By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterBaylor Dance Company plans to incorporate a variety of dance styles and uniquely choreographed pieces for their Spring Show this Saturday and Sunday. The event, which will be held at University High School, is $8 for students and $12 for general admission. The showcase will feature both professional and student choreography, an element that Centreville, Va., sophomore Jenna Frisby believes will make the show a unique experience for attendees. “We have a variety of styles represented in our show like tap, jazz, hip hop and contemporary pieces,” Frisby said. “It is really cool that we…
Author: Bridget Sjoberg
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterWith a heart and passion to best serve the homeless population in Waco, San Antonio junior Lauren Godfrey chartered her organization Bear Necessities back in August and hopes that students look into donating to the group’s current collection drive. Godfrey serves as president of Bear Necessities, which seeks to connect Baylor students with organizations benefiting Waco’s homeless population through various types of service, including donation drives or volunteering efforts. The group’s current collection drive began on April 8 and will take place until April 26. All donations are being given to The Hangar and Compassion…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterThe spire of Paris’ iconic Notre Dame cathedral collapsed Monday night in the French capital city after a devastating fire caused the church to go up in flames. In a New York Times article, it was evaluated that the main structure is in tact while two-thirds of the roof were “severely damaged.” The church’s spire and much of the wooden ceiling have been engulfed by flames, as well as some of the stained glass windows. The cause of the fire is unknown and no deaths were recorded, yet the cathedral has suffered “extensive damage,” according…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterWhether it be through resume building, job searching or finding information about career events on campus, Career and Professional Development (CPD)’s Handshake platform seeks to connect students with career information or to potential employers. Handshake is a free resource offered to all Baylor students, who automatically have an account upon entering the university as freshman. Shelby Cefaratti, marketing and design specialist for CPD, described the platform as user friendly and as a way for potential employers to seek out Baylor students when open positions are available. “I want to encourage students to use Handshake from…
After a day’s worth of exciting Dia festivities, Baylor students made their way to Fountain Mall where they were entertained by Calpurnia, a Vancouver-based indie rock band whose leader singer Finn Wolfhard is known for playing Mike on the hit Netflix show “Stranger Things”. In mid-2018, the group released their first EP, “Scout,” which includes its single “City Boy,” a track that has been streamed over 4 million times on Spotify. The group also includes drummer Malcolm Craig, bass player Jack Anderson and vocalist and guitar player Ayla Tesler-Mabe. Calpurnia played for an hour, showcasing a mix of covers like…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterThis Saturday’s annual Gospel Fest event will feature a variety of performances from universities across Texas, as well as Grammy-nominated vocalists The Walls Group. The event will also celebrate Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir’s 30th anniversary on Baylor’s campus with an alumni performance and reception. The event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Hippodrome and is planned through a partnership of Heavenly Voices and Baylor Activities Council (BAC). Chicago freshman Anja Smith, a member of Heavenly Voices involved in planning the event, is excited for attendees to experience live performances of Gospel music and…
by Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterDistrict Judge Alan Albright officially ordered the parties involved in the planning and execution of a Lil Jon concert the same day as Baylor’s Diadeloso student holiday to cease using university “marks” and trademarked content in their promotional merchandise. The ruling comes from a lawsuit in which Baylor sued Umar Brimah, Baylor grad and founder of event-planning company Bleux LLC, for using phrases and designs that have a strong connection and history with the university and that don’t align with the university’s mission. Brimah sent a mass email to students on Thursday night explaining that…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterThe nomination of a new Supreme Court justice is already an important event for our country, but it can become a national controversy when the process is interrupted by accusations of sexual misconduct or assault. This type of occurrence has recently happened twice in our system — first in 1991 and again in 2018. The first instance occurred when Clarence Thomas was nominated to replace Thurgood Marshall on the Supreme Court. Thomas was a conservative judge, nominated by President George H.W. Bush, who was accused of sexual harassment by university professor Anita Hill. Thomas denied…
Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterWhen thinking of our favorite Disney movies, we often look to the classics released in the 1950s. “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Peter Pan,” “Lady and the Tramp” and “Alice in Wonderland” are films we all grew up watching. However, be less obvious to note that many other of the best known Disney movies all came from another decade: the 1990’s. Despite some hits like “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” or “The Jungle Book” released from the ’60’s to the ’80’s, this three-decade time period was a slump for Disney animation. However, the ’90’s acted as a renaissance…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterBaylor University filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Bleux LLC and Umar Brimah in connection with Dia Gang, which the university claims is using phrases and designs, or “marks,” that have a history and strong connection to Baylor. The lawsuit comes as a response to the actions taken by Brimah and Dia Gang in relation to Diadeloso, Baylor’s annual day off of school for on-campus activities like goat yoga and bubble soccer. Brimah, a Baylor alumnus and founder of Bleux LLC, sent mass emails to Baylor students via their student email accounts promoting an off-campus…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer After noticing an excess of unused All-University Sing shoes following the popular Baylor tradition, Houston sophomore Cooper Mohrmann came up with the idea to donate the shoes to his upcoming mission trip. With the help of his fraternity Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), Mohrmann was able to collect over 100 pairs of shoes in just a few days. Mohrmann, a pre-dental student and member of Baylor’s American Student Dental Association (ASDA), attended a mission trip to Puerto Penasco in Mexico with the group and thought up the idea to collect shoe donations just days before…
by Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterBaylor students decked out in cowboy hats and boots flooded Waco Hall on Thursday for a concert performed by 12-year-old country artist Mason Ramsey. He became famous after a video of him singing a cover of “Lovesick Blues” in an Illinois Walmart went viral. The event was hosted by Phi Kappa Chi and Pi Beta Phi, and all ticket sales went towards the two groups’ philanthropies I Love Orphans and Read Lead Achieve. Student Government and Baylor Panhellenic Council were also involved with the event. Ramsey began the concert with “The Way I See It,”…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer Federal Day, a specialized career fair for students interested in pursuing jobs in the federal government, will feature a variety of tables with representatives and breakout sessions for information about the industry. The event will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the Barfield Drawing Room, and is put on by the Department of Career and Professional Development. Desiree Foley, an employer relations specialist for the department, is the project lead for the event and is involved in aspects like employer outreach and contacting agencies. She described Federal Day as a…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterFreshman Class Council (FCC) provides food, philanthropy and competition each year when putting on it’s annual Gut Pak Run event for the Baylor community to enjoy. Gut Pak Run is held to support Mission Waco, with all proceeds from the event benefiting the local nonprofit. It will be held at 9 a.m. March 30 beginning at Waco Hall. It involves racers running through the Baylor campus to stations where they consume either a small or large Gut Pak from local Vitek’s BBQ. The racers run a total of two miles from the beginning of the…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterIt’s common for people to define part of themselves by their interests. Whether it be their favorite band or a hobby they really enjoy, many spend time thinking about or sharing with others things that have meaning for them. It’s also common for people to take pride in the things they love and at times become defensive when their particular interests don’t align with those of others. If someone has a favorite musical artist or book, those must be the best of their kind, and another person’s choices pale in comparison. Although it has always…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer A performance by internationally-recognized dance group Ollimpaxqui Ballet Company and provided Latin American cuisine will be present at this year’s ¡Parranda! celebration on Baylor’s campus. The event will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday in the Burleson Quadrangle and is being organized through a partnership with the Baylor Activities Council (BAC) and Hispanic Student Association (HSA). Houston junior Gabriela Fierro serves as president of HSA and described the event as one celebrating Latin American culture and diversity. “¡Parranda! is a cultural celebration highlighting the diversity and vivacity of Latin America,” Fierro…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterTammy Blankenship Harlan, 50, has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run accident killing Baylor student David Grotberg in 2016. Grotberg, 19, was a sophomore at Baylor and had been riding a bicycle on Franklin Avenue around 10 p.m. when he was struck by a car, which fled the scene. According to KWTX, an anonymous letter was sent to Waco police in September 2018 stating that Harlan had been speeding and drinking. Investigators were allowed access to Harlan’s phone records, which showed her close proximity to the accident the night Grotberg was struck. Additionally, Harlan…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterWhether it be by eating their chocolate chip cookies at “milk and cookies night” at Line Camp or stopping by on Saturday morning before a football game, many Baylor students have made it to local restaurant Lula Jane’s at least once during their four years. Lula Jane’s opened up in East Waco on Halloween 2012 and has quickly grown to be a favorite spot in the Baylor and Waco communities. It was even listed as No. 71 on Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. 2019,” yet owner Nancy Grayson said that the…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterBaylor hosted its first Multicultural Women’s Symposium on Saturday, featuring staff and faculty on campus from a variety of backgrounds speaking about topics focused on uplifting and promoting unity among women. These themes are meant to help kick off March’s Women’s History Month, which will include events like lectures, a themed Neighbor Night and Dr. Pepper Hour and an International Women’s Day panel.Jeronda Robinson, associate director of multicultural affairs, described the event as a chance for women to engage in conversation about common topics that all attending students can relate to and apply to their…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterWith several key performances already underway, Sing Season remains in full-swing for Baylor students participating in the last night of this beloved tradition. Although the performances are meant to be filled with entertainment and community, it can also be hard to ignore that groups are also being judged to receive cumulative scores that will determine their eligibility for this fall’s Pigskin Revue. The first night of Sing performances was last Thursday, when “club night” judges didn’t give each act an official score, but instead provided constructive criticism that the groups can implement