Author: Adrienne Redman

By Adrienne Redman | ContributorStudents needing a break from the Waco sun this summer may find Tonkawa Falls, located in Crawford, a great spot to cool off.York, Pa. senior Magdalayna Drivas has been going to Tonkawa Falls since her freshman year. Drivas said she saw a picture of the swimming hole on Instagram and thought it “looked like a fun spot.” Not having her own car, Drivas convinced her friends to take a day trip. She said she ever expected to find a hidden oasis just 30 minutes from campus.“I honestly wasn’t expecting it to look like [the picture],” Drivas…

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By Adrienne Redman | Reporter Baylor students pursuing a master’s degree from the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work are ramping up to present research projects at the annual Masters of Social Work (MSW) Colloquium on May 7. The MSW Colloquium event gives students a chance to present research that many have been conducting for almost a year. Topics range from current social work practices to innovative looks at treatment and diagnosis. Students prepare for these presentations through a week-long capstone course, which begins next week. Frisco graduate student Sarah Pitman said the time will be spent polishing their…

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By Adrienne Redman | Reporter Each semester, Baylor School of Education students are placed in classrooms around Waco and surrounding areas in order to gain a deeper appreciation for the field through hands-on experience. Waco and its surrounding areas display a wide range of socioeconomic diversity, especially among kindergarten through twelfth grade students in the Waco and Midway Independent School Districts. According to Dr. Krystal Goree, the director of the Office of Professional Practice for the School of Education, all Baylor education students will be placed in both of these districts during their field experience at the junior level. The…

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By Adrienne Redman | Reporter One of the principles of a Baylor education is the integration of faith and academics according to the Baylor mission statement. The Baylor School of Social Work highlights this combination as one of its core values, and strives to provide its students with the tools to achieve an ethical, faith-based social work practice. The application of this, however, looks different for every student. The School of Social Work’s website sites the integration of faith and academics as a unique characteristic of a social work education at Baylor. “One of the competencies we help social workers…

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By Adrienne Redman | ReporterStudents and visitors alike took on the harrowing challenge of 13.1 miles Saturday to complete this year’s Bearathon, the “Toughest Half Marathon in Texas.” The Bearathon is an annual half marathon put on by the Baylor Student Foundation as a fundraiser for student scholarships. In addition to the half marathon, there was also a “Sic ‘Em” 6K hosted by the organization. Spring junior Kaylin Blancas, and incoming co-president for Student Foundation chalked the route for racers to follow early Saturday morning. The chalking process on Saturday took several hours due to two lightning delays. By 5…

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By Adrienne Redman | Reporter The Diana R. Garland School of Social Work’s Global Mission Leadership Program (GML) received a $2 million gift to help further the program’s interests while ensuring a lasting place within the department. According to the dean of social work, Jon Singletary, the gift will primarily go towards the creation of an endowed chair, which recognizes the distinction of outstanding faculty while providing support in research, teaching and service activities. The endowed chair will serve as the director of the program. Dr. Jennifer Dickey, the current director of GML, has been named as the inaugural chair…

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By Adrienne Redman | ReporterWe live in a world on the brink of a breakthrough. Now, as we actively strive to uproot the racism and sexism within our society, equality and understanding between us seems within reach. Our social sphere has evolved to embrace inclusivity and progress, and we seem to be on the horizon of a future our predecessors could only dream about. We are, however, nowhere near finished. Racist discourse has evolved past blatancy to allow for subtler, but continued, marginalization. Just take a look at coverage from this last midterm election if you aren’t convinced sexism still…

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The third Monday of each year marks the celebration of Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. As the nation remembers his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, Waco students are learning about him and this period of history possibly for the first time from Baylor’s student teachers. Each year, the Baylor School of Education places undergraduate students in local elementary, middle and high schools as part of a student teaching program. This week, many student teachers working in local schools will be implementing lessons devoted to MLK in an effort to teach their students about the Civil Rights Movement,…

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Adrienne Redman l Guest WriterEarlier this month, Tiffany Brown received a note from her son’s Waco elementary school mandating that the child’s hair be cut in compliance with school policy. Since then, she has taken to Twitter and Facebook to protest and spread awareness about what she says are “racist and gendered rules.” According to Brown’s Twitter page, the first grader at Spring Valley Elementary was sent home with a note detailing a violation to Midway Independent School District’s code of conduct, specifically the length of his dreadlocks. The policy, as stated in the MISD Student handbook, requires that the…

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