Author: Emma Weidmann

“I think musical theater is an American form in the same way jazz is in that it’s become central to our pop culture identity,” Meis said. “Even now, we have A-list actors trying to expand their resume by entering the world of musical theater. It’s an avenue of artistic expression that feels deeply rooted in who we are as American people and one that is really satisfying to do well as a performer.”

Finals season is upon us, which brings a swarm of students to Moody Memorial Library at all hours of the day armed with cold brew and AirPods. From shoes to backpacks to technology, the Baylor “starter pack” is an aspect of the culture on campus that’s hard to miss.

“It was really fun working with it and it made me feel a lot closer to my Indonesian heritage because it’s something you would see on the runways in Jakarta, so it felt really good to bring it here,” Widjaja said.

Previous audience-choice winners, Arlington graduate student Adam Karlson and Tulsa, Okla., graduate student Joe Hayes, are returning to the film festival with their short film, “Never Trust a Man in a Hawaiian Shirt.” According to Hayes, the film is based on a true story.

This year’s event will be the first since 2019 to be fully back to normal after COVID-19 restrictions prevented it from being held in 2020, and pushed it online in 2021. Houston junior Katherine Boulais, event coordinator with the Baylor Activities Council, said Gospel Fest’s return to campus has been a special thing for everyone involved.

There’s a lot of rhetoric surrounding the entire topic of abortion in general. At what point does a fetus become a baby? If abortion is murder, at what point should it be banned, if at all? And there are more philosophical questions that aren’t really relevant when it comes to the discussion of who abortion actually affects. I believe there is only one person to whom abortion should matter: the woman who gets one.

The music certainly reflected the experience and talent of the group. During the second to last piece, “One More for the Count” by Mike Lewis, trombonist Chris Estridge was a featured soloist. However, it wasn’t his solo itself that commanded the audience’s attention, but rather how he played. Over the bell of his trombone, he placed the rubber part of a toilet plunger and would open and close it over the bell to muffle the sound that left the instrument.

Students were able to attempt to weave the Minoan way on a period-accurate replica loom. The loom was constructed of a large wooden frame with several vertical threads weighed down to create tension and a horizontal thread that would be weaved in and out of the vertical threads to eventually create one large panel of fabric.

“It’s cheesy, but we have God as our foundation,” Lazenby said. “We had similar stories so we didn’t have to pretend to be someone else and we just laid it out with each other. Open communication is key. She’s my best friend forever.”

Vietnamese Student Association vice president and Corsicana junior Anna Nguyen said CelebrASIAN Alliance is an important event to have on campus because it’s a way to spread awareness of Asian American culture and build a strong community for students of Asian descent.

“I found some of my lifelong friends through HSA,” Plasencia said. “I’m very proud of my culture. I think seeing that I can help others here to find that uniqueness and to be proud of our roots is beautiful.”

“The Laramie Project” is also an examination of how sheltered and homogenous communities can sometimes ostracize people who don’t fit the norm. That’s a message that Turpin said she wants audiences to take away from the performance.

On a more general note, it’s good to have a working knowledge of several different subjects or a base skill set, even if the topics don’t interest you much. Being able to write and speak effectively are incredibly important life skills that nobody could gain from their biology lecture.

Machine Gun Kelly was once known as a rapper who publicly beefed with Eminem and hopped on pop songs with Halsey and Camila Cabello as a rap feature. The sudden pivot to pop-punk coinciding with the popularity of TikTok-stars-turned-musicians seems to have a lot more to do with staying relevant than making actually good music.

Waco’s history is filled with strange and fringe ideologies, specifically the Branch Davidian cult that brought national news to Waco before “Fixer Upper” put us on the map, leaves this student body in a unique position to ponder conspiracies.

The Grammy Awards will air on April 3 to showcase new artists and chart-topping tunes — here are our predicted winners.

That is what makes “Fresh” a truly psychological horror. Take away all of the fake blood and body parts and the viewer is left with a story devoid of hope for almost its entire run time. This movie stays with you, and the longer it does, the more upsetting it becomes.

At just over half an hour long, “WHO CARES?” is an album for the mellow and sentimental moments, and is well worth it to listen to again and again.

Admittedly, the movie could be shorter, but there was never a moment that felt like filler. If DC Comics continues to release this sort of hard-hitting, grungy film, Marvel may be in for more competition than it’s seen in more than a decade.

Don’t walk alone on your phone, be aware of your surroundings, limit interactions with strangers and when getting into the car, lock it immediately. Here are some tips to staying safe when traveling on your own.

Many college students will be struggling with the fear of missing out, also known as FOMO, this spring break. For students who aren’t traveling far, it can be hard to stay close to home while watching friends take big, out-of-state vacations. Here are some tips to avoid that restless feeling.

College is a time in people’s lives when they’re exposed to new ideas for the first time through meeting people from all across the world or those from different economic or racial backgrounds. It’s important that engaging in different ideas and opinions is encouraged — and especially that it’s easy and accessible to do so. All students deserve to feel seen and represented on their campus and not like exceptions or alienated because they don’t align with others’ opinions.

Sometimes you’ll see a trailer for a movie while you’re in the theater and think, “this is totally going to flop.” I have to admit, “Uncharted” was one of those movies for me. However, it surprised me and I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would.

Starring a cast of female pirates, Baylor Theatre’s production of “Treasure Island” opens Tuesday at the Mabee Theatre in the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.

The OCM began in 2019 when Beth Dutschmann’s son was a freshman, and has grown in size ever since. The foundation has helped hundreds of students find food when their meal plan won’t cover them, find rides to the airport, pay for textbooks and bring food and medicine to students in quarantine.

Months before the curtains rise on All-University Sing, lots of unseen work goes into choosing the themes for each group performing at the event.

For those who are looking to watch something new on Netflix this spring, “Murderville” is a good choice. At just six 30-minute episodes, “Murderville” is short and sweet, long enough for viewers to get a feel for the dynamics of Terry Seattle and his partners, but not too long that the cases become too predictable and the cast of characters becomes boring.

At the end of the day, these accounts are helping students embrace a side of themselves that may have once been made fun of by their peers.

Those who work with the bears were especially eager to celebrate their birthday, as Joy and Lady are close to their hearts.

Director of the Baylor Opera Theater Jen Stephenson said “The Tender Land” will be relatable to a lot of people, especially those who are current college students.