Trains and treats help DPU students relieve stress of finals

Providing a much-needed break from finals week, the DeChooChoo provided rides up and down DePauw University’s Gold Line Tuesday afternoon. The event provided hot chocolate, cookies and other goodies, as well as a chance to ring the coveted Monon Bell.

Courtesy DePauw University

It’s finals week and it’s cold and students are stressed. How to combat that?

With hot chocolate, cookies and other goodies. Gold Within T-shirts, Tiger keychains and highlighters. An opportunity to ring the Monon Bell. And rides on the Mini Monon — the DeChooChoo.

Staff members from the Office of Communications and Marketing braved the weather Tuesday to pass out the goodies and usher students onto the miniature train, which traversed DePauw’s own Gold Line, a straight shot from the circle in front of Roy O. West Library to the Percy L. Julian Mathematics and Science Building.

“Why are we doing this? We won the bell! Students are finishing their finals. It’s a great day, and we wanted to have a good time,” said Chris Wolfe, who handles social media for DePauw and who conceived of the project to support students during finals week.

With one exam down and two to go, junior Quinn Wright said she’s “excited to go home, so I’m pushing through.

“I think it’s so cool,” she said of the event. “I feel like the university cares about the students when they do things like this and shows they know it’s a tough time during finals week. And the fact that they’re out here, helping us and having cookies and standing out in 19-degree weather, means a lot.”

Freshman Brandon Collins, experiencing his first college finals week, took two exams on Monday and has another scheduled Friday. An essay is due in between.

“Yesterday was probably the worst just because there were two at the same time, so most of the weekend was spent just studying,” he said. “But overall I’m feeling pretty good. I feel pretty supported here as well. People are constantly checking up on you, making sure you’re doing all right and it seems like they’re pretty vocal about the availability of resources around here.”

Freshman Drew Hudgins, who strode to the treat staging site in shorts -- “I’m very cold,” he said. “I just have no more pants.” -- also appreciated the treats, which he deemed “pretty cool. It’s a nice thing to do.”

Likewise said seniors Angie Mendez and Mitchael Evans, the first students to board the train, Tiger paw print cookies in hand.

“I think it’s awesome,” Mendez said. Added Evans: “I really like it.”