The UCLA People-Animal Connection (PAC) program has teamed up with the UCLA Library’s Stressbusters program to promote student health and well-being during the weeks leading up to and including finals. The Stressbusters program organizes activities, such as origami and mindful meditation, at library locations across campus, even arranging free chair massages and free coffee and fruit for stressed students. Providing one of the most popular activities in the program, PAC therapy dogs visit Powell Library to greet students and allow a time and space for them to decompress. Those visit days are a highlight of academic quarters on campus, with social media abuzz prior to the event and some students taking trips to Powell Library’s Rotunda just to meet with the dogs and share their appreciation and excitement with the human volunteers.
The Stressbusters program allows students in the midst of studying for finals to relax and reduce stress, providing a much needed focus on mental and emotional health during the whirlwind of tests, papers, and presentations. The UCLA PAC program is dedicated to aiding in the support of the UCLA community, with PAC volunteers providing comfort to students as they strive to be as successful as they can in their finals.
Left: PAC Volunteer Ellen and her dog Gus visit students at Powell Library. Top Right: PAC Dog Pierre enjoys a nice belly rub.
Bottom Right: PAC Volunteer Judy with her dogs Shepzel and Mazel, who give high-fives for apples!
