Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

We'll All Be Better Off If We Ask Better Questions In 2017, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

I find myself at the end of 2016 thinking about how differently we all make sense out of our shared experiences this year. “Common wisdom” seems to have it that 2016 was generally worse than other years – some of our favorite people died and the wheels fell off of whatever we thought they were on.

Help Those Who Are Trying To Overcome A Loss During Holidays, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

I lost my cousin to a tragic suicide death 23 years ago and my heart has never forgotten the pain that I felt following this loss.

Homeschooled Students Bring Own Set Of Skills To University Campuses, Ali P. Gordon

UCF Forum

Key questions always loom large for parents of homeschooled, college-bound students, such as: “What happens when my child actually gets to the university level? Will they be able to keep up?”

Do We Need To Use (And Discard) So Many Plastic Bags Each Year?, Meg K. Scharf

UCF Forum

Much of the time I hate plastic bags.

Let's Find A Way To Make The Dialogue Work, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

There is a breaking point for many people around the neighborhood and around the country, as has been seen this month.

Flight Emergency Advice Works Just As Well Back On The Ground, Carolyn Massiah

UCF Forum

Save yourself first!

This one sentence is a valuable piece of advice I wish I had received and fully embraced so much earlier in life. In fact, it is still a notion that I struggle with because it is one that sounds selfish in nature. However, now more than at any other point in my life, I realize that in order to be selfless and to be able to assist others, you must first truly work on thinking of your own self first.

Are You Ready For Some Football – I Mean An Election?, Gerrod Lambrecht

UCF Forum

Tuesday, Nov. 8, is Game Day! The election is just days away and the news is all abuzz this morning about “rigged” elections, sexual-assault allegations, FBI investigations, unpaid taxes and more emails.

Preparation Is The Key To Facing Whatever May Come Your Way, Michael Preston

UCF Forum

Professional football coach George Allen was famously quoted as saying: “Winning is the science of being totally prepared.”

Try Leaving Your Comfort Zone — You Might Learn Something About Yourself, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

I’m in Cape Town, South Africa, as I write this. I’ve been heading to South Africa about once a year or so for a while now, and before that I spent a fair bit of time in east Africa – Kenya, mostly, but also Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. In September, I was in Nigeria for the first time.

Even In A Crowd, Protest Is A Personal Journey, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

In the wake of some recent protests taking place all across the country, I am reminded of the very personal and public consequences that result from various reactions. By definition, protest means "a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something."

Checking Out Things At The Library – Including These Myths, Meg K. Scharf

UCF Forum

It is wonderful to work at our university: It’s vibrant, it’s a beautiful place, and people on campus are fascinating.

The Only Way I Was Going To 'Veganize' My Life Was To Immerse Myself, Amanda Osorio

UCF Forum

This summer I made the decision to do something that many Latins often hesitate to attempt: become a vegan.

We All Should Strive To Be The Palm In The Storm, Carolyn Massiah

UCF Forum

Hurricane season is beginning to hit its peak activity. Multiple storms have been brewing in the Atlantic the past couple weeks.

Positive Effects Can Result From Both A Cordial Welcome – And Even Adversity, Gerrod Lambrecht

UCF Forum

This Saturday marks the beginning of a new football season as the Knights get ready to host South Carolina State. This game will also mark the beginning of the Scott Frost coaching era of UCF football. We have a new coaching staff, new uniforms, a new offense (UCFast), a new defense (UCFierce), and a more exciting game day experience.

We Must Learn To Tell Narratives That Make Us Better – Not Diminish Us, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

Every four years we turn to our TVs and online sites to cheer on competitors vying for supremacy in an arena where the rules are often unclear and scandal is rife. We hope for an uplifting narrative that shows the best of who we can be, which gives us all something to strive for, but more often than not the narrative degenerates into stories that divide us.

Merging Is More Than A Traffic Term, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

On my drive to work I have to merge onto three very busy roadways. I am constantly saying to myself: “Please just let me in.”

Building A Pathway To Engineering For Our Daughters – Brick By Brick, Ali P. Gordon

UCF Forum

As a father of young elementary and middle school-aged kids, I’m also curious to know exactly how my undergrad students came to be interested in mechanical engineering. An exchange with a UCF student might go like this: “You did a great job on the exam. Congrats! By the way, how did you get interested in mechanical engineering, anyway?” I mentally log the answers for my kids’ future benefit.

