A new column is posted each Wednesday at UCF Today and then broadcast between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Sunday on WUCF-FM (89.9). The columns are the opinions of the writers, who serve on the UCF Forum panel of faculty members, staffers and students for a year.
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Columns from 2019
Unless You Know Someone’s Story, Don’t ‘Compliment’ Them as Inspirational, Katherine Torres
Why Dogs are (Sometimes) Better than Cats, Camille Dolan
The Irony: My Wife is Criticized for Some Career Decisions I'm Praised For, Curtis Proctor
A Meditation on R.E.M., the Soundtrack of My Youth, David Poissant
Internet Has Helped Spread Information, But Not Necessarily Knowledge, Stephen M. Kuebler and Jonathan Beever
The Unexpected Joys of Bird-Watching, Michele Gill
Facing Journalism’s Challenges When Many Often View News as Fake, Nicole Wills
I Thought I Knew All About Diversity—But There’s Always More to Learn, Anjella Warnshuis
You May Think You Know Where Life is Headed—Just be Ready to Adjustv, Katherine Torres
When Your Son Goes Blind…, Camille Dolan
The MAGA Kid, Inkblots and UFOs, Alvin Wang
I Love How Technology Has Made Things Easy — But I Sometimes Wish for Simpler Times, Curtis Proctor
Dungeons & Dads: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Game, David Poissant
Who Should Self-Driving Cars Be Programmed to Protect?, Stephen M. Kuebler and Jonathan Beever
New Habits of the New Year, Michele Gill
Face Your Challenges Like a Linebacker—And Don’t Be Afraid to Blitz, Nicole Wills
Columns from 2018
The Value of Investing Time, Energy and Creativity to Comfort Others, Anjella Warnshuis
The Coincidence That Made Me Realize How Small Our World Is, Alvin Wang
How Wheelchair Basketball Changed My Life, Katherine Torres
For the Love of Brownies: A Bitter Batter Battle, Camille Dolan
The Last Great Equalizer: Education, Curtis Proctor
‘Yes, and:’ Overcoming Anxiety with Improv, David Poissant
Following Rules and Doing the Right Thing Aren’t Necessarily the Same, Stephen M. Kuebler and Jonathan Beever
It’s Time to Push for Schools to be Places of True Excitement for Our Kids, Michele Gill
Don’t Hide Behind the Curtain — To be Heard, You Must Speak, Anjella Warnshuis
Choosing ‘Dean’ as a Career Path? You’d be 1st, Alvin Wang
We Can’t Make Everything Accessible — But That Should Always be Part of the Conversation, Katherine Torres
The Right to Kneel: Can an Employer Interfere with Employees’ Political Speech?, Cynthia Schmidt
Horror Movie Heroines, Thank You for the Lessons You’ve Taught Me, Nicole Wills
I Am Not a “Fundraiser” — I Build Bridges, Curtis Proctor
Let’s Retire the Trope of the Hapless Dad, David Poissant
Can’t We Make Better Decisions to Ensure Ethical Outcomes?, Stephen M. Kuebler and Jonathan Beever
How Learning to Play Bass Rocked My World, Michele Gill
UCF Forum Announces 2018-19 Roster, Gene Kruckemyer
Despite My House Divided, We Can Unite for Our Team, Barbara Thompson
Season of Change and Possibility, Lisa Roney
My Baseball Quest Has Taught Me About America, Slowing Down — and Myself, Fernando Rivera
What Inspires Me: People Helping Others and Making the World a Better Place, Kimberly Nassoiy
Adoption Has Been the Most Wonderfully Difficult Thing We’ve Ever Done, Adam Meyer
I’m Trying to be a Cool Mom — But I Have No Idea If It’s Working, Joan McCain
Beauty Never Needs Permission to Show Up, Barbara Thompson
What’s in a Name: Family Treasures, Lisa Roney
In Life, Tomorrow is Never Guaranteed, Fernando Rivera
You Are Never Too Old For a Mentor, Christal Peterson
Manners Make Us Look Past Ourselves and to Others, Kimberly Nassoiy
Good Leaders Don’t Have to Like People – But They Must Love Them, Adam Meyer
The High School Commencement Speech of My Dreams, Joan McCain
Does it Ever Become Too Late to Get Back in Touch?, Jim Clark
