which has
bare walls).
· Student peer educators gave a
lecture about stress, its causes, and tools to combat it.
Participating students learned breathing techniques and were
guided through a progressive muscle relaxation exercise.
Nutrition
· Breakfast by Moonlight
(37th bi-annual event)
Faculty & staff serve breakfast to students in late
evening hours as a study break. Event also raises funds for a
local charity, Home for Little Wanderers. This year, 817
students attended and $2,555.77 was raised.
· Power Snacks program: Students
on the meal plan put together their own healthy snacks from a
variety of pre-packaged items and whole fruit.
· Bagel breakfast is offered by
RAs in the dorms before early morning Saturday exams.
· Ice cream sundae study break
with study tips printed on ice cream scoopers.
Fitness
· Special fitness classes
scheduled at the request of students, including "Movement
and Meditation" and Pilates.
Facilities
· Bentley Library open 24
hours.
· Student Center is open extended
hours. Sunday night free snacks are available (e.g., coffee,
hot chocolate, hot cider, and holiday cookies). |
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For more information, contact:
Michele Walsh, director of public and media relations, Bentley
University, 781/891-2070, mwalsh1@bentley.edu |
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| Playground games make a comeback at
the University of Dayton during finals week. Students who want
to take a break from studying can come to the student union at
midnight for a breakfast buffet or stress-breaker activities
that include "old-school" games like Red Light,
Green Light; Simon Says; or Freeze Tag.
They can also get free refreshments and coffee at several
campus locations as well as free chair massages and a free
taxi service between midnight and 6 a.m. to residence halls
and student housing. "We don't like to promote staying up
all night and not getting any sleep, especially when they have
tests the next day, but we also know that's the reality for
some of the students," said Amy Lopez-Matthews, the
University of Dayton's director of student life and Kennedy
Union. "We decided, if they're going to stay up
somewhere, it would be better to give them some extra study
space and fun, safe, stress-relieving activities rather than
crowd them all into one place."
Both the student union and the library offer 24-hour
study space during finals week. Academic buildings stay
open later for studying, and each of the residence halls on
campus is sponsoring special programming such as a pajama
party with breakfast for dinner. The RecPlex also stays
open 24 hours, with the pool open until midnight. |
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For more information, contact:
Cameron Fullam, assistant director of media relations,
University of Dayton, 937/229-3256, fullam@udayton.edu |
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| Students are encouraged to take
regular study breaks, and residential communities offer a
range of programs to make sure they do. A recent Super Smash
Bros. study break gathered students for a video game
challenge, while the "Do-It-Yourself Cards and Cake"
program helps students to learn about the various holidays
celebrated in December and includes a holiday card-making
activity as well as a cake-baking session.
The "De-Stress Before the Test" program gets
students to take their noses out of the books--if only for a
short break--to enjoy straight-out-of-the-oven brownies or to
gather in a residential community lounge to catch a televised
sports event.
And of course, it’s all about the food. Some dining halls
offer "Breakfast by Moonlight" for anyone interested
in pastries, pancakes and other breakfast foods. Stress relief
efforts always go better with chocolate. Various dining halls
host the annual Culinary Salon series, which features a
smorgasbord of chocolate treats. Dining halls also change
their hours to accommodate these hungry students, and some
kiosk snack services are open 24 hours. |
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For more information, contact:
Gail Glover, director of media relations, Binghamton
University, 607/777-2174, gglover@binghamton.edu |
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This winter's exam break programming
for students included:
- "Examatouille" (free soup, bread, and apples).
- Massages in the Main Lounge of Newcomb Hall. Students could
sign up for five-minute massages.
- Arts and Crafts in Clemmons Library. Students made Christmas
ornaments, picture frames, etc.
The topic of the recent Stall Seat Journal (posted
on the backs of bathroom stall doors in high-traffic student
areas) is year-end stress and how to deal with it. These
locations include the student union, Student Health, and the
common spaces in the first-year residential areas. A few
sororities and fraternities also post copies. A total of 700
are posted at U.Va.
Pat Lampkin, U.Va. vice president and chief student affairs
officer, and her husband Wayne Cozart, hosted a 10 pm-midnight
breakfast for the 60-some students and faculty members who
live on the historic Lawn. This is an annual event hosted by
Lampkin and Cozart and has taken place for a number of years.
This year's menu featured a dish called St. Louis Slinger. |
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For more information, contact:
Rebecca Arrington, assistant director of media relations,
University of Virginia, 434/924-7189, rebeccaa@virginia.edu |
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Because Colorado College is on the
Block Plan, their students don’t have the same massive,
end-of-the-semester stress that those at other schools may
have. (CC students instead have large projects, exams, etc.,
coming due every three and a half weeks.) However, Colorado
College offers several end-of-the-year activities to help
everyone decompress, including
· Live music event featuring the
band Pachedu.
· Midnight breakfast. Menu
typically includes such items as chocolate chip pancakes and
waffles.
· Contradancing party. |
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For more information, contact:
Leslie Weddell, college news director, Colorado College,
719/389-6038, leslie.weddell@coloradocollege.edu |
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