Baylor Waco campus to shift to remote instruction Thursday, Friday

Baylor cancels class ahead of bad weather conditions. Photo illustration courtesy of Brittany Tankersley

By Clara Snyder and Luke Araujo | Staff Writers

Due to Central and North Texas being placed under a Winter Storm Warning by the National Weather Service, Baylor sent out an alert announcing classes will be held via remote instruction Thursday and Friday.

Douglas Nesmith, environmental laboratory coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences, said he plans to teach his class through a Zoom meeting or a presentation with a voiceover.

“The 1101 labs all meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so we lucked out on that one,” Nesmith said. “The 1103 lab is discussing their midterms, finals and the project they’re going to do, so it’s something they don’t have to do hands-on in the classroom. They can discuss that over Zoom.”

Daphne Watson, Arlington junior, said she has only heard from one of her professors regarding the situation. Watson said the professor is easily able to convert to online, as she teaches the same section online in a different class.

In February 2021, a similar winter storm swept through Texas. Waco residents experienced power outages, pipe bursts and rolling blackouts.

“My roommates were out of town,” Watson said. “I had no groceries, and I don’t know how to drive in the snow, so I was stuck in my apartment.”

Watson said she isn’t too concerned about the winter storm this week given she made it through the winter storm of 2021.

The City of Waco will open a warming center at the Dewey Recreation Center (925 N 9th St., Waco, TX, 76707) open to the public starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday for 24 hours, according to Natalie Galindo, public information communications specialist for the Department of Communications and Marketing. There will be cots and blankets available in the warming center, but Galindo said bringing food and water is highly recommended, as the center has a limited supply available.

Students living on campus will still have access to essential campus services, according to the alert.

“…residential dining halls and Baylor Libraries will remain open. The SUB and McLane SLC will be closed on Thursday and Friday,” the alert said. “Students living in residence halls are encouraged to take extra food back to their rooms during lunch and dinner service in the event there are any outages or delayed food service.”

For additional information on the situation, Baylor University said to monitor the Baylor website, alert messages and social media.