Artist rendering of the new Track and Field complex. (Courtesy Photo)

The Baylor University Board of Regents met today and approved names for buildings in East Village as well as spending measures for a new business school building and a new track facility.

The Gordon Teal Residential College, the north building, will be housing for engineering and computer science students. The south building has been named Hallie Earle Hall and will house the Science and Health Living and Learning Community. The middle building will serve as dining and administrative space and will be called East Village Dining Commons.

“We wanted to provide these residential communities with a strong sense of identity by seeking out meaningful names that were Baylor specific, historic in nature, inspirational and timeless, and applicable to a residential college and living and learning center environment. Out of our committee’s research arose the names of celebrated Baylor alumni Gordon Teal and Dr. Hallie Earle, who fit our criteria perfectly,” said Kevin Jackson, Ph.D., vice president for student life. “With the endorsement of their surviving family members and now with approval of the Board of Regents, we are excited for the future of Gordon Teal Residential College and Hallie Earle Hall, which will engage a new generation of students in living, learning, leadership and life-changing service while carrying on the bold commitment to excellence, which has always been a hallmark of Baylor.”

The Regents also approved $2.8 million to continue developments for a new business school building. The building is expected to be 275,000 square feet and will include a 350-seat auditorium and various new technologies. The total cost is estimated to be $100 million and ground could be broken in December.

The new track and field complex will be located to the east of Baylor Stadium. The facility was designed by Populous, the same company that designed Baylor Stadium. The new complex will cost $13.6 million and will accommodate 5,000 spectators. It will include a 6,000-square-foot team building, training room, meeting room, equipment space and a 13,500-square-foot indoor practice facility.

“It is a great and humbling day for the Baylor track and field family,” head coach Todd Harbour said. “It will be a huge blessing for us to be on campus with all of our other outstanding facilities. When completed, the overall facility, including the indoor workout area, will be one of the nation’s finest track and field complexes. We thank all who have been involved in making this a reality.”

The current facility, the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex, is located next to Floyd Casey Stadium. The new complex will move the team to campus on the banks of the Brazos. Construction is expected to begin this summer, and competition will begin in the spring of 2015.

College tuition inflation rates historically increase two times faster than the inflation rate of the dollar, according to Simple Tuition Services 2013. With rates such as these, students may struggle to pay for college.

Baylor’s tuition was $18,430 a year with fees in 2003, and in 2008, the tuition was, with fees, $26,234. Baylor University’s current tuition is roughly $36,137 per semester, with estimated fees attached. Some simply cannot afford to pay.

This is the case for Jarod, a Baylor student whose name has been changed to protect his identity; Jarod said the situation has caused him and his family some embarrassment and stress, and he wishes to keep the details private.

Jarod said his time at Baylor was enjoyable until his family could no longer pay for the rising cost of attendance. If he didn’t have the financial problems, Hill said he would want to work through graduate school at Baylor.

“I love Baylor immensely,” he said. “But both my parents lost their jobs at the same time. With loans already attached to my first two semesters at Baylor, I couldn’t continue.”

Other schools in the Waco area cost less — in time and money.

Students at McLennan Community College pay by the semester hour, meaning their cost for classes is more dependent on the hours within the class. This differs from the structure of some private universities, where the cost is already determined, with or without extra classes. Specific classes with specific requirements such as laboratories will require fees, and students will plan accodingly. For 2013, the cost per hour at McLennan Community College is $106 for McLennan County residents, $124 for Texas residents, and $181 for out-of-state residents.

According to MCC’s 2012-2013 financial aid form, the cost of attendance for an academic year will likely cost no more than their current average at $16,062. For some, this savings is appealing. But some question whether other schools promise the same probability of success after graduation. Time spent in the classroom at MCC is shorter since MCC encourages two or three years of schooling to receive an associate’s degree, where as a student’s time at Baylor can take four or more. Although the two degree’s differ, one being an associate’s degree and the other a bachelor’s, the end result is still enough for some to get better work than without.

Houston junior Tumi Akingbade went to McLennan Community College after going to Baylor briefly. After discovering the difference in cost, Akingbade’s temporary decision became more attractive.

“Compared to my freshman year at Baylor, the difference is jaw dropping,” Akingbade said. “My school fees run about $2,500, including books. They didn’t really promise me much because I figured I would be back at Baylor by now, but I’ve had nothing but a good experience at McLennan Community College.”

Texas State Technical College, a two-year technical school system, costs $5,235 for 12 months (based on a 15-hour semesters) for Texas residents. Students are prompted to receive hands-on learning with the costs of student loans down when compared to university prices. Even the TSTC website slogan says, “Get In. Get Out. Get Hired.”

