President and Chancellor Ken Starr made it a point in his letter last Wednesday to the student body to point out the “comprehensive external and completely independent” review of Baylor’s handling of sexual assault cases by the law firm of Pepper Hamilton. In light of such review, according to Starr, and in “deference” to its “integrity…any observations about policies and practices would be premature.” Additionally, federal laws protecting student privacy prevents “Baylor from speaking publicly about particular incidents.” In light of both of Starr’s comments regarding the independent review and federal law, I’d like to know what Baylor is able…
Author: Baylor Lariat
Dear Baylor Nation,Greetings from Baylor University, where the spring semester is in full swing. The month of February is a special time in the life of our University. Each year, we celebrate the founding of Baylor University on February 1, 1845 — 171 years ago. Today, in this Anno Domini 2016, we continue to carry forward our Founders’ vision to address the needs of the broken world around us.Consistent with our Founders’ vision, Baylor has always been — and steadfastly remains — firmly committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for our wonderful students. As a community, our care…
Last Sunday, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” presented multiple accusations against Baylor regarding the way sexual assault cases were handled. Since then, the university has been under fire nationally. Frustrations have been voiced by students, faculty and Baylor fans. The Lariat editorial board is not removed from this frustration. As journalists, we endeavor to remain unbiased. As students, we don’t want to see our university ripped down. Above all, as humans, we want to see justice for all parties. With that in mind, we decided to share the questions we want answered. What’s going on with the investigations? The reports following…
Ask any student what qualities they think will make them successful in their careers, and they’ll likely have different answers. Engineering students might include the ability to problem solve. Journalism students could mention having good time management skills. Future teachers on campus may talk about being good communicators. But all of these qualities – and many more – have one thing in common: creativity. Oftentimes, students are under the impression that not having an explicitly creative job, such as graphic design or ceramics, nixes any need for creativity in the workplace. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A survey…
Photo credit: Richard Hirst | Lariat Photo Editor, Dane Chronister | Lariat City Editor
Dear Students, With a new semester underway and a year of promise and opportunity before us as a caring and dynamic Baylor community, I write to provide you with an update about Title IX, Baylor’s efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence and the ongoing external review we commissioned in the fall. Many of you have participated in our Title IX training activities and “It’s on Us” awareness campaign, and I am deeply grateful for your willingness to help ensure that Baylor is a safe campus, free from harassment, discrimination and interpersonal violence. Together we are developing a campus…
College is a place for students to learn, to grow up and to transition into the ‘real world.’ However, so many college students today graduate and don’t know how to take care of their basic financial needs or how to pay back student loans. Several of the editorial board members are seniors and can share in this experience of not knowing how to do many of these things. It would be in the best interest of students, especially at Baylor, to learn how to deal with finances in a class here on campus. This class would stress the basic financial…
Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Italy and France. For the duration of his time in Rome, nude statues were covered up. Italian media reported that statues were covered to show respect and consideration to Iranian culture. It is not clear if the shrouds were a request of Rouhani or an act of diplomacy from the Italian government. Either way, the choice was greatly criticized by Italians, prompting the hashtag #statuenude, in which people tweeted pictures of the nude statues without any cover. Some Italian politicians went as far as to call Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spineless. Rouhani addressed…
Last semester, the American people witnessed a blatant violation of the First Amendment occur at the University of Missouri. Melissa Click, an assistant communications professor at Mizzou, pushed away and physically threatened members of the media covering a public demonstration on Mizzou’s campus in the wake of University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe’s resignation. Last week, Columbia’s city prosecutor charged Click with third-degree assault. Mizzou subsequently suspended her from working at the university. It was only days later that Click and the city prosecutor reached a deal. She will forgo the prosecution as long as she serves 20 hours of…
