by Zoe DeFazio & Josh Grewal, Staff Writers

The Multicultural Center will be hosting a “serenity hour” every Friday morning at 8:30 am. Following the serenity talk, the Multicultural Center also offers the opportunity for students to drink coffee and chat amongst each other.

The intention of the serenity talk is for students to have the ability to relax and unwind from the week in a healthy manner. Students have the option to partake in yoga, guided meditations, coloring, or any activity to help them relax.

Hayden Greene, Director of Multicultural Affairs, explained why he believes having a serenity talk is necessary for the MC community.

“The main goal is to make sure that students have a place that they can heal and that they can calm themselves down and get ready for the weekend and be able to come back to classes on Monday refreshed,” Greene said.

This week’s serenity talk consisted of guided meditations and coloring while listening to relaxing background noise.

Greene describes his vision for the serenity talk, which involves a rotating schedule of mindful activities.

“We hope to have a rotating schedule of things that will bring peace to people,” Greene said. “So whether it is coloring Mandela’s or mindfulness exercises, or yoga, or just simply a meditation room for an hour, and so we’ll rotate those schedules just to really give people an opportunity to find what works for them.”

Greene continued by explaining what coffee stalk consists of.

“So after we do a lot of the mindfulness stuff, the yoga stuff and all the rest of stuff, we do have an opportunity for people to talk about whatever they want to talk about,” Greene said.

Chelsea Fedigan and her roommate Juliette Cazzari, who is also a junior, attended this week’s serenity and coffee talk and shared their views on the sessions.

“I find the serenity hour impactful because meditation gives you the ability to sit with yourself and reflect with your mind, body and soul,” Cazzari said.

Fedigan similarly described how these sessions can improve the MC community for the emphasis placed on mental health.

“This is a great addition to the MC community because it emphasizes mental health and taking the time to relax and recharge,” Fedigan said.

With campus now being fully opened, it can have an overwhelming effect on returning students just as much as new students. Greene emphasized how a serenity talk is just what MC needed during this time.

“When you think about all the stressors of being a college student, and then add on to that a quarantine while still trying to navigate all of the things that happened during the previous summer protests,” Green said. “It may be hard to figure out how to place these in proper compartments in your mind. And sometimes you just need a place to just recenter.”

Although coming straight back into hectic college life can be mentally demanding, the coffee and serenity talks allow students to be able to process their concerns and converse with other students about their personal life or academic life. Students like Cazzari and Fedigan are already reaping the positive benefits that this program provides, and encourage other students to participate.

“After a stressful week like the one I have been having, it has been nice to sit and not focus on anything else,” Cazzari said.