Enjoy the spooky season, but beware of the risks still posed by COVID-19.
Author: Baylor Lariat
Making excuses for sexual misconduct marginalizes the experience of victims and enables continued bad behavior by the famous and powerful.
By entertaining debates over objective facts and settled science we distract from actually addressing the issues at hand.
For a city packed with hungry college students, the state of Waco’s late-night food scene is less than stellar.
Student athletes are human too. Cut them some slack when they fall short of perfection.
The oldest members of Gen Z are just starting to graduate and move into the workforce. With that comes opportunities, but it also comes with the hardships of breaking the stereotypes that have been placed on us.
“Burnout” is the buzzword everyone is revisiting this time of year. As academics ramp up and the pandemic continues, students are finding themselves trying to balance their lives with a hefty workload on their desks.
A Lariat Letter in response to a previously published column regarding Black Lives Matter
Just because the bars are open doesn’t mean going is a good idea.
Contributer Caroline Yablon shares her tips for creating a wardrobe that won’t break the bank and helps the environment at the same time.
Last week, Baylor opened up its online schedule request form for the spring semester, but as we approach the third semester of life in a pandemic, some questions remain unanswered. In an Oct. 8 email, Provost Nancy Brickhouse said the university will “continue to offer online class options for those who have health concerns or live with someone who has health concerns, such as being immunocompromised, which put them in an at-risk category for COVID-19.” It’s great that Baylor is trying to prioritize the health of its at-risk population, but whether or not they’ll effectively deliver is up in the…
Don’t assume all Black people are in favor of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic are accelerating a mental health crisis.
Casting your vote in the upcoming election is a huge opportunity. Don’t let poor planning get in the way.
The video footage of fans without masks at Baylor’s home opener was embarrassing. To see a number of students without masks, crowded together and broadcasted on national television, is so disheartening after all the measures being taken by the Baylor community to slow the spread and allow fans to attend sports games. We shouldn’t be having this conversation at this point in the semester. Mask-wearing is a normal practice for us now, and to neglect this safety measure in a crowded, public setting is negligent and beyond inconsiderate. Not only is this reckless and dangerous to the health of our…
To say the last seven days of the political news cycle have been exhausting would be the understatement of the decade … or, well, maybe the last seven days.After the national embarrassment that was the presidential debate on Sept. 29, the political spinning of President Trump’s COVID-19 infection and the president’s doctors obfuscating questions from the press after said infection, voters are surely exhausted by each new jab from politicians across the political aisle. The American political environment is rife with issues fueling these exhausting and confusing news cycles, but the framing of politics by campaigns and the media that…
In the midst of last Tuesday’s presidential debate as the war of words between candidates oscillated from brutal to unintelligible, President Donald Trump took aim at Biden. Not former Vice President Joe Biden, but his son, Hunter Biden.“I know Hunter. Hunter got thrown out of the military. He was thrown out, dishonorably discharged … For cocaine use,” Trump said, as Vice President Biden tried to interject. Trump was partially right. Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy Reserve in 2014 after he tested positive for cocaine on a drug test. However, it was not a dishonorable discharge. It also wasn’t…
Running the Line is one of the most beloved traditions on Baylor’s campus — really in college sports. Every year, seniors get one last chance to welcome the Bears onto the field at the last home game. Don’t take that away, too.This university is special because of two things: the Christian environment and the student experience. The life students get to live here is unparalleled. From the classes to the on-campus experience to the sports, there are so many reasons people fall in love with the school and the Waco community.This fall — with a global pandemic threatening to tear…
As college students, many of us are familiar with the need to be frugal and cognizant of our spending habits. It’s common for students to have a job, or maybe even multiple jobs, to pay or help contribute to the intimidating college tuition bill and expenses. But just because you might be short on money doesn’t mean you should wait to start saving and investing for the future. Saving and investing your money not only helps to set you up for the future but can teach you money managing skills that can be helpful as many of us are starting…
Carving a jack-o’-lantern, apple picking and watching scary movies: these are just examples of some of the autumn pastimes that are considered to be “couple activities.” In fact, the concept of “cuffing season,” when habitually single people start to long for serious relationships, begins in October and carries on until March. No matter the season, a person’s relationship status does not define who they are or how other people perceive them. Whether or not someone is single, dating or in a serious committed relationship shouldn’t matter. Some single students may be rolling their eyes at this. What about all the…
