Stress over finals and academics tends to affect students most around this time of year, according to Student Conduct Coordinator Liz Thornton and Graduate Student Conduct Coordinator Grace Henderson.
Because of this, the duo decided to host Coloring with Conduct in the Shocker Hall lobby on Dec. 4, where students could color sheets and have casual conversations to relax for a few minutes.
“We know that, in general, finals can be a really stressful time of year for college students,” Henderson said. “We just want to provide an outlet where students can come and hang out with us, maybe get some food and some drinks, color, chat with us, and also just learn about resources on campus like Student Conduct.”
The Office of Student Conduct is dedicated to the growth of students, and when students commit acts of academic misconduct, it is up to Student Conduct to handle the situation, according to Thornton. This led to the coordinators developing ways to make students less likely to violate academic policies.
“It’s important to us … to give them an outlet to de-stress and to not think about school for a couple minutes, so that … maybe they don’t tend to lean toward those academically misconduct or academic dishonest behavior(s),” Thornton said. “We want them to be able to do their finals and not have to have interactions with us if they don’t need to.”
According to the American Institute of Stress, finals and midterms were reported to be the top sources of stress for 31% of U.S. students. Another 36.5% of United States college students reported stress as the largest factor as to why their academics had suffered in the last year.
“It’s really just giving people ways to cope with their stress so that they’re able to make good choices and feel better,” Henderson said. “Hopefully, we’re giving them a space to do that.”
Thornton said coloring is a great way to destress because you don’t have to think about it, and it’s easy to do because free coloring sheets are easy to find on the internet and print. For students concerned about paying for printed paper, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion allows students to print up to 10 free pages per day.
For students experiencing a severe amount of stress or a crisis, Henderson recommends students use campus resources. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can be contacted by calling 316-978-4792 or by visiting their website. If it is an immediate crisis, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be contacted by calling 1-800-273-8255 or you can text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to get help.
There will be another Coloring with Conduct event held on Dec. 7 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in The Suites lobby for students who wish to attend.
