With the constant media coverage of this season’s presidential candidates, it’s almost impossible to forget that elections are rapidly approaching. In just a matter of weeks, the nation will elect a new president, and media outlets will most likely shift from reporting on the most recent scandalous comment or debate debacle to examining each candidate’s reactions to the vote. Reporters will begin to write about what a Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump presidency will look like and newscasters will converse about potential early decisions and what will happen when the president elect takes office. Meanwhile, the new president will begin…
Author: Baylor Lariat
Opinions make the world go ’round. Without passion, we would never have seen the instigation of the civil rights movement, women’s suffrage or the Vietnam War protests. However, in the media today we have seen a startling shift away from pure informational news toward a faster-paced, biased commentary. With broadcast stations hiring personalities with a personal agenda and newspapers selecting stories that fit with their bias of choice, the lack of objective news has begun to misinform the public. We implore media outlets to differentiate between fact-based news and commentary and encourage audiences to dig deeper and decide for themselves…
Video and story by Morgan Kilgo | Broadcast Reporter Mary Lou Retton became the first United States female gymnast to win a gold medal in the individual, all-around competition at the 1984 summer Olympics. Now a retired athlete and mother of four, Retton spoke at Baylor’s acrobatics and tumbling dinner. The dinner was held at McLane stadium where Retton shared her story of becoming an Olympian and the reasons why she supports the rise of acrobatics and tumbling. “The sport of gymnastics and acro and tumbling takes a tremendous amount of physical strength, but even more mental,” Retton said. “These…
ISIS has people turning to violence abroad, North Korea’s nuclear program is proliferating and nearly half a million Syrians have died in the country’s civil war. Knowing that these events are taking place, it makes sense that people are worried about the United States’ national security and military strength. However, the military should reallocate some of its funds to local matters such as the health and education of today’s youth. Though the U.S.’s discretionary budget puts education as the third-most invested-in industry, it trails behind the military by a whopping $530 billion annually. Simply moving $5 billion from the military…
Thomas and Jakob talk the upcoming NBA season.
Video and story by Katie Mahaffey | Broadcast Reporter Baylor Puppy Playtime is an event where students meet to play with dogs and allow the dogs to socialize with one another. The existence of this group has proved beneficial to the dogs and their owners. “Typically he doesn’t have a whole lot of interaction with other dogs. We live in a complex that doesn’t have many other animals and so he gets to come out and see everybody and make a lot of new friends,” Grapevine senior Nicole Pepper said. The pets get fresh air while students walking past get their…
Student-athletes aren’t your everyday students; they don’t keep traditional schedules and they certainly aren’t held to the same standards as the rest of the student body. They often have more on their plates, both metaphorically and physically, and unlike most students, their extracurricular activities tend to dictate the rest of their daily lives. No, student-athletes are far from normal, but the divide between athletes and traditional students at Baylor seems to be continually growing, perpetuated by privileges and rules that apply only to student-athletes, effectively isolating them from the rest of the student body. While this may be commonplace among…
Video and story by Morgan Kilgo | Broadcast Reporter Baylor’s graduating class of 1966 held their 50-year reunion Friday during Baylor’s annual homecoming weekend. The reunion was held in the Barfield Drawing room. Alumni took a class photo, ate dinner and had the opportunity to mingle with their past classmates. Three roommates, Margaret Skimmyhorn, Maris Williams and Gale Holton were reunited after 15 years apart. “We had one of those big rooms in Ruth Collins hall, and so we were right where the showers and the bathrooms were so our room was the place that everybody came. It was a…
The rush for Spring 2017 registration begins Nov. 2. Some students make mock schedules; some plan to fly into the process blindly. Regardless of the preparation involved, students will have to wait until their registration date to see if the classes they need are still available. This can be especially frustrating for those who are required to take smaller-sized classes, as those tend to fill up quickly. Classes that are required for specific majors have limited seats and high demand, and can be filled up before the second half of the registration waves are even given the chance to secure…
Thomas and Jakob try to figure out what’s wrong with the Packers, play a new game and talk about the crazy weekend of college football.
