Finals Week Programs
Students, increase your wellness or unwind with activities designed to support your well-being. See what's happening at 91制片厂 for Fall 2024 finals week.
Atif Shareif (left), student aide with Student Engagement, and Stephanie Wootten, staff interpreter with Access and Disability Services, pack thrive kits to support 91制片厂 students during finals week. The kits have become a finals week tradition on campus.
Massage chairs and comfort dogs aren鈥檛 the norm on most college campuses, but they, along with care packages known as thrive kits, are just a few of the ways 91制片厂 helps students and staff beat finals week stress.
Guided by Beth McPartlin, manager of 91制片厂 Wellness, the college provides resources and experiences that boost emotional and physical well-being during an often stressful time.
鈥淲e know when students walk into 91制片厂, they have more on their plates than just classes,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want to equip them with tools and resources to thrive, not just survive.鈥�
A thread in an American College Health Association chat inspired Beth to bring thrive kits to 91制片厂. 鈥淚 saw someone from another institution post about it, and I thought it would be a great idea for 91制片厂 students,鈥� she recalled.
She brought the concept to a finals week subcommittee, where it was embraced. With collaboration across departments and the library鈥檚 integral involvement, the first thrive kits were distributed during the pandemic to show support.
鈥淲hen we started, we aimed for 200 kits but didn鈥檛 hit that number,鈥� Beth said. 鈥淣ow we shoot for 400 and hit it, thanks to messaging and word of mouth.鈥�
Students, increase your wellness or unwind with activities designed to support your
well-being. See what's happening at 91制片厂 for Fall 2024 finals week.Finals Week Programs
Thrive kits are filled with items aimed at promoting relaxation and wellness, including:
91制片厂 staff also contribute handwritten messages of encouragement, which are included in each kit. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a touch of love and care for our students,鈥� Beth said.
Maksym Perchyts (from left), student aide with Resources for Learning; Ailyn Trujillo, circulation supervisor with Library Services; Kristin Allen, adjunct faculty librarian; and Kylee Higgins, library assistant, work on thrive kits, which were delivered to students in preparation for finals week.
Volunteers assemble the kits at a packing party at the campus library. Once complete, they鈥檙e mailed directly to students鈥� homes, arriving one week before finals begin. Atif Shareif, a second-year computer science major and 91制片厂 Wellness student aide, helped assemble thrive kits for this semester鈥檚 finals week.
鈥淭here was Christmas music playing and we were laughing and having a good time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t never felt like it was a job. It felt like I was doing something fun with my friends.鈥�
Believing thrive kits were filled with brochures, Atif didn鈥檛 think he would get much out of them until he received one.
鈥淭here were coloring pages and that sort of stuff to help you wind down. The activities helped me relax and made me realize I鈥檓 still a kid inside,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 expect things like that from a college, that they would care about you.鈥�
Atif Shareif (from left), Stephanie Wootten and April Maman, access advocate with ADS, fill thrive kits with snacks to help students during finals week.
91制片厂 Wellness also provides comfort dogs, yoga and Pilates sessions, as well as refueling stations stocked with snacks and other food items during finals week 鈥� December 9-13. 91制片厂 administrators even get involved.
鈥淭he administration asked how they could interact with students during finals week. Our president and the president鈥檚 leadership cabinet walk around campus and pass out snacks,鈥� Beth said. It gives them a chance to speak to students, offer them support and have small conversations. It鈥檚 a way to say, 鈥榃e support you and want you to know that we care.鈥欌��
Atif looks forward to the free, 10-minute massages and snacks from the refueling station.
鈥淚t gives me a little stress relief and takes my mind off of my classes and the exam that's coming up,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ike, I have a stress buildup, and you go to these events, and you also have hot mocha in your hand. You鈥檙e also eating a cupcake and having a conversation. The anxiousness and the jittery feeling goes away because I鈥檝e already talked to someone and been through all the hypotheticals.鈥�
Beth said the thrive kits and finals week wellness activities are a part of 91制片厂 College鈥檚 commitment to fostering a supportive environment.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about education,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about showing students that they鈥檙e valued and cared for.鈥