By Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Brenda Tracy looked out from the stage at a ballroom filled with at least 3,000 football coaches and was terrified. Being invited to speak to the American Football Coaches Association’s annual convention gave her the biggest audience yet to discuss how to stop sexual assault and violence against women. So Tracy walked around throughout her 20-minute segment Monday until leaving the stage when finished. She heard the loud applause but missed the standing ovation from many coaches in the audience. Not that it mattered, with so many coaches stopping her and thanking her for…
Author: Baylor Lariat
By Jim Vertuno | Associated Press AUSTIN — Former Baylor football coach Art Briles sued three school regents and a vice president for libel and slander Thursday, accusing them of falsely stating he knew of reported assaults and alleged gang rapes by players and didn’t report them. The lawsuit also asserts that Baylor officials conspired to damage his reputation and keep him from getting another coaching job. It also seeks damages for emotional distress and likely ending his career as a coach “on any level.” “Some people think themselves above the law, but the laws of Texas establish accountability for everyone,…
By Jacquelyn Kellar | Broadcast Managing Editor In the spirit of the upcoming Christmas season, students are donating to alpha Kappa Delta Phi’s Clothing Drive. It can be easy for some college students, clad in name brands and warm winter clothes, to forget what it’s like for those who are less fortunate. In hopes to clear some students’ closets while also providing for others, aKDPhi has donation boxes stationed on campus. “We thought it would be a perfect time, since we just had Thanksgiving break, the holidays are coming up, to host a clothing drive to help the Waco youth,”…
December is finally here, and with it comes the whirlwind of the Christmas countdown, the drop in temperatures and the final stretch before the end of semester. It is sometimes easy to get wrapped up in the stress of finals and gift-getting during the season, but it is important to keep in mind those who are near and dear.Following a long semester of independence and exemplifying the college lifestyle, going back to your family’s house can feel a bit constraining. Being back in close quarters with possibly different schedules and expectations from family members can cause resentment. However, spending your…
By Megan McCasland | ContributorTo get all the wiggles out, 40 first- through fifth-graders, chatting excitedly with the volunteers who picked them up, walk two blocks every day after school from Dean Highland Elementary School to Highland Baptist Church. Once there, they play on the playground, have snacks, go through a rotation between a Bible story, play games, receive tutoring and finish homework.This program is called WiN, which stands for “Wisdom and iNstruction from the Lord,” and is a mentoring and tutoring program that happens every Monday through Friday after school for three hours in between when the students get…
Plato wrote “To prefer evil to good is not in human nature; and when a man is compelled to choose one of two evils, no one will choose the greater when he might have the less.” The argument of innate human evil stretches back to the early days of the Greek and Roman renaissance. How can humans have the power to be so good and still commit atrocities against their fellow men? Is it in our nature, or are we taught to behave that way? Can we change? All of these questions circle in our heads when we watch the…
You recently announced that you will not be releasing past minutes from your quarterly meetings. Individuals such as John Eddie Williams, a Baylor donor and member of the Bears for Leadership Reform, have criticized this decision. Sure, you will release future minutes, but that’s not enough. We join with alumni and former regents such as Drayton McLane to call for complete transparency.For a governing body that has been under such national scrutiny for its lack of transparency, one would think this would be an opportunity to exonerate yourselves. There are sure to be some of you who are fighting for…
Video by Christina Soto | Broadcast Reporter and story by Adrian Sainz | Associated Press MIAMI — Joaquin Palacio adored his grandfather’s tobacco farm in Cuba’s lush Pinar Del Rio province. As a boy he learned to plow the land, grow crops and ride his black horse, Centella. Before Fidel Castro, it was a place for vacations from the family’s home in Havana, and a classroom for learning responsibility and hard work. “It was a good life. There was no conflict, no issues,” Palacio said Monday, wearing a fishing shirt as he sat on a sofa surrounded by tropical trees…
