Author: Jenna Fitzgerald

Stop being the Grinch of the 254. Recognize that it’s not the city’s job to give you jaw-dropping entertainment at every hour and that it’s your job to seek out activities. In the quiet moments in between, appreciate the calm pace of life. There will probably be a day when that is all you wish for.

Seven years after being fired as head football coach amid Baylor’s sexual assault scandal, Art Briles took the stand Thursday to say he had “no awareness” of Title IX policies at the time and that he “would certainly think” it was the university’s responsibility to train him.

This is the one time in our lives when it’s OK — and, in fact, expected — to be selfish. No one is dependent on us. We’re just here, trying to figure out what career we want to pursue for the next several decades while simultaneously learning how to sort laundry, pay rent and cook anything other than bagels or ramen. It’s about growth. It’s about self-discovery. It’s about independence.

Think about the opportunity that lies before you: the opportunity to experience a true liberal arts education. One day, years from now, you may be rounding in a hospital or working in a lab. Taking a few classes in the humanities isn’t going to prevent you from attaining that success. If anything, it will better you both personally and professionally.

Lent is not a second chance for the New Year’s resolutions you failed to stick to in January. Lent is not about (briefly) staying off Instagram or (briefly) depriving yourself of M&Ms or (briefly) avoiding the Whataburger drive-thru. Lent is not a secular season — stop making it one.

Our faith is an opportunity to transcend this world and get a glimpse of the heavenly banquet that awaits us. But to make use of this opportunity, we must quiet ourselves in peaceful contemplation. We must remember that Christians have been practicing for over 2,000 years, and that many traditional hymns are rooted in this rich, longstanding history. We must abandon contemporary frivolities that disrupt sacred celebrations.

While you undoubtedly need to spend time with friends and family and participate in fun group activities, you weren’t made to be social 100% of the time. Indeed, a balance exists among work, rest and play, and it’s time we embrace it.

Next time you’re taking a break and scouring your streaming services for something to watch, though, give reality TV a chance. Its lighthearted, competitive, down-to-earth nature might be just what you need.

In January 2021, my aunt died of a pulmonary embolism. I had no warning, just a 10 a.m. phone call that changed my life the day before spring semester classes started. My aunt, who was only 52, had been the most pure source of joy, beauty and sunshine I have ever had the privilege of knowing. It is in her memory that I urge everyone to educate themselves on the risk factors and symptoms of blood clots.

Bolstered by his conceptual framework of history, hope and rhyme, Dr. David Blevins spoke on June 17 about his experience as a journalist in Northern Ireland. Currently a senior Ireland correspondent for Sky News, he has been in the field for 32 years, living not only through the sectarian conflict of the Troubles but also through the groundbreaking success of the peace process.

With the last name “Fitzgerald” and a propensity for sunburns, it’s no secret that I have Irish roots. So, when ‘Baylor in Budapest’ turned into ‘Baylor in Ireland’ just a couple months before our scheduled departure date, I was hit with a wave of excitement: I was finally going to have the opportunity to embrace a culture that, despite being different from my own, occupies a special place in my soul.

While spirited Americans are used to sporting green and celebrating all things Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17’s designation as a public holiday is an indicator of something much deeper for the Emerald Isle: its profound spiritual landscape and religious history.

Dr. Jocelyn McGee, an assistant professor in the Garland School of Social Work, and the Rev. Dr. Wismick Jean-Charles, a Haitian-born Roman Catholic priest, collaborated to implement the first telepsychology initiative in Haiti in response to COVID-19.

COVID-19 happened, and no amount of denial can erase its devastation. Please don’t forget. Please don’t move on. There is so much for us to take away from the past two years, and the first step in that learning process is intentional remembrance.

Starting in the fall 2022 semester, the IMPACT Living-Learning Center and the LEAD Living-Learning Center will merge, forming the IMPACT & LEAD LLC in Allen and Dawson Halls. Meanwhile, South Russell Hall will convert to a first-year community.

Baylor’s Air Force ROTC and Army ROTC will join forces to participate in the annual Veteran’s Cup at 5 p.m. on Friday at the Baylor Sciences Building fields. The event will include an hour of sports competition — including tug of war, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee and a relay race — before a cookout.

For Midlothian sophomore Jack Carey, involvement with Baylor Air Force ROTC soars in the family. His grandfather and great uncle were in the Air Force, acting as strong influences on his father, who went through Baylor AFROTC before joining the Air Force as a pilot. In addition, Carey also has an older brother serving in the Army Guard and another older brother who went through Auburn AFROTC and is looking to become a pilot.

Talbert, who is currently a professor in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, said his passion for collecting started when he was a child, searching for bottles and baseball cards. This interest only grew when he became a middle and high school social studies teacher in 1986, looking for political buttons and accumulating almost 2,500 in the 36 years that have passed since then.

Podcasts are meant to have concrete, meaningful purposes, and just because making a podcast is easy doesn’t mean everyone should sit down to record one. If you feel like you have unique experiences or an eccentric interest to share with the world — and if you are willing to put in significant time, effort and planning — go for it. If you don’t, though, join me in the audience and learn to be content with sitting back and watching the success of others.

In an effort to prepare young adults with developmental disabilities for post-secondary opportunities, the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) is hosting the OSO ABLE Transition Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the Baylor Club.

Monday through Thursday for 15 weeks each semester, seniors in Baylor’s School of Education swap out their ‘student’ hat for a ‘teacher’ one, entering real-life classrooms, assuming full-time hours and embracing the co-teach model alongside their mentors.

Dr. Holly Oxhandler — associate dean for research and faculty development in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work — recently released a book entitled “The Soul of the Helper: Seven Stages to Seeing the Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It in Others.” Oxhandler discussed the mission of her new work in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baylor’s Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, which is housed in Baylor’s School of Education, is in the process of launching the Talent Identification Program (TIP). According to its website, the TIP uses above-level testing “to identify exceptional talent in STEM and the humanities and provide world-class learning opportunities commensurate with students’ exceptional potential.”

After 16 years of membership in the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), clinical associate professor and Baylor alumna Dr. Rachelle Rogers has taken the gavel and assumed her new role as the organization’s president.

Happiness is built on habits, and before you can find joy in exercise, you have to have the dedication to push through the initial phase of low motivation, poor stamina, sore legs and general exhaustion.

With a $3.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and almost a year of material development and focus groups under her belt, associate professor Dr. Danielle Parrish is preparing to launch the clinical trial for CHOICES-TEEN, a study of risk reduction interventions for young women in the juvenile justice system.

Through its new telehealth program, Baylor’s School of Education is now offering free vocational and job skills training for those 13 and older who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Although they’re a little-known opportunity in the School of Education, education concentrations give students majoring in biology, health science studies, history and mathematics an alternate pathway to a career in secondary education.

The Diana R. Garland School of Social Work will hold its biannual MSW Preview Day from noon to 3:15 p.m. on Friday virtually.

On Jan. 31, the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work launched its new podcast entitled “So Far, So Good.”