Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Happy Sunday, everyone. You're listening to fit to be tied with Whitney and Charles on 90.7 the capstone. And Charles. What's new?
[00:00:19] Speaker B: What's new?
[00:00:19] Speaker A: Oof.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: That's a tough one. Well, it's fall.
Halloween has just passed, I guess. So what are we looking forward to right now? Thanksgiving, I guess.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I was trying. It's funny that you said that I was trying to finalize my Thanksgiving plans because, you know, it's just. It's just that time of year where, like, you've got Christmas right around the corner. Do you really want to drive for Thanksgiving? Is that something you really want to have to do? It's not like I have to go really far. I mean, all my family's in Huntsville, so it's a couple of hours. But to be honest, as I get older, I hate driving. I kind of just want to stay put, I guess. When I'm an old lady, I'll never leave my house, which is what this looks like it's probably going to happen. But do you already have your plans for Thanksgiving?
[00:01:02] Speaker B: I do, yeah. I'm going back to Texas. So it's a little bit of a drive. I mean, it's like, you know, it's like six, seven hours, so it's nothing too bad.
It is on i20. So it's like if we don't get out of here pretty early, you got to fight a lot of holiday traffic. But it's not too bad. Definitely. Can't complain. So I definitely like getting back to see my family because I don't get to see them quite as much.
So I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be good,
[00:01:27] Speaker A: you know, And I think about you having to drive that far and like, other colleagues around campus that are from California and like, d being from Wisconsin and having to, like, drive that whole way or fly and especially, like, I don't know if I really want to fly anywhere right now with the pandemic still going on. But you have to think and wonder, like, what are people doing during this time? Especially, you know, like, for you, y' all are gonna be driving back and driving that long drives me nuts. Haha. No pun intended. But it. But it seriously drives me nuts because it's like, there's only so much music I can listen to, and then I get bored. But I know that you are an audiobook kind of guy. So tell me, like, any recently?
[00:02:08] Speaker B: I have, actually. So I just started one by David Goggins. Do you know who David Goggins is?
[00:02:13] Speaker A: I do not.
[00:02:15] Speaker B: So he is.
He's like an ultra marathoner. He's done all these crazy, like, physical feats, and his whole thing is basically like mind over matter. And it's very inspiring stuff. But I'm listening to his audiobook called It Can't Hurt Me, because this guy had just a crazy childhood. But it's really helpful for long drives, I gotta say. Like, listening to music can only go so long, but when you have a podcast or a story going on, it makes the drive go by so much faster.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: You know, I find myself, like, I definitely like listening to podcasts. I need to get into the audiobook world because I think I'm not like, a super huge reader. Like, I love to watch, like, my K dramas where I'm reading subtitles. Like, that's as much reading as I really do, because it's just not something that I really enjoy, like, getting a book and, like, deep diving. And I've tried it. Like, I really have. Even when I've gotten older, I've been like, you know what, Whitney? Maybe this was a phase when you were younger and you were just like, I had to read because school made me. But now it's like, I still can't get into it. So I prefer either reading short little things or I think I would prefer audiobooks.
I guess I just need to look into it a little bit more.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. I definitely recommend it. It just makes time go fast. And really, honestly, like, there are some days where I'm not even driving and I'll still listen to this stuff. I mean, it's just kind of keeps your mind busy when you're working on something else that might be a little bit more mindless or whatever. So definitely recommend audiobooks and podcasts.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Really? Yeah. I have to say, probably. Of course, if you're listening to our radio show and you need something to listen to over the holidays, you could go on over to our archives.
You know, check out past shows if you want, or the ones we've done this semester. But, you know, thinking about this semester and how we've done things a little bit differently, and for those of you that are just now tuning in, just a little recap of, like, what the show is about. We talk about wellness. I mean, not just the fitness side of things, not just the nutrition, not, you know, the typical things we think about. About being. Well, we actually focus on our wellness wheel and our model at Alabama, which encompasses a lot of different aspects. And actually in the division of student life, where me and Charles are It's something that we try to associate with all of our departments on campus. And so with that being said, we have a pretty good show for you guys.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: Today.
[00:04:36] Speaker A: We're gonna be talking about student involvement, and we know that with COVID and just changing things up, it does look a little different than it has in the past. So you know what? We're gonna take a quick break, and you guys, as Sheena would say, go wash your hands, get a sip of water, grab a drink, and we'll catch you on the. You're listening to Fit and Tide with Charles and Whitney on 90.7 Capstone.
