By Kelly Berger

Reliving the days of elementary school may seem like a far stretch for college students, but it is closer to campus than some may think.

The Violence Intervention and Prevention Center is spending Dead Week offering students the opportunity to munch on snacks, watch their favorite kiddy cartoons and listen to story time of their favorite childhood books. These events and more are all part of the “Flashback for Finals” program.

The event hopes to offer an escape from studying and relieve the stress of finals, VIP Center Assistant Director Christy Burch said.

“The goal of the events is to provide a space to for students to get plugged into relaxation, have fun and celebrate the hard work of students working in helping end violence,” Burch said.

The scheduled events run Monday through Friday, from noon until 5 p.m. Activities range from coloring to kickball, finger painting to sing-a-longs. All events take place at the VIP Center located in the basement of Frazee Hall.

This is the first time for the event, but it could possibly become an annual event, Burch said.

“Anything related to offering a chance at relaxing … will take place,” she said when talking about future plans on holding a similar event next year.

Burch said the VIP Center’s base of volunteers got together and started talking about how much they enjoyed childhood memories, and how it would be fun if they could promote activities like taking naps and creating arts and crafts the week before finals.

Burch encourages students to stop by, even if it’s just between classes.

All of the events are free and open to all students, and are listed on the VIP Center website and its Facebook page.

Flashback for Finals events

Monday: Arts and Crafts Day

Tuesday: Recess

Wednesday: Sing-a-long

Thursday: Show and Tell

Friday: Snack and naptime