The Iowa caucus was a disaster, and while New Hampshire was a simpler voting process, it still has an outsized effect on the national discussion due to its early placement in the voting calendar. The primary season needs an overhaul.Iowa is the No. 16 state for best representative of the national voting body, according to a NPR study.It’s close to the top in similarity in education level, age, income and religious fervor, but Iowa is 85% white, while America is just 60%. New Hampshire is much farther down the list, No. 49 to be exact. The state is bottom-eight in…
Author: Baylor Lariat
When Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell and the majority of Republicans in the Senate had already made their choice to acquit Trump.While the argument was being given to remove Trump from office, many Republicans were complaining there was not enough evidence. However, these were the same people who had blocked bringing forward more evidence and witnesses in the first place.Finally, the Senate had heard both arguments, and it was time to vote to consider new witnesses and evidence. The Senate voted to not investigate further.This is the moment that will go down in history.…
The Iowa caucus results were delayed for days due to the malfunction of an app used to record votes. Throwing out traditional vote-counting methods at first opportunity for the next latest and greatest thing ideally makes life easier. However, implementing a new system should be a gradual process.The app IowaRecorder was meant to speed up the counting process so results could come in faster than ever. Instead, it quickly caused more harm than good with vote totals not being recorded or uploaded correctly.Vote reporters soon tried to revert to traditional methods of calling in vote totals, but the lines were…
The genre musicians are categorized by for Grammy nominations should be based on the music produced and not on the race of the artist. After the 2020 Grammys were given out, fans and musicians alike voiced their opinions on this year’s categories.Tyler, the Creator spoke up about this after his album “IGOR” won Best Rap Album of the Year, even though the music itself contains less than 30% of actual rapping. Tyler called the win a “backhanded compliment” in a speech after receiving the award because he would prefer to leave the rap and urban categories for a more mainstream…
Following Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing, social media has been overflown with support and reactions. Celebrities, fans, sports teams and friends of the former Lakers star have looked to social media to pay tribute and respects.However, some have taken this emotional and sensitive time to negatively comment about Bryant and his past actions, more specifically his rape accusation in 2003. Immediately following the announcement from TMZ, Twitter users began to compare his death to other celebrities’ deaths, videos claiming to be footage of the helicopter were uploaded and mentions of Bryant’s questionable actions of the past began to surface. Whether these…
The ability to be an Internet influencer lies at every smartphone owner’s fingertips. With a camera and a multitude of social media sites stored in a handheld device, content can be generated in a matter of seconds. Whenever we see oddities in our everyday life — a unicycle-rider on campus, ridiculously cute dogs, an exceptionally exotic outfit — our immediate inclination is to take out our phones to post for friends to see, too. It is a beautiful thing that technology allows us to share a moment with those who weren’t present, but sometimes we can abuse that power. There…
It still doesn’t feel real. Who would have thought someone who was invincible on the basketball court — the closest thing we have to a real-life superhero — could simply be gone because of the stroke of some truly terrible, evil luck? What’s funny, in a horribly morose way, is that I fashioned myself as a Kobe hater through all my years of basketball fandom. Being from Houston, and a Rockets fan, naturally, all the years of heartbreak and pain that man caused me simply by being so incredibly good that he could dismantle a team by himself made me…
The New York Times has recently come under fire for its endorsement of two presidential candidates, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren. Those who are outraged claim that journalism has become too biased, but they need to realize the difference between staff desks.The endorsements were not written by reporters. Rather, they were written by an editorial board which is made up of journalists who are paid, not to objectively cover the news, but to have opinions about it. The Times defines its board as follows:“The New York Times editorial board is made up of opinion journalists who rely on research,…
Eating at college can be difficult—with the majority of students eating on a limited budget and a tight time schedule, the easiest option often seems to be grabbing a bite at Chick-fil-A or Steak and Shake in the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB). But students shouldn’t have to forgo healthy eating for convenience and affordability. Healthy eating can lead to academic achievement in students, according to a CDC study. The document, titled “Health and Academic Achievement,” said that the “lack of adequate consumption of specific foods, such as fruits, vegetables, or dairy products, is associated with lower grades among students……
Other universities sports fans may see Baylor University as only a basketball or a football school, but there is so much more success to the Bears athleticism than is celebrated, even on our campus. A lot of other universities’ define their sports programs by the success of one main team. This could be because it’s the only field the university actually excels at, but Baylor students and alumni know that there is so much more to the Bears than football and basketball. In order to destroy others preconceived notions and stereotypes about Baylor’s pride for their teams, we must support…
