Despite a sixth person dying due to a lung disease related to vaping in the United States, you can still find students hitting their Juul in Moody Memorial Library. While the substance of vaping is believed to be less harmful than cigarettes, vaping culture has a far more sinister grip on teenagers and young adults today than smoking culture.Accessibility and Convenience One aspect is the overall accessibility of vapes and e-cigarettes, but most importantly the culture our generation has cultivated around this dangerous trend. When people smoke cigarettes habitually, they must carve out certain times of their day to satisfy…
Author: Baylor Lariat
On Baylor’s Active Attack Training video released Sept. 6:If you’re going to make an important informational video for all students to watch, don’t make one that requires a disclaimer. A video like this, especially one with such an important message, should be accessible and approachable to all students. But, it literally opens with a student getting shot in the face. I feel like it almost defeats the purpose. Students that are particularly disturbed by this kind of thing are probably the ones that would most need the kind of reassurance this video attempts to give. I understand that this subject…
“Meal plans are convenient, flexible, and loaded with options,” according to Baylor’s dining website. The reality is many students are not always guaranteed value or options due to misaligned scheduling and option availability.Meal plans for the general student population (undergraduate and non-student athlete) give you dining dollars to use at campus restaurants and cafés as well as “swipes” to use in the residential dining halls. There’s a conflict, however, when students can’t take full advantage and get their full value of the promises of their $835.63 (“the light eater 3”) to $2,991.56 (“the everyday 150”) meal plan when dining halls…
As a Texas university, football games often dictate most fall weekend plans. Football dominates everyday conversation and merchandise at the Baylor Bookstore. As much entertainment and pride football brings to the school, it is important to remember Baylor University Athletics is composed of over a dozen other sports.Every Baylor athlete is a student and fellow Bear. Most of us are overwhelmed with regular school obligations, and student athletes balance a full course load as well as practice. Their hard work should be respected and recognized. Cheering them on can take various forms.While not as popular, other sporting events can be…
In the past few days it has come to the attention of the Lariat staff that papers have been completely cleared out of several of the newsstands around campus. While normally a great sign for a student newspaper, there have been reports that these papers have been used for use in floats and set design. Last Friday, only 101 papers remained on stands, from the 2000 papers that were delivered that morning. Out of 33 newsstands, 24 had no papers by the end of the day.The papers of the Lariat are for reading by Baylor students, faculty and visitors. The…
College is a huge time commitment. While so many students say “I’m busy,” I don’t think that too many of them realize just how little time they have. From tangible events like classes, work and group meetings, to spontaneous happenings and time for rest and study, the clock can pass by rapidly.One of the biggest time sinks is relationships. Making time for friends, and being with them during their successes and struggles can eat into our daily allowance of time and energy. While it’s easy to think of these relationships as being only with other people, pets can also take…
Ben Shapiro, a prominent conservative political commentator and editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire, will be guest speaking at Baylor in November. One of Shapiro’s employees, Matt Walsh, spoke on Baylor’s campus last semester. His speech opposing gay marriage prompted peaceful protests and a petition with nearly 2,000 signatures in opposition to Walsh’s invitation to campus. Having Walsh’s superior, an even more prominent public figure, come to campus will likely be met with similar public upset. With Walsh and Shapiro, Baylor may appear to be an environment exclusively for right-wing representation. However, President Linda Livingstone is hosting a lecture series this…
While societal structures like the caste system or feudalism are no longer present in the United States today, sometimes people act as if there is they are ranked higher on the social totem pole than others.Everyone, regardless of race, job classification, age, sex, gender, etc. deserves respect. This understanding of inherent human dignity and value is the backbone of the U.S. Constitution. Yet, there are still clear instances where this common element of humanity is not acknowledged.Listening to someone talk is one of the best ways to validate their feelings and intelligence. Regardless if you like what someone else has…
Read the fine print.While this saying typically refers to legally-binding documents, the same motto should be applied to class syllabi. After all, you are bound to this class, under your professor’s rules and regulations, for the next few months.Syllabi may seem identical across the board, but besides the standard sections about Baylor’s Honor Code, Office of Access and Learning Accommodation and Title IX Office, there are actually many distinctions. Do not assume that professors will announce everything that needs to be known aloud in class. There is an unspoken understanding that syllabi provide an all-encompassing guide to the class, and…
