With finals week fast approaching, many UW-Madison students will experience stress associated with the pressure to perform well on exams, an unfortunate reality considering the fact that everyone is extremely burnt out from school around this time.
Therefore, university students should acknowledge the importance of stress relief options during finals week. I believe that one particular idea, allowing students to interact with dogs as a means to curtail stress levels, is an excellent idea.
A recent study by University of California-Los Angeles’ Higher Education Research Institute found that the overall emotional well-being of college freshmen has declined to its worst level in over 25 years. Though in part due to other factors outside of final exams, the prospect of having final exams that, on average, account for about a quarter of one’s grade is a pretty daunting realization.
That’s where you can thank Dogs on Call and “Dogs at the UW.”
Dogs on Call is a local non-profit organization that offers a number of different services. With a mission statement that reads, “Promoting the Animal-Human Bond and Literacy Through Education, Evaluation, and Participation of Therapy Animals Teams,” Dogs on Call visits hospices, classrooms, hospitals and libraries. Its Reading Education Assistance Dogs program, also known as READ, allows for young children to read to dogs in an effort to reduce stress and anxiety and to encourage a positive learning environment.
Known at UW-Madison as “Dogs at the UW,” the non-profit organization lets students interact with dogs at eight different campus locations, including Sterling Hall, Liz Waters, Chadbourne Hall, Ogg Hall and Helen C. White Library, leading up to and throughout finals weeks. Currently, students and other staff members will be available to interact with the dogs several days a week through May 15.
Apart from UW, other universities have also realized the importance of giving college students the chance to interact with therapy dogs during college’s most stressful times. Schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, University of Texas and Yale Law School, among others, give students similar opportunities to interact with these four-legged friends.
Some may consider this idea more cute than actually worthwhile, yet one would be surprised.
Studies show that petting a dog for several minutes can reduce blood pressure and stress levels, and being around dogs on a whole can have considerably positive psychological effects.
Perhaps most importantly, because dogs can display an unparalleled amount of unconditional love, giving students the opportunity to interact with these amicable animals during a brief yet stressful stretch of time helps students to “let go” yet still remain focused on their exams.
On a more personal note, I recently lost a beloved dog, and in the 13 years that I came to know and love this dog, I realized the importance of both being around and getting to know these four-legged beings.
By giving UW students the chance to burn some stress with our canine friends, I believe that it not only has an important effect on a Badger’s psychological and emotional state but also gives students an outlet to realize the world is full of other things besides your biology or calculus exam.
Ethan Safran is a freshman with an undeclared major. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
