Among the stress of finals, Student Entertainment and Events (SEE) offers students events to destress.Â
The University of Maryland’s primary event board is SEE, holding events for students throughout the year, Cade McDonald, special events and traditions director, said.
SEE held its annual holiday event on Dec. 3, where they set up DIY ornament and card-making.
Tables were set up for students to take their minds off school and relax while decorating their crafts. Holiday music played and a fireplace was projected on the big screen, making it warm and cozy. Students came wearing their ugly holiday sweaters.
Two ornament types were provided: a normal round wooden one and a wooden cut-out tree stump, as well as holiday cards. Materials like stickers, paint markers and washi tape were offered, plus hot chocolate for students to enjoy.
“This event is very chill, more relaxed and fun to do,” Shirya Natta, a second-year master’s student pursuing Information Systems, said. “I felt like designing ornaments is interesting because I always put store-bought on my tree. I felt like, this time, I’m going to design one. It makes it more special.”
The event brought students together and was a great way for everyone to come together and do something different right before the rush of finals.
“It is always nice to sit with friends, other students or people you may not know and do your own thing,” Natta said. “Being able to do crafts with others can inspire you and your designs.”
“These events held by SEE are aimed to help students distress; it is an opportunity for them to relax, get their minds off school, and meet new people,” McDonald said.
“I just came from studying for a midterm I have this week, so it was nice to have an event like this with arts and crafts to be able to step away from studying and get my brain to focus on something that’s not school,” Emily Todd, a junior animal science major, said.Â
SEE holds all kinds of events throughout the year for students. Last year, for example, SEE held a de-stressing yoga event. At the beginning of the 2023 fall semester, they had first-day flicks, where students could get a Polaroid of them on their way to the first day of classes.