Ucf Forum's New Opinion Columnists To Begin Wednesday, Gene Kruckemyer

UCF Forum

The UCF Forum opinion series welcomes nine new columnists Wednesday to share their thoughts on local and world affairs, social issues, personal challenges, life lessons and other commentaries.

The Only Time You Truly Can Have Everything Is On A Bagel, Michael Preston

UCF Forum

Of all of the bagels there is nothing quite as satisfying to me than the Everything Bagel with cream cheese at a shop in town. It gives me everything I want out of life: a warm bagel that is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside; a savory and salty blend of sea salt, garlic, poppy seed, onion, and other stuff I cannot place right now. And then the cream cheese. Gooey and sweet, it cuts through all of the savory in a way that is magical.

What Holds Us Back From Achieving A Better Society?, Barry Mauer

UCF Forum

Until the mid-20th century, toil and scarcity were unavoidable facts of life for most people.

The Sacrifices We Parents Make – Even When We Don't Understand Why, Yolanda Hood

UCF Forum

One recent night I sat in a stadium – being eaten by mosquitos – with my 14-year-old daughter and watched a women’s soccer game. Last summer, after saving for a year, I took my daughter to Canada two weeks for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. I walked a mile from parking to the stadium every day, stood in long lines at security to have bags checked and, at times, even sat in the rain – all so I could watch the pure joy on my daughter’s face.

University Theatres Should Open People's Eyes To New Ideas, Heather Gibson

UCF Forum

Content guides and advisories, which list all of the parts of a production that a viewer might find offensive, are becoming commonplace with theatre companies.

Change Is Constant – So You Better Learn To Adapt, Traci Evison

UCF Forum

I recently saw a turtle digging a hole to lay eggs in a neighborhood park that I walk through. This park has a lake but what surprised me about the turtle was the location she decided to lay her eggs. Instead of making the nest close to the lake about 50 feet away, where I would assume it would be easier for young turtles to begin their lives, this turtle was digging a hole a few feet from the street at the edge of the park.

Dear Daughter, In Face Of Tragedy Try To Keep Your Spirit Intact, Leandra Preston-Sidler

UCF Forum

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” – Mister Rogers

How Did We Wind Up In Such An Unlikely Universe?, Michael Bass

UCF Forum

Not long ago the Public Broadcasting Service program NOVA presented an episode called “The Great Math Mystery.” It dealt with the many ways mathematical relationships and special numbers crop up when investigating the physical and natural world.

Lessons From A Garbage Dump: How To Say 'No', Michael Preston

UCF Forum

It was a symbol of excess and waste in 1980s New York City. The massive 2,200-acre Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, N.Y., was once the largest garbage dump in the world.

If Our Gatekeepers Can't Function Properly, We Are Doomed, Barry Mauer

UCF Forum

Andrew Wakefield, a British doctor who lost his medical license in 2010, falsely claimed in a 1998 scientific paper published in The Lancet that measles, mumps and rubella vaccines cause autism and Crohn’s disease. His claims, though bogus, were widely reported and led to a decline in vaccination rates and new outbreaks of measles and mumps.

Ucf Forum: My Addiction To All Things Colorful, Crafty, Stationery And Office Supply, Yolanda Hood

UCF Forum

I have a coloring book and pretty pencils to color with. I know many of you do, as well. But the difference between you and me may be this: I have had an addiction to all things colorful, crafty, stationery, and office supply for my entire life.

Exposure To The Arts At Young Age Fosters Creativity In Children, Heather Gibson

UCF Forum

I recently ignored the cardinal rule of parenthood and kept my 2-year-old, Huck, awake during his normal naptime. I knew it was risky, but then, so is suggesting he wear a shirt that isn’t his favorite color orange, so I was willing to take my chances.

He Used The Internet - I Used The Encyclopedia, Rebekah Mccloud

UCF Forum

I was talking recently with one of my students who will graduate in May. He told me about his first year in college and began his reminiscence with: “Back in the day…”