[00:05:05] Speaker B: The capstone 90.7 fm, wvua.
Welcome back to Fit to be tied with Charles and Whitney. Today's topic, we are talking about student engagement, how students can get involved here on campus at ua. And today we actually have a special guest. Right, Whitney?
[00:05:31] Speaker A: We do.
So I feel like I've known this guest. We've got to know each other in the division of student life, you know, doing some yoga classes and just, you know, staying true to our colleagues and talking. But Molly Tenney, assistant director of organization engagement, has been working for the university for a while. But instead of me talking about her, I'm gonna let Molly welcome to our show.
[00:05:55] Speaker C: Hey, how's it going?
[00:05:57] Speaker A: Good. Were you getting a phone call just then?
[00:06:01] Speaker C: Someone was, but.
And just for those of you, hopefully they got it.
[00:06:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you're on the radio show, so they can just, you know, leave you alone. But, you know, for those of you that are joining in, normally we record our show in person, and we like to sit around a table with our cool headsets and microphones. And so we're all in the same room together, but obviously with COVID that's not the case. And so we are record via Zoom. So we're all in our homes and our workspace areas, and we are recording via virtual reality, I guess. So, Molly, welcome to our show. And just if you would talk to our guests, I mean, talk to our audience a little bit about, you know, your academic background, what you do at ua. We just kind of want to get to know you a little bit.
[00:06:47] Speaker C: All right. My name is Molly Tenney.
I've worked at UA for a long time.
I'm gonna say since 2011.
So I grew up in a really small town in Ashland, Alabama.
It's best known as the hometown of the supreme court justice Hugo Black, but also the Yellow Meaded Watermelon Festival.
[00:07:19] Speaker A: So what now? The yellow. Wait, say that again.
[00:07:23] Speaker C: Yellow meat is watermelon. Festival, so. Meaning that the inside of the watermelon is yellow, not pink or red.
[00:07:34] Speaker B: That's amazing.
[00:07:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:37] Speaker C: Yes. I. You know, I want to throw that out there, but I.
I went to Jacksonville State University for undergrad, and I was in the marching band, but also was a sociology major, and my minor was psychology.
Then I was looking into PhD or not PhD, but master's programs, and there was a Master's of Women's Studies offered at ua. And so because I was interested in, like, gender and some of those other topics within sociology, I thought, you know, that would be a good fit. So in 2011 is when I started that program and was a teaching assistant. So I taught some women's studies courses and then finished my master's in 2013 and decided I was looking into a PhD program, but wasn't sure if I really wanted to stay here or not. But ultimately, I had an opportunity to be a grad assistant at the Women and Gender Resource Center. So I felt like that was really aligned with my interest professionally, academically.
This is not the path that I, like, set out to follow. It's more just try to take advantage of opportunities as they were made available to me. And so I started there, was a grad assistant for a few years, then worked there full time, and then now I'm at student involvement, and I am almost done with my. My PhD, so I'm finishing up that old dissertation right now.
[00:09:33] Speaker A: So I can't imagine, like, I mean, other colleagues that are getting their PhD, and, you know, I haven't done that personally, and I've just gone through my master's, and I'm like, you know, that'd be cool to get a PhD. And then sometimes I'm like, I don't know if now's the time, but, you know. So you're almost done, right?
[00:09:54] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm really close. So, okay.
Gathered all my data.
So now I'm just doing a lot of writing and trying to. Trying to push through. It took me longer than I wanted it to, but, you know, it's.
It is what it is. It. It's a lot of work and working full time. So, you know, I'm trying. I try to be kind to myself.
[00:10:17] Speaker A: Yeah. And I feel like, you know, just.
I know we're probably going to always mention the pandemic because it's something that we've never quite experienced before, but I think that there has been some, I guess, pluses to working remotely and working virtually and being off and on. And I know, Charles, you're getting Your master's right now. And being able to balance actual work and schoolwork has probably been better in some senses because you do have more time during the day, because I know our meetings, especially even like, right now recording this show, I mean, most of the time we would have to go to campus in a building, so you have to plan and have extra time to get there and all that kind of stuff. Well, when you're recording from home, you just need five minutes to get set up and get ready. So I'm wondering, you know, for both of you guys, have you seen it being pretty manageable with getting your masters and PhDs and how that's looked at?
