Animal rights group offering students a ‘furry fix’ before finals

Stressed out about finals? RAW, the Revitalizing Animal Well-being student group, suggests pet therapy to relieve the tension. \nA “Furry Finals Fix” will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 29, in the Briscoe Quad Activity Room. RAW will be bringing animals to campus to help students cope with the stress that end-of-the-year papers and finals can cause. \n“I’ve actually had students become suicidal,” said Courtney Wennerstrom, co-president and co-founder of RAW. “This is just a way that students can deal with stress in a healthy way.”\nAnimals are brought to senior citizen homes for the same reason, RAW member and freshman Leila Marsh said, so why not do the same thing for the students?\nThe animals available to play with are pets of RAW members and people from the community. Both large and small dogs and several cats are expected. RAW even hopes to have a bunny.\n“There should be other furry critters too,” Wennerstrom said.\nWennerstrom said that she knows this event is a good idea because when she goes running, she can see how happy her pets make people. For people missing their own pets, the chance to play with others could help.\nRAW is working to dispel the myth that advocating for animals means you only have sympathy for animals, not people, Wennerstrom said. \n“Animals’ and people’s well-being are deeply intertwined,” she said.\nTo volunteer a pet, contact RAW Community Outreach Coordinator Kara Kendall at klkendal@indiana.edu. All pets must be able to be taken out of a cage and played with. More cats are needed, though other pets are welcome.