By Brad Springman | ContributorBaylor University needs to provide better on campus residential dining options for students who choose to stay on campus over holiday breaks.Recently, many Baylor students traveled home to their families for the Easter holiday. But, many out-of-state students will stay on campus like they do for other smaller breaks like Labor Day, fall break and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Those who choose to stay are left with limited on-campus dining options with the meal plan they purchased for shorter breaks like Easter in mind.I often stay on campus for breaks as I am from Pennsylvania…
I. Bring back coat racksWe’re not entirely sure where coat racks went and why. People didn’t stop wearing coats. When you walk into your classroom or a restaurant after braving the elements, there should be a place to let your layers dry out. Even if there isn’t any inclement weather, are we just supposed to sit on our jackets at Chili’s? This is preposterous. We are calling for coat racks in every classroom. Let’s make this school a little more classy and a little more practical, huh? II. Embrace mornings We understand making the most of your mornings is easier…
If you were to survey Baylor students and ask them if they are able to read a map, how many would say they are able to? But not just any map, a map that is just county lines. No highways to find your location and Dallas and Houston aren’t marked either. Just county lines.Credit: Texas Association of CountiesIt gets a little harder, doesn’t it?A survey conducted by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found that 67 percent of under-25s can’t read a map. Not a county line map pictured above, but a normal map with highways and cities labeled.You may be asking, “Why is this…
By Greta Gessert | ContributorThe rates of abortion for children with Down syndrome are much higher than those for children without Down syndrome. This indicates that parents are aborting their children based on a genetic condition, which is discrimination. So why is this form of discrimination — a form so drastic that it involves preventing the birth of an entire group of people — not condemned?According to a study on Down syndrome termination rates, 67% of babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome in the United States are aborted. Comparatively, in Iceland, the rate is nearly 100%, according to CBS News.If…
By Lily Parkin | ContributorIf you take a look around Baylor University’s campus, you would find students with stacks of papers, thick textbooks and lots and lots of PawPrints being used.In the two years I have been a Baylor student, I have to admit I have been guilty of participating in several paper-wasting activities. As a student body and a campus, I say we can all do better to reduce the amount of waste we contribute to as students.According to the digital data management website iDashboards, the best way to reduce waste from paper and help the environment in your…
By Phoebe Alwine | ContributorBaylor University’s campus lacks a variety of coffee that the students need. In August 2018, Baylor added Common Grounds coffee to the first floor of the SUB. However, this decision seems a bit redundant since there is already a Common Grounds shop on 8th Street, in a convenient spot right next to campus. Putting Common Grounds on campus offers students less food and beverage options. However, Dunkin’ Donuts is the best solution to this issue. When Baylor put Common Grounds in, Einstein’s Bagels, the only one in Waco, was taken out, ultimately robbing students of a…
With graduation coming up, we are all celebrating our seniors as they prepare for the long walk across the stage. While it’s all well and good to take your favorite grad out to dinner or enjoy some quality time before they exit these hallowed grounds, there’s something more you can do to make sure your senior is appreciated: Show up for your friend’s graduation. For some, their family can’t actually get to graduation, or only a few members of their family can celebrate them. For others, their family is a given, but to see their friends’ faces would make their…
By Elisabeth George | ContributorThe stories we write and pass on tell us much more about ourselves than the characters we bring to life. As Neil Gaiman paraphrased from G.K. Chesterton, “Fairy tales are more than true — not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.”When I was 8 years old, I wrote a story about a family of Dalmatian puppies and their mother. It wasn’t a particularly great story, but after watching all four of Disney’s “101 Dalmatians” movies, I had been inspired. I would also run around with my friends…
By Lexy Norman | ContributorBaylor University is a proudly diverse campus with students coming from different religions, cultures and parts of the country and world. In fact, around 35% of students are residents from outside of Texas, according to the Baylor Institutional Research and Testing report of fall 2018 undergraduates. To get to school from home, most would take an airplane. However, the closest international airports are Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, 110 miles south of Baylor, and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, 110 miles north. These locations are not ideal for students who do not have their own means of transportation, like…
Coming back from you study abroad trip, it’s often difficult to find similarities between Waco and exciting foreign locations like Paris and Argentina. Especially upon re-entering the United States, students returning from a study abroad trip are stereotyped by their tendency to endlessly talk about their host country. Students who have recently studied abroad love to compare everything from pharmacies to street signs, usually announcing that the Waco version is inferior. While this behavior can come off as annoying to those who didn’t have the same study abroad experience as you, it’s important to stay connected to your host country…
