“Unwind @ Mary Wash” is here to help students manage stress during Finals Week
The most stressful time of the year is quickly approaching—Finals Week. Our students have been working hard all semester to achieve academic success, and the staff in the Office of Student Activities and Engagement (SAE) understands how daunting finals week can be. We are here to help students find balance amidst this stressful time by planning a variety of activities to encourage students to take a break with “Unwind @ Mary Wash.” Unwind activities will take place the first three days of finals week in the University Center and the Fitness Center. Between studying, writing final papers, preparing for presentations, and stressing about finals, it is important for our students to take breaks each day and do something that helps them unwind a little bit. It is impossible to completely eradicate the stress and anxiety around finals week, but by providing opportunities to de-stress outside the classroom, we hope that students in turn will find success in the classroom.
While SAE’s priorities include helping our students get involved and make connections on campus, we also strive to support the academic mission of the institution. The most helpful resources around finals may be the Writing Center, Speaking Center, academic tutors, professor’s office hours, and the Simpson Library, but there are many other areas of the university that are here to support students during this time as well. SAE is collaborating with a number of offices during Unwind, including Campus Recreation, the President’s Council on Wellness, Residence Life, the James Farmer Multicultural Center, and the Center for Community Engagement, among others. Unwind activities, listed below, will be available from 11am-2pm Monday, December 9-Wednesday, December 11 on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the University Center as well as the Fitness Center.
Currently planned activities (& more to come!):
- Therapy dogs
- Free snacks
- Legos, coloring, board games, and video games available in the SAE Suite, located on the 3rd floor of the University Center
- Stress socks and giveaways (Sponsored by Residence Life)
- Crafts (Sponsored by the James Farmer Multicultural Center)
- Free fitness classes (Sponsored by Campus Recreation)
- Crafts & holiday card making for kids with long-term illnesses (Sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement)
Please note that many of these events are first-come, first-served and while supplies last.
The full schedule of Unwind activities will be published later in November. As a reminder, a full schedule of events going on throughout the year can always be found on MyUMW (www.umw.presence.io) or by downloading the MyUMW App, and we also encourage you and your students to follow us on social media @SAEUMW. We hope that you’ll encourage your student to take advantage of these activities and events during finals week before heading home for Winter Break!
Sandrine Sutphin, Director, Student Activities & Engagement