College offers puppies and coloring books to deal with finals stress

[mnrose]

When I was in college, the drinking age was 18 and way too many kids smoked and drank their troubles away.

Puppies and coloring books seem a whole lot safer. At the end of the day, we all have to learn how to manage stress. If a coloring book or a puppy or a white noise machine at night or whatever does the trick, then I have no problems with any of it.

Should have read your answer...my thought exactly. Stress relief has been part of human nature since, well, forever. I applaud colleges and students looking for healthier options.

 

[Southernmiss]

Both of ds's colleges have this as stress relief during finals. Not sure if they participate or not as I don't talk to them much until finals are over.

They didn't grow up with pets, so it might be a nice treat for them, or not.

The colleges also have things like free doughnuts, coffee and pizza during finals week.

There are so many comforts now on college campuses that were not common back in the day (community bathrooms and showers anyone). Heck, regular life in the US is much more comfortable than it once was. Why begrudge comforts kids have today? How many of us use outhouses?

Just this week there was a major incident at Ohio State. Things are truly different these days.

 

[klacey1]

I wish they did this at dd20's university (its way too big).

It has nothing to do with the size of the institution. Plenty of large colleges and universities do this, and have for years:
http://www.northeastern.edu/news/multimedia-items/hello-dogs-goodbye-stress/

 

[momz]

Both of ds's colleges have this as stress relief during finals. Not sure if they participate or not as I don't talk to them much until finals are over.

They didn't grow up with pets, so it might be a nice treat for them, or not.

The colleges also have things like free doughnuts, coffee and pizza during finals week.

There are so many comforts now on college campuses that were not common back in the day (community bathrooms and showers anyone). Heck, regular life in the US is much more comfortable than it once was. Why begrudge comforts kids have today? How many of us use outhouses?

Just this week there was a major incident at Ohio State. Things are truly different these days.

To be fair, I don't think coloring books and puppies would have anything to do with what happened at Ohio State.

 

[perditax]

Should have read your answer...my thought exactly. Stress relief has been part of human nature since, well, forever. I applaud colleges and students looking for healthier options.

A lot of people in this thread apparently embrace the idea that life should just suck and be stressful ALL the time, or else you're not tough enough. Very weird forum to find that attitude on.

Or is the idea just that they should suffer more and have no stress outlet *because* they're young adults and they're supposed to suffer at that age? The heck kind of attitude is that? Better puppies than alcohol poisoning.

Honestly, I'm mid Gen-X without kids, and the hating on millennials and younger is off the chain at this point. The world isn't going to end because some aspects of life have gotten easier and some segments of the population are trying to be nicer to each other. The species will survive just fine.

 

[Southernmiss]

To be fair, I don't think coloring books and puppies would have anything to do with what happened at Ohio State.

The point was things today are very different than they used to be.

 

[klacey1]

Wow, really? To young adults in their early twenties who have chosen a different path outside of college, this kind of thing is laughable. Want to pet puppies? Go to a shelter or pet store. Want to color? Buy your own coloring book and crayons.

I guess I'm not feeling all that bad for adults who voluntarily chose the stress of college over the stress of another path. What makes them special? Stress is a part of life. It is not the responsibility of other adults to make sure you have a fresh box of crayons and a fresh color page.

really? Puppies and crayons? Really? Preschool stuff? Do these college students have teachers that wipe their noses and squirt hand sanitizer on their hands before lunch too?

Poor babies. Bless their hearts.

Huh? That doesn't even make sense. Most college students pay incredible amounts of money and live on their campuses for the majority of the year. What's the difference between their place of residence, to which they pay a premium, providing the stress relief tool and someone who doesn't to go to college finding that EXACT same stress relief tool on their own? It's literally the same thing--using a tool to relieve stress.

 

[Wendy31]

But, back when I was in college, we dealt with stress by drinking too much, using too many illegal drugs, and having sex with random strangers. Personally, I'll take puppies and coloring books.

Huh...

