Indiana University offers ‘Cocoa and Conversation,’ chow mein for students depressed by election
IU is among several schools that offered students resources to help them cope with stress before the election.
One of the ‘self-care’ strategies offered by the school included: ‘Educate yourself about the impact of systemic oppression on historically excluded and marginalized communities. Resist the urge to ask them to educate you.”’
Indiana University posted a schedule of events to help students who might be distraught over the results of the 2024 presidential election.
The schedule, which was posted on Oct. 29, includes a “Cocoa and Conversation” event that took place on Wednesday, and will occur again on Nov. 12. “Discuss the 2024 election with fellow students while grabbing a cup of hot cocoa,” the school advertised.
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Other events include a “Chow Down & Chime In: Post-Election Chats,” which took place the day after the election, during which students were invited to the Asian Culture Center to eat “a bowl of soup and chow mein noodles while coming together as a community to listen, discuss, and decompress.”
The “LGBTQ+ Culture Center” also hosted a “Queer Dialogue Space” on Wednesday to offer what it called a “safe space for the queer community to come together to discuss the challenges they may be facing during this particularly intense time during election season.”
The school also posted a guide on Oct. 18 announcing different “Self-Care Strategies” that students suffering from “anxiety and stress” could engage in. Such strategies include getting enough sleep, meditating, curbing time on social media, and “Be[ing] kind to yourself.”
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The university also encouraged students to “[e]ducate yourself about the impact of systemic oppression on historically excluded and marginalized communities. Resist the urge to ask them to educate you.”
The page also advertised the campus’s “Counseling and Psychological Services” and TimelyCare, which gives “free, 24/7 virtual mental health support.”
Multiple other universities have offered services to students to help them cope with their pre-election anxiety.
Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., for example, offered students several activities on the day of the election such as drinking tea and cocoa, a “Legos Station,” and “Milk and Cookies.”
The University of Oregon, on the other hand, let students pet “therapy dogs,” hang out with “Quacktavious the Therapy Duck,” and participate in free yoga.
Campus Reform has reached out to Indiana University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