[00:11:17] Speaker C: For me, I would say that it's kind of like you said, there are advantages and disadvantages. So I did feel like I got a lot of my time back.
So, you know, not going from one end of canvas to the other sometimes takes a long time in a typical, you know, fall, you know, traffic. But, you know, in other ways, too, it was challenging to kind of adjust. You know, I have three dogs, and they don't always, like, they. They need attention.
They demand attention. So, you know, get. Like, they have me on a schedule, so they start barking at me when it's time for me to do something for them.
And so also just kind of balancing, like, I get real distracted sometimes. So, you know, I'd start thinking, like, oh, I could go, like, do this project in the yard, or, you know, maybe I should clean up a little bit. So it was definitely adjustment, but I do feel like, you know, I've kind of been able to settle into it. Okay. Yeah.
[00:12:24] Speaker A: Charles, what about you?
[00:12:26] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, it's funny. This is kind of goes along a lot with what we talked about last week and all about work, life, balance. And it's definitely. I feel like a struggle right now to do that. It's weird because, you know, I've got. I've got plenty of time to work and do classes and all that. So in that way, it is kind of an advantage because a lot of.
I don't know, I guess the fluff time is gone. But at the same time, that time I spend probably on hobbies or just trying to unwind and relax is also been cut back quite a bit just because those opportunities aren't necessarily available. So I would definitely say that's. That's kind of a con. It's like, yeah, I have more time to work, but without as much time to kind of unwind and relax a little bit, it's definitely easy to Burn out. So, yeah, I would say there's definitely pros and cons here. For sure.
[00:13:16] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure. And, you know, that kind of leads me into, you know, Molly, we've got a little bit of time before the break, but, you know, your position with student involvement and your title actually being organization engagement, I mean, explain a little bit about your job and what you do here on campus.
[00:13:38] Speaker C: So, you know, I do a lot of different things related to student organization management and so, you know, providing training and resources. I work with new student organizations so, like, if they have an idea and they want to submit an application, you know, I'll work with them through that process.
Also just trying to come up with different ways to either to assist student organizations with their org renewals and all of the kind of like maintenance stuff that we think about with student orgs. But the other part too is also trying to, you know, get students who are not involved to engage. And so that definitely has shifted since the pandemic because a lot of the strategies that we use, like in person outreach, you know, those things weren't, we weren't able to do that type of outreach. And so really the focus has been on trying to be creative and think through ways to still encourage students who are new on campus and get engaged.
[00:14:53] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think that's been the hardest part, you know, for everybody in programming. And, you know, times aren't going to change anytime soon, so we get creative. So we're going to talk a little bit more about what that looks like and the campus organizations that we have here at ua. So stick with us. You're listening to Picnic Feet High with Whitney and Charles on 90.7 to Capstone.
[00:15:21] Speaker B: The capstone 90.7 fm wvua.
Welcome back to Fit to be Tied with Whitney and Charles. Today's topic, we are talking about student involvement. And help us talk about this today we have a guest, Molly Tinney, who's from Organization Engagement. So, Molly, welcome back. And I do have a few questions for you. So I was wondering, let's talk a little bit about campus organizations. And I guess my first question would be is why should a student get involved on campus?
[00:16:01] Speaker C: So there are a lot of different reasons why students should get involved. There's a lot of benefits to being involved in a student organization.
Some of them can certainly be covered in the wellness wheel, which I'm sure we'll talk about some more later. But you know, being involved, engaged on campus, we know, increases the likelihood that students will be successful, meaning that they will, you know, graduate that they'll have a good college experience.
And mainly that's because it, you know, it doesn't really matter what type of organization it is that they're involved in. We have, you know, all different categories.
But what matters is that they're finding a group of people who have similar interests. So whether that is like a hobby type interest, like, you know, knitting or swimming or. I mean, that would be athletic, but. Or a hobby too. See, there's a lot of overlap between different types of organizations. And so, you know, that gives you a group of people that, you know, can help you navigate campus. So, you know, I remember being at Jacksonville State and, you know, being in the marching band was really helpful for me because I was able to ask all of those people who, you know, knew things about college that I didn't.
