Trojan Outreach, a group that works to provide peer intervention for Troy students, held its fall festival on Wednesday Nov. 16, from noon to 3 p.m. on the Trojan Center patio to help students relieve stress.
“Our goal is to de-stress everybody with this since finals are approaching and it’s going to be really stressful,” said Riley Jacks, a junior human services major from Oxford, and a Trojan Outreach member.
Trojan Outreach provided students with hot chocolate, popcorn balls and stress balls. Students could compete in a chubby bunny competition from noon until 12:30 p.m. and a treat walk from 1 to 1:30 p.m.
“We are basing everything off of what you would have at a fall fest or trunk-or-treat,” Jacks said. “Stuff you would have back in middle school, so it’s kind of nostalgic.”
From 2 to 3 p.m., students could participate in a blindfolded painting competition to try to win a basket with baked goods if they painted the best pumpkin.
“We are going to blindfold them (students) and see who can give us the best rendition with their blindfolds on,” said Lori Tucker, a senior communication major from Marianna, Florida, and a member of Trojan Outreach.
Tucker said that Trojan Outreach’s main goal of the event was to help students with stress.
“We’re having a stress-free event in honor of ushering in that time of finals,” Tucker said. “We want to have a positive, fun outlet for them (students) to get out their stress in between classes, somewhere they can stop by really quick.”
Students made stress balls with flour and rice and decorated them with glitter, ribbon and Sharpies.
Caitlin Shelton, a sophomore psychology from Decatur, made a stress ball at the festival and said, “They were so cute, and they are going to be so helpful.”
Shelton said the event was fun, and she enjoyed her time there.
“I think it was very beneficial for students, and I think it should happen more often,” Shelton said.
Shelton said that she and many of her friends are constantly stressed about schoolwork, and that the festival “provided a good way for students to breathe for a few minutes.”
“Students are stressed out from the workload of college and everything that goes on,” Shelton said. “Not everyone knows a good way to de-stress, and sometimes they just need some extra help.”
Clubs on campus could compete in a poster competition to win a free pizza party.
“We will be having different competitions throughout the day,” Tucker said. “We’ve been doing a poster competition open to all clubs on campus to submit what they think of when they think of a Trojan Thanksgiving.”
Jacks said that she thought it would be a lot of fun to get everyone to celebrate together.
“I feel like our school is really coming together because our football team is doing so well,” Jacks said. “This will be a really good time to celebrate Thanksgiving coming up and the end of finals approaching.”
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