By Luis Benavides and Joshua Goodman | Associated Press MEDELLIN, Colombia — A chartered plane with a Brazilian first division soccer team crashed near Medellin while on its way to the finals of a regional tournament, killing 75 people, Colombian officials said. Six people survived. The British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, operated by a charter airline named LaMia, declared an emergency and lost radar contact just before 10 p.m. Monday (0300 GMT) because of an electrical failure, aviation authorities said. The aircraft, which had departed from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was transporting the Chapecoense soccer team from southern Brazil for the…
You’ve been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It has metastasized in your lungs, your bones, your lymph nodes; you have only weeks, months, years, and the best of modern medicine is doing little to abate your suffering. You’re exhausted. You’re dying. Given the chance, would you take the opportunity to use an unapproved drug smuggled in from another country? Because of the extensive, multi-tiered drug approval process implemented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many people with terminal diagnoses are doing just this, a movement that serves to highlight the immediate need for the FDA to create a streamlined…
By Megan Rule | Staff Writer There’s another name on the ballot when voting for president, and that is the name of the vice presidential candidate, a role that sometimes gets overlooked. “There are two principle reasons why the role of the vice president is important,” said Congressman William Flores, United States Representative for Texas’ District 17. “The first is that the vice president is a heartbeat away from being president, and the second reason is because of the constitution, the vice president is the president of the Senate. So, if you have a situation where the senate is tied,…
By Andrew Welsh-Huggins and Julie Carr Smyth | Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man plowed his car into a group of pedestrians at Ohio State University and then got out and began stabbing people with a butcher knife Monday morning before he was shot to death by a police officer, authorities said. Nine people were hurt, one critically, and police said they were investigating the possibility it was a terrorist attack. The FBI and other agencies joined the investigation. The details emerged after a morning of confusion and conflicting reports that began with the university issuing a series of…
By Christina Soto | Broadcast Reporter On Nov. 17, Baylor Veteran Education and Transition Services (VETS) hosted a ceremony to recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond to help a veteran. Every semester, Baylor Veterans gives a Challenger Coin to an individual or individuals who has made a difference in their life. There were several guest speakers at the ceremony, and Interim President Dr. David E. Garland, a U.S. Navy Veteran, shared opening remarks. He stated that he was honored to be one of the only presidents of a university who is a veteran. Garland expressed how different it…
By Deidre Martinez | Lariat Washington Bureau The results of the presidential election have raised more questions than answers. But as the campaign dust settles, it has become increasingly evident that the country has yet to understand the complexity of the Latino vote. From the moment then-Republican candidate Donald Trump unveiled an immigration platform based on building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and associated Mexican immigrants with “crime,” “drugs” and “rapists,” a narrative emerged in which a newly-united group of Latinos would come flocking to the polls to vote against him. They were, as many people put it, a,…
Video and story by Morgan Kilgo | Broadcast Reporter Baylor’s annual Thanksgiving and Fall Festival hosted by the student government and student foundation was held on Wednesday night. Baylor students, faculty and staff came out to Fountain Mall to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner which included turkey, ham, mash potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie at the annual Thanksgiving and Fall Festival. The event was held by the student government and student foundation and offered a chance for students to mingle on campus before Thanksgiving break. Similar to many Baylor students, Lufkin junior Reed Glass and Houston senior Burke Millard have made…
Our environment is changing, and we’re witnessing it every year. The summers are getting longer and hotter and the winters shorter and warmer. Policies on immigration, tax rates and health care aren’t the only ones affecting our lives, but it seems these issues are the only ones that matter in comparison to environmental policies. One day, controversies over whether ObamaCare was effective or not will become trivial when our world becomes irreversibly polluted.President Barack Obama, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, proposed the Clean Power Plan on Aug. 3, 2015. According to the EPA, this plan is vital for…
By Katie Mahaffey | Broadcast Reporter Ejay Mallard may not be on the radar yet, but he plans to change that by breaking in to the music industry. He describes his music style as a mix between Frank Ocean and Kanye West. Mallard is a junior computer science major from Paramount, Calif., who is passionate about making music. He hopes to make a positive impact on people and connect with them through his songs. “It all started with me being in church choir as usual just basically growing a love for God and seeing that I can use my vocal…
