By Alexandra Donnel | ReporterSmith Getterman, a Baylor alumnus and environmentalist, spoke in Baylor chapel on Monday to encourage environmentally friendly actions in students and the need for good stewardship. Josyln Henderson, the ministry associate of worship, said Getterman works on sustainability projects on campus. “Smith is the director of sustainability and special projects here at Baylor and oversees efforts that you all see around,” Henderson said. “For instance, you may have seen stickers on light switches telling you to turn them off. You have certainly seen the recycling bens around campus. Smith has been instrumental in these and other…
Author: Alexandra Donnel
By Alexandra Donnel | Reporter Most Baylor students are required to take four semesters of foreign language for their major, but what about those who have learning disabilities? Baylor offers special courses through OALA for students with language based learning disabilities, to these students taking a traditional language class can feel impossible to pass. Anna Shaw is the assistant director for the Office of Access and Learning Accommodations, or OALA and has been at Baylor since 2005. As the assistant director, Shaw works to mentor, teach, and help students with disabilities find academic accommodations as well as making sure academic…
By Lexi Donnel | Reporter Baylor’s Freshman Officers took the stage at chapel on Wednesday, as they lead worship and shared their testimonies to fellow students. The officers were put in charge of running the entire Chapel. Round Rock freshman Rylie York shared her testimony which included her battle with cancer and trusting God through the process. “Little did I know that five days after my 18th birthday I would receive news that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,” York said. While York said the night she received her diagnosis was one of the hardest nights of her life she…
By Alexandra Donnel | ReporterThe Baylor Men’s Choir has been a part of Baylor life since it began in 1895 as the Baylor Men’s Glee Club. The Choir has over 100 young men with different majors, backgrounds and life experiences, united with a passion for singing and providing Baylor with musical excellence. The Choir performs for the local community and they have gone to prisons, elementary schools, as well as on campus events. The Choir performed at Baylor Chapel on Wednesday singing a variety of music including a parody of All About That Bass, African music and songs from The…
By Lexi Donnel | ReporterInnocent until proven guilty, this phrase is vital to justice. A phrase has popped up in our culture which has good intentions, but taken to the extreme can prove to be dangerous: Believe Women. I understand it is important to have an open mind and listen when women say they have been victimized whether physically, emotionally or sexually. I understand the sentiment behind “Believe Women,” but I also believe evidence is crucial for these cases. Naturally, we have emotional reactions when we hear these stories, however, we need to remember there are two sides to every…
By Alexandra Donnel | ReporterTruett Theological Seminary Alumni, and former Baylor staff member Christopher Mack was invited to speak at Baylor Chapel on Wednesday. Ryan Richardson associate chaplain, director of Worship & Chapel, and a close friend to Mack said that Mack attended the University of Texas in Austin and later studied at Truett Seminary. “Following his time at Truett it became very evident that he wanted to minister to college students, and so he joined the staff as one of the chaplains in the spiritual life office until 2013,” Richardson said. After working at Baylor, Mack said he felt…
By Alexandra Donnel | ReporterMatt Snowden, a George W. Truett Theological Seminary graduate and the pastor of the historic First Baptist Church Waco, was invited to speak at Baylor Chapel on Monday. Ryan Richardson, the associate chaplain and director of worship and chapel said Snowden came to Truett Theological Seminary in 2010 for the doctoral program after he finished his education. Snowden helps shape Waco with the word of God, Richardson said. Snowden is from Meridian Mississippi and attended William Carey University, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Truett Seminary. Snowden’s first sermon was preached at a church in Mississippi…
By Lexi Donnel | Reporter”Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”This phrase is heard by people all around the world on Ash Wednesday as ashes are drawn in the shape of a cross on their forehead. Dr. Burt Burleson, Baylor’s University Chaplain/Dean of Spiritual Life and Dr. Ryan Richardson, Director of Worship & Chapel/Associate Chaplain spoke on the meaning and significance of Ash Wednesday in Chapel. Ash Wednesday happens 46 days before Easter. Richardson introduced Wednesday’s chapel by announcing it was Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the season of Lent. “Lent, during these next…
By Alexandra Donnel | Reporter”Change the world in a day” is an annual chapel tradition in which Baylor students donate money to a charity chosen by Baylor. Joslyn Henderson, the ministry associate of worship opened Monday’s chapel by explaining the tradition which began in 2014. “Each spring the worship staff choses a charity that is close to the heart of the Baylor and its students. During the special chapel service, like today, a representative from the charity speaks to the students about the work they are doing to change the world in the name of Christ,” Henderson said. Last year,…
The Vice President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes West/Central Africa Global Region, Vincent Asamoah, traveled from Uganda to Texas, and spoke at Baylor’s Chapel on Monday. Asamoah was introduced by Niesha Nixon the coordinator for Worship & Chapel. “After starting a church in 1992, Vincent attended and completed studies at a local seminary in Ghana. In 1999, he became the national youth director for the Ghana Baptist Convention. In 2005, he found himself traveling for the first time to Waco, Texas where he earned a M.Div. from our very own Truett Seminary,” Nixon said. In May of 2009, Asamoah…
By Alexandra Donnel | Reporter Speaker, author, activist and blogger Kathy Khang flew from Chicago to Waco to speak at Baylor Chapel on Monday. Khang, the author of “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up,” a book about the struggle some groups have speaking out due to their gender, ethnicity or race, visited chapel to tell Jairus’ story in the Bible, and a story from her life that helped her relate to Jairus. The focus on Khang’s speech was the story of Mark 5:21-43, beginning with how touching Jesus’ clothes healed a woman who had…
By Lexi Donnel | ReporterWhatever happened to skepticism when it comes to the Internet? Growing up, many of us heard from our parents and other adults in our lives, “Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” Yet when the topic of politics is involved, these same people who told us this are the ones sharing fake quotes and stories. “If I were to run, I’d run as a Republican. They’re the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie, and they’d still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be…
Lexi Donnel | ReporterDuring a time when Southern Baptists were debating whether or not women could teach or have any authority over men, Dr. Rosalie Beck was hired to become the first female faculty member in Baylor’s department of religion in 1984. She will end her journey here at Baylor, as she plans to retire in May. Beck was hired back when Baylor was trying to switch from trustees to regents. The trustee system gave the Texas Baptist’s 100 percent control over who was hired as trustees. In the new system, they would only have 25 percent control of choosing…
By Lexi Donnel | ReporterHomicide detective who works to solve cold cases, devout Christian, former atheist and apologist, Jim Warner Wallace, came to Baylor as a guest speaker for Oso Logos, a Christian apologetics organization on Thursday evening.Warner appeared on NBC’s Dateline to discuss cases he solved and how the evidence helped him find murderers who almost got away with their crimes. He also became a Christian apologist after analyzing how the universe was created and was invited to summarize his beliefs for the movie God’s not Dead 2. In fact, he was a former atheist, who came to the…
