Pancakes, Pooches Hold Key to 'Finals Week' Stress Management

Students mired in the anxiety of Finals Prep had two opportunities for respite this past week, one of them a long-running campus tradition and the other a more recent addition to the Penn College stress-relief menu. Now in its 16th year,  Midnight Breakfast was held Thursday night in the Capitol Eatery. Hosted by Student Activities and Dining Services, the event included free pancakes (prepared by a team that included some "guest flippers"); ice cream; the helping hands from the Axis Massage Centre in downtown Williamsport; and entertainment by John Rush, "the Human iPod." The previous night, the Healthy Wildcats invited their snuggly friends from Therapy Dogs International to help students make the best of a hectic semester's end.

− Photos by Marc T. Kaylor, student photographer, and Amy S. Lingg, Dining Services marketing assistant

Students take a break from burning the "midnight" oil.

A one-man-band in name only, the versatile John Rush entertains the crowd.

Pancakes? Check. Ice cream? Check. Appetite? Check.

Among the contented early-morning diners are Tyler K. Pratt (left), of Avondale, a culinary arts and systems major, and Mathew D. Johnson, a manufacturing engineering technology student from Saylorsburg.

Dining Services worker Lee R. Whittington Sr. works the griddle with President Davie Jane Gilmour.

You can SO smile with your mouth full!

Piled high, with room for seconds

Wielding a mean spatula, Katie L. Mackey, coordinator of off-campus living and commuter services, waits for her flapjacks to reach golden-brown, bubbly perfection.

Sixteen years later, Midnight Breakfast still packs 'em in.

Students and their four-legged friends enjoy a study break in Rose Street Commons.

Takin' it easy

Students get acquainted with a Leonberger named Koda.

Who wants a hug?

Employees of Axis Massage Centre put students at ease.