You know, they were there to kind of help me figure out, you know, what I needed to do in this situation or what is the registrar even like, should I. How do I register for my classes? Back then we actually had paper catalogs. Yeah, had to pick your classes from. But yeah, that. That is one of the many advantages and also an advantage is it's a time for you as a student to explore all the things that you either couldn't in high school or the things that you're interested in now, but you don't know if you're ever going to get an opportunity to, you know, engage in again. And so, you know, this is like, this is the time in students lives where there's the least amount of risk for trying something new.
And so I try to say, you know, if you fail at the, you know, a dancing group, well, okay, who's gonna know?
Like, just get out there, try things. And I think it really helps you figure out the direction that you want to go just in your life, in your career, that counts. The.
[00:18:55] Speaker B: Yeah, I think.
[00:18:56] Speaker A: Go ahead, Charles.
[00:18:58] Speaker B: I was going to say, I think it's really important. I totally agree with getting involved in finding really an organization to do that. I was kind of thinking about my own time in undergrad, and for my first year I really considered just transferring as at a small university. And a big reason was I had a hard time finding a group of people that I felt like I fit in with.
And it wasn't until I found an organization that I feel like just, well, one, my enjoyment at school went up, but also my experience there just. It really improved and it made me want to stay. So I definitely see a lot of value in finding an organization and something to get involved with and have that sense of belonging. I feel like that's so important.
[00:19:37] Speaker A: You know, that's exactly what I was going to say, Charles, is my experience. You know, when I was a freshman, I actually went to UAH my first year and I worked basically full time and was living at home just because I needed to make money and like, found the cheapest route. So when I came to Alabama, I actually transferred here. And honestly, as a transfer student, it's not always great because you're not coming in with a freshman class. Bama bound.
They do have Bama bound for transfer students, but it's not as engaging because there's always this focus on the freshmen. And I totally get it because it's just the whole experience.
And I know for me, I didn't do a sorority or anything. And I was kind of thing is like, you're gonna do a sorority? I was like, let me know.
I mean, it wasn't something that I wanted to do. You know, people look at me strange and I'm like, I mean, there's other things to do. And that's actually when I got really involved at the rec center. That's when I knew I did like dance and things like that in high school. And I was like, I really miss this, like, for like, like sense of community and teamwork and people that enjoyed the same things that I did. And all my friends used to do that stuff in high school. And so that's how I got into the rec center was I just saw that we offered free classes and I just jumped in and started going. And that has seriously impacted my life incredibly because some of my lifelong friends are co workers and students that I had met at the rec center. And you know, it's the same way with these student organizations. There's like, I don't know, Molly, how many orgs do we currently have? Do we even know off the top of our heads?
[00:21:12] Speaker C: So I never have an exact number because it really depends on, like, who has finished their renewal.
[00:21:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:21] Speaker C: But we estimate around 600.
Those are active student awards.
[00:21:29] Speaker A: Now, does that include like sorority and fraternities as well? Okay. Okay. So that's definitely. All right. So that's definitely, you know, and that's a big part of our campus. But I think sometimes, at least for me, I.
I was open to learning about different things that were out there. And you know, if you go to the source, which, Molly, you can definitely explain the source to us, but I mean, can't you just go and look up all the orgs that are out there.
[00:21:56] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So if you go to MySource UA Edu, you'll sign in with your, like, my Bama credentials. And then all you have to do is you can search organizations by keyword. So if there's something very specific, like Rubik's Cube, there was like a cubing group who likes to do them. Like, really speedy, you know, there's like,
[00:22:27] Speaker A: see how fast you can do it kind of thing.
[00:22:29] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. Or, you know, you could also sort by category. So on the left hand part of the. The site, you can see, like, there's a little drop down and you can click different categories, as many as you want. And so the thing about the org categories is they're. They're not perfect.
And, and really what that means is because, like, a lot of student orgs are, maybe they're academic, but they're also, you know, part of their goal is to do like, community service.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: So.
[00:23:06] Speaker C: So a lot of them, there is some overlap. And so that's the advantage of searching by the keywords because even though you might be interested in arts and entertainment, maybe you specifically want dance or like martial arts or whatever it is.
So that's the first place you should go.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: I think that's awesome. And I'm actually Molly and I know each other well because I'm an advisor for two groups on campus, and I've been an advisor at one point for three. I think I needed an award because that was quite interesting, juggling three different campus groups. And you know, for like, faculty staff that are listening, there is. There. There is an opportunity to do that if you're interested, if it's something that you have a passion for. And I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it gets tedious just because it isn't within our job responsibilities on campus to, you know, you have, like, you're getting paid to be an advisor. You're strictly doing it because you want to make sure that the students that you work with and impact are learning social wellness and they're being smart about the choices that they make. So if you're a faculty staff member that wants to impact students that way and help to mentor, I think it's a great thing to do.