I just procrastinated a lot (which led to all-night cram sessions) & hung out w/ friends & drank a lot of coffee.

And my friends & I somehow managed to survive college w/o drinking, doing drugs, or sleeping w/ random strangers... even though we didn't have coloring books & puppies.

I actually know a lot of people who didn't drink & do drugs & sleep around in college in order to relieve stress.

I did do a lot of doodling in my notebooks while the professors lectured. Does that count as coloring?

EDITED TO ADD: To be clear, I'm not begrudging them their puppies & coloring books. I love puppies. I just think it's funny.

And I think a it's fair to say we have become a "softer" society. The 18-year-old soldiers who fought in WW2 would probably find stress-relieving puppies & coloring books in college a little strange.

 

[MinnieMouse84]

Wow, really? To young adults in their early twenties who have chosen a different path outside of college, this kind of thing is laughable. Want to pet puppies? Go to a shelter or pet store. Want to color? Buy your own coloring book and crayons.

I guess I'm not feeling all that bad for adults who voluntarily chose the stress of college over the stress of another path. What makes them special? Stress is a part of life. It is not the responsibility of other adults to make sure you have a fresh box of crayons and a fresh color page.

really? Puppies and crayons? Really? Preschool stuff? Do these college students have teachers that wipe their noses and squirt hand sanitizer on their hands before lunch too?

Poor babies. Bless their hearts.

I didn't go to college and I don't find it laughable. I think it's a great idea. Also, I guess I missed the memo that only preschoolers are allowed to enjoy puppies and coloring.

 

[perditax]

I didn't go to college and I don't find it laughable. I think it's a great idea. Also, I guess I missed the memo that only preschoolers are allowed to enjoy puppies and coloring.

Pre-schoolers and those over 40, you mean. Young adulthood is off-limits for stress management, it seems.

(I know a lot of women over 40 who love those adult coloring books. I'll tell them to stop coddling themselves.)

 

[Wendy31]

Pre-schoolers and those over 40, you mean. Young adulthood is off-limits for stress management, it seems.

(I know a lot of women over 40 who love those adult coloring books. I'll tell them to stop coddling themselves.)

The difference is, in most cases, the 40 year old woman's supervisor isn't saying to her - "Hey, bless your heart. You look a little stressed. End-of-the-year inventory is hard. Why don't you take a break? Here's a coloring book."

But I suppose a case can be made for the college students needing to be taught how to handle stress so that, when they're 40, they know how to handle stress by themselves.

 

[Southernmiss]

The difference is, in most cases, the 40 year old woman's supervisor isn't saying to her - "Hey, bless your heart. You look a little stressed. End-of-the-year inventory is hard. Why don't you take a break? Here's a coloring book."

But I suppose a case can be made that college students need to be taught how to handle stress so that, when they're 40, they know how to handle their stress by themselves.

Ds interned in the spring for a major accounting firm. There were several late nights in which the firm bought dinner. At the end of the project, there was a Friday night celebration with an open bar. There were other perks and rewards along the way, too.

 

[klacey1]

The difference is, in most cases, the 40 year old woman's supervisor isn't saying to her - "Hey, bless your heart. You look a little stressed. End-of-the-year inventory is hard. Why don't you take a break? Here's a coloring book."

But I suppose a case can be made that college students need to be taught how to handle stress so that, when they're 40, they know how to handle their stress by themselves.

Most adults, when facing stress at work, will find their own ways to cope--venting to a spouse or friend during a break, going outside during the workday to get some Vitamin D, or you know, playing with their pet when they get home from work...it's not like higher ed institutions are offering playing with a puppy or coloring as alternatives to taking a final. They are simply tools to help manage inevitable stress while engaging in stressful activities.

 

[perditax]

The difference is, in most cases, the 40 year old woman's supervisor isn't saying to her - "Hey, bless your heart. You look a little stressed. End-of-the-year inventory is hard. Why don't you take a break? Here's a coloring book."

