Let’s be honest: Midterms aren’t fun.
You made the flashcards, studied the outlines and wrote the term papers, but with just days left before spring break, you’re probably feeling a little burnt out.
To try to ease some of the pre-break pressure, the Student Health Services trotted out four furry friends, who got students out of their books, if only for a few minutes.
Emory, a seven-month-old Burmese mountain dog, joined Fred, Warrior and Gilbert, three Labrador brothers, in the Thomson Health Center lobby Tuesday as part of the health center’s Keep Calm series, an initiative that aims to relieve students’ stress.
“According to [National College Health Assessment] data, stress is the No. 1 impediment for USC students,” said Marieke Pennings, a Campus Wellness graduate assistant.
In the past, students have frolicked with the dogs on Davis Field, but because of the cold weather Tuesday, the pups were moved inside to keep warm, Pennings said.
The dogs came from the Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services, or PAALS, a facility that trains animals to help people with disabilities function more easily and efficiently.
Fourth-year experimental psychology student Kelsey Conley was no stranger to the PAALS dogs in the health center.
Conley is a member of Cocky’s Canine PAALS, a new club on campus that works closely with and volunteers for PAALS. According to Conley, dogs like Emory, Fred, Warrior and Gilbert do much more than relieve stress around midterms, but not many people know their potential.
“People don’t understand their importance because they haven’t seen what they can do,” she said.
In addition to the puppy playtime, Campus Wellness has held a few more Keep Calm events in the past, including a financial literacy workshop and Group-X classes, and they’re looking to do some more, Pennings said.
The next puppy day will be in March, and a few more are in the works closer to final exams.