Author: Baylor Lariat

During the presidential election, one of the rising concerns was the attitude that President Donald Trump had toward the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and climate change. Since being elected into office, Trump has signed an executive order that included rolling back standards from President Barack Obama’s time in office, which required the federal government to acknowledge climate change and rising sea-levels in regards to infrastructure. Trump even went as far as to call climate change a “hoax” during his presidential race. Since the repeal, Trump’s administration has done little to acknowledge the changing climate, regardless of the current environmental changes.…

By Joshua Bates | ReporterThe Baylor Choral Department will perform its first show of the season this Friday night at 5 p.m. for family weekend. The Kaleidoscope Choral Concert is a free event and will be held in the Jones Concert Hall in the McCrary Music Building. All choir ensembles in the department will perform with the exception of chamber choir.Dr. Stephen Gusukuma, director of the Women’s Choir and VirtuOSO, the pop a cappella group on campus, said “what’s amazing about all of our ensembles is that we started rehearsals with the start of classes.” He made it clear that…

By Margaret Thonnard | Reporter“After Dark”, Baylor’s annual student variety show, will play 8-10:30 p.m. in Waco Hall this Friday and Saturday.Tickets may be purchased through the BDSC Ticket Office. General admission is $14 online. Student tickets are $10 when purchased with student ID at their office in the SUB, which is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. — 3 p.m.The Waco Hall box office will also open an hour and a half before each show, said Cheryl Mathis, assistant director of Student Activities.Known by other names in the past, “After Dark” has been a Baylor event since the 70s, Mathis said.…

How does it feel when someone makes a snap judgment of us based on our appearance, our social standings or our accomplishments? What does isolation feel like? These are all issues none of us want to encounter in our daily lives, but sadly, these are questions people with special needs face every day. People with disabilities are soldiers, battling against the crowd to show society how worthy they are, to show humanity how they enrich the world and fighting for acceptance. George Orwell once said, “Happiness can only exist in acceptance.” If this is true, it applies universally, and we…

Many young people today are leaving Christianity. A 2014 Pew research study reports one-third of millenials are non-religious, compared to one-fourth of Generation X and one-fifth of Baby Boomers. Over half of Christian teenagers leave the church. One of the top reasons given is Christianity does not possess all of the truth. The dizzying development of science, technology and society makes traditional teachings about God and humanity appear unable to explain the world and meet our needs. In light of such amazing progress, does God matter? From 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, in the Bill Daniel Student…

The original editorial, “Lend a hand to those affected by Hurricane Harvey,” was published on Sept. 4. In the past two weeks, Hurricane Harvey has affected our loved ones in the Houston area and here at Baylor University. As we continue to pray, support and donate to the survivors of Harvey, our community should extend those blessings toward the potential victims of Hurricane Irma, Jose and Katia. Although the majority of those affected are not in the United States, there are still innocent men, women and children who deserve help from a Christian community like Baylor. The countries in the…

The original editorial, “University Parks Drive: safety first, construction later,” was published on Sept. 9. Compared to the on-campus sidewalk and bike lane system, its S. University Parks Drive counterpart is sorely underdeveloped and, frankly, hazardous. As a current resident of University Parks apartment, I have frequently walked to and from campus and across that terrifying stretch on La Salle Avenue, which requires pedestrians to cross almost blindly to the median, as their view is obstructed by a cluster of trees. It would make a world of difference if there was a clearly marked pedestrian walkway from the University Parks…

Just about every student on campus scowls in disgust when they meet someone who lives in “Crusty” Collins. They begrudgingly ask about how living there is, already knowing what the answer will be; “The community is great, but it sure is old and gross.” The outdated utilities are only one aspect of what makes this dorm “crusty.” While the girls who reside there are typically very forthcoming people, no one can deny the question as to whether the residence hall would truly pass an inspection. Within the first weeks of being there, the elevator broke down twice, a shower head…

The original editorial, “We defend the American Dream, therefore, we defend DACA—our ‘dreamers’,” was published on Sept. 5. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent or simply refuse to identify with the party system, the consensus is that that Trump’s latest executive action directly attacks the moral foundation this country was built upon. When a president takes action such as this, it is the moral prerogative of the electorate to take action to overturn and prevent future attacks on the American Dream. Right now, that action would be to vote in the 2018 congressional elections. This does not mean you…

The original editorial, “Parking efforts are evident but still not working,” was published on Aug. 31. Parking garages on campus are dangerous. It doesn’t matter if someone is running late to class or taking their time, people speed in them. What’s worse is that you have to be careful when you are driving so you don’t get too close to the parked cars, but also because most students walking to their cars have headphones in and aren’t paying attention. If that isn’t bad enough, the parking spots on the ends of lanes are designated for compact cars only, so the…

It is not uncommon for community leaders at Baylor to tell students that if they consume alcohol they must find a place to “crash” instead of returning to their dorm intoxicated, because they may have to get law enforcement involved. The dangers of alcohol abuse need to be addressed, even at a dry, Christian school, yet the current conversation is unhealthy and ineffective. In order to start a positive narrative surrounding the dangers of drinking, there needs to be a culture of transparency as a school. Students placing themselves in a hazardous position because they are intoxicated and afraid of…

