President McFadden Hosts Annual Spring Convocation
Evan Hobik
Although he wasn’t able to hold it on Cordier Auditorium’s stage, McFadden was still able to set the stage for what the upcoming semester will look like. And he did so by looking back: McFadden asked a number of faculty, staff and students one question to reflect on: “What is something you learned in the fall that will be helpful in the spring?”
McFadden gathered brief video clips from his sources—ranging from the requested 30 seconds to well over a minute long. Staff members included Alexis Young and Maegan Pollanis, among others; faculty included Jonathan Watson and Dave McGrady, among others; students included Josue Castro among others. Responses ranged from appreciating the power of story to appreciating the community of students, from not giving up hope to grounding oneself in daily prayer.
McFadden called attention to something Castro said: “Without adversities, life wouldn’t be life.” McFadden told his audience that when they truly think about that statement, Castro is correct.
McFadden also noted that several participants spoke of the importance of taking care of themselves. He specifically mentions a student saying that it is important to have a regular routine: “Wake up on time, get to class on time, set three meal times a day, make sure that you’re seeing the people that make you happy,” McFadden said. He also noted that in order to feel calm and controlled in this chaotic time, you need to control yourself.
“If people control things that they can, then they have a better experience of things being chaotic,” he said. “If you are managing well then you can respond to the unexpected.” McFadden said that the main goal of this event was to have everyone on the same page in terms of looking ahead to the spring. “We gather people together, to get started together,” he said.
He wants everyone on campus to know the following: “Despite COVID, students, faculty and staff on campus can have a really good spring semester. What we went through in the fall helped us with what we need to do for the spring.”