People hold their personal views so tightly that they will try to convince you their opinions are truth, regardless of how trivial the subject matter at hand.As college students, it is imperative we take the time to unlearn the views that have been presented to us as fact and figure out why we believe what we believe.Don’t let your professors tell you what to think.Our professors’ job is to give us the tools to think through the information they present to us. We should come out of our classes equipped to defend our own views. If we finish a semester…
A whistleblower complaint submitted Sept. 14, alleged medical neglect and mistreatment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees at a privately-operated facility in Georgia. Among the allegations are instances of hysterectomies performed without the immigrants’ informed consent. These allegations – though yet unconfirmed – are horrifying. More than 170 members of Congress called for an investigation following the complaint’s publication. House speaker Nancy Pelosi called it a “staggering abuse of human rights,” and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador threatened legal action against the U.S. if the allegations are confirmed. What is also horrifying is just how unsurprising these…
One in every 20 American adults are misdiagnosed with illnesses every year. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that patients are their own advocate at the doctor’s office.When it comes to illness, especially chronic illness, it can be hard to adequately communicate symptoms to your doctor. Taking steps to prepare before appointments means doctors can better understand what their patients have been feeling and can find a proper diagnosis faster.There are multiple ways to prepare for doctor’s appointments, but one of the most effective ways to do this is to write down a log of symptoms, diet and questions…
Baylor announced in June its intention to require diversity training for its entire student body, faculty and staff on an annual basis starting this fall. No amount of training could ever teach a student like a professor does in a classroom, so let’s go a step further: require a graded course on minority history and race relations for all students.Per Baylor Institutional Research and Testing, the Baylor undergraduate population is 61% white. The average cost each student faces per year at Baylor is $36,702. According to Census data, that’s 89% of the average Black family’s income in 2017 and 73%…
In a world where classes are virtual and in-person contact is extremely limited, professors should not try to force their usual syllabi to fit the mold of online education.Zoom is a great tool for continuing education during a pandemic, but it can’t be a complete replacement for face-to-face interactions. There are situations that we come across as students that Zoom can’t quite handle.Group projects, for starters, have no place in a pandemic. Doing group projects virtually is chaotic; between blacked-out Zoom boxes and awkward technological difficulties, it’s extremely frustrating to work with other people from behind a screen.It’s hard enough…
As we rapidly approach the 2020 election, there is naturally discussion about how to boost voter engagement, particularly among college students. Baylor University is making a push to raise voter registration rates and has partnered with a number of groups and campaigns to accomplish this, namely the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, the Big XII Voting Challenge, the League of Women Voters Waco Area, the Vote Everywhere program and the Andrew Goodman Foundation. But voter registration is only part of the solution. According to data from the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, roughly 81% of Baylor students were…
In a time when our society is so divided over politics and civil rights, it is more important than ever to read the whole article, not just the headline. There are two main reasons for this: to get the whole picture, and to ensure that you’re not reading into a bias – whether that is your own or the source’s. In an ideal world, news outlets and media organizations would provide their readers and viewers with objective, unbiased information about current events. However, this is not always the case. Additionally, headlines are specifically designed to grab the reader’s attention. Because…
Even for those without clinical mental health diagnoses, this year has been full of stomach-churning anxiety.Each morning brings the latest coronavirus death tolls, the newest developments out of D.C. and updates from the deadly wildfires on the West Coast. On top of all of that, waking up with a headache or a tickle in your throat is not what it used to be.Baylor has made it easy for students to get tested on campus, making it easy for those with COVID-19 to find out quickly and stay home until their symptoms subside.Baylor has asked students not to go to class…
As you listen to your professor lecture, do you find your mind wandering to unrelated subjects like the errands on your checklist or another course?As you hear friends tell you about their days, do you start composing a narrative in your head for when they finish talking?As you listen to someone with a differing political opinion, do you structure your rebuttal to the argument you assume they are making rather than listening to what they have to say?If you answered yes to any of these, or if you have noticed yourself doing similar things when you listen to another person…
Journalism is very important. It’s known as the fourth estate for a reason, but for that to matter, people need to understand what is printed and what it means.The most unfortunate thing about journalism is that people don’t learn about it unless they seek it out. That’s why journalists need to do a better job of explaining the things they write.Editorial BoardAn editorial board at a major newspaper is made up of members of the opinion department who are experts in a particular field. They make the decisions for what editorials are run by the paper, and they are an…
