President Hsu, Hoosier Zoom in for Cougar Countdown’s Virtual Launch

If there were ever a semester when students needed stress relief during exams, this is it! And, despite finishing the semester online, the College of Charleston is bringing back its semi-annual Cougar Countdown program, providing a variety of stress -relieving activities virtually April 22–27, 2020.

“While there are a lot of virtual places that students can go to get away from studying, Cougar Countdown events are designed to be rejuvenating, restorative and relational – with a goal of supporting students in targeted ways,” says Lindy Coleman, director of the Center for Student Learning.

Cougar Countdown is a program that supports students – mind, body and spirit –during the final days of each semester and final exams. This semester is no different.

“Students can get support from familiar faces and campus activities like participating in a live power yoga class led by a Campus Rec peer instructor, accessing a 30-minute guided meditation led by a Counseling Center staff member, meeting their professors during Ask a Prof! or engaging in a little friendly competition with the rest of the Cougar Nation during Trivia Throwdown,” says Coleman.

Of course, the popular Pups on the Green event, where students get to pet some snuggly dogs on the soft grass of Rivers Green, can’t happen in quite the same way this year. But, CofC’s pet-loving students won’t have to forego the experience entirely: The event has been reimagined as Pets on the (Virtual) Green, which will take place on April 22, 2020, with separate online events featuring dogs, cats and exotic pets.

“We have all seen how much pets mean to students when they are stressed, and we felt that it was important to find a way to continue our long history of providing this type of therapy,” says Coleman. “The pets this time around will be the students’ pets, and hopefully faculty’s and staff’s as well (President Hsu and his dog Hoosier are planning to attend!), on a live Zoom event. We created different Zoom meetings for different types of pets, with an ‘All Pets Mash-Up’ for the last half hour.”

For students who are looking to maximize this dog-gone good time, look for President Andrew T. Hsu and his golden retriever Hoosier during the All Pets Mash-Up event at 9:30 p.m.

Cougar Countdown is developed and planned through the following campus departments and offices: the Center for Student Learning, Career Center, New Student Programs, Academic Advising and Planning Center, Aramark, Residence Life, Student Life, Campus Recreation Services, Counseling Center, Addlestone Library, First Year Experience and the Religious Life Council. The program is funded annually by the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Students can access all of the events online through the Cougar Countdown website. Below is the full schedule: