On April 30, UT Libraries will host “De-Stress for Success,” an event filled with multiple activities throughout the day to try to help calm students’ minds and nerves as they prepare for their final projects and exams.
Dean of Libraries Steven Smith said the event was a culmination of different events held throughout the years both at UT and other universities. It is a combination of those programs that Libraries Administration thought would be perfect for students.
“We know that during exams it can be a stressful time,” Smith said. “And if the library can reach out and help people recharge and relax a little bit … then that means not only better exam scores, but happier students and a more successful university.”
Part of the event will include an unused study room filled with different games, comics and sketch-pads for students to vent creatively. The library will also provide what they call a “graffiti-walk.” A popular event that originated to celebrate the National Day of Writing, students can write and draw on a long sheet of butcher paper to help rid themselves of stress creatively. There will also be an ice cream social from noon to 2 p.m.
In addition to the crafts, Hodges will also have massage therapists from the Knoxville Massage Therapy Center giving out free chair massages from 1 to 4 p.m. These sessions will be going from April 30 – May 4 and again on May 7.
This won’t be the first time that the center has offered its services at UT. They’ve had stations at the TRECS for a number of years and were at the library last semester.
Deryk Harvey, a licensed massage therapist and owner of the center, said that students have always been very enthusiastic about the massage sessions.
“People were lined up, and we were booked all day,” Harvey said. “A lot of times students ask if we’re coming back the next day.”
The KMTC usually offer students chair massages, which are non-invasive massages that focuses on the neck, shoulders and back, which Harvey said are major areas for built-up tension because of stress, especially during finals.
“For sessions that are typically under 15 minutes, it’s more for rejuvenation,” Harvey explained. “It increases circulation, and it’s more of a pick-me-up thing than deep relaxation. It’s good for people with a lot of stress because it will target those areas where tension builds the most.”
Another event that will likely get students’ attention is a visit from the therapy dogs brought in by Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT). HABIT consists of volunteers, private-practice veterinarians and representatives from the UT College of Veterinary Medicine. They study the circumstances of the bond between humans and animals.
Karen Armsey, programming coordinator for HABIT, said that having dogs come in for an event dedicated to de-stressing students just made sense.
“You got students, you got exams, you got dogs,” Armsey said. “Life is happy.”
While this is the first time HABIT has brought the therapy dogs to UT, they’ve been to other places such as hospitals, nursing homes and other universities like ETSU.
All of the therapy dogs are at least a year old, have been trained to be around large crowds of people and all belong to HABIT volunteers. Armsey said there will be a variety of breeds present, ranging from Wheaten yorkies, golden retrievers and “good ol’ American mutts.”
Armsey said students tend to respond to the dogs in two ways.
“It’s always a cross between, ‘Oh I miss my dog so much,’” Armsey said, “to people who just point a hand or a finger saying, ‘Oh look a dog.’
“But then they’re usually the ones who end up on the floor with a dog in their lap talking about all of their tribulations of the day.”