[00:24:28] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it really is a good opportunity, especially for, you know, faculty and staff, because, you know, we all have predetermined ways that we engage with students based on our job titles. But, you know, as a, as a staff member, you know, I have a lot of interest in, like, different hobbies, like, I don't know, like bird Watching or baking or all kind of other stuff. And so that might be another way that I could, you know, connect with students and just, just provide a little bit of support.
And as an advisor, you don't have to have any expertise in the thing that students are doing, you know, but we just really depend on advisors because we need their help, you know, kind of helping us manage.
[00:25:19] Speaker A: And I think that's, you know, that's a perfect segue to a quick little break. But advising can be very beneficial and very like, it motivates me to be a better professional. And the source and the website that you guys have and just you guys in your office, y' all do such a great job of giving us those materials. So we're gonna talk more about campus orgs, what it looks like during this pandemic, because obviously we can't get too crazy with in person stuff. But we'll take a quick break. You're listening to fit to be tied with Charles and Whitney on 90.7 capsp,
[00:26:00] Speaker B: The capstone 90.7 fm wvua.
Welcome back to Fit to Be Tied with Charles and Whitney and today's special guest, we have Molly Tenney who is joining us in talk about student involvement. So obviously we just talked about how it's a great opportunity for students to get involved by joining a campus organization. Now with obviously the COVID 19 pandemic going on, there's definitely some challenges that arise from this. You know, we're not necessarily encouraged to gather in large groups and spend a lot of time in close proximity with people, but obviously that doesn't stop our organizations from existing. And so, Molly, can you talk a little bit about some of the guidelines that these organizations have and what they're doing to kind of overcome these barriers?
[00:26:55] Speaker C: Yeah. So, you know, just like every, you know, other department, university as a whole, we had to, you know, shift a lot of the things that we do as well as the guidelines for student organizations, mainly because we wanted them to, you know, be able to function as organizations, but also to be safe. And so we have kept our website updated with the most recent guidelines related to events and gatherings. That's the, that's the part that students and staff have the most questions about. So, you know, go to the source, UA edu org resources, and then the COVID 19 recommendations.
So not only do we have like the most recent guidelines, we also have recommendations for student orgs for, you know, their programming, holding meetings.
One assumption that we didn't want students to make was that because we couldn't physically Gather that organizations weren't going to be able to do anything.
In fact, a lot of our organizations got a bump in membership because, you know, people are looking for stuff to do. Especially we have the Bama Esports group, you know, a lot of different, like tech related student organizations. And so something that we've encouraged students to do is to be creative.
You know, this pandemic has forced all of us to be a little more creative about the work that we do. And so we know students are smart, they're tech savvy. You know, you can use Zoom, you can use other virtual platforms, but most importantly to consider your membership and to do what feels most comfortable for your group.
So while some groups, you know, it's really important that they, you know, see each other face to face. Like dancing, perhaps. Like, I don't know why I keep mentioning dancing, but that is something that you typically do in person. Not virtually so, you know, we get that. But at the same time, you know, if there are people or members in your organization who are like, you know, I'm not really, not really feeling that right now. To respect that and to come up with ways to meet some of your goals, you know, you can still do fundraising, you still do different types of, you know, community service.
There's really all types of ways that you can, you know, stay engaged and that orgs can continue to meet and you know, have a build that sense of community.
[00:30:02] Speaker A: And I feel like, you know, when you mentioned that there's been a bump in membership, I know one of the campus groups that I advise, which is Charge, and it's an all female, basically, they work out together and encourage each other to be healthy and active. And when I was talking to our president at the beginning of the semester and we were Zooming and she was very like concerned about like, how are we gonna do our workouts? I was like, you know, it's gonna have to be virtual at this point. She goes, okay, we can do it. And it was the sense of, I think a lot of the students are kind of taking this pandemic and they are trying to be creative. And I think our campus as a whole, to be honest, all the professionals that I've worked with, we have been racking our brains of ways to keep students involved and coming up with new ideas. And I know especially for us over at the rec center, trying to come, you know, virtual classes and live classes and if our personal training clients want to do virtual, we've tried to be so accommodating and really it's Just, it's encouraging to also hear that our students are doing that as well, that they're not giving up, they're wanting to keep moving forward and keep people engaged. And that is creating a whole nother sense of wellness. Maybe we'll even like develop a new thing on the chart. I need to talk to Dr. Perez and be like, we need another category on the chart called virtual wellness. Because apparently we're doing a really good job at virtual wellness.