Kasey Neilson, a TSTC senior, said she couldn’t afford to take out loans for her pursuit of a dental degree. Her family wanted to prevent accumulation of debt after graduation. Neilson backs up her decision with appreciation for the program and the knowledge of her instructors.

“Being a technical school, we do most of our work hands-on with our instructor to prepare us for our work environment,” Nielson said. “They told me I should finish and be ready to graduate in a full two years. I started in January of 2012, and I will be graduating August 2013.”

At the time of publication, a Baylor official could not be reached for comment regarding students who transfer to community colleges.

MCC and Baylor started a program to help prospective Baylor students work towards a degree while attending classes at MCC and Baylor.

“I decided to join Baylor@MCC because it was my path into Baylor,” Denton sophomore Brittany Ladd said on Baylor’s MCC@Baylor website. “The Lord really had His hands on my attending both schools and I am so thankful.”

With many different financial decisions available, students can consider other financial options towards education.

Many college graduates have high expectations for a job right out of college. The reality is, many of those expectations won’t be met.

“In today’s economy, recent college graduates are taking the first job that offers a paycheck – not necessarily the job their college education prepared them for,” said Baylor graduate Kevin Blair.

“The current job market has forced people to find refuge in a collegiate setting, only to accumulate debt that must be paid off,” said Arlington sophomore Kacie Evans.

“Paying thousands for a college education and then working at Burger King to pay it off is a scary thought,” Malia Gandt, a Flower Mound sophomore, said.

Gandt is currently working at a department store to start paying off the debt.

Coming out of college, many students do not look for their dream jobs but rather any job to start paying off college debt.

Up to 24 percent of students say that debt has affected their career choices. With rising tuition costs, students are finding the need to just make money, rather than practice a vocation passionately.

Former Baylor student Andy Eagan dropped out after a semester in order to work a paid internship of $100 a week. With his piled up debt from the semester, Eagan knew college wasn’t the place for him.

Eagan eventually found a job working a contract job with at a production company, which wasn’t connected to his field of study in education.

“The job is a great opportunity, but it really just pays the bills,” Eagan said,

“The company can keep me as a contractor, but with no future of promotion.”

Rutgers University found that since 2006, only 51 percent of graduates went into full time employment coming out of college. “Opportunities available for college graduates in a slowly increasing job market are dim,” said USA Today college writer Eliza Collins.

Stories similar to Gandt and Eagan’s are seen across the nation. Students go to college and exit with debt that forces them into a paying job that may not match their degree.

There are success stories, however.

Jason Wilson graduated from college with internships and work experience in the field backing him up. As a business major with a focus on production work, Wilson was set to go to work full time as a production manager with a touring company.

Internship and career counseling provided by colleges provide a way to network and secure a future in a specific job market.

Evans said she was confident in finding a job because of the career-counseling services at Baylor.

“They really get to know your interest and match you up with amazing contacts who want to meet you,” Evans said.

“Graduates who found a job they studied for and had an internship before leaving college made 15 percent more that those who did not intern,” Collins said.

“It is rare for jobs to fall into your lap, so working hard and networking is the fastest way to achieve your goals,” Baylor graduate Clayton Hill said.

High school and college counselors are now being trained to guide students on career paths that will better guarantee a job upon graduation.

Dallas student counselor Kimberly Trask is also steering her students to apply forinternships and practicum programs.

She said she believes that building a strong portfolio is the key to finding employment in a field of study after graduation.

Participating in internships and other activities related to the job a student is going to school for can help that student find a job coming out of college.

Workers of the Austin Commercial-Flintco LLC construction group continue constructing the west side of the new stadium on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. Baylor Stadium, which is set to be completed and ready for use by August 2014, is now approximately 21 percent complete and still on schedule.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

“Baylor Football finally returns home,” said Judge Ken Starr, president of Baylor University, at a press conference held Tuesday, May 7, to update on the new Baylor Stadium.

Sailgating, 168 concession stands, 45,000 seats and access to campus are just a few of the things to look forward to in the new, $250 million on-campus football stadium that is under construction on the Brazos River off Interstate 35 in Waco.

“We are on schedule and we will be playing football on the banks of the Brazos in August 2014,” said Bryan Nicholson, associate vice president for facility, planning and construction.

Workers of the Austin Commercial-Flintco LLC construction group continue building Baylor’s upcoming football stadium on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. Baylor Stadium, which is set to be completed and ready for use by August 2014, is now approximately 21 percent complete and still on schedule.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

There are currently 250 members of the construction crew working on Baylor Stadium, and at the peak of the building process there will be 600.  Jim Heley, the senior project manager, gave an update as part of a media day tour of the construction site.