The original article, “Run, Bears, Run: Tips for your first Baylor Line,” was published on Sept. 1. When I clicked this article, I wanted to hear direct tips on how to handle running the Line. Which section of the Line leads to the best injury free experience? How do you handle the pushing? Is it possible to get the iconic running Snapchat story and if so, is it worth it? Instead, I got information about the Chamber and people’s feelings about running the Line for their first or last time. I would say there were two general tips dispersed through…

The two-back-to-back category four hurricanes that made landfall in the United States has kept our hearts and thoughts occupied. Now, reports say southern California could get hit with an 8.2 earthquake. But as the U.S. battles our beasts of nature, the rest of the world struggles too. In Mexico, an 8.2 earthquake tore down buildings and killed about 96 people. One million people are left without food, water and shelter. But while the citizens of Mexico are desperate, our administration remains silent about the destruction. In the Caribbean Islands, 90 percent of the buildings were leveled by Hurricane Irma’s wrath…

On Thursday, United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced her plan to review and replace Obama-era Title IX guidelines, calling it a “failed system” of sexual assault enforcement on campus. Earlier this year marked the 45th anniversary of Title IX’s implementation. In June 1972, Congress enacted Title IX of the Education Amendments, prohibiting sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial aid. In April 2011, the national Office for Civil Rights issued the “Dear Colleague” letter, stating that sexual violence is harassment, putting it under the jurisdiction of Title IX. The letter also…

Remember two years ago when our football team was one of the top programs in the country? Remember when we beat Texas Christian University 61-58? Remember when our football team had major bowl game appearances? Conversations like these have been typical over the course of the past week, as older students reminisce on the days of good old Baylor football and the energy inside the stadium of a winning team. As Baylor football travels to North Carolina after losing to Liberty University two weeks ago and the University of Texas at San Antonio this past weekend, fans are losing faith…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tonight on DFTB, Jakob and Thomas reveal a possible reason for Baylor benching QB Anu Solomon for the school’s game against Duke. Later in the show, the guys play “Reasonable or Overreaction” when they look at week one of the NFL season. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Waco is a college town, but does not have the proper road and safety measures that students need to walk to the farther parts of campus and parts of Waco that are in walking distance. The City of Waco owns the portion of S. University Parks Drive that reaches from Dutton Avenue to La Salle Avenue, and there are some major issues with the way these roads work in regards to pedestrian and biker traffic. Some issues can be solved by simply putting in the time to walk to safer crossroads, but some require a change in the way the…

While studying abroad in Europe for the past few months, I feared wearing my kippah (a traditional head covering worn by Jewish men) because of the prevalence of Neo-Nazi terror in recent years. Fascist parties have gained some power throughout the continent, and violence has been known to erupt against the targets of their hatred. I thought I would be safe when I came back home. Then, the week after I returned, Neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville and murdered at least one innocent woman, while injuring dozens more. Baylor University is a Baptist institution, which means that we have an obligation…

Appreciate the literature outside your comfort zone to learn something new

By J. Andrew Mackenzie and Samuel C. Still | Guest Columnists“God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un.” This latest promulgation from megachurch Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress comes as an implicit endorsement of the president’s warning that “North Korea best not make any more threats… [and] will be met with fire [and] fury like the world has never seen.” Not insensitive to the fact that such an overt declaration of divine right would be controversial to many within the Christian community, Dr. Jeffress acknowledges that “some Christians, perhaps younger Christians, have to think this through.” As two…

When massive disasters such as war, starvation, disease, fire or unpredictable storms occur in other parts of the world, we Americans might say a quick prayer and maybe donate money to aid those in turmoil. When those disasters are happening in our very own country, however, it’s a bit more difficult to stay far removed from the wreckage. Hurricane Harvey left one of America’s largest cities in shambles, and with Hurricane Irma quickly closing in on the East Coast and fires eating away at Montana and other parts of the Northwest, we see that we have little time to prepare…

As of Friday, texting and driving is illegal in the state of Texas (see Lariat and LTVN coverage here). House Bill 62 was signed into law on June 6 by Gov. Greg Abbott, making Texas the 47th state to ban texting and driving. With this new law, the consequence of a first offense is a $25 to $99 fine and a second offense is a $100 to $200 fine. According to Rasansky Law Firm, the new law also states that if an accident caused by texting and driving results in the death or serious injury of another person, the driver…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tonight, the boys react to Baylor’s embarrassing loss to Liberty where they will play a clip from Matt Rhule’s press conference. After, Jakob and Thomas will play “CFB fill in the blank” and also predict the NFL playoffs.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

America wants to deport our “dreamers.”

The pictures and stories coming from victims of Hurricane Harvey break our hearts; it’s been over a week since the storm hit. For some of us, it might be easy to say a quick prayer and move on, but for others the storm is far from over. For approximately 25 percent of students, Harvey has affected their hometowns. For those of us not affected, there is still a lot we can and should do to help. First, support your friends and those around you. With 3,972 students affected, it is likely you know someone who has been touched by the…

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