From wolf whistles to cat calls, some men seem unable to recognize that verbal sexual harassment is never welcome. In a 2018 study on sexual harassment and assault, commissioned by the Stop Street Harassment organization, 65 percent of those surveyed reported experiencing street harassment in the form of “someone whistling, honking, making kissy noises, ‘Pssst’ sounds, or leering/staring aggressively.” Furthermore, 66 percent of women reported experiencing some kind of sexual harassment in a public space. We all have a role to play in ending verbal sexual harassment. This kind of behavior is part of a larger social phenomenon that accepts…
Author: Baylor Lariat
We all have the relative that sits at the table during Thanksgiving, lighting the conversation on fire with their hot takes and weirdly specific facts they seem to pull out of nowhere. Usually it’s focused on politics, but sometimes it’s a weird fact they found on Facebook.You normally just brush it off, but it still sticks with you. You don’t take time to look it up online or check if it’s factual. Instead, you go and share the statistic with some friends, and it spreads. This can all be easily avoided by simply taking a few moments out of your…
Kathy Khang, speaker, activist, former director of campus access initiatives with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, and author of the book “Raising Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up,” was recently invited to speak in Chapel on Feb. 18. She is also one of the few Asian-American speakers we have ever had on campus. Her sermon text was Mark 5:21-33, the story of Jairus’s daughter and the bleeding woman. She shaped the sermon around the idea of having privilege and using such advantages to help those who are not as fortunate. She used several examples to highlight recent…
Baylor is a university well known for its school spirit, traditions and pride most evident in its athletic events. While football and basketball games and even the occasional soccer match have become seminal Baylor social events, baseball games at Baylor Ballpark are gems that largely remain untouched by the student body. While the Bear Pit and the Baylor Line provide a cauldron of support for the basketball and football teams respectively, the baseball team has had no such fortune. In fact, those of us who do go to games regularly would be hard-pressed to tell you what sections students should…
The practice of shaking your sillies out should be carried into college. College students exist in a perpetual state of sitting: from attending class to studying at the library to bingeing TV at home. Incorporating walking into an everyday routine benefits the mind, body and environment.A trend among elementary schools have started promoting movement breaks during the school day. While primary schools have blocked out class periods for recess, college students enjoy the freedom of more flexible hours. Walks, which can be as short as five minutes, do not even require a pre-planned schedule.Walks are arguably the most accessible form…
It’s almost impossible to not to sound like a grandparent looking back on a their long and happy life when you start a sentence with, “Kids these days,” … but nevertheless…Kids these days love YouTube. Although a majority of Baylor students don’t actually have a child, most can say that they have a younger sibling, niece, nephew or neighbor, and many of those sweet little kiddos spend hours a day watching videos on a tablet, iPod touch or smartphone. YouTube needs better child-proof systems in place for parents. This was evidenced early last week by the discovery of disturbing videos…
By Libby Feray | ContributorDear Lariat Editorial Board,I appreciated your recent editorial on how Baylor could do more to fight food insecurity among its students. The sober statistic you mentioned is that nearly 20 percent of Baylor students experience some level of food insecurity, or lack of access to affordable, nutritious food. While you highlighted several contributing issues which only authorities at Baylor can address, such as the need for more affordable meal plans or an extended shuttle system to take students to the grocery store, I wanted to inform you that there are many ways students themselves can fight…
For those of us who shop online, Christmas comes more than once a year. Instead of shuffling down the chimney, Santa knocks on our doors, dressed in a FedEx delivery uniform. Searching for that feeling of euphoria that comes from receiving a gift — even one you got yourself — in a brown cardboard box can be an addictive, wasteful and expensive habit. Researchers from Beijing Normal University published a study in 2017 that linked the addictive behavior of online shopping to internet addiction and compulsive buying. That is to say, online shopping addiction has connections to not one but…
In this day and age, we as journalists find ourselves having to defend our stances and face increased scrutiny. Because news outlets are desperately trying to fully represent their audience, we see more and more newsrooms aiming to include more diverse applicants in their team. While the term “diversity” is often associated with socioeconomic and ethnic background, newsrooms should also strive to incorporate reporters with diverse political perspectives and life experiences. We have seen a rapid increase in minority journalists in the last few years. According to the 2018 diversity survey conducted annually by the American Society of News Editors,…
