Until I read this post from Jenica, it had been a while since I’d last thought about all the great things that happened at my alma matter around finals week.
The cafeterias served late-night breakfasts on the evening prior to the first day of finals as well as the following few days. And even though the dorms went to 24-hour quiet, there was one hour in the early evening that was the “loud hour,” when we’d all crank our stereos, dance in the hallways, scream out the windows, or otherwise do whatever we needed to let off a bit of steam.
While I don’t remember the library doing what Jenica did, a lot of RAs would put board games, coloring books and crayons, and puzzles in their floor’s lounges. Those activities were always popular because they could be done any time, not just during the loud hour.
It was such a simple, inexpensive thing, but much appreciated by emotionally and mentally overextended students. Simple so often seems too easy, but sometimes it’s the perfect thing.
