By Joe Wicke

For many students, the end of the semester can be stressful. Whether it be finding a last minute job or internship or figuring out a summer trip, the people who run the University of Maryland Memorial Chapel have students covered.

Students relaxed and enjoyed live piano and Subway sandwiches at the most recent Wind Down Wednesday in the Garden Chapel.

Srinivas Varma Chintalapati, the chapel’s event manager and a graduate student in information systems, said this event has occurred every semester for the past four years as a form of escapism for students. 

“Our ultimate goal is to create a positive, peaceful environment for some time so that students can take a break from their regular (schedule),” Chintalapati said.

The event is held on the first Wednesday of each month and is scheduled to align with times when students are likely to be the most stressed, Chintalapati said. 

“The main inspiration came from where they could take a break (from exams),” he said. 

This sentiment rang true for many of the attendees at this week’s Wind Down Wednesday like Sean Chang, a sophomore computer science major.

“It’s a great place to relax, listen to music and look at something instead of your computer,” Chang said.

Minoring in music performance for piano, Chang also saw it as a great opportunity to engage in his other academic interests, which helped take away stress from his impending exams, he said.

“It’s fun exploring that minor right now instead of focusing on the finals that are coming up for (computer science)” Chang said. 

Wind Down Wednesday is not just open to students but to all community members. Dale Johnson, a professor for the college of agricultural and natural resources, and longtime attendant of the Memorial Chapel, encouraged the event as a great way for students to rest in an area where they can explore their faith. 

“I would hope that students come in touch with their spiritual side of them as well as the mental and intellectual side of this campus,” Johnson said.

Wind Down Wednesday is one of several events hosted by the chapel with a focus on mindfulness. Others include “Canvas Calm,” a two hour painting session, and the “Journey Within: Labyrinth Walk and Guided Meditation” sessions that were hosted in the chapel’s Garden of Reflection and Remembrance on Mondays in April.

As the event approached the end of its eighth semester on campus, Chintalapati hoped that more students would be motivated to attend mindful events such as these. 

“All these events at the end of the day relate to the mental well-being of the student community,” he said. “We as the chapel want to provide a positive space for students.”

Featured image: The Garden Chapel at UMD holds Wind Down Wednesday. Photo by Joe Wicke.