Stress Busters

Miniature horses and puppies, a pet project of the Office of Health Promotions, are helping students at Montclair State cope with finals stress. There were plenty of nuzzles and paw-fect social media posts as students petted puppies in the Sprague Library and miniature horses — wearing tiny (and adorable) sneakers — in a resident hall.

“The sneakers are cute, there’s so stylish, I want some,” sophomore Maniya Ross joked, a smile spreading across her face after a really stressful week. “I feel so happy at this moment.”

Campus partners are providing the programs to help students during this most demanding time of the year. “This is a way for students to take a break and decompress,” says Marie Cascarano, coordinator of health promotions. “Often students sacrifice taking care of themselves in hopes of getting better grades.”

Throughout the week, special events on nutrition, sleep and relaxation rooms helped students stay on track and remain productive, but the cute factor of the therapeutic puppies and tiny horses, melted hearts, earning a chorus of awwws.