[00:31:27] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it is. And you know, there. I think that there were some unintended, you know, at the beginning of the pandemic, we all were like, what are we gonna do?
[00:31:41] Speaker A: Right.
[00:31:41] Speaker C: But then there have been some things that, like, positive changes that I've seen. So when you have a virtual event or you're having virtual meetings, you just increase the accessibility of that to students.
So, you know, a lot of times students would have in person meetings. Well, let's say your class let out, you know, 10 minutes before that.
I guess I just won't go because I can't make it there. Well, now you can probably make it.
Also. That means that students who are like high risk immunocompromised have, you know, varying levels of, you know, ability status.
You've just opened up a whole new way of engagement and made it easier for students to connect to one another.
That's not to say that, you know, we don't see and recognize value in that in person engagement. It's hard to replicate. We know that it's not the same, but at the same time, it's been an advantage for a lot of students who normally, you know, might not be able to get involved as much as they have.
[00:32:58] Speaker A: And I think, you know, I keep going back to the rec center because obviously that's what Charles and myself, that's what we do. And you know, with having our classes virtual, we have half and half. So some are in person.
Most. Most are in person, which has been great. And then we actually have virtual live classes and archive. I've heard so many people say they're so grateful for that because of the accessibility, because now we're able to reach a larger audience. And there's, I mean, there's students that would never want to come to our facility because they feel uncomfortable or, you know, it's the first time they've ever taken a class and it's, it's just awkward the first time you ever go into a class. I mean, just in general, anytime you do something new. And so I think that maybe that's going to increase our participation for in person classes. I'm just a theory in the spring because they're able to kind of see what it's like before stepping in person, you know, But I think that that's great. I've been so impressed with everybody, honestly.
[00:33:56] Speaker C: Yeah, me too.
[00:33:58] Speaker A: So I'm curious, though. We've got a few minutes before we go to a break. You know, when you look at the wellness wheel, and I think it's funny because, like, we all have our cheat sheets. Like, I have it pulled up. Molly showed her.
It's our Alabama model, and it's based off of the traditional wellness wheel. But then it's also tailored to what we want our students to get out of our programs. And I'm just curious, Molly, where do you think campus organizations fit in to the wellness wheel?
[00:34:30] Speaker C: Okay, so I'm going to make a. A claim that may be controversial.
I would say that student organizations can speak to every single aspect of this wellness wheel.
[00:34:46] Speaker A: I agree.
[00:34:47] Speaker C: You know, even so, things like financial, immediately you might not think of student organizations, like, how would they do that? Well, you got to have a treasurer, you got your officers. You have to learn how to manage your finances.
It's not all about you. And, you know, you have to work with one another to manage your financial resources.
You know, the spiritual aspect, like, we have lots of religious and spiritual groups. Again, this is an excellent time for students who are interested, different types of spirituality to explore that, learn about, you know, other people and how they worship and all of that kind of stuff. And so there to me, you know, you can find a student organization that's going to be related to all of these in some way.
[00:35:47] Speaker A: And I think that, that, you know, that hits it right on the head, to be honest with you, because I don't think that's controversial at all. I think that literally that's a hard word to say, especially on a Sunday afternoon when I'm supposed to be chilling. I mean, it's true. And that's why we want students to be involved with our programming. And Molly, if you don't mind, we'll keep you on for the last five minutes after this break if we want to chat a little bit more. But you're listening to Pit to be tied with Charles and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:36:24] Speaker B: The capstone 90.7 fm wvua.
Welcome back to Fit to be Tied with Whitney Charles and our special guest Molly Tenney.
And let's have some fun right now. Let's talk a little bit about hobbies. So what we got, guys?
