By Brandon Cortés
Features Editor
With finals week approaching, the Programs Council offered students a sweet break from the pressure with their Sweet Treat event, a casual drop-in activity that turned Adanti Student Center Room 217 into a mini decorating studio.
Health science major Amiya Cox, a sophomore, said the purpose was simple.
“This is just before finals distress,” Cox said. “Decorating your own cupcake or cookie with your friends is just something calm before everything gets stressful.”
Tables were lined with cupcakes, cookies, frosting, sprinkles and drinks — all free for students looking for a quick moment of relief.
Students filtered in and out throughout the afternoon, some staying only long enough to grab a treat, while others lingered to perfect their designs.
ProCon members encouraged everyone to take their time, chat and enjoy the break from studying. There were no rules, no judging and no pressure — a deliberate choice, to make the event feel low-stakes and accessible to anyone passing through.
Political science major Alysa Underwood, a sophomore, said the team wanted to create an activity that felt joyful rather than structured.
“It’s really just about your creative skills,” Underwood said. “We just wanted something fun and relaxing, nothing that adds more pressure.”
The Sweet Treat event is part of a broader series of de-stress activities ProCon organized as the semester ramps up. On Nov. 20, the group hosted Art from the Heart, a painting-based event that helped students release emotions through color and creativity.
Cox said the positive feedback from that program reinforced the need for more events centered on emotional well-being and small moments of peace.
Across the room, students decorated with intense focus or laughed as frosting dripped off their cupcakes. For many, the chance to do something tactile — to squeeze frosting, swirl colors or arrange decorations — offered a comforting break from screens and textbooks.
The simplicity of the activity made it easy for students to decompress without feeling obligated to stay for a full session.
Organizers said the event also gave commuters, resident students and different majors a chance to interact in a space that was not academic or rushed. Some students came alone, while others arrived with friends or ended up chatting with strangers over the frosting table.
For ProCon, those spontaneous connections are part of what makes these events worthwhile. Underwood said creating an environment where students feel welcome — whether they stay for five minutes or an hour — is always part of their planning.
Underwood noted that stress tends to spike as the semester winds down, and lighthearted events like this allow students to reset before diving back into coursework.
Cox said she hoped students left feeling a little lighter, even if only for a moment. Finals, she noted, tend to make everything feel urgent and overwhelming, but ProCon wants students to know there is still room to breathe.
Cox said that events like this are intentionally informal so students do not feel obligated to participate in a structured way. By keeping the activity simple and flexible, ProCon hopes students will feel comfortable dropping in even for a few minutes between classes and study sessions.
“It’s just about having a moment to enjoy yourself,” Cox said.
