Chapman University group finds new way to relieve stress during finals week -- puppies

Finals week is one of the most stressful times of the year for college students, so a mental awareness group at Chapman University decided to bring some puppies onto the Orange County campus for students to hug their worries away.

On Wednesday, in the middle of cram week, a bunch of puppies will be stationed outside the university library for students to pet and play with. The event, called "Furry Friends for Finals" is being organized by the university’s Active Minds club, which promotes mental awareness.

"It has been proven that having a dog helps relieve stress, so we thought it would be a cute idea if we brought some furry friends on campus," said Jennifer Heinz, a sophomore and integrated educational studies major who helped organize the event.

Heinz said her poodle-and-Maltese mix, Bindi, helps her relax. "I love my dog," she said. "Dogs are always so happy and want to play, and that helps make you happier."

Heinz said she’s received comments from other students expressing excitement about the cuddly canines.

"You can automatically see on someone’s face when something happy comes to them, and little dogs are a cute way of doing that," she said. "It’s a nice way to step back from reality and just be stress-free for a moment."

Active Minds will also have pamphlets and resources about how students can reduce stress and take care of themselves during finals, said Megan Brown, the group’s advisor and a counselor for Student Psychological Counseling Services.

"The puppies are to draw them in and give them something fun and relaxing that will help them de-stress, but it also provides them with resources to help them through finals as well," Brown said.

-- My-Thuan Tran

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Comments

[Chapman]

I just cannot believe that place. It is such a joke. Why puppies when you have already paid for at a least a "B". Anybody ever interview a Chapman grad? I did, for an entry level position. Her only question? "How many people will I supervise?" HA!

[Da Maverick]

your tuition dollars at work.

[Lauren]

Where are the puppies coming from-a shelter? Who will ensure the puppies have a stress-free experience?

But I am playing Devil's advocate- I would have loved this as an undergrad.

[LisaLisa]

I think it's a good idea. Even reading the article made me happy. Dogs rule!

[Chapman_Grad_1997]

I expect this from UC or CSU, with all their politically correct, self-esteem nonsense...but Chapman? C'mon. (Good school, though.)

[Chapmanite]

The puppies are going to be supervised by an expert animal handler and are well-treated and healthy - they all have a home. No tuition dollars are being spent -- the event is sponsored by the student group Active Minds. And - to the first commentator's point, you are living in the past - Chapman University now ranks in the top 10 among its peers in the U.S. News rankings and grades far more stringently than the state schools (which, admittedly, ain't saying a lot...but still!). Its rise in the rankings over the past 10 years is one of the more remarkable stories in American higher education. If you haven't been t the campus in Orange recently, you wouldn't believe the transformation -- new library, new athletics complex, new film school, new music building...amazing.

(But it IS true that many grads have an entitlement mentality -- they are so naive in thinking that asking "how many people am I going to supervise" will actually land them a job! But that is true of California university grads as a whole - there is a complete entitlement mind-set out here. Can you tell I'm from the Midwest, where we actually have a work ethic?)

[Natalie DeJohn]

I LOVE this. I want puppy therapy.

[dawn]

Disgusting.....back yard breeding for money while 5 million dogs and cats get killed due to puppy mills...Disgusting..GO TO THE SHELTER AND WALK A DOG OR BRUSH A CAT...