Amelia Bowers

Reporter

The Mississippi University for Women’s Psychology Club and the Psi Chi International Honor Society teamed up this week to give students on campus a much-needed break.

With midterms on the way students are beginning to really feel the pressure of school building up, and thanks to the help of Psi Chi and the Psychology Club, students were able to get a short, relaxing moment to wind down.

The two clubs, both sponsored by Dr. Bliss, an assistant professor of psychology here at MUW, joined forces with the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society to bring adoptable dogs to the campus gazebo for a little fun in the sun.

“The purpose is we want to do these events during midterms and during finals week so students can kind of have a moment to just step away from the stress, pet a puppy and learn a little bit about responsible dog ownership,” said Bliss.

The president of Psi Chi, Terriaua Ickom, was there to help run and support the event.

“I believe this activity is really good for students because it helps them understand why you can de-stress in many different ways, especially in a fuzzy little companion,” said Ickom. “It’s very helpful to them understanding their own mental health as well, and de-stressing and understanding that they don’t have to stay all cluttered up during midterms.”

So, what did the students think? Freshman Tierrah Little-Easley was present at the event and had a lot to say about her experience.

“It was a wonderful time, I truly enjoyed it. The name Pause for Paws really tells that it’s a chance to relax, de-stress – if you have problems, leave them at your dorm – and when you walk on the scene it’s just really relaxing,” said Little-Easley.

She looks forward to the next event.

“They book it, I’m hooking it!” said Little-Easley.

The event also gave a chance for the Psychology Club to spread its name around campus.

“It’s good for the Psychology Club to actually get out and show that we’re here and that we do care about these things. We’ve had to start fresh, all brand new this semester because of COVID, so it gives us the opportunity to actually connect with our community and show how animals actually help people and make them happy.” said Bliss.

The Psychology Club and the Psi Chi International Honor Society hope to hold another event on November 15 to prepare for finals week.