Penn State’s Student Programming Association hosted a “Relaxation Day” open for students to alleviate stress before finals on Tuesday at Heritage Hall and Noontime Lounge in the HUB-Robeson Center.
Erin Miller, the special events chair of SPA, said a “Relaxation Day” takes place at the end of every semester.
“The week before finals is always crazy,” Miller, a third-year student studying civil engineering, said. “(It’s) good to take a second, slow down, (and) relax for even five minutes”.
The event featured service dogs, food and crafts free for all students.
“I really liked It,” Zoe Chadwick, a third-year studying education and English said. “It’s been a fun way to hang out with my friends and try to make some new crafts.”
Crafts included custom journals and bracelets. The bracelets were made out of lava stones and up to five different colored beads and spaces, finished with a coat of scented oil.
Students also had the option to decorate journals with inspirational quotes and motivational images.
Raela Zuiker described the process of tearing up sheets of paper to make the journals look “rustic,” noting that they’re not supposed to look perfect.
“Having an outlet to be able to express not only creatively, but also how I’m feeling dealing with stress is a way for me to decompress”, Zuiker, a second-year studying music education said.
United Disability Service dogs brought in 6 dogs for the students to interact with.
They were a mix of English Labrador Retrievers and Doodles between the ages of 17 weeks and 7 years old.
Jenn King, a UDS service dogs ambassador explained the dogs tend to “break down barriers” or “create bridges” especially for people with mobility disabilities.
“They see a dog, and they’re like ‘Can I pet your dog?’ and then a conversation starts,” King said.
She explained puppies get trained at 8 weeks old and have a “high work drive.” She believed there’s “healing” in dog interactions.
“Seeing the bridge that dogs can create with people in the community is wonderful,” King said. “Our dogs tend to know who needs them the most.”
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