For those who find their party without government representation following the presidential election: do not take this as a sign of failure, or a beginning to the end. The current president-elect will be in office for a guaranteed four years, but the rest all depends on how you apply yourself in future elections.The election has been over for a week now, and the data concerning the votes behind the votes is telling as to the future of the country. According to the New York Times, voters aged 18 to 29 were not represented by their states. A majority, 55 percent…
By Dr. Karalyn Humphrey | Guest ColumnistDear President-elect Trump,Let me begin by expressing my sincerest hopes that your time as our president will be successful. While I did not vote for you, I believe that we all want a prosperous country. And because I believe that we all want this, I stand ready to lend my full support to those policies that will bring jobs back to this country, raise people out of poverty and reinvigorate our middle class. What we are witnessing in the aftermath of this election, however, goes far beyond economics.Many people are frightened right now, Mr.…
By Elisabeth Tharp | Broadcast Intern Minorities all around the United States are in shock over the new President-elect, Donald J. Trump. During the 2016 election Trump spoke harshly towards several groups of minorities across the United States, and they aren’t enthusiastic about the new leader of their country. “Coming out of the election right now I definitely feel like there is a huge sense of tension…an aura of unrest in our country,” Dallas junior Pablo Gonzales said. “There is definitely a huge divide.” His coarse words have created riots and protests across the nation. “Personally I was really offended…
On Nov. 8, the results of one of the most polarizing elections in recent history were finalized, and approximately half the country was left shell shocked.For those glued to the polls on election night, the results became apparent state by state, and as the night wore on, it became evident that the United States would not be celebrating the inauguration of its first female president this January. Disappointed in the democratic process and fearful of the rhetoric that characterized Donald Trump’s campaign, people across the nation, and even a few from around the globe, used the internet as a sounding…
By Morgan Kilgo | Broadcast Reporter With all the political hubbub, the Lariat wanted to find out what Baylor students knew about the roles of the president. The results? See for yourself!
By Haley Morrison | Contributor Tuesday Nov. 8’s, results brought a presidential win for Donald Trump as well as a Republican victory for the Senate and the House of Representatives. This is the first time in eight years that the same party has controlled both the Executive and Legislative branches. The Republican party hasn’t held the majority in both the House, Senate and presidency since 2005. David Schleicher, Waco lawyer and former Democratic party chair of McLennan County, said he is interested in seeing what Donald Trump does to protect the working class, as he promised in the first presidential…
By Jacquelyn Kellar | Broadcast Managing Editor After almost a century since the 19th amendment was passed and women won the right to vote, the gender gap in the 2016 election was especially polarized. When women first voted as a large demographic in the election of 1920, politicians were surprised to see that women voted just like men, split along party lines. After the 1924 election, they stopped catering directly to women. This was one of the first elections in almost 100 years to see the majority of women vote for one candidate and men to vote for another.
By Riley Choquette | Guest Columnist Blame for the mishandling of Baylor sexual assault cases has surpassed the outrage that should exist over the occurrence of actual rapes. Now some faculty and students, along Baylor alumni — powerful, valued alumni whom I believe actually care for the university — have set themselves in opposition to the Board of Regents. This effort centers itself on assigning blame (a thin, yet distinct line between that and accountability) for the mishandling of assault cases. People in authority at Baylor did not live up to the requirements of their authority. Perhaps this was intentional,…
Donald Trump is the president-elect. As it stands, a majority of the citizens did not vote for our future president, and many people are upset about that. On the other hand, through our election process, Trump won the presidency fairly, and many people are OK with that.No matter who you voted for, what color your skin is, what gender you are or who you choose to love, hate is not the answer. Hate will only function to further the partisan divide that continues to plague our politics. Last Wednesday, Natasha Nkhama, a fellow Baylor student, posted a video on Facebook.…
