Story by Gavin Pugh | Digital Managing Editor and McKenna Middleton | Page One Editor and video by Jacquelyn Kellar | Broadcast Managing Editor and Katie Mahaffey | Broadcast Reporter Baylor campus was on lockdown from 2:53 p.m. to 3:37 p.m Thursday due to the presence of an active shooter. The shooter, Tyrell Jordan Dever, 26, was arrested by Waco police at 4 p.m. Thursday. He has since been charged with the murder of Frederick Lee Clark, 20. The shooting took place on 9th St. and Garrett Ave. at a parking lot where two men were gambling, Waco police reported on their Facebook…
Author: Baylor Lariat
This Sunday, the political battlegrounds reopen for Secretary Hillary Clinton and businessman Donald Trump to continue fighting for the presidency of the United States. At the first debate on Sept. 26, both candidates showed up with guns blazing, ready to shoot each other down to get the desired results. According to CNN, this monumental debate had a record-breaking audience of over 80 million viewers, and unfortunately, it can be summed up in three words: unprecedented, unprofessional and disappointing. When watching a presidential debate, one would expect the participants to be just that: presidential. However, Clinton and Trump were both decidedly…
Michael Incavo’s letter run on Oct. 4 addresses an important problem — homelessness — but he ends up revealing a great deal of naivety on the subject of religion and the economy. His letter is one-sided, offering specific information on the benefits of working at a Church’s Chicken while offering only his personal anecdotes about how local churches fail to address homelessness. Are Church’s Chicken restaurants really directly dealing with the issue of homelessness? Doubtful. Are local churches really doing nothing? Also doubtful. Please provide evidence, Mr. Incavo, that local pastors (and more importantly, their congregations) are “nowhere to be…
As students, we savor the days we are excused from classes. The same zeal with which we used to anticipate Christmas day as children is now applied to every benign holiday between the first day of classes and finals. We plan for these days and revel in them, whether we use them to sleep, catch up on homework or just to de-stress. That being said, Baylor’s traditional fall break, a school-invented holiday that cancels classes on a seemingly random mid-semester Friday, is simply a one-day extension of a normal weekend thrown in to appease overworked students. Students, faculty and staff…
By Kalyn Story | Staff Writer Baylor’s first full-time Title IX coordinator, Patty Crawford, has resigned. Baylor released a statement late Monday night announcing her resignation. The statement attributed her resignation to the response to the recommendations from the Pepper Hamilton report. “Our understanding is that Patty was disappointed in her role in implementing the recommendations that resulted from the Pepper Hamilton investigation,” the statement announcing her resignation said. “The University is grateful for Patty’s leadership in establishing fair and equitable Title IX processes that are also supportive of the needs of survivors.” The Pepper Hamilton law firm completed their…
As midterm study guides fill binders and group study sessions consume evenings, this semester’s workload starts to take its toll on students. Stress is no stranger to the student body this time of year. Rather than relying on the weekends to decompress, students should take advantage of the facilities offered by Baylor – specifically their newly revamped counseling center. Baylor recently implemented a $5 million plan which expands the Title IX office, counseling center and Department of Public Safety. With their portion, the counseling center has hired more counselors and other staff, lengthened their hours of operation and nixed their…
After reading the gushing Sept. 20 column about the immense value of pastors to the nation and community, I wondered something. According to my count from a church-finding website, I am showing almost 300 churches in the Waco area — That’s at least 300 pastors. Yet I can’t drive so far as Taco Bell without being begged two or three times for money or a meal. The homeless in our area include hundreds of adults and 1,400 Waco ISD students. These people make homes out of vacant storefronts, bridge underpasses and worse. In 2013, 15,000 school kids in Waco, that’s…
Student advising comes around once every semester. For the lucky ones, there is only one appointment to attend, and it happens to be with a member of their own department. For the vast majority, this may or may not be a possibility. Let’s take a look at Shaina’s plan for her years at Baylor. She was accepted into the BIC program, would like to major double major in journalism and environmental science and is also a student athlete. Jerry, on the other hand, is planning on majoring in business with no additional majors or minors. Shaina will be required to…
In her Sept. 27 column, “Don’t forget about ASL,” Kalyn Story questions why American Sign Language cannot fulfill the language requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences. Although the department of Modern Languages and Cultures agrees that ASL is indeed a worthy discipline, we nevertheless maintain that it cannot replace the value of studying a modern language and its culture. The author correctly cites our website which states the need for proficiency in a second language to be able to participate in “today’s multicultural society and global community”. She also quotes Baylor’s mission statement “to educate men and women…
Thomas and Jakob talk panic time for the Cardinals and Panthers, teams worse than the Browns and their dream college football playoff.
