On Wednesday, April 8, the Student Life Media Team and the Kean Wellness Center hosted a Paws & Peace event, where students could relieve their stress with therapy dogs, coloring sessions, and a smoothie bar.
From 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm, Penny the lab shepherd, Willow the purebred poodle, and Annie the toy poodle gathered in the pre-function lobby in the Miron Student Center to welcome an adoring crowd of Kean students. The event was part of Unity Week, an annual opportunity for the campus to come together and celebrate the founding of Kean University.
Freshman Angelyss Mercado, a Childhood Education major from Plainfield, NJ, spent much of her time with Penny and Willow. “They were both very cute,” she recalled. “Especially with the finals coming up, it was just a nice little relaxer.”
She reflected on the wider experience of being connected to the campus community with events like these. “It doesn’t just feel like we’re just coming here to learn, [but] we can actually build community here, get to know people, and just have connections.”
After checking in at the Greek Lounge, students hung out at coloring stations and received refreshing smoothies as they waited for their turn to see the loving canines in the pre-function lobby. The dogs are part of Creature Comfort Pet Therapy, who bring the comforting creatures to dozens of places in New Jersey—like nursing homes, libraries, hospitals, mental health centers, and, of course, colleges.
Cole Hamilton, a sophomore majoring in Accounting from Mount Laurel, NJ, came to the event with his friend, who works at the Wellness Center. “He told me that there were going to be dogs [here], and I’m a big dog person,” he expressed. “Doing events like these, especially in the community centers, things like that, are a really big positive influence on really anybody that stops by.”
Hamilton and Mercado aren’t alone in thinking that way—Jahan Martin, a junior from Arlington, Texas, called the event “the highlight of my week, easily.”
To Martin, a Criminal Justice and Political Science major and minor in Public Administration, Unity Week events like Paws & Peace are an opportunity to mingle with fellow Kean students. “I’ve met a lot of people this week that I wouldn’t have otherwise met,” he enthused. “It’s definitely a break that’s needed on campus.”
As the Miron Student Center is a popular campus hangout place, many of the events held there are easily accessible and enjoyable for those who stop by. Paws & Peace blended fun activities—low-stakes coloring, delicious smoothies, and adorable dogs—to create a campus experience for all students to enjoy. Through this event, students could take a break from the stress of college life and enjoy themselves for an afternoon.
