Stressed DSC students seek shelter

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Lauren Lawson is pictured with her therapy dog, Maggie. Maggie is a pointer-spaniel mix and a rescue who is about 3 years old and is a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International. Lawson and Maggie visited Dalton State College during “stress-free week.”
Kati Gazaway, a business management student at Dalton State College, plays with Play-Doh in the college’s stress-free zone earlier this week. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen)
Amal Rashid, a computer operations major at Dalton State College, colors in the college's stress-free zone recently. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen)

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March 1, 2013

Stressed DSC students seek shelter

By Christopher Smith christophersmith@daltoncitizen.com The Dalton Daily Citizen Fri Mar 01, 2013, 11:42 PM EST

Stress usually leads to a poor performance.

That might seem obvious to some, but Kelly Jackson says she’ll “just white-knuckle it and deal with stress” when she has a major project to finish.

But Jackson, a Dalton State College student, found some relief from her stress earlier this week when she visited the “No Stress Zone” at the Pope Student Center. A room on the second floor was used as a sanctuary from the extra stress of midterm exams during “stress-free week.”

The rules? No cellphones, no computers and no thoughts about work or exams.

“It’s nice,” Jackson said. “It’s a bit of an escape. I haven’t been able to relax this week, but the ambiance here helps me.”

Jackson said she spent 30 minutes in the “No Stress Zone” where she listened to soft music, drew in coloring books, played with Play-Doh, worked crossword puzzles and played with therapy dogs.

These activities were provided to improve test scores, said Travis McKie-Voerste.

“If you’re stressed, you don’t do as good on exams,” said McKie-Voerste, coordinator for counseling and career services at the college. “Things like Play-Doh and crosswords are distractions. They help students forget about exams for a little bit ... some really enjoyed it, others have been apprehensive. Most usually warm up to the idea after a while.”

Jason Martinez is one of those “apprehensive” students.

“I thought it was a little dumb,” Martinez said. “It seemed like a kindergarten class. But it did distract me from my exams, which I take was the point. And I haven’t played with Play-Doh since I was a kid, so that was fun. I’d tell people to give it a shot — not just here (at the college), but in everyday life.”

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