Approximately half of the country’s college students are food insecure, according to a 2017 study published in the Educational Researcher. Food insecurity is the lack of access to affordable, nutrient-filled food. Baylor’s campus is no exception. In 2015, campus research showed that nearly 20 percent of the Baylor population is food insecure. That’s roughly 3,000 students who don’t know where their next meal will come from. Baylor has been taking many steps to correct this issue, and it’s made plenty of strides in that area — the creation of The Store and The Fridge are both effective ways to provide…
The world would be a stranger to songs like “Look at me!” by XXXTentacion or “Star shopping” by Lil Peep if it wasn’t for Soundcloud. This streaming platform is primarily used by hip-hop and rap artists and takes their songs from underground sensations to national phenomenon.Soundcloud is a hassle-free way to upload your music and try to create buzz around the brand you are building for yourself. It’s more convenient than YouTube because you can play music while your phone is locked, and it’s specifically geared towards music creators rather than video producers.Many artists have used their Soundcloud stardom to…
From an early age, most children are taught they can become whatever they want to be. If they have a passion for healing others, they can become a doctor; if they enjoy working with animals, they can become a veterinarian; if they’re moved by music, they can become a singer or dancer. However, some children grow up with these ideas of what they want to do and who they want to be, only to have their dreams squashed by discriminatory employers. There are various forms of workplace discrimination, including limitations based on gender, religion, weight and others. Race is a…
Coming to college, there are plenty of things we need to adjust to, not only in the classroom, but especially the rigors of living independently. While it may seem small, HEB does more to help the Baylor student assimilate to life on their own more than any business in the area. Unless you come from central or southern Texas, HEB was probably not the grocery store chain you grew up with. With Baylor’s diverse student population hailing from all corners of the United States, students come in from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, Stop and Shop or Trader Joe’s households and are…
Since the increased popularity of the Enneagram test, knowing someone’s number allows us to form assumptions about the personalities of people around us. The Enneagram can reduce complex, unique people to a simple personality type. While tools such as the Enneagram help us learn about ourselves and relate to those around us — especially since college is prime time for self-discovery — they should never be used in isolation or taken at face value.The Enneagram, a test that identifies nine personality types, has risen to popularity recently. It identifies people’s prime processing methods — thinking, feeling or instinctive — as…
Hashtags like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have been used to call out injustices against marginalized groups. Less discussed, however, is the discrimination overweight people face.In the past decade, the prevalence of weight discrimination in the U.S. has increased to reach rates comparable to that of racial discrimination, according to the American Journal of Public Health.While federal law prohibits workplace mistreatment on the basis of race, age, gender or religion, only one of the 50 states, Michigan, has any legal protections against weight-based discrimination.Weight stigmas may have remained socially acceptable because it has been suggested as a method for obesity control. The…
Sam Cedar | Contributor What a beautiful season this is. A season that allows us to reflect on just how fun the opening night of “Black Panther” was, wonder how “Shallow” could still be stuck in our heads three months after seeing “A Star Is Born” or marvel in awe at just how fat Christian Bale got to play Dick Cheney. That’s right, it’s Oscar season. So without further ado, my Oscar predictions go to… Best Picture: The Favourite Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his eclectic directing style and shock value, previously releasing critically divisive movies like “The…
Despite the age-old saying that sticks and stones break bones but words don’t hurt, words as well as tone can cause harm, especially at a young age.Even in their most formative years, humans are still sensitive to the language that others use, according to Dr. Patty O’Grady in an article for TeachThought. O’Grady advises that kindness must be experienced to be learned, and that in the same way, negativity and abuse can be learned if that is what is being demonstrated.Because these traits must be taught, it almost goes without saying that children should be educated by people who want…
A plea to the Baylor co-eds
As college students we’re embarking on life on our own terms with no parents around to tell us what to do. Many times, that can be amazing — staying up late with your friends, being able to make whatever you want for breakfast, lunch and dinner — the opportunities are endless. However, when it comes to some of the more practical aspects of life as a young adult, we can be in the dark more than we probably should be. This is especially true in the case of knowing your legal rights. Whether you get pulled over by a police…
