In the middle of midterms, when students are struggling with exams and the sleep deprivation and stress that comes with it, SF State’s Student Health Advisory Committee offered a one-day carnival to prevent and release stress.

The event, a Stress Relief Day, took place in the Quad outside the Cesar Chavez Student Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, and is offered every semester. The event was organized by SHAC, a student-run organization that works with the Student Health Center to offer recommendations for the center and student health in general.

David Huang, president of SHAC, said the purpose of the event was to help students relax – therefore the event is usually held during the time of midterms.

“The point is for students to come here and have fun and release their stress,” Huang said.

Students could enjoy free activities, including an inflatable obstacle course, an inflatable boxing ring with matching inflatable gloves and one-on-one counseling regarding eating habits and massage. The activities were funded by the Associated Students Inc.

Kamal Harb, health educator at the Student Health Center and advisor to SHAC, said another goal of the event is to educate students about programs or practices that could help them deal with stress in the future.

Several health-linked student organizations also tabled in front of the quad, including CEASE (Creating Empowerment through Alcohol and Substance-Abuse Education), the AIDS Coordinating Committee, SAFE, (Sexual Abuse Free Environment) and EROS, (Educational and Referral Organization on Sexuality).

Felicia Lee, 23, major of child and adolescent development and member of EROS, said the main purpose of the tabling was to make students aware of resources that the campus offers in the areas of health and sexuality.

Lee said handing out free gifts was a good way of grabbing people’s attention, and EROS offered free condoms to passersby. However, not everyone stopped by, even if they seemed interested and kept looking at the table, she said.

“Sometimes people are kind of shy to come up,” said Lee.

Students that stopped by at the Carnival said they enjoyed the event.

Shawntel Covington, and 18-year-old biology major, went on the obstacle course and afterwards proudly declared that she had won over her friend Oscar Edwards, but later admitted it was the other way around.

“It was great,” Covington said. “I had a lot of fun.”

Matthew Cummings, a SF State graduate of the theatre department who was on campus to meet friends and use campus resources, stopped by the quad for the free massage offered by students from the World School of Massage and Holistic Health. He said the massage helped him to relax and reduce tension in his body.

Cummings said he thought the carnival was a great idea and that the campus should offer events like it on more regular basis.

“I think stress is students’ biggest enemy and it’s vital to have various programs on campus to reduce stress in order to have academic quality,” said Cummings.