While the Fall 2025 semester continues to close with students taking final exams, the University and other groups on Grounds are providing free academic support and mental health resources to students. From free food to therapy dogs, here are some of the resources offered from the beginning of exams Thursday until the last day Dec. 19.
The Honor Committee and Class Councils are two organizations providing support to students during the final days of the semester. Both have offered these resources to students in past years, with students positively reporting their appreciation for the support.
This year’s resources from the Honor Committee were highlighted in an email sent Monday to students from Thomas Ackleson, chair of the Committee and fourth-year Engineering student.
“As we enter the final exam period, your peers on the Honor Committee wish you the very best on your upcoming exams, papers and projects. We know the end of the fall semester can be overwhelming. I’d like to remind you that Honor is here to support you during exams,” Ackleson wrote.
The Committee offered all students in the College of Arts and Sciences free coffee through a tab at Grit Coffee on Elliewood Avenue Thursday and will offer an ice cream tab at Chaps on the Corner Tuesday. The email from Ackleson does not specify the amount for either of these tabs but that both will be active “while supplies last.”
The Committee will also co-host a “Winter Wind-Down” event Sunday with Peer Health Educators on the first floor of Clemons Library with hot chocolate and care packages open to all students. While the event does not list what is in the care packages, these have included snacks, energy drinks and basic school supplies in years past. Engineering students will have the opportunity to attend a “Pi(e) and Hot Chocolate” event Friday in Thornton Hall, between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Class councils will also host events and continue to advertise pop-up events on their social media in the upcoming week. The Second Year Council is holding a “Chai and Chill” Saturday in Shannon Library at noon, as well as a “Finals Study Café” on the fourth floor of Clemons Library Friday and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. The Fourth Year Trustees — which serves as the fourth-year council — hosted a “Late-night Crash Cart” with snacks and drinks in Clemons Library Wednesday night.
First-year College student Charlie Adams said social events around this time are good opportunities for students to come together and briefly take their mind off upcoming exams.
“As first-years, this is our first time taking college finals, so I feel like a lot of first-years are pretty stressed and … trying to end on a high note,” Adams said. “Our dorm had a stress dog the other weekend … [and] are hosting a big ice cream-movie social event to bring people together.”
Students can also look forward to therapy dogs, review sessions, blue book handouts, pop-up coffee and snack tabs, late-night support tables and wellness bag giveaways with snacks and energy drinks throughout the week, all provided by the Committee. Further details and events will be updated on their social media, with Saturday and Sunday labeled as “Stay Posted!!” on the Committee’s Instagram page.
Second-year Commerce student Mana Iyer shared similar sentiments to Adams, saying she feels these resources help students to clear their heads during such a stressful time.
“I think it’s helpful for the school to do morale-boosting [events] and [give] students just 30 minutes to … recharge,” Iyer said.
There are also various academic support programs available to students through the University that can be utilized during finals. These supports include a Math Collaborative Learning Center in Clemons Library which holds tutoring sessions for students in intro-level math and science classes, Peer Led Learning, which provides structured study sessions led by students, for students in a number of classes, and the writing center which allows students to schedule appointments for help with writing or editing papers. The writing center is also accepting walk-in consultations between Dec. 8 and Dec. 17.
Adams said that he has heard these resources are of great use to students but that peer studying remains the primary way students collaborate to prepare for their exams.
“I’ve heard a lot of people using the writing lab … but I feel like most people just peer study with each other the same they would [for] any other test,” Adams said.
Most libraries have several study rooms which students can reserve, and Clemons Library extended its hours to be open for 24 hours Wednesday. The Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library and Music Library also extended its hours Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. to midnight. On Saturday, those libraries will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
In addition to the school-sponsored academic supports, and Honor Committee and Class Council student-led supports, the Woman’s Center has also been hosting events throughout the week for students to destress. The Women’s Center is a unit of the Office of the Provost and hosts events and provides resources to serve all University students.
Wednesday, the center hosted “Craft and Cocoa” for students to indulge in hot chocolate bar, and their website additionally has many tips and guides for students to reduce stress.
The Contemplative Sciences Center — open to all students — is hosting an array of mindfulness and yoga classes throughout the coming week. The Center for Christian Study, which is located on Chancellor St. is also open to all students and is providing free meals and snacks to students during this finals season. Each day, a full breakfast is served at 10 a.m. with a full dinner at 5 p.m. and snacks throughout the day. This schedule began Thursday and will continue until Dec. 18, with a one-day break on Dec. 14.
Iyer said that while finals can be overwhelming, it brings many students closer together.
“I feel like generally people are pretty stressed out … I feel like it’s helpful that everyone around you is preparing for the same things as you,” Iyer said. “I see a lot of people studying together and relying on their classmates … more than you do throughout the rest of the semester.”
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