When you think back on your earliest birthday parties, memories of handwriting invitations to all the kids in your class on balloon-decorated stationery come to mind. Later on, you might have used e-cards to invite your closest middle school friends to your super cool sleepover party. Around high school, when Facebook was all the rage, Facebook Events provided an easy, one stop-shop for all your invitation and event planning needs. As Facebook grows increasingly obsolete as a social network for our generation, Instagram should create an event page feature as the next step in the evolution of invitations. Since many…
When Academy Award presenters speak the fateful words, “And the Oscar goes to…” the film name that follows will not only be a chance for Hollywood to pat itself on the back, but also an indication of what issues mattered most to movie viewers last year.The 2019 Academy Awards will serve as an opportunity to revisit the greatest films of the past year as well as the cultural and political themes that mattered most in 2018. Film, like any art form, brings viewers into an experience, often asking difficult questions and challenging our preconceptions by presenting us with new, diverse…
An integral part of the college student experience is late nights. The prime time for fellowship and camaraderie is in the wee hours of the morning after a long day of studying at Moody Memorial Library.Yet, Baylor students have limited options for places to go. With the recent closing of IHOP on South Fourth Street, Baylor students lost one of the few late night establishments within walking distance from campus.Especially for underclassmen, many of whom do not have cars and are too young to go to bars, having a go-to hang out spot would enrich their college experience.An alternative weekend…
Imagine this: You’re sitting in class and the student next to you is wearing a Beatles T-shirt and, to make polite conversation, the professor asks the student who her favorite Beatle is. The student then proceeds to say — and this is where those of you with weak stomachs should turn away — that she is so unfamiliar with their work that she couldn’t name a single member of the band that is widely regarded as the greatest collection of humans ever to pick up instruments.This incident is part of a much larger issue we face in 2019, and it…
Cooking is a worry to many college students, especially when they’re on their own for the first time. You can’t rely on your mom to make you lunch or the dining hall to always have food ready for you. It’s now up to you to make your own meals. This scares a lot of college students, and many turn to meal prep services like Blue Apron or HelloFresh to plan the meal for them. It sounds like an appealing option because all you have to do is fire up the stove, but these services are a waste of money and…
As Baylor works toward becoming a nationally recognized research institution, the assignment of graduate students to primary teaching positions should be reconsidered.While Baylor exceeds the national average for percentage of full-time instructors, 79 percent, as opposed to the 51 percent average, there is always room for improvement. The university boasts of its 14:1 student-faculty ratio, but this number fails to reflect the classrooms left without a full-time faculty member. According to College Factual, there were 610 graduate assistants “that teach or provide teaching-related duties” when College Factual conducted its analysis.Graduate assistants should be supplementary to a full-time faculty member, not…
By Isabelle Perello | ContributorWhile I think the Mason Ramsey (“From Walmart to Waco: Mason Ramsey to host concert at Baylor” published Feb. 4) concert is a good fundraiser idea from Baylor’s Greek life organizations, I think the excitement over Mason Ramsey highlights how we as a society allow Internet fame to determine what it means to be talented. Mason Ramsey has gotten a record deal simply from one viral video of him yodeling in a Walmart. While it was a cute moment, I hardly believe many record labels go out of their way to find yodeling 12-year-old boys, probably…
During the spring semester, seniors are faced with all sorts of life-changing moments — we are experiencing plenty of “lasts,” a few “firsts,” and we’re all trying to figure out what the heck we’re going to do with our lives. Mix in the bittersweet goodbyes we have to say, both to the university we love and to the people who have made our lives so special for the past four years, and it’s safe to say that seniors have quite a bit of soul searching on their plate. Although our society often says that we have to know what we’re…
Imagine it’s Sunday morning: You wake up to your alarm letting you know it’s time to get ready for church. For some, that looks like taking a shower, putting on their Sunday best and heading out for a morning service at their local church. For others, that means rolling out of bed, pulling out their laptop and pulling up a live stream of their favorite church.This is a reality for a lot of modern day Christians. With the technology many churches have, more and more Christians, primarily young adults, have turned to streaming their favorite churches from the comfort of…
What is a W-2 and why is your employer suddenly sending you mail? Why do some states want more money from you than others? And why on earth do your parents keep saying you are their dependent when you haven’t lived with them for years, and you pay for all your own groceries? Taxes can be confusing if you have never done them on your own before, and they will continue to be confusing if you do not take the time now to understand the process that you will have to do every spring for the rest of your life.…
In this week’s episode of Lariat TV News Today, our anchors cover the three reported rapes at South Russell Hall, the results of the Shawn Oakman hearing on Friday and where to find Girl Scout cookies around Waco.