Workers have dammed up the lagoon and pumped 33 million gallons of water back into the Brazos River, brought in 22,000 truckloads, or 70,000 yards, of dirt to fill in part of the lagoon and to raise the elevation of the footprint of the stadium.   They have installed five miles of underground piping, poured 8,000 cubic yards of concrete and drilled 1,129 piles, all 45-50 feet deep.

The first milestone celebrated among the crew and everyone involved was with the Corps of Engineers when they received the permit to build on the

President Ken Starr stands at the podium with Bruiser as he speaks on the progress of Baylor’s new football stadium on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the Simpson Athletics and Academic Center.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

lagoon.  Encore Electric was the first contractor on sight. Texas Department of Transportation is helping with the expansion of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and the City of Waco is always willing to help with inspections of the site.

“We are trying to use as many local companies as possible.  Our mechanical contractor is local, the electrical contractor, paving and both of our concrete suppliers are local,” Horn said.

The crew is a little ahead of schedule on the lagoon and will be filling it up again in a month.  Two pedestrian bridges are in the works to be built, one over the Brazos River to reach campus and the other will connect with a walkway along the waterfront.

Jeff Horn, senior superintendent of the job site, gave more specifics on the structure itself.  He said that they have started the foundation, the concourse level and the columns.  “We started on the west side and are working our way clockwise around from west to east.”

One of the main challenges for the construction is the river.  The elevation had to be raised to get out of the floodplain.  The highest raised point is 10 feet.

“The biggest headache of the job,” according to Horn, “is everything has to be brought in.  The coordination of everything to be brought in on a timely manner is difficult.”

Workers of the Austin Commercial-Flintco LLC construction group hammer together boards at the site of Baylor’s upcoming football stadium on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. Baylor Stadium, which is set to be completed and ready for use by August 2014, is now approximately 21 percent complete and still on schedule.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

Horn made it clear that there are not many bad weather days built into the schedule.  It is a six-day workweek for the crew and sometimes they will use Sundays to catch up from bad weather or get ahead on one part of the project.  “It is a fast track job,” stated Horn, “we are about 20% done with the whole thing.”

“The steel and the precast for the stadium seats will take until the end of the year and then from the beginning of the year until opening will be the finishing stuff.”

“The stadium is very high profile because it is right on the freeway.  When the memorial service for West, Texas, was held, we wanted to do something special so we got an American flag and a banner that said ‘God Bless West, Texas’ and hung it on the side facing the freeway.  We did that in about two days.  Now that it is over, we are going to get all of the crew working on the stadium to sign it and then we are going to present it to West.”

Following the media tour, a press conference was held at the football practice field on campus. Athletic Director Ian McCaw spoke along with Baylor President Starr, Nicholson and Head Football Coach Art Briles.

“We have recently reached $100 million in private philanthropy donations for the stadium,” Judge Starr announced.

“In 15 months, the finest football stadium in America will be open,” he said. “Just this morning, the 300^th column of the stadium was poured. Columns are important to Baylor because of the four columns that stand on Academy Hill in Independence, Texas, just an hour and 45 minutes down the road, the first location of Baylor University.”

McCaw shared that 1,500 new season tickets were sold already for the 2013 school year.  All six Founders Suites, 39 Premium Suites and 79 Loge Boxes have been sold and over 1,400 stadium bricks have also been sold.  The club seats go on sale at the end of the month.

Coach Briles ended the press conference saying, “We can build a great facility and everyone is going to see it.  Over 42 million travelers on Interstate 35 are going to see the new stadium every year. It doesn’t need to be another miracle for Baylor to beat someone.  It needs to be just another day for us.  It’s a great day. It’s a good day. It’s a day to be proud.”

No. 7 Kaitlyn Thumann crosses third base in the third inning to score the third run for the Baylor Lady Bears in their 10-5 thumping of the Texas Tech Red Raiders Friday night at Baylor’s Getterman Stadium. – Lariat Photo

A six-run sixth inning spurred No. 15 Baylor (39-13, 10-6)to a series-clinching, 10-5 win over Texas Tech (29-26, 3-14)Friday evening at Getterman Stadium.

Kathy Shelton got the Lady Bears offense going in the third with a leadoff triple en route to a four-run inning. Holly Holl drew a walk and stole second to reach scoring position before Thumann laced a single down the left field field line for a 2-0 lead. Smith then followed with an RBI-single to center that scored Thumann from second, giving BU its three-run advantage. Cara Custer came on in relief of starter Gretchen Aucoin and gave up an RBI-single up the middle from Hosack for the 4-0 lead.

Texas Tech Head Coach Shanon Hays expresses his views of a call at home plate in the Red Raiders 10-5 loss to the Baylor Lady Bears Friday night at Getterman Stadium. –Lariat Photo