In a time when news travels fast and technology travels even faster, it often seems like life can change in an instant. It takes just one post for information to go viral within minutes. Events happening thousands of miles away from you can feel very salient and personal. Headlines such as the suspected case of coronavirus on Baylor’s campus, for example, may have hit you hard and left you feeling uneasy. A push notification shifts your perception of reality instantaneously. This sudden shift can easily lead to panic and mental chaos. When something scary or dangerous happens to one person,…
What do people believe? Do they believe in a gender? A sexual orientation? An ethnicity? None of the above. People believe in ideas and values, and that’s what they should base their vote on.Bernie Sanders was recently accused of telling Elizabeth Warren that a woman couldn’t win the presidency. The only way that could be true is due to America’s obsession with identity politics, the practice of voting for a candidate that looks like or has the same traits as oneself.The phenomenon formed in reaction to the “colorblindness” policies argued by the Reagan administration. This included deregulating key points in…
Comedy can be controversial. Not everyone is going to laugh at the same jokes as you and some people may even find a joke offensive that made you laugh so hard you peed a little bit.Sometimes, comedy can cross a fine line that divides what should be joked about and what shouldn’t. It may be difficult to define where that line ends and what jokes may even go into bullying territory.The 29-year-old YouTuber and comedian, Cody Kołodziejzyk, has been accused of crossing this line twice now. Although the Canadian YouTuber makes fun of controversial videos, he has in no way…
While people often think of food and plastic waste, clothing is another item overflowing in our world’s landfills. Unlike fast fashion brands that follow ever-changing trends and are made of materials that wear out easily, sustainable brands create classic pieces that will last years. Sustainable fashion is another facet to the movement toward being more environmentally conscious.Companies like Everlane, Outdoor Voices, Reformation and Patagonia are a few examples of how sustainability is gaining momentum in the fashion industry. Brands are beginning to focus more on the environmental impact their clothing has, and in response, consumers are beginning to be more…
By Eric Tucker | Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Baylor University President Kenneth Starr joined the Trump legal team for the President’s Senate trial. Starr served as Baylor’s president from September 2010 to May 2016 and was the university chancellor from 2013 to 2016. Starr was removed from his position as president by the Baylor Board of Regents effective immediately on May 31, 2016 after findings from Pepper Hamilton law firm about Baylor’s response to reports of sexual violence. Starr resigned from his role as chancellor on June 1, 2016. In addition, Starr was a faculty member at the…
The feeling is unfortunately common — we find a position we are ecstatic to run for or a group we can’t wait to be a part of, but just as soon as we begin to prepare for the new opportunity, we discover that the spot went to someone else instead.The beginning of a new semester allows for a variety of new opportunities. With different classes and often activities to become involved in, a new semester often leads to a variety of ways to get involved in campus and work life. However, with new opportunities come even greater chances of rejection.…
As Baylor students, we have the privilege of being part of an institution that provides us with a nearly endless number of resources that can help further both our education and future careers.Are you utilizing as many campus resources as you could be?It’s easy to get caught up in our day-to-day responsibilities. Whether it’s running from class to class, studying or taking part in other extracurricular activities, we have crazy schedules.Getting caught up in your daily obligations might be holding you back from participating in programs or meeting with people that could help you maximize your success and efficiency as…
Have you ever heard your parents or grandparents tell you “they just don’t make them like they use to?” In the case of Apple and its immensely successful iPhone smartphone line, they do, but it is not with the latest iPhone model.Apple released its first iPhone in the summer of 2007 and has since released 23 additional iPhone models. The introduction of the iPhone propelled us into the age of the smartphone. Smartphones would quickly become an irrevocable part of our everyday lives.But, following the original iPhone, there has only been one other iPhone that has lived up to the…
There is a policy stating that students must attend 75% of their scheduled classes or they will receive a F in the class. On top of this, teachers are able to use their discretion to make the attendance policy stricter. This policy, while made with good intentions, is unnecessary and possible even harmful for students. Students, regardless of circumstance, are being penalized for missing class. At this point in our lives, we are all adults who are paying a significant amount of money to attend this university. If we cannot motivate ourselves to go to class and be successful, then…
Matt Rhule’s time at Baylor will go down in the books as a triumphant underdog tale. Every era must come to an end, and once it is over, it is up to the people who lived through it to tell its story. In this transition between Rhule and the next coach to come, we must write a fair narrative of Rhule’s legacy. When Rhule signed to the Carolina Panthers, many Baylor Bears were shocked. After all, he had just extended his contract with Baylor to 2027 in Sept. While fans may feel hurt or betrayed, it is important to acknowledge…
