Jerry Falwell Library hosts De-stress activities for finals week

Students will have the opportunity to take a break from the stress of finals week through De-Stress for Exams Week hosted by the Jerry Falwell Library from May 9-15.

Activities will begin on Reading Day and continue throughout finals week.

Activities include therapy dogs, games, exercise breaks, a photo booth, puzzles and coloring books. Students will also be able to take a snack break with the refreshments such as coffee and candy that will be offered.

For Cynthia Schmidt, the Head of Communication and Customer Service for the Jerry Falwell Library, the idea behind this event was born out of a desire to support the hard-working students and provide a way for them to escape some of the pressure of finals.

“Some of them are anxious because they’re trying to get out of here and graduate,” Schmidt said. “Some are heading home for jobs or vacations, some of them are heading off to internships—we know there’s a lot of pressure that week.”

These activities are conveniently held in the Jerry Falwell Library so that students have easy access to this event.

“We know some students like to camp out here (in the library) during exam week,” Schmidt said.

According to Schmidt, the therapy dogs are by far the most popular form of comfort offered that the event offers.

“We try to get them as many times as we can get them because we know they’re really popular with the students,” said Schmidt. “It’s probably the most popular thing that we do during De-Stress.”

Schmidt suspects that many students are pet-lovers, and she enjoys bringing a little bit of that comfort to the students.

“I’m sure a lot of them have pets at home that they miss, and it just brings back that sense of home,” Schmidt said.

Even though the activities will be held in the library, the quiet study spaces will not be disturbed.

“We keep all the activities in the collaborative space so that we protect the quiet and deep quiet spaces,” Schmidt said. “That way if you need to take a quick break and get things off your mind and relax and chill, then you have opportunities to do that while you’re here in the library, without having to leave and come back.”

According to Schmidt, the student response to this event has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The students are very appreciative and we’re very blessed that the Liberty students here are just really great—they really use the library appropriately, they’re very respectful of each other and the facilities, and we just want to come and give back to them,” Schmidt said.

Junior Elizabeth Hornberger claims that this event is a great opportunity for stressed students to take a break from their studying, and to get their minds off the weight of exams.

“Given that there are quite a variety of activities, I enjoy seeing what they have to offer,” Hornberger said. “Who doesn’t want to pet a puppy, especially while stressed?”

Schmidt encouraged students to reach out to the Jerry Falwell Library staff with suggestions for activities for future De-Stress for Exam events.

More details can be found on the Jerry Falwell Library website.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *