With the end of the semester approaching, Oklahoma Christian University is gearing up to help students relieve stress.
“Finals Resort is a good way for students to take a break from their finals and de-stress in some way,” Student Events Coordinator Amanda Watson said.
Finals Resort has various activities for students to do the Monday and Tuesday of finals week including massages, yoga sessions, coloring stations, Lego building and therapy dogs.
“Each year, we have used A New Leash on Life, a nonprofit organization in Oklahoma City, who schedule and bring in therapy dogs,” Watson said. “This year, Megan Reed, who is heading up the T.O.T.O program, has made the arrangements for the therapy dogs to be at Finals Resort from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.”
Sophomore and therapy dog-trainer Kacy Nash said that therapy dogs help better the community in various ways.
“Therapy dogs can help kids, who are shy, work on their social skills,” Nash said. “Kids who have come from abusive homes can find safety in the closeness of a dog. Someone who suffers from anxiety or panic attacks often relaxes when a dog comes in.”
Researchers have found that canine interaction can help lower blood pressure more than human interaction.
“My favorite part is watching the students enjoy the different activities, especially their reactions to the different dogs that come on campus,” Watson said. “I had no idea how therapeutic dogs could be until we started doing Finals Resort.”
Currently, Oklahoma Christian only brings in therapy dogs for the spring semester’s finals week.
“I feel like this is like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole,” Nash said. “Finals are the most stressful time for students because the final test normally makes or breaks a grade. By the time finals come around, we often have four months of stressors on our shoulders. If we had a therapy dog center, we could repair the problems as they happen, preventing burnout and breakdowns.”
Some colleges in Oklahoma, like Oklahoma State University, have therapy dog centers where students can go weekly to de-stress. Studies have found that the simple act of playing with animals lowers the cortisol hormone levels that cause stress.
“I think that if OC had this, it would change so much,” sophomore Jackie Acosta said. “I know that I just have days that I want to pet a dog because I am stressed out. I think it is hard for a lot of us that grew up with a pet in the household to go without a pet. It would make me very happy to have a chance to pet a dog on a daily basis.”
According to Watson, she hopes to expand the Finals Resort in the future.
“SGA has been generous enough to support the financial part of Finals Resort and they would love to expand it too,” Watson said. “We are always open for suggestions of new things to add to Finals Resort.”
Finals Resort will be in the McIntosh Conservatory from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday of finals week. Everything provided will be free to students including snacks, drinks, Lego building, coloring, massages and therapy dogs. Two thirty-minute yoga sessions will also be offered at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
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