I believe that Baylor needs to ditch the redesign of Marigold and revert back to the original mascot head. I lived with a Baylor mascot last year, and I spent a lot of time up close with the mascot heads for both Bruiser and Marigold before and after the Baylor United rebranding. While they both changed in their own ways, I have issues with the changes made to Marigold. When you look at the new Marigold, it’s pretty apparent that something is off with her new face. The first thing I notice is her eyes. The eyes have gone from…
Wake up. Study. Maybe eat. Sleep. Repeat. During finals season, it can be easy to fall into a monotonous cycle. A veil of stress falls over the way we perceive everything around us. Moody’s architecture appears less like a cozy study hub and more like a jail. Hitting the books often necessitates kicking our social life to the curb. The natural tendency during finals season is to fixate on what we have to do, and in the process, we neglect to appreciate what we have already done. Take time this finals season to appreciate the semester coming to a close.…
Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 37, stands as the fourth most popular democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election, according to democratic polls last updated Dec. 3.However, Buttigieg is the youngest democratic candidate and his age has shown to be a concern for some citizens. By basing their opinions on the presidential candidate on his age alone, people are not considering him as a candidate holistically.Since he launched an exploratory committee in January and his official campaign in April, the mayor of South Bend, Ind. has been judged on his age rather than his experience or campaign.Opinion columnist for the New York…
By Bri Boland | ContributorAlthough recycling helps in the fight against environmental negligence, research suggests a more impactful lifestyle change: eating less meat. However, this may be a challenge for some.Meat consumption has always been an integral aspect of American culture. Recent estimates by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation show Americans eat about 60 pounds of beef or veal per capita per year, while the world average stands around 32 pounds per year.Asbury, N.J. freshman Emerson Hershfeld exemplifies the American taste for savory products.“It would be difficult to stop eating meat because it is a food I’ve been eating since…
By Sydney Scheckel | ContributorThe students at Baylor University are in desperate need of a sidewalk between the science and business buildings. Students currently trek across a dirt path that is spotted with grass that leads them to either the BSB or the Hankamer Business School. Adding a sidewalk would lead to a great amount of convenience for both students and staff.Between the amount of time students spend cleaning their dirty apparel and staff mopping and sweeping up debris caused by this inconvenience, the sidewalk would be worth the cost. This grassy area spotted with some large trees deserves a…
Currently, Baylor has no non-Christian religious organizations chartered. Although Baylor does have the right, as a private institution, to disallow these organizations, the university advertises the inclusion of all religions in this community, encourages broadening one’s horizons and emphasizes understanding a “rich cultural diversity.” The organizations present on campus should reflect these values.As stated, the Baylor family includes a diverse group of students from many different faith backgrounds, so why is there no official organization or organizations allowed that can reflect that diversity? Baylor does have the “Better Together” program, but this is not a specific faith-based organization. It is…
By Kaitlyn McMillan | ContributorIn the months leading up the what I liked to refer to as the “big move,” questions such as “Are you excited?” and “Are you ready?” were hurled at me left and right. I would smile and nod my head without saying much, because on the inside I was experiencing an increasing sense of dread. Upon moving away from home, I heard these same statements over and over again. People won’t hesitate to tell you what a big change it is, or how your first semester is always the worst. Hearing these types of statements repeatedly…
Being the oldest continuously operating university in Texas, Baylor is deep in its religious roots. But with a recent increase in a progressive and diverse student body, should the academic institution uphold its morals when hiring staff or is a change required? It wouldn’t make sense for a southern Baptist university to employ a member of a different faith for not only any position, but also specifically one that requires the fostering of relationships and a Christian community. Almost always will a religious establishment hire qualified staff who hold the same morals and values, but at Baylor many are beginning…
It’s that time of the year — along with finals, projects and last-minute assignments, students are able to partake in one of the semester’s most loved and equally dreaded activities: course evaluations. These evaluations allow students to rate the quality of their professors, courses and overall semester academic experience. Some questions are asked on a scale, with students ranking categories from a one to a five. Others are more open-ended and allow for comments about ways teachers or courses created a successful learning environment or can be improved. The system allows students to comment on how much they enjoyed their…
By Elijah Lindsey | ContributorFor me, the scariest part of Halloween is knowing that the very next day I can expect to hear the dreadful “All I Want for Christmas is You” playing on the majority of radio stations and shopping centers. I understand there really is no genre of Thanksgiving music, but can we please celebrate one holiday at a time?The so-called “Christmas creep” has begun. For the next two months, people feel the need to start blasting Christmas music non-stop. How did we get to this point in our holiday culture? Have we overshadowed the warm gathering of…
