University of Utah "Cry Closet" lets students "just let it all out" during finals

SALT LAKE CITY -- A University of Utah student has created a space to help his peers cope with their testing anxiety - "The Cry Closet." CBS affiliate KUTV reports that the door on art student Nemo Miller's exhibit invites stressed-out students in for a quick 10-minute cry session during finals.

"Just let it all out," university spokeswoman Jana Cunningham told the station. "Let yourself just get away from your studies for the next 10 minutes."

KSL-TV reports Miller, a senior, created the 400-pound, stand-alone closet for students who need a "safe space sometimes, even if it's in a very public place."

"I think one of these should be everywhere all the time," student Jayde Allison told KUTV while laughing. "Just its name, 'The Cry Closet,' is a little funny because definitely finals is a time to cry and panic."

The closet is situated in the middle of a busy passageway inside the J. Willard Marriott Library on campus. Miller created the structure for a class project.

The inside of the space is covered with soft materials and filled with stuffed animals and toys.

Rules posted for "The Cry Closet" instructed students to knock before entering, to only go in alone and to limit time spent inside to no more than 10 minutes.

The exhibit will stay up in the library through finals week, KUTV reports.