By Sawyer Smith Lariat Reporter Student Government has decided that it will formally recommend to President and Chancellor Ken Starr and the Baylor Board of Regents that Baylor “opt out” of campus carry in a meeting Thursday night. Campus carry refers to Texas Senate Bill 11, which requires all public universities to allow concealed guns on campus but leaves the option open to private universities. Baylor has yet to officially decide on the matter. Over the past two weeks, student government has attempted to educate and inform the student body on the issue of campus carry. Their efforts have included…
Issues can arise with passport loss
With the 2016 primaries beginning in March, the Feb. 1 voting registration deadline is closing in quickly. The easiest way Texas residents can decide to register to vote is during driver’s license renewal. If not, one can register to vote online at www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote or go into the voter registrar’s or county clerk’s office to pick up an application. The only documentation required is a Texas driver’s license, passport, or state-issued ID card. When filling out a paper application potential voters should keep in mind the application must be mailed 30 days before the election. “It’s important to vote because that’s…
Young, white students at elite universities stereotype Asian-Americans as more competent than blacks and Latinos, a Baylor study found in December 2015. “It started off with an observation that a lot of the research out there on this concept of the model minority myth about Asian-Americans mainly focused on media representations that Asian-Americans are always perceived as this racial minority that outperforms everybody else,” said Dr. Jerry Park, associate professor of sociology. To investigate whether these media representations of Asian-Americans are in line with people’s perceptions, Park and researchers from other universities looked at responses from the National Longitudinal Survey…
Having a required meal plan is almost a rite of passage for every student at Baylor. With the rare exception here and there, every freshman is required to pay for a dining plan their first year. By sophomore year, students are free to choose which plan, if any, best suits their on-campus eating habits — that is, unless you live in Teal or Brooks Residential College. The residents of these living and learning communities are required and limited to choosing between The Weekday 100, The Weekday 200, The Everyday 50 or The Everyday 150 regardless of their year classification. For…
I was reading an article for class the other day titled “The Historic Root of Our Ecological Crisis,” by Lynn White Jr., which discusses the reason Christianity is the root of many environmental issues. White was a professor of medieval history at Princeton and Stanford before he died in 1987. White explains that “all life forms modify their contexts” and he believed that some of these modifications were done on behalf of a specific life form’s belief system. What I got from this was in order to survive, each species and creature must adapt to fit their environment. Many species…
By Brauna Marks Lariat Reporter During his two-year collegiate career at Baylor, Trayvon Bromell built himself a future that only seems to beam brighter as his career goes on. In late October last year, the 20-year-old Bromell from St. Petersburg, Fla., a junior in college, became a professional sprinter and signed a sponsorship deal with New Balance. This year, the ultimate goal is the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, this summer. In 2014, Bromell highlighted the beginning of his collegiate career at Texas Relays, where he ran 10.01 seconds in the 100-meter race to tie the world…
After three-year investigation, board concludes that fatal explosion could have been prevented
Fraternity plans step competition for charity
By Ashlyn Thompson Lariat Reporter Jeanne Bishop visited Baylor Chapel on Wednesday to share the tragedy of how her younger sister and brother-in-law were murdered in their home 26 years ago. The Chapel audience was silent as Bishop recounted that cold day on April 7, 1990, when she, her pregnant sister, Nancy, and brother-in-law, Richard, were enjoying what none of them realized would be their last meal together as a family. “I hugged my sister goodbye, and told her I would see her tomorrow,” Bishop said. “The next day was Palm Sunday and we had plans to eat together after…
Baylor professors break down the knowns and unknowns of the virus
By Jessica Babb Lariat Broadcast Editor On Monday, when many Baylor University undergraduates checked their email, they discovered they were accepted into the Louise Herrington School of Nursing in Dallas. “When I got my acceptance letter, it came through the email, and my first reaction was to call my mom,” Harker Heights sophomore Audrey Karcher said. “I was really excited, and it’s really nice to know I’ve already got my acceptance.” Dallas sophomore Kate Johnson said she was also excited about receiving her acceptance because of the passion she has for one day becoming a nurse after interacting with them…
