Now this is real innovation in supporting the student experience
A top story from Hack College on a university which has brought in a “Puppy Room” to help students fight exam stress:
As finals week looms closer and the stress begins to pile, most college students see self-destructive habits rise considerably, in the form of eating worse, sleeping less, and more often than not, drinking too much. But one Canadian university has found a new, novel, and undoubtedly popular way to help combat stress in a safer, and altogether fuzzier way: a room full of puppies.
That’s right. Puppies.
Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada has made what could be the most popular addition to any university in history in the form of a room filled with puppies, solely to help students relax and drive away the finals week stress. The Puppy Room will be open to students of Dalhousie University from December 4th – 6th thanks to Therapeutic Paws Of Canada, a non-profit organization that brings dogs and cats to schools, residences and hospitals in order to promote happiness and relaxation.
“It’s a great idea,” said student Michael Kean, who suggested the puppy room to the school. ”There’s no downfall about therapy dogs. Students, we’re stressed out, don’t know what to do, and they’re fluffy. It comes down to that.”
Looking to the future, this idea could be expanded to cover a wider range of stressful activities for students and could include a variety of animals to ensure individual preferences are met. The first university to do this in the UK would be bound to win a THE award.
Anyway, this is the last piece of nonsense here in 2012. There will be more in the new year. Have a relaxing break (with or without puppies).