But I suppose a case can be made that college students need to be taught how to handle stress so that, when they're 40, they know how to handle their stress by themselves.

Yes, I believe the latter is the case that's being made.

I think some people are viewing it with a certain amount of sour grapes ("life was harder back in my day") and twisting it around into something it's not.

Believe me, I wish as a kid I'd gotten one tenth of the effort from my parents and adults around me that today's kids are getting. I'd be a much better person. Unfortunately I was a kid during the time it was the Baby Boomers who were called "The Me Generation" (look it up) and my parents were too busy off finding their own bliss to even help me figure out how college worked.

(Edit: I also work at a company that has video game consoles in the break room and Beer Friday, but that's fairly common in the tech industry and maybe less so elsewhere.)

 

[SureAsLiz]

My school didn't have this exactly, but they did keep the cafeteria open with free snacks, (soft)drinks, and board games (I'm sure there were some coloring books out too). And every finals week was kicked off with the faculty and staff making a late-night breakfast for dinner for all the students. I wish they had brought in animals (and I frequently mentioned it to the presidents wife) because when I was in high school and back at home my cat helped save my sanity many times.

Now that I'm out in the working world, I still get to participate in company sponsored things like a weekly crochet/knitting group, and year-end ice cream parties, and laser tag, and movie days. All things that help us de-stress. I've been told to go hang out with princesses when things have gotten crazy - if that's not childish I don't know what is. My manager encourages my doodling on the white board because he understands that it's a creative outlet that allows me to decompress and work more effeciently.

Finding a safe outlet is a healthy way of dealing with stress. And having an institution validate the idea that it's OK to relax and enjoy something like coloring or petting a dog, even if just for a few moments, is so important in normalizing the idea that mental health is something to be taken seriously

 

[MinnieMouse84]

The difference is, in most cases, the 40 year old woman's supervisor isn't saying to her - "Hey, bless your heart. You look a little stressed. End-of-the-year inventory is hard. Why don't you take a break? Here's a coloring book."

I don't think that's what this is either. It's simply about giving healthy options to students who are seriously overwhelmed with anxiety/depression.

 

[dminnie]

It sure doesn't seem like coddling to me to encourage young adults to find ways to relieve stress in a healthy way. It's also not like they are holding all their hands and making them go visit the dogs. If someone wants to participate they can. If they want to relieve their stress in other ways...or just stay stressed out...that's up to them. Most colleges do have mental health services (paid for by student fees) and this is a great way for them to help prevent stress from becoming a bigger issue for their students.

I find it strange that people on this site would think it's so bad. Many people on this site seek to make their vacation less stressful by mapping out every aspect of their trip...where will I find my favorite dessert, where should I go for dinner...I can't get the ADR I wanted, will there be enough coffee in my room, etc. A lot of people go on vacations, with just the hotel and airfare planned out and they do just fine. To each his own about how they deal with stress.

 

[mefordis]

Colleges are always offering perks to make the student's lives better/easier. For example, gyms, student unions with beer and live music, and other things. I see nothing wrong with coloring books and puppies.

Anything can be spun to sound absurd.

 

[bethbuchall]

I think it's all in the way the article is written and the fact that people seem to take great delight in putting down an entire group of people. It's a little fun perk that helps students relax a little during a busy, stressful time. No one truly NEEDS it, and no one has demanded that the college provide it. There are puppies brought to campus and students are having fun playing with them. I don't see the big deal. There are coloring books and crayons in places that the students congregate, and they sit and color and talk and relax for a little while. Great! This doesn't mean that they are fragile or coddled. The college campus is kind of like their home as well as where they work. It's different from being a completely independent adult. Not all college students have transportation to go wherever they want, so groups bring the fun to the students.

 

[Southernmiss]

So I googled ways colleges aim to ease stress during finals and found that Brown University also has a 'naked doughnut run'. It's apparently an honor to be on the 'naked team' that delivers doughnuts to students! Now that would be something to see!