By Meghan Mitchell Lariat Sports Writer For the 16th consecutive season, the Lady Bears won at least 20 games, a continuing Big 12 record for head coach Kim Mulkey and her team. In a night to show support for the Pat Summit Foundation and bring awareness to Alzheimer’s, the No. 4 Baylor Lady Bears found a way to take the win against Texas Tech, 69-43, despite sluggish play. Although the score would induce one to think the Lady Bears were dominant over the Lady Red Raiders, Mulkey said her team still has plenty to work on from Wednesday’s game. “Well,…
By Hunter Hewell Lariat Reporter The No. 17 Baylor men’s basketball team is now tied for first place in the Big 12 after a 69-65 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla. Wednesday night’s win completed the Bears’ season sweep over the Cowboys, but it looked like Oklahoma State was not going to let that happen for most of the night. The Cowboys took over early, leading 12-7 at the 15-minute mark. Baylor picked up its defense and forced four turnovers, but the Bears had trouble getting into a rhythm on offense. OSU widened its lead…
By Jacquelyn Kellar Lariat Reporter The new Art Forum of Waco has opened its doors again after a fire ravaged its original building and thousands of dollars worth of art inside last September. Just four months after the setback, the renovated Forum opened its first art exhibition last Saturday, featuring the work of local artist Zach Duffey. The exhibition will be open to the public until Feb. 13. The Forum’s previous building at 1826 Morrow Avenue was completely devastated by a fire that started early in the morning on Sep. 1, 2015. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The building…
For the second year in a row, the Oscars caused a massive upset that overtook social media. In 2015, the hashtag, #OscarsSoWhite started trending when no black actors were nominated in any of the acting categories. This year was more of the same, reviving the 2015 hashtag and adding #OscarsStillSoWhite to the trending topic. In addition to cyber-fury, some actors, such as Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith, announced that they will be boycotting the awards ceremony. The public discontent did not go unnoticed. Last Friday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it would make radical…
By Jessica Babb Lariat Broadcast Editor Baylor Air Force ROTC will be hosting a shoe drive on campus February 8-13 to benefit the Salvation Army and Mission Waco. The idea for the shoe drive came from Arlington senior and AFROTC cadet Austin Hyde, who was inspired by his grandmother’s abundant giving. “She would pull out all the stops for Christmas, for gifts and giving, and was so festive,” Hyde said. “I saw that abundance and took it to heart and thought what if I can give like I have, even though I might not have an abundance, I want to…
Looking to add on to their home win streak, the No. 4 Baylor Lady Bears look to take on Texas Tech at 7 p.m. today at the Ferrell Center. With a win against Texas Tech, the Lady Bears could secure their 16th consecutive 20-win season, an ongoing Big 12 record. The Lady Bears (19-1, 6-1) are coming off a road win, 77-61 win against Iowa State last Saturday. The Lady Bears took an 11-point lead heading into the half, gaining full control of the game’s momentum. Head coach Kim Mulkey said the Lady Bears’ shooting helped fend off Iowa State’s…
The No. 17 Baylor men’s basketball team hit the road for Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. today at the Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Bears (15-4, 5-2) are looking to regroup after falling short to No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday at the Ferrell Center, 82-72. Baylor lost its way with turnovers and ineffective defense against the Sooners’ clinical offense. “I don’t think we exposed them at all. I think we had a lot of defensive breakdowns late. We did a bad job of making sure we were in the right place at the right time. That’s on us.”…
By Liesje Powers Lariat Reporter Mission Waco is hosting its annual Cultural Food and Dance Night at 5:45 p.m. Saturday at the World Cup Café and Jubilee Theatre. This will be its eighth year of cultural celebration. The evening will consist of international foods and dance performances. The “Taste Your Way Around the World” meal will include a selection of different cultural foods including: Czech Republic, Mexican, Korean, Caucus, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese and Filipino. After eating at the World Cup Café, attendees will move into the Jubilee Theatre to watch dancing from around the world. Three Baylor groups, the Chinese…
When you finally make plans to improve some aspect of your life, your first thought is usually that you should tell someone. Whether that’s a new eating habit, exercise routine or target GPA, it’s fun to let others in on your new decision. It can make you feel like you have a community around you and are one step closer to your goal. In all honesty, for the sake of accomplishing your goal, you should probably just keep it to yourself. Peter Gollwitzer, a professor in the psychology department at New York University said telling someone about what you plan…
