<p>A lot of schools do this, but I don’t see it as ridiculous. As a dog lover myself, I definitely rely on Charlie, my petite basset griffon vendeen, to relieve my stress. While they are adults, they also don’t have a lot of outlets for their stress given their environment. In previous jobs, we had people who came in to do chair massages once a week. My current job has a spa right in the building and I partake in their massages frequently. </p>
<p>We expect students from an elite university become leaders of our society. They will better lives of ordinary citizens while they advance their career. That’s partly why we admire them. In a few short years, they will be out in the world. It bothers me somewhat that they need petting zoos or puppies to help them navigate routine stress of a college life when we are counting on them to take the burden of the society.</p>
<p>Oh, for Pete’s sake. Why not just give them all pacifiers to suck on and binkies or their naps? What’s going to happen to these poor babies when they get real jobs? What if they’re upset that they have too much work to do? Will the boss give them hugs and treats?</p>
<p>I am more concerned about the animal-welfare side of this. Petting zoos where the animals can’t get away - where they are not behind some sort of a fence and can’t just walk away - are NOT good for animals (yes, there always exceptions that just prove a rule). I think a specially-trained therapy animal, with a caring handler that can set limits, may do OK, but other than that, I really don’t think bringing in any animal into a petting zoo type environment is good and certainly not worth it to provide someone with “stress relief”.</p>
<p>@acollegestudent I agree. Imagine the stress that the baby bear was under. Even a trained therapy animal (S’s girlfriend is getting her pug certified as such) would be suffering from sensory overload in that kind of environment.</p>
<p>Interesting to see that “stress-relief” before finals have gone to the next level from the regular 72hrs open snack bar (coffee, tea, ice cream, fruits, veggies, cookies) an Yoga sessions - to Zoo pets.
Must be INNOVATION at prime or STRESS-ELEVATION at prime.</p>
<p>How did I miss this? My S is a student at WUSTL, but I’m sure that he didn’t participate in this. I agree that bringing a bear cub is nuts. Their mascot is the Bears, which I’m sure is where they got the idea. However, I don’t have a problem with bringing in puppies or dogs. Why not? </p>
<p>My D’s college, Dickinson, also brings in dogs at finals time. Dickinson also has a “Dog House” where they train service dogs to work with severely autistic kids, and is a popular volunteer activity to socialize with the puppies, especially for students who are missing their pets at home.</p>
<p>Well, the bear cub idea is beyond ridiculous, but I think using dogs is a great idea and I don’t understand the people who think we are “babying” the students. Brown has the faculty and staff bring their dogs to the main green once a month for “heavy petting” and it is a great event. I enjoyed it when I was there one parent’s weekend. My son, who dearly misses our dog, enjoys playing with the dogs. Aren’t adults entitled to stress relievers as well? Who wants a life of all work, no play. Certainly dogs are a healthier outlet than drinking, which is epidemic. I just wish they had this stuff in my day. </p>
<p>My undergrad brought in puppies and dogs from local shelters who are adaptable. They’re always available to be worked with but volunteering with the shelters is so popular that many have waitlists. Having them brought to you can be great for both them and you. </p>
<p>A bear though? Disaster waiting to happen. Just because something’s furry doesn’t mean it’s there to comfort us. Dogs, otoh,generally love to do that.</p>
<p>Sounds like this “petting zoo” was kind of sketchy. A reputable zoo will bring in only animals that are safe for people (and not stressful for the animals either.) Or if they bring an animal such as a bear cub for education purposes, not let the students touch it. I can’t believe it bit 14 students!</p>
<p>Here’s a wild thought: if the students are overstressed from finals, instead of bringing in animals to pet to reduce their stress, maybe consider making the school a less stressful environment in the first place? </p>
<p>If I want to reduce your level of pain, I can punch you in the face and then give you an ice pack for your black eye, or I can just refrain from punching you in the face.</p>
<p>No wonder tuition is so high. Sorry, but this is ridiculous. Bringing in wild animals? What about something like study break with their RA? I’m not in favor of dogs either. My daughter has allergies. The last thing she needs before her exams is roommates bringing back a bunch of dander that will make her miserable (yes it does get on clothes and it does travel). Just common sense.</p>
<p>Just because one college does a particular thing poorly one time, that doesn’t mean the whole idea is bad.</p>
<p>College officials do these stress-reduction things (and they come in lots of forms, many of them involving food) because they think it’s a nice thing to do. I think it’s nice, also. If you don’t like it, perhaps the University of Scrooge would be a good fit.</p>
<p>No, I think it’s about time colleges start reducing the stress level of students. Every year it gets harder and more competitive. As evidenced by the increased adderall and nootropics use. </p>