Trisha Porzycki | Contributor With graduation approaching in four short weeks, many seniors are looking back on their four years at Baylor. Many participated in clubs or intramural teams, passed classes with flying colors, and have a job lined up for after graduation. But some students have gone beyond the ordinary to make the best of their four years in college. Marques Jones is a walk-on football player with a 3.94 GPA in the engineering program, has been offered a summer internship at Tesla, Inc, and gained a respected reputation on campus. As the icing on the cake, Jones scored…
By Preston New | ContributorIt seems everywhere you go on Baylor’s campus, bright colored hammocks litter the trees. While some students stay relatively close to the ground, many make the daring trip 30 feet in the air to get a better view and show off to their friends. While hammocking has become a normal activity on campus, changes need to be put into place to protect the environment, the students and the university.The first thing that comes to my mind when I see one of these hammocks strapped to the tree is the fact that the straps may degrade the…
By Elizabeth Wellinghoff | ContributorAs April comes to an end, we are closing our university focus on Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the event, Night of Reflection. Friday at 8 p.m., members of the Baylor and Waco communities will come together around Rosenbalm Fountain to reflect on why they commit to preventing sexual assault. Our goal is to highlight the importance of sexual assault awareness as well as reflecting on why our conversations and commitments regarding awareness and prevention should continue beyond April. As we move into the summer and fall, our efforts of prevention can be strengthened by gaining…
With the theatrical release of the new “Avengers: Endgame” movie, we are all walking around on eggshells. Some of us are trying to avoid inadvertently learning major plot elements. On the other hand, those of us lucky enough to have scored opening day tickets are trying to avoid accidentally revealing those major plot elements to the rest of society. Never fear — the Lariat is here to lay down a set of ground rules for navigating the dangerous world of spoilers. Online Hazards Nowadays, the most perilous place after the premiere of a big movie you haven’t seen yet is…
By Emily Starr | ContributorIn one of the first art history classes I took, I wrote a paper on an early work by famous impressionist painter Claude Monet, called “La Pointe de la Hève at Low Tide.” Scholars previously included the piece in the pre-impressionist or realist movement. In my paper, I wrote that there are glimmers of his painterly glory that characterize his later impressionist style, evident in the details of the sky and sea.What’s interesting about this piece compared to his other works is that art critics loved it, while a viewer today may not even recognize that…
By Kasey Foots | ContributorToday, black is the thing to be. Black people are leading the culture — pop culture that is. From what you see on TV to the top artists on the charts, they are all people of color. Representation is so important and seeing people who look like you do things like become the president of the United States or be a community leader in your residence hall at your Predominantly White Institution (PWI) are all things that can be influential in the way one may view themselves and their capabilities.Coming to Baylor, knowing that there would…
By Pinto Lokesh | Contributor Remember how exciting it was to lay your hands on a new book? Remember the anticipation you felt at the idea of diving in a new world, containing cool things such as wizards, mermaids and dolphins? Probably not. Now the sight of a book reminds you of homework, essays and all the projects that needs to be done to keep your GPA afloat. Books stress you out. Wouldn’t you like to actually enjoy reading for a change? What would it look like to have the world of literature at your fingertips? Libby makes this dream…
The world watched last week as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burned to the ground. Notre Dame, perhaps the most well-known cathedral in the world, was home to holy relics and artistic masterpieces, but it was also a holy place for thousands of Parisians to worship. Although the social media uproar has since died down quite a bit, there are still people across the world posting bright, smiling photos of themselves in front of this destroyed landmark, perhaps with a sad caption or simply an emoji. To all those people: Please stop. Now don’t get us wrong, it’s devastating…
By Paige Hardy | ContributorI woke up in my apartment after Easter break thinking about Christ’s resurrection. As a religion major, I am so glad to attend a university where I can study the complexities of the resurrection without fear of being ridiculed for my questions. Well, for the most part. Today, I feel an uncomfortable stirring in my soul. We call Christ a liberator, the one who freed us from our chains. Not only the chains of sin we put upon ourselves, but also the chains others have used to keep us down. Jesus did not silence the voices…
By Isabelle Perello | ContributorWhen I was 15 years old, I was able to learn about sex at my own pace, letting my experience progress or slow down how I wanted. When my friend Bridget was 15 years old, she didn’t have that luxury. Trigger warning: The following story contains elements of sexual assault and emotional abuse. To those who aren’t aware, April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention month. The National Crime Victimization Survey indicates that about 321,500 cases of rape and sexual assault happen each year. Many victims of sexual or emotional abuse in relationships bear the scars…
The Baylor quidditch team competed in the U.S. Quidditch Cup last weekend