Engineering Profession Must Re-establish Relationship of Trust Following Catastrophes, Manoj Chopra
Equal Pay Day Conversations Remind Me That All Voices Should be Heard, Barbara Thompson
An Example of Renewal for All of Us, Lisa Roney
Puerto Ricans are Resilient, but Island Still Needs Our Help after Hurricane Maria, Fernando Rivera
What Are Your Life Quotes and Why?, Christal Peterson
Building Relationships in a World That Says: “What About Me?”, Kimberly Nassoiy
Brainstorming Should Not Be a Team Sport, Joan McCain
What if We All Treated Life Like One Big Improvisation Skit?, Adam Meyer
Technology Sometimes Moves So Rapidly That It’s Hard to Keep Up, Jim Clark
I Have a New Pair of Headphones – But What Do I Really Want to Hear?, Manoj Chopra
Moments of Calmness Teach Us the Most About Love, Kindness, Barbara Thompson
Love: It May Surprise You, Lisa Roney
Some Collisions are Good, Some are Bad…, Fernando Rivera
Are Your New Year’s Resolutions Starting to Fade? It’s Not Too Late to Reset, Christal Peterson
Parents, Hang in There—It's All Worth It, Kimberly Nassoiy
The Best Things in Life Come From Stretching Ourselves, Adam Meyer
The Awesome Power of Faith Helps Us Endure, Joan McCain
Keep Your Resolutions Short, Simple, Specific to be Successful, Jim Clark
Columns from 2017
Traveling Expands Your Boundaries of Cultural, Social Experiences, Manoj Chopra
Humanity Shines Brightest When We Care About One Another, Barbara Thompson
What Do Professors Do All Day? (I've Been Trying to Answer Most of My Life), Lisa Roney
It Has Taken Me Years to Understand What it Means to be Latino, Fernando Rivera
When My Anxiety is High and I Need to Put Things into Perspective..., Christal Peterson
Want Preschoolers to Become Successful? Allow Them to Play More, Kimberly Nassoiy
Experiencing Goodness in the Midst of Challenge, Adam Meyer
Discover Your Inner Creativity, Joan McCain
It’s Difficult to Concentrate During a Crisis – Especially for Students Away from Home, Jim Clark
Engineering our Future: The Search for Solutions, Manoj Chopra
Facing Increasingly Frequent Storms of Wind, Rain, Fire – and Bullets, Lisa Roney
Helping Rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane has Changed Residents – and Me, Christal Peterson
The Search for the Meaning of Life May be as Important as Finding It, Barbara Thompson
The Lost Wonder of Being Outside, Running Free and Exploring, Kimberly Nassoiy
Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Disaster Researcher's Personal Dilemma, Fernando Rivera
I Have Begun to Wonder What is Important to Me as I Consider a Legacy, Adam Meyer
No Longer Burdened as The Keeper of Things, Joan McCain
Veterans at University Offer Different Perspectives for Students, Faculty, Jim Clark
The Magic of America: a Roller Coaster of Opportunities, Manoj Chopra
UCF Forum Opinion Series to begin 6th Year with New Columnists, Gene Kruckemyer
Connecting to the Natural World is Important to Our Personal Development, Nathan Vink
Yes, You Can Do More Than 1 Thing at a Time Successfully, Jim Smith
I Hope This Week’s Graduates Acquired What I Did at College: Lifelong Friendships, Meg K. Scharf
Everyone Can Enjoy Reading—If Given the Right Book, Emma Gisclair
Learning From a Complex Communications Experiment in My Own Home, Carolyn Massiah
There Will Come a Time When You’ll Have to Leave Something Behind, Yolanda Hood
The World is Complex – That's Why We Need All of Us, Bruce Janz
Leadership is About Developing 1 Voice and 1 Movement, Germayne Graham
Seeking Direction in Your Life? Outdoor Education May Point the Way, Nathan Vink
Is it Time to Level the Playing Field for College Athletes?, Ali P. Gordon
Why Can't You Just Be On Time?, Jim Smith
No, There is No Ghost in the Campus Library Stacks, Meg K. Scharf
Allow the Waves to do Their Work, Carolyn Massiah
Maybe Colleges Should Take a Lesson from Zoos, Michael Preston