By Jacquelyn Kellar | Broadcast Managing Editor The newest special exhibit at the Mayborn Museum is National Geographic’s Sacred Journeys, which follows five fictional students in their religious trips across the world. The exhibit highlights the five main world religions with not only National Geographic photography, but with stunning artifacts and relics. Conservation and Exhibition Manager for Collections at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Christy O’Grady traveled all the way from Indiana to ensure that the exhibit’s most prized items were delivered and displayed safely. “I think a lot of people will really be amazed by the throne of the…
The reminder to wear your seatbelt while driving is easily recognized by Texas’ ‘click-it or ticket’ jingle played on the radio. This is similarly matched with the multiple campaign ads targeted against drunken driving. However, very few market against driving while tired, an issue that pertains especially to students. For college students, late nights and fatigue are somewhat inevitable. Busy schedules can lead to study sessions late into the evening and early morning wake up classes. This can add up to a number of sleepless nights. It becomes easy to prioritize work over sleep at times, but doing so causes…
One of the greatest advantages of technology is the ability to bring communities together, regardless of how spatially separated the individuals may be. This allows cyber communities to share in each other’s lives, both the good and bad parts, and contribute to one another when needed. GoFundMe is an online platform that is perfect for this. The site touts itself as being the No. 1 resource for online fundraising and crowdfunding. Just about anyone with a Facebook account has seen how a GoFundMe campaign can help those online rally around a member of a community who needs support, especially when…
Baylor has made strides to provide students with affordable, accessible transportation to and from campus, and around Waco. Through services such as the Baylor University Shuttle (BUS) and the rentable Zipcar, students have the means to get where they need to go. But students who simply need a quick way to get across campus every now and then may not want to invest in a bicycle. Cities like New York and Austin have implemented bike-sharing services, where members can simply insert a provided key, swipe their card, or punch in a code to quickly get on the road. Similarly, Baylor…
By Katie Mahaffey | Broadcast Reporter He rides around campus on an old bike with spoons attached to it, wearing bandana pants he made himself. Dallas senior William Harkness knows that he attracts attention with his unusual appearance, impressive biking abilities and funky music. “Uh, well, I’m a super star and that’s just how it is. But you know, the attention is cool and all but people don’t really get a chance to know me. It’s all good though,” Harkness said. He says he is a conservative Christian who is well-rounded and likes to “flash, sparkle, and shine like a…
While biking to class might be a faster option for off-campus students, it certainly is not the safest. For students who walk and drive to class, bicyclists pose a certain danger. It is time for bicyclists to understand that they are subjected to the rules of the road. This includes maintaining a safe speed, yielding to pedestrians and stopping at stop signs. Far too often, I see bicyclists who ignore these rules and almost collide with other students who are walking or driving. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, “bikes are entitled to all rights and obligated to all…
Since classes started this semester, I have nearly been run over by a bicyclist or run into by a pedestrian, nose-deep in their phone almost daily. If you ride a bike, and notice there is a large group of people passing, either wait or walk your bike through at an appropriate time. When walking full speed along with a crowd of people, we shouldn’t have to all immediately just part the seas because you’re on a mission, and if you’re texting and walking across campus, please step aside to use your phone. It’s frustrating hiking across campus between classes and…
Bikes. Bikes on campus. Bicyclists not paying attention to where they’re riding on campus. I have had enough with the bicyclists on campus. They plow through the crowds during the busiest parts of the day. I have already seen at least one person crash because of a lack of attention. Thankfully he rode away and was fine, but this is not always the case because bicyclists are not cautious with their riding. On another occasion, one of the girls in my class showed up with red marks on the back of her leg from someone running into her with a…
The last several years have been good seasons for Baylor football. We’ve all heard stories of seasons where the games were horrendously under attended and our football team barely seemed to know which way to throw the ball, but now our team wins often, and our on-campus stadium provides a picturesque setting for the perfect Instagram post, so students turn out in droves. Regardless of the fact that we flock to the stadium decked out in our green and gold (fewer goldouts, please) the penalties Baylor implements for students who don’t use their reserved tickets seem to be counterproductive. Baylor’s…
Video by Kelsea Willenbrock | Broadcast Intern and story by Nathan Keil | Sports Writer The Baylor Bears football team was able to weather a lightning storm as well as a series of first half turnovers and penalties on their way to defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys 35-24 on Saturday night. After senior quarterback Seth Russell orchestrated a seven play, 75 yard scoring strike, highlighted by a 36 yard completion on third down to junior tight end Jordan Feuerbacher and capped off by a 23 yard touchdown run from sophomore runningback Terence Williams, lightning struck near Baylor’s campus and by…