Video and story by Jacquelyn Kellar | Broadcast Managing Editor Gathered at the Baylor Sciences Building on Saturday morning were men and women of all ages, who come from all walks of life. The one thing they have in common: they all began their journey in medicine at Baylor. The Doctor’s Homecoming Breakfast welcomed not only alumni, but current students and Hillis Scholars. Dr. Hillis himself attended the event and was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 30 years of service teaching at Baylor, as well as kick-starting the Medical Humanities program, the first of its kind…
Video and story by Jacquelyn Kellar | Broadcast Managing Editor and filming by Katie Mahaffey | Broadcast Reporter After a disappointing weather cancellation last year, the Homecoming Bonfire Extravaganza returned with a vengeance. Thousands of alumni, students and their families poured onto Fountain Mall to enjoy the festive music, food and fire. For many, this was their first homecoming as a Baylor Bear. Gilroy, Calif. freshman Jonathan Schmidt and his twin brother are the first in their family to attend Baylor and its homecoming. “Coming to Baylor, I wasn’t expecting there to be so much of a community,” said Schmidt.…
By Chandler Winston | Guest ColumnistMy goal in writing this response to Dr. Richard Duran’s lariat letter on Oct. 3 was to determine the purpose and value of studying a second language at Baylor, examine how that is achieved and determine exactly why or why not American Sign Language meets those requirements. Duran began his argument by saying, “American Sign Language is precisely that – American,” claiming there is “nothing international about American Sign Language.” This is entirely false. ASL is the main sign language used in Canada. It is also used in much of West Africa (Cambridge University). Furthermore,…
Thomas Jefferson said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” The lesser-known continuation of that quote reads, “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” In today’s society, it is easier to be informed of the latest Kardashian scandal, satirical debate or homerun blockbuster than about our constitution, our government and the history that has shaped our country. It is easier to make conversation about modern fads and celebrity obsessions than about…
Video and story by Christina Soto | Broadcast Reporter According to Dove’s Self-Esteem Fund, 71 percent of girls with low self-esteem feel that their appearance does not measure up — they do not feel pretty enough, thin enough or stylish enough. In high school, Mandeville, La. Junior Grace Valentine struggled through body image insecurities. She found herself not eating healthy. Valentine exercise daily to burn as many calories as she was consuming. However, it wasn’t until her friends brought it up to her that she made a change in her life. “Although, I looked happy, I wasn’t happy on the inside…
We see happy dog owners walking their dogs around campus, letting them play out on Fountain Mall and bringing them to the farmers market and other events around campus. All we see is how adorable the dogs are, and we think, “I want a dog, too.” What we don’t see is the commitment and the troubles of adopting a dog. Adopting a dog is easy. You sign a few papers and pay a small fee, unless it’s a special day at the Waco Humane Society and you get to adopt a dog for free. After your furry friend is spayed/neutered,…
When Justice Antonin Scalia died in February from a heart attack at his ranch in West Texas, it sounded like it was ripped from the screenplay of House of Cards. The Senate, led by the majority leader Mitch McConnell, has barred Obama’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Merrick Garland, on the grounds that the pick should be reserved for the incoming president. In the meantime, more than 1,000 petitions for review have been rejected by the court, including a case about the NCAA’s policy about athlete compensation restrictions. Since it appears McConnell will continue to hold his ground, the future of…
Thomas and Jakob talk the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, the Prescott-Romo debate and college football impressions.
If you look on the Major Academic Planner (MAP) for a B.A. in journalism, it lists of four required courses under the category of lifetime fitness. According to Baylor University’s department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, “The purpose of the Division of Lifetime Fitness for non-major students is to provide health education, physical fitness education, and recreation education activities that will provide mental, physical, social, and leisure time preparation for lifetime fitness for all students.” However, while lifetime fitness is meant to be an outlet for students to de-stress and take some time to focus on being healthy, for…
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…
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…
