Finals Week: How can we help you de-stress?

With fall break in the rear view, we’re turning our attention toward finals and thinking about what we can do to make the exam period a little less stressful for you. Encouraged by the success of our Welcome Back Party, we’re hoping to host a series of events during the exam period that will give you a chance to take a break, relax, and recharge.

We want to hear from you. What will help you de-stress: Therapy dogs on the first floor? Holiday movies and hot chocolate in the Disco? Mario Kart in the Digital Lab? Please follow us on Instagram (MacPhaidin Library) and Twitter (@macphaidin_lib) and keep an eye out for our finals week activities polls.

During our September welcome event, we were lucky enough to partner with student groups. The Gaming Club oversaw the Mario Kart competition in the Digital Lab and the Art Club organized a friendship bracelet-making session in the first-floor Huddle Spaces. If your club would like to participate in the finals event, please email The Desk at librarydeskgroup@stonehill.edu.

Do you need some inspiration? Here’s some of the ideas we’ve found interesting. Michigan State University hosts a wildly popular “Night of 1,000 Donuts” during finals week. On that evening, librarians and student volunteers roam the building with book trucks laden with doughnuts, assorted snacks, and coffee. At the University of Dayton, students can take a Lego building break during their Finals Block Party. Therapy dogs are always a hit. At Illinois State University, organizers call their finals week activities PAWSitively Stress Free Finals Week.

Of course, we respect that you need to be studying, too. Whatever event we host will not change the rules – the second floor will still be the “quiet” floor and the third floor will remain “silent.” The sensory room on the first floor will still be available for those students who want to relax in a quiet atmosphere. In addition to hearing your ideas for exam week activities, we want to hear what areas of the library you want off limits for finals events. Do you want to keep the DisCo available for presentation rehearsal? Would you like the huddle spaces left open for group work?

We’d also like to hear about who you would like to be available to assist you and when. Would it be helpful to have librarians working at night to help you with last-minute research and citation questions? 

We look forward to hearing your responses to our polls. With your help, we can hopefully make your finals experience a little less stressful.