Between late night study sessions and the pressure of getting a good grade, final exams can cause a lot of stress for students – a stress that the staff at the Andersen Library and the University Center hope to alleviate.

“The ‘Relaxathon’ is a three-week long initiative, designed to provide students with opportunities to properly cope with the stress of final exams,” said Sarell Martin, the public relations and outreach coordinator for the Andersen Library. “Whether that is by self-serve stations such as the ‘Stress Navigation Station’ or large-scale events, such as the ‘Life Size Gaming’.”

Other activities within the ‘Relaxathon’ event include a ‘Word Search Relay’, ‘Paint & Sip’, a ‘Relax-Snax’ build-your-own trail mix bar and an NBA 2k19 video game tournament.

“The event provides opportunities for students to disengage and have fun in a manner they see fit,” said Martin. “Here at the library we pride ourselves on being a point of access, not just for information, but whatever students need.”

And for the University Center, being there to help students with finals related stress comes in a similar form to that of the Andersen Library’s ‘Relaxathon.’

“Students are incredibly stressed out this time of the year,” said Jenny Fisco, Marketing coordinator for the University Center. “So, we wanted to do something for them to help them relax, but also give them quiet study space if they need it.”

The event, though similar to the Relaxathon, is instead a brand-new idea called ‘Fuel Up for Finals’ and will again have a little something to cater to every student’s particular interests and favorite relaxation methods.

“Each student’s path is a little different from the next student,” said Kim Adams, the assistant director at the University Center. “That’s why we are offering a number of options from music, to food, to activities in Warhawk Alley, to gallery workshops.”

However, organizers for both the Fuel Up for Finals’ and ‘Relaxathon’ stressed that the events are not run solely by one group, as both have partnered up with outside departments, such as the University Health and Counseling Services – a common sponsor of activites within both events.

“We are sponsoring the board game area and the positivity wall,” said Erica Fischer, the wellness coordinator for the UHCS. “For the positivity wall, students are welcome to take a note and/or leave a note of inspiration for other students. We’ll have post-its and sharpies for students to get creative and send out some good vibes.”

For Fischer and the UCHS, it was exactly that stress relief, positivity and self-care component that inspired them to get involved.

“UHCS is helping to promote this event as it is a fun way to de-stress,” said Fischer. “This is a high-stress time of the year for students and self-care is usually on the bottom of their to-do lists when it should be at the top.”