[00:36:47] Speaker A: Okay, well, first of all, I'm still stuck on, you know, when we were talking about campus orgs, like, if you have a hobby and things you like. And Molly, you mentioned bird watching. You also mentioned baking. And I do follow you and Brittany on Instagram, and I always see, like, the amazing food that y' all are making, and I'm always, like, double liking it because I'm like, I'm hungry right now. This looks delicious. But I want to talk about the bird watching, because I'm kind of a bird person myself. Like, I love birds. And during the break, we were talking about hummingbirds, we were talking about chickadees, bluebirds, mourning doves. And what is your favorite bird? Or do you even have a favorite bird?
[00:37:25] Speaker C: So I don't really have a favorite. Like, I think I just like different ones for different reasons. So they're in our neighborhood. There's this little, like, pond, and it's like a little nature trail around it. And so when I first started, you know, informally bird watching, I noticed this. It's a small heron. It's called a green heron.
And I really like them. They're kind of solitary.
They really, like, spook pretty easily, but they're really pretty.
And I just, you know, I think when I started just kind of like, okay, I'll just kind of identify some of these birds. I'm like, I've loved watching birds my whole life and trying to remember, like, the different sounds that they make, but you don't realize how many different types that you encounter on a daily basis, because we never pay attention. And so for me, that has been the biggest advantage to kind of starting this. Like, yes, it. You know, some people think it's a little bit nerdy, but what it has done is, like, first I would get outside, but I'm also paying attention to nature and something that I'm typically too busy or preoccupied to notice.
And I don't know, there just feel there's something, like, really beautiful about that.
So, yeah, I really like it.
[00:39:03] Speaker A: Well, and I do, too. I've always.
My aunt and my grandmother, like, great aunt and grandmother, they love birds. And I was kind of like, it's an old person thing, you know? Like, almost every, like, you know, older person that I know loves. Look at the cardinal, look at the blue jay. And I was like, okay, you know, whatever. But then you're right. When you start noticing birds and the different calls that they make and how they fly differently, it is so entertaining to watch. And what happens is you don't just look at, you know, just the animal. You start looking at nature. Because then you start looking at the trees, and you're wondering, okay, like, how does that bird build its nest? Or, where are they? And then, like, I love to feed the birds. And you have different bird seed that attracts different birds. And. Okay, don't turn this radio show off, guys, because this is serious. If you need a hobby, bird watching is so fun.
It's very relaxing. If you need a break from the screen where you're not just staring, watching YouTube all day long, and you can sit, go outside and look at birds. It is so rewarding and cool.
[00:40:06] Speaker C: Yeah. And I mean, honestly, you really don't have to.
To get started. I mean, you don't have to invest a whole lot of money. Like, if you have binoculars, that's great. If not, you can. You can still identify, you know, birds that you see. Yeah.
You know, you don't have to have. You don't have to be, like, super physically fit to do it. You can do it from your window.
It's a good way to, like, get into, like, hiking or checking out some local, like, state and, like, national parks. And so for me, it's. It's been really rewarding in that way, too, because, you know, I've gone to a lot of places that I just would drive past and, like, maybe I'll stop and do a little.
Little nature watching now.
[00:40:58] Speaker B: You know, the other day, I was sitting outside, and this thing flew in from my face. And at first I thought it was, like, a wasp. And I realized it was, like a little baby hummingbird, or at least a really young one. And I just geeked out. Like, I'd never seen a bird that tiny. I mean, I've seen hummingbirds before, but this thing was, like, you know, like an inch in size. It was crazy to see. That was just really cool. It brightened my day.
[00:41:19] Speaker A: I don't think I've actually ever seen a baby hummingbird. And I'm kind of jealous, Charles, because, like.
Like, to me, that is gonna be the moment I see a baby hummingbird. And it's not a bee, because you're gonna know, because hummingbirds are very, very distinct, and I love them. I mean, I'll stand outside, they'll be flying around me, and I'm just like, I'm in heaven.
[00:41:39] Speaker C: Look at all the birds.
[00:41:40] Speaker A: But, yeah, Molly, thank you for, you know, sharing with us just your own hobbies and things that you like to do, and then for, you know, talking to the campus and community on our show about student involvement. I feel like this spring is going to be even better. I know that y' all have put so much hard work into making sure that these things can happen and it doesn't go unappreciated. And I know our students are grateful and faculty and staff. So thank you so much for being on our show.
[00:42:11] Speaker C: You're welcome.
[00:42:13] Speaker A: Well, guys, we are going to close it out this Sunday after afternoon and we will catch you next week. You are listening to Fit to Be tied with Charles and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