for the following…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterOn May 1, Baylor will welcome Dr. Nancy Brickhouse as the university’s new provost. The university provost is a chief academic officer that oversees university colleges, schools and works on furthering goals for faculty, staff and the student body. Brickhouse is a Baylor graduate who served as provost at Saint Louis University in 2015 for the last three years and prior, spent the last 27 years at the University of Delaware as interim provost and deputy provost. Brickhouse said in a phone-in conference that she is excited for the opportunity to serve in a provost…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer Baylor honored the life and legacy of Dr. Vivienne Malone-Mayes, Baylor’s first African American professor, on Tuesday afternoon with an event including guest speakers and the dedication of a new bust sculpture in her honor. Along with her service as a professor, Dr. Malone-Mayes was also one of the first African American women to receive her Ph.D. in mathematics and served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Mathematicians. Malone-Mayes’ daughter, Patsy Wheeler, attended and spoke at Tuesday’s event, along with five other guest speakers. Lance Littlejohn, chair of the department…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterBaylor’s American Sign Language (ASL) club hosted their first annual Striding for Signing 5k this weekend — a fundraiser for future events like Open Light Night at Common Grounds. The 5k took place Saturday morning at the Baylor Science Building (BSB) fields at 9:30 a.m., and racers ran a course spanning part of the Bear and Cub trails. A $15 fee was required to participate in the 5k and West junior Jenna Riemenschneider said that all proceeds from the event will be donated to ASL club’s Open Light Night. “This is our first 5k so…
Story by Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer Whether it be the themes or the preparation or students’ families flying out for performances, there are few campus events that seem to unite Baylor like All-University Sing. Although many students are familiar with the preparation and hard work that goes into Sing performances, the judging process and scoring criteria can seem a bit mysterious. Here’s a quick breakdown of how Sing acts are typically judged. Five categories are used to evaluate each act: entertainment value, musical quality, creativity, choreography and theme development. Each category has a different weighted value. Entertainment value is…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterDr. Maria Franquiz, an expert in bilingual education, discussed the role of language as a resource to incorporate in classrooms and as a way to make students feel valued when she spoke at Baylor on Tuesday. The lecture celebrated the School of Education’s centennial, marking 100 years since the School was founded in 1919. Dr. Terrill F. Saxon, interim dean of the School of Education, said that Franquiz’s focus on the importance of bilingual education appeared to be a relevant topic when choosing a speaker for the event. “We wanted to have a speaker on…
A safety notification was sent out to Baylor students on Monday afternoon after numerous motor vehicle burglaries were reported to the Waco Police Department at locations adjacent to the Baylor campus. According to Baylor’s crime log, 14 offenses specified as motor vehicle burglary have been reported since Feb. 11, six reported on Feb. 16 alone. The burglaries have occurred on numerous streets located nearby Baylor’s campus: 8th Street, Speight Avenue, 11th Street, James Avenue, Wood Avenue, 12th Street, 5th Street, Bagby Avenue and 14th Street. The burglaries took place on Feb. 11, Feb. 13, Feb. 14 and Feb. 16. and…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer Baylor’s three student campus programming groups — Baylor Activities Council, Union Board and Student Productions — have begun accepting applications from students interested in being involved in planning Baylor events and activities like All-University Sing, UBreak or Christmas on Fifth Street. Although all three groups operate under the campus programming umbrella, they all function in different ways to serve the Baylor community. BAC is responsible for planning all-university events, Union Board plans weekly events and activities in the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) and Student Productions works to help execute top performance events on…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterAfter much anticipation, Baylor’s newest sorority, Alpha Phi, handed out bids of invitation to the university’s founding member pledge class on Feb. 6. Of the over 300 young women who entered Alpha Phi’s recruitment process, 169 were officially invited to join after attending events between Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 and being interviewed by an Alpha Phi alumni. Thus far, the sorority has had their first new member meeting and sisterhood event, and are organizing into committees, according to extension team lead Deana Gage. The new members plan to operate in their committees until the…
Story by Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer, Video by Sarah Gill | Broadcast Reporter To continue Baylor’s Mental Health Awareness Week, student activities and student government partnered up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday in the SUB Den to present Exhale, an interactive experience promoting well-being and mindfulness. Each day of Mental Health Awareness Week contains an emphasis, and Tuesday’s focus was academic stress. Exhale served as a pop-up hands-on experience in which students could interact with different stations to focus on creativity or mindful thinking. Provided materials and activities included paper and pens for journaling, board games…
By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff WriterYou’ve seen in before: Two students engage in conversation, one asks the other how school is going, and the response most likely goes something along the lines of “drowning in homework,” “I have so many tests this week” or maybe even “I was in Moody until 3 a.m. last night, but had a few cups of coffee so it’s fine.” This automatic assumption that as college students we need to be studying for hours on end every night and constantly be pulling all-nighters to get work done is harmful but has become engrained in the…