As Finals Approach, UWM Amps Up Campus Study Breaks

Tables of merchandise, chattering friends and an air of busyness filled the UWM Student Union lobby as students gathered near tables set up by the Feminist Flea Market, an event organized by the Woman’s Resource Center on Dec. 2. Such a crowd might seem unusual as the semester nears its end and study efforts are at an all-time high; however, this event is part of a larger effort to keep this finals season a bit less stressful.

UWM has made efforts to make study breaks more accessible to students on campus this semester, one way being Panther Pause week. The week offered crafts, workshops, flea markets, social events, tabletop games and much more. These events were set up by various organizations throughout campus.

“I love that the Campus Activities Board organizes an annual Panther Pause week to promote breaks leading into finals,” said Health Promotion Coordinator MacKenzie Ringle in an email.  “These events create opportunities for students to take breaks, practice self-care, and have fun, all of which are important for supporting well-being.”

The Student Health and Wellness Center took part in the Panther Pause with their “De-stress, not Distress“ workshop on Dec. 2.  The event aimed to explore  self-care strategies for students and create an environment for self reflection on what does and doesn’t work for students self care. The workshop aimed to create a space for students to focus on themselves, especially with all the stress of the semester ending.

“I hope that students find validation that their current stress management techniques truly work for them, and that they let go of the techniques that are not working,” said MacKenzie. ”I also hope students consider how their routine self-care practices, such as a winddown routine before bed or their commitment to staying hydrated throughout the day, help manage stress. There’s this misconception that self-care has to be a full afternoon of activities, but when schedules are busy, we might only have 15 minutes to dedicate to ourselves, so it’s important to focus on self-care activities that really help us to de-stress during that time.“

Study Breaks with FitWell ran on Nov. 25, Dec. 2 and  Dec. 9 and were organized by FitWell, aiming to provide students with an opportunity to socialize and play tabletop board games in the UWM Library. This station is small, tucked away behind the entrance desk, though its size doesn’t take away that it was carefully crafted to benefit students and foster socialization as the end of semester approaches.

“I can always tell when I go there, ‘Has anyone actually touched anything?'” said Communications Specialist Cynthia Akey. “So, I drop things off first thing in the morning and then I pick them up at the end of the day, so then I can kind of see, ‘Are people playing Chess, or not playing Chess?’  because the pieces will be moved or not, and/or if the puzzle will be put together, or not. And I could tell there were so few people. However; people did take some of the candy!”

The Study Breaks with FitWell’s table was filled with games like Bananagrams, Chess, puzzles and Connect Four, with a few seats available for students to play with their friends. The event aimed to prioritize socialization, creativity and a bit of necessary freedom from studying to refocus the mind.

“Just knowing that there are some different alternatives if you’re actually studying at the library you can always stop by even if it’s for 5-10 minutes that they can just do a quick little mental break, and feel like they’re a little more refreshed,” said Akey. “Their mind is allowed to be relaxed a little bit so that they can come back and focus better on their studies.“

These study break locations aren’t new, as they are set up each semester, each lasting three weeks till finals.

“We offer them in fall and in the spring,” said Akey. ”This fall is the first time I’m doing it on a Tuesday instead of a Monday. In spring I’m scheduled to be on Mondays, and it’s always the three weeks leading into finals week.”