The College Fix

Harvard, Virginia Tech, and Georgetown offer preschool-level activities for their students

Students at elite Georgetown University can find a safe space tomorrow to color and drink hot chocolate.

As Washington, D.C. goes into lockdown over potential election violence, the Catholic Jesuit university is offering students a way to decompress, according to The Free Press.

“In recognition of these stressful times all McCourt community members are welcome to gather. . . in the 3rd floor Commons to take a much needed break, joining us for mindfulness activities and snacks throughout the day,” Jacelyn Clevenger, student engagement director, wrote in an email.

There will be a “Legos Station,” “Milk and Cookies,” and tea and cocoa, according to the email.

“I wanted to ask Clevenger why college and graduate students needed milk and cookies to recover from their stress—and how being coddled in college might someday affect American diplomacy—but she didn’t respond to my calls or emails,” reporter Francesca Block wrote.

This is not the only elite university where the nation’s best can confront their stress with preschool-level activities.

Students at Harvard University can hang out with “Sunshine” a puppet today, thanks to the divinity school. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech students can “find [their] flow” today with “therapy dogs” and a “collaborative art project.”

Northwestern University will offer a “Wildcat Wellness” event tomorrow. Students at the elite university can enjoy “puzzles, crafts, games, snacks, and a variety of brain break activities set up to help you reset, ground yourself, and enjoy connection with our Wildcat community.”

This tweet was just deleted, but I saved a screenshot.

Harvard Divinity students turn into toddlers on election day with puppets, basketry, sonic meditation, and knitting. This is in anticipation of election-induced trauma. https://t.co/xFxnd2oyTS pic.twitter.com/R2ldtN81yy

— Jerry Coyne (@Evolutionistrue) November 5, 2024

It’s reminiscent of the 2016 election, as The College Fix recently reported.

College Fix Associate Editor Dave Huber recently summarized post-2016 election meltdowns.

He wrote over the weekend:

The University of Pennsylvania created a “breathing space” for students troubled by the Trump win, complete with coloring books and craft-making, along with a puppy and some cats to cuddle.

Students at Cornell University held a “cry-in” regarding the outcome, with one student saying she was “quite terrified, honestly.”

Activists at fellow Ivies Yale, Brown, and Harvard had demanded their universities become “sanctuary” campuses for undocumented students because Trump had threatened to end the DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, program.

The University of Michigan Law School held a post-election event featuring “self-care activities such as coloring sheets, play dough, [and] positive card-making.”

And UCLA students got over 2016 “election blues” via playdates … with teddy bears.

From my alma mater. pic.twitter.com/ihWdv9Z7ND

— James V. Shuls (@shulsie) November 4, 2024

The Free Press noted that other universities are preparing to help students calm down – Missouri State University, for example, is offering “calm jars, coloring pages and sensory fidgets.”

Meanwhile, the “Diversity and Inclusion Lounge” within the “Gender Justice Center” at Chicago’s Roosevelt University is offering a “Post-Election Calm Space.”

“No matter the outcome everyone has feelings about the election. Whether you want to debrief in groups or step away to a quiet place, your feelings are valid,” the event states. “Roosevelt staff will support you.”

“These are drop-in spaces with music, coloring pages, crafts, snacks, and stim toys to help you stay grounded or provide a calm space for you to process,” according to the event page.

MORE: U. Georgia students question Harris campaign texts

IMAGE: Dmitry Trubitsyn/Shutterstock

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