A "Cry Closet" is now available to help college students cope with the stress of finals at the University of Utah, where students created the closet as a woodshop project, USA Today reported.
The free-standing closet was installed Sunday at the university's library and is available for "stressed-out students," a statement on the closet door read, per USA Today. The closet is lined with black interior and plush stuffed animals inside, the newspaper said.
"One aspect of humanity that I am currently exploring is connections and missed connections through communication," said senior Nemo Miller, who created the closet in collaboration with Tony Miller and David Meyer, per USA Today. "It's been interesting to watch the response to this piece about human emotions, and I'm proud to see the power of art in action."
The library said the space was meant to provide a place for students studying for finals to take short 10-minute breaks, per USA Today. Only one person can be inside at a time and they must knock before entering, the newspaper said.
University of Utah spokeswoman Jana Cunningham said that the installation will remain until the end of finals on May 2, according to Inside Higher Ed.
"You can cry, scream, look your phone and decompress, and hopefully you come out feeling a little better in this crazy week of finals," Cunningham said, per Inside Higher Ed.
Students checked out the structure, called "A Safe Place for Stressed Out Students," this week with some laughing at the novelty while others checked it out with quiet reflection, according to KSTU-TV.
News of the Cry Closet drew a wave of opinions on social media as it went viral.