By Joy Moton | Reporter A group of 52 students gathered to engage in a facilitated discussion with a Baylor professor and his teaching assistant about the sexual culture of modern society Friday evening. Dr. Ralph Wood, a University professor of Theology and Literature along with doctoral candidate Rachel Toombs discussed various aspects surrounding the hook up culture and purity culture. Wood said the world has obtained a highly sexualized culture that is ambiguous and nearly frightening. “We live in a world now so totally sexualized that we have no protocol for courting,” Wood said. Toombs said the hook up…
If you have the weekly meal plan,how many times have you been in a situation where you weren’t able to use all your swipes, or used them too fast? The weekly meal plans refresh every week and are designed for students who eat two meals or less per day at dining halls. These plans are convenient, especially for students who live off campus, because students are not limited to only eating on or off campus. However, if students are not able to use all their swipes in a particular week, those swipes are essentially wasted. The Block 60 and 90…
Contrary to the proposal in the Sept. 20 editorial about the Rice Marching Owl Band’s (MOB) half-time show, I think the MOB actually succeeded in not crossing a line. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Baylor football, but consider the situation: fans of a football team that recently suffered many allegations regarding Title IX are upset that someone pointed this out. It’s true that rape and sexual assault are nothing to joke about, but when the MOB satirized Baylor’s recent Title IX experiences, they weren’t joking about either. Instead, they were reminding us of our recent shortcomings. We need to…
The nation has looked upon Baylor during the recent Title IX controversy. The reaction I’ve heard most frequently is, “they just don’t get it, do they?” People affiliated with our community publish full-page ads supporting [former president and chancellor Ken] Starr for “exceptional care for students and their well-being.” I see startling displays of disagreement with [former head coach Art] Briles’ and Starr’s firing on Facebook and in person, and Kendal Briles and many of the offending staff members continue to work for the team. Baylor does not understand sexual assault. This is a Christian issue. This is a safety…
By Jacquelyn Kellar | Broadcast Managing Editor The first show of Baylor Theatre’s 2016-17 season will debut on Wednesday, September 28 at 7:30 pm in the Jones Theatre. Fiddler on the Roof, a classic Broadway musical, is set in turn-of-the-century czarist Russia, but is filled with colorful, relatable characters. “It’s one of the only shows that touches all audiences,” said Friendswood junior Nicholas Carlin, who plays the role of Tevye. “It’s been done 150 times in Japan, they absolutely love it, and I think it’s the only show that does that.” Every member of the cast and crew is equally…
A few weeks ago, we erroneously released an editorial condemning Baylor for what we thought was a recent amendment to the policies concerning transferring class credits from outside institutions. We have since spoken with Baylor representatives and would like to apologize for the error and correct it now. After speaking with students and looking at Baylor’s “General Policies on Transfer Credits” online, we mistakenly believed that Baylor had, over the summer, changed their policy to prohibit students from transferring upper-level courses (3000 level or above) from community or junior colleges to Baylor. This is not the case; the tranfer credit…
By Michael Incavo | Guest ColumnistAs American citizens, it is our duty to stay informed, especially during an election. Keeping track of a presidential race can be hard work, but it’s a lot easier if you know what to look for. There are four main areas to keep an eye on: polling, electoral math, voter turnout, money and media. First, take a look at the polls. Sites like RealClearPolitics aggregate polling from a number of sources to give you the best picture possible. If you see three polls or an average indicating “Trump +2” for example, it is safe to…
Students have many complaints, but the one that seems to arise most consistently is parking. Many people find faults with the constantly changing number of spaces and ever-rising expense of the parking passes, and many students use tricks and cheats to avoid the motorized enforcement teams. However,these attempts only cause frustration for those who do their best to follow the parking lot rules and more work for those charged with monitoring the parking lots. One of the easiest ways to avoid a ticket is to simply park where you are allowed. In the simplest of terms, students who chose to…
Thomas, Jacob and Jordan talk Baylor, AP Poll and more on this week’s Don’t Feed the Bears!
Video by Christina Soto | Broadcast Reporter and story by Meghan Mitchell | Sports Editor At the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, head football coach Matt Rodgers finds himself at the center of children’s lives each day — lives that he wants to make an impact on. Rodgers uses the tragedy of the loss of his first son to better the lives of others. Rodgers and his team work together through adversities to make the bond between the football coaches and players who live at the home go deeper than just on the field. “They are all good kids, but…
