By Megan Lockhart | Reporter
I speak for many when I say that in general, I don’t enjoy things half as much when I am forced to do them. I prefer to act out of my own freewill.
However, the Creative Arts Experience (CAE) that was added in Baylor’s 2019 graduation plan creates a great opportunity for students to experience unique events they wouldn’t normally attend.
CAE, formerly known as the Cultural Events Experience, is a graduation requirement for Baylor students that includes attending art, culture, theater and history events going on around campus.
Initially, I was not thrilled about CAE. I thought I already had so much going on and that it was just another thing to worry about. After all, I had only switched to the 2019 graduation plan because I was enticed by the single lifetime fitness requirement. And yet, attending these events allowed me to experience things I wouldn’t have on my own.
I enjoy a good party or a late night out with friends as much as the next person. But it can be easy to fall into tunnel vision with these “stereotypical college experiences.” When I walk the stage I don’t want to feel like I have missed out on all that my college had to offer.
Art exhibitions, music concerts, cultural shows and movie screenings are just a few of the options for CAE. Honestly, these are not events I would normally attend on my own, but if I had to be there I might as well enjoy it — and I did.
I went back in time to the 1800s at the Mayborn Museum’s Historic Village, went to a jazz concert, observed 400-year-old artwork, and through all these experiences I realized how much more this campus has to offer than just classes and socializing.
It is easy to get into a routine of the same experiences with the same people. However, it’s important to once in a while step outside that comfort zone and experience new things in order to leave college as a truly well-rounded individual.
The CAE is a great way to do that. You’re required to go to these new events, so you might as well try to enjoy it, and you might even discover a new passion along the way.
