Finals Week Programs
Students, increase your wellness or unwind with activities designed to support your well-being. See what's happening at Harper for Fall 2024 finals week.
Harper College will be closed Monday, December 23 through Wednesday, January 1 for Winter Break.
Atif Shareif (left), student aide with Student Engagement, and Stephanie Wootten, staff interpreter with Access and Disability Services, pack thrive kits to support Harper students during finals week. The kits have become a finals week tradition on campus.
Massage chairs and comfort dogs aren’t the norm on most college campuses, but they, along with care packages known as thrive kits, are just a few of the ways Harper College helps students and staff beat finals week stress.
Guided by Beth McPartlin, manager of Harper Wellness, the college provides resources and experiences that boost emotional and physical well-being during an often stressful time.
“We know when students walk into Harper, they have more on their plates than just classes,” she said. “We want to equip them with tools and resources to thrive, not just survive.”
A thread in an American College Health Association chat inspired Beth to bring thrive kits to Harper. “I saw someone from another institution post about it, and I thought it would be a great idea for Harper students,” she recalled.
She brought the concept to a finals week subcommittee, where it was embraced. With collaboration across departments and the library’s integral involvement, the first thrive kits were distributed during the pandemic to show support.
“When we started, we aimed for 200 kits but didn’t hit that number,” Beth said. “Now we shoot for 400 and hit it, thanks to messaging and word of mouth.”
Students, increase your wellness or unwind with activities designed to support your
well-being. See what's happening at Harper for Fall 2024 finals week.Finals Week Programs
Thrive kits are filled with items aimed at promoting relaxation and wellness, including:
Harper College staff also contribute handwritten messages of encouragement, which are included in each kit. “It’s a touch of love and care for our students,” Beth said.
Maksym Perchyts (from left), student aide with Resources for Learning; Ailyn Trujillo, circulation supervisor with Library Services; Kristin Allen, adjunct faculty librarian; and Kylee Higgins, library assistant, work on thrive kits, which were delivered to students in preparation for finals week.
Volunteers assemble the kits at a packing party at the campus library. Once complete, they’re mailed directly to students’ homes, arriving one week before finals begin. Atif Shareif, a second-year computer science major and Harper Wellness student aide, helped assemble thrive kits for this semester’s finals week.
“There was Christmas music playing and we were laughing and having a good time,” he said. “It never felt like it was a job. It felt like I was doing something fun with my friends.”
Believing thrive kits were filled with brochures, Atif didn’t think he would get much out of them until he received one.
“There were coloring pages and that sort of stuff to help you wind down. The activities helped me relax and made me realize I’m still a kid inside,” he said. “You don’t expect things like that from a college, that they would care about you.”
Atif Shareif (from left), Stephanie Wootten and April Maman, access advocate with ADS, fill thrive kits with snacks to help students during finals week.
Harper Wellness also provides comfort dogs, yoga and Pilates sessions, as well as refueling stations stocked with snacks and other food items during finals week – December 9-13. Harper administrators even get involved.
“The administration asked how they could interact with students during finals week. Our president and the president’s leadership cabinet walk around campus and pass out snacks,” Beth said. It gives them a chance to speak to students, offer them support and have small conversations. It’s a way to say, ‘We support you and want you to know that we care.’”
Atif looks forward to the free, 10-minute massages and snacks from the refueling station.
“It gives me a little stress relief and takes my mind off of my classes and the exam that's coming up,” he said. “Like, I have a stress buildup, and you go to these events, and you also have hot mocha in your hand. You’re also eating a cupcake and having a conversation. The anxiousness and the jittery feeling goes away because I’ve already talked to someone and been through all the hypotheticals.”
Beth said the thrive kits and finals week wellness activities are a part of Harper College’s commitment to fostering a supportive environment.
“It’s not just about education,” she said. “It’s about showing students that they’re valued and cared for.”