With midterms wrapping up and students looking for ways to de-stress, the Student Union hosted its Paint and Plant event on Tuesday to help students with just that.
In the San José State Student Union Ballroom, students were encouraged to paint pots and bring a piece of nature into their personal spaces from 1-5 p.m., according to a March 13 Student Union Instagram post.
Simranpreet Kaur, a third-year management information systems student, said she heard of the event through her friend, who sent her a picture of the poster that was displayed in the Student Union.
“So far, this has really helped because last week was really stressful with the midterms,” Kaur said. “So I think this is really helpful with stress relief. You can just forget any of your stress and just focus on mindfulness.” During final exams, 32% of students experience greater levels of stress, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Carolina Ma, Events and Programs Coordinator at SJSU said that originally, Paint and Plant was to take place during next month's sustainability series of events but was pushed forward to better accommodate students' needs.
“De-stressing before or even after midterms seemed like a better route for us to go,” Ma said. “This event happens every school year and I think it's because it allows students to connect with their inner child and overall creativity.”
Art can sometimes be used as a tool to help people express themselves during therapy as it has been seen to increase dopamine levels, which could be beneficial for those experiencing chronic depression and anxiety, according to Sage Neuroscience Center.
The Student Union provided small ceramic pots, paint, paintbrushes, soil and seeds during the event, while students simply had to check in with a QR code before entering the Student Union ballroom.
April Coleman, a fourth-year physiology student, shared how entering the event went for her and her friend.
“As long as you have the Sammy App, there usually isn’t any issue since they have a QR code to scan,” Coleman said. “We got our pot and painting supplies, but it felt like they weren’t fully prepared when we got inside. They haven’t given us our soil or seed yet and when asked for a plate to mix colors, they looked a little flustered.”
The Sammy App is SJSU’s official app where students have access to seeing what events are occurring on campus as well as staying connected with other students, according to the App Store.
“The app allows coordinators to see the data of how many check-ins are done during the event and use the info to see what’s popular to bring it back and this event has been one of our more popular ones,” Ma said.
Events like Paint and Plant are covered by a Student Union fee, which is included in SJSU students' tuition charge, according to the Bursar’s office.
Paloma Hubbard, a graduating psychology student said how this event has helped her both mentally and financially.
“I think this has definitely helped de-stress. It's like a fun, cute thing to do. You don't have to go anywhere or spend your own money,” Hubbard said. “When everything is so expensive, events like these give students the chance to take a break from school. All you have to do is show up.”
Not only is painting linked to helping with stress levels, but gardening is as well. One study showed that engaging with a garden or nature in general helps distract people from their problems, according to a March 27, 2019, Forbes article.
Casey Chow, a second-year business student and event and program student assistant, shared how they are looking to cater to more students.
“We are always looking for different ideas and see what students wanna see and how this program can grow in the future,” Chow said.” “We want to cater to everyone and diverse how the student body is that speaks to everyone and shows everyone is seen and we wanna hear opinions from everyone.”
