Monday, October 14, 2019

Therapy Donkeys For College Students Dealing with Stress of Final Exams. A Real Story.




Anyone who has attended college knows the pressure of final exams. It is a stressful time and students find a variety of ways to cope with it. Some fellow students when I went to college would stay up all night studying. I tried this more than one time and always fell asleep and would perspire. I would then go take my final not knowing this had resulted in words from the page finding their way on my forehead. Some people would drink massive amounts of coffee, others would play loud music, there were even college students who would work extra shifts at their part-time job so they could purchase the answers to the final. Everyone had their own way of dealing with the stress of preparing for final exams in college.

All of these methods were probably not nearly as effective as something used at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. To help students deal with finals at this college, a heard of miniature donkeys were brought in for the students.

I'm going to stay up all night and study for final exams.”
I'm going to drink lots of coffee and study all the time for final exams.”
I'm joining a study group and we are going to review every subject we took this semester.”
What are you going to do?”
I'm going to pet, hug and take pictures of miniature donkeys.”
Well, if you kiss one of them, the owner can say you kissed his; never mind.”


The State University of New York at Plattsburgh brought in a small herd of miniature donkeys last week as part of a wellness fair to help students cope with the anxiety and pressure that comes with typical end-of-semester responsibilities such as tests and papers that are due.

(Sarcasm Alert)

I wonder if any of these donkeys had advanced degrees and could help the college students study. They should at least be able to make coffee. Maybe they are a special type of yoga donkeys that can help the college students relax, focus and breath correctly. These donkeys would really be popular if they had the answers to the final exams written on them.

Do the donkeys make coffee?”
No.”
Do they know yoga?”
No.”
Do they have final exam answers written on them?”
No, they are here so you can hug them and take pictures with them. I suggest you kiss them.”
Why? What purpose does that serve us college students for final exams?”
Well, I say anyone who doesn't like it can kiss, my donkey.”


We got a lot of strange looks and questions when we pitched the idea,” Ashley Durocher, who helped organize the wellness fair, told SUNY Plattsburgh’s student-run newspaper Cardinal Points. “We thought donkeys and a wellness fair would be a fun and creative way to discuss mental health and help our students de-stress.”

(Sarcasm Alert)

Now, why would anyone give strange looks to miniature donkeys roaming around a university during finals? Seems sort of natural. This fits in well with the theme. When I miniature donkeys at a university, I'm thinking of mental health. I wonder if this was an expense covered by student activity fees. With the cost of tuition at a university, you would expect them to bring down some unicorns on a rainbow that pass gas and shoot stardust from their posterior upon command. It's time they make students feel as if they are getting their money worth for an education.


My favorite part of the fair was definitely the donkeys,” student Carolyn Graber said.

Celeste, Jessie, and Cookie are all from the New York nonprofit Thera-Pets, which was founded in 2003 to “improve human health through the use of farm animals.”
These animals work miracles, they do truly miracle work because they can make you feel better if you feel bad,” Besaw told CBS affiliate WCAX.


Miracle-working miniature donkeys who help students attending American universities with stress during finals. I'm sure our higher education system is the envy of the world. These animals also help human health. I suppose a physician may now prescribe some hugs and picture taking with a miniature donkey instead of traditional medication.


I'm sure all these good feelings would go away if the college kids had to clean up after the miracle donkeys and their droppings. This would probably increase the stress of taking final exams and defeat the whole purpose of their visit.

Below is a link to the article.



No comments:

Post a Comment