By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterChildren and their parents visited Santa and participated in science activities Thursday evening as they attended “Christmas at the Mayborn,” an event held annually at the Mayborn Science Musuem in celebration of the holidays and science. This year was the third year of the event. Children rushed around the lower and upper levels of the museum to find all of the stations they could interact with. Each station was an individual room and contained activities such as a giant bubble maker room, an augmented reality room, a light show room, and a room with some…
Author: Harry Rowe
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterA host of various trinkets, clothing and other items were on sale from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday night at the third annual Baylor Sip and Shop in the Baylor Club at the McLane Stadium. The event provides an opportunity for the Baylor and broader Waco community to come together and mingle while they shop. Vendors of items from handmade bags to handmade Christmas decorations displayed their work for students and adults. Crosby senior Alivia Zepeda is a member relationship supervisor for the Baylor club. Zepeda said working for the Baylor Club has been a…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterWacoans and students alike gather at noon every Monday to participate in a relaxing, yet energizing “yoga lunch break” in a meeting room at the Waco Central Library. The program, available to the Waco community, provides a great opportunity for the adults to get involved with their library. The hour-long yoga session was thought up by Jessica Emmett, the community services supervisor for the Waco-McLennan County Library system. Although she doesn’t usually direct the events herself, she said she enjoys attending and leading the yoga club, which she feels is a good opportunity to relax…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterChildren interacted with a baby alligator early Monday morning during Cameron Park Zoo’s “Story Time – Shells and Scales.” The zoo’s story time program is part of an effort to promote conservation among young children and teach them the value of wildlife at an early age. Children, accompanied by their parents, listened to stories, made arts and crafts, enjoyed snacks and got to interact with an animal relating to the theme of the day: reptiles. Children got to learn about the world of reptiles through a couple of books and a live interaction with a…
A reported kidnapping at Miss Nellie’s Pretty Place in Cameron Park on Monday turned out to be a misunderstanding between family members, Waco police confirmed Monday night.The police received a report that a woman was seen putting children into the trunk of her car. The children were later found unharmed in Bell County.An investigation took place that involved the Waco Police Department and the Bell County Sheriff’s Office. The incident was reported by the Waco Police Department’s official Facebook account, listing specific information and urging any Waco citizens with information relating to the case. According to the original Facebook post,…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterAward-winning poet John Greening shared a portion of his favorite work Tuesday night when he gave a live poetry reading in the Treasury Room of the Armstrong Browning Library. Greening was at Baylor Monday giving a lecture titled, “Edmund Blunden, War Poet.” As a leading expert on World War I literature, Greening read aloud some of his favorite poems he’s written over the years and added some personal commentary on them as well. Both events were put on by Baylor’s English department. “I met John about two years ago. I put together an anthology of…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterIn a world with 7.5 billion people, how many active monthly Facebook users would you guess there are? A hundred million? Possibly a billion? Not quite. According to recent data released by Facebook, there are over 2.27 billion active monthly users on Facebook — 2 billion. Social media wasn’t introduced to the world until 1997 with Six Degrees and didn’t become popular until right before the turn of the century … So how did we get here? When looking at the evolution of social media, it is important to keep in mind just how basic…
By Harry Rowe | Staff Writer Seventy-seven percent of Americans reported having at least one social media profile, up from 10 percent in 2008, according to Statista. Social media has engrained itself in pop-culture, memes and slang and viral trends sweep over our digital society constantly. For many young people today, the social media of their choice is just part of their life. That’s why when breakups occur in the age of social media, it can be hard to avoid someone that once meant so much to you. Amanda Smith, a licensed therapist who works with clients in Waco, said…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterConservative Christian campuses may be more politically tolerant and teach less politically slanted texts than secular universities, according to new research from doctor and sociologist Dr. George Yancey. Dr. Yancey led a discussion titled “Investigating Political Tolerance at Conservative Protestant Colleges and Universities,” which was held by The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. Yancey is a professor of sociology at the University of North Texas and has several publications, some of which can be found in Baylor’s bookstore. Yancey and his research team worked through five separate sets of data, and according to him,…
By Harry Rowe | Staff Writer Scholars, journalists and those interested in the life of Billy Graham gathered Wednesday afternoon at Truett Seminary to attend a roundtable discussion. The talk discussed Billy Graham’s social impact and role in the removal of segregation, as well as his less desirable characteristics. Billy Graham was a Southern Baptist minister who was mostly known for his evangelism, where he spoke to millions of people around the world as well as spiritually advising many of the United States’ presidents. The round table discussion titled “Billy Graham and American Evangelicalism,” was part of the Billy Graham…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterA head-on collision occurred on University Parks Drive Tuesday night, outside of URSA student apartments.The wreck occurred around 7 p.m. and caused University Parks Drive to shut down temporarily. “I don’t know if it was Baylor kids or who it was, I just know we had a head on collision right here,” said Patrick Russell, an officer at the scene. “One person, I believe, did have head injuries, and she’s already gone to the hospital.” Three cars were at the scene of the accident, along with multiple ambulances and police cars. University parks was closed…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterThe Baylor Lariat won its first ever Pacemaker award, which is an award given to the top collegiate journalism publications in the country. Seventeen other individual placement awards and honorable mentions were given out for both The Lariat and Baylor’s Focus Magazine from the Associated Collegiate Press at the National College Media Convention. The convention for 2018 was held in Louisville from Oct. 25 to 28 and consisted of awards given out to universities across the nation for various forms of media excellence. Focus Magazine, a magazine published by Baylor students, was a finalist in…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterBaylor students ate fresh cultural food as they gathered to listen to Frisco junior Chelsea Battad and Cyprus junior Giana Rodriguez discuss their heritage and what their differing cultures are like. The event was part of Baylor’s Neighbor Nights, an event put on by Multicultural Affairs in coordination with spiritual life. Students ate ropa vieja, one of Cuba’s national dishes and a meal also popular in other parts of the Caribbean like Puerto Rico, and Chicken Adobo, a popular Filipino dish. Battad was representing the Filipino Student Association (FSA) while Rodriguez was representing the Hispanic…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterStudents turned in unneeded medication as part of an initiative by the Baylor Police Department this past weekend.The “Take-Back Day” was Saturday and took place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students could take any unused prescription drugs to be discarded properly at the Baylor University Police Department. The program was part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Rx Take-Back Initiative. The initiative is in place to “Help us protect our environment, prevent misuse and establish healthy habits by properly disposing of unused and expired prescription drugs,” according to the webpage for the event.“Baylor Police…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterThose in the minority must always be protected and be able to speak out against injustices, according to Dr. Bill Leonard, founding dean and professor at the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University.Leonard gave a lecture titled, “Teaching Dissent — The Witness of the Minority,” at 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon in Hankamer. The talk was open to the public and followed a workshop among faculty discussing the love of teaching.Dissent, according to common definition, is about going against a certain philosophy or idea. Leonard talked about recent topics, beginning with a message transcribed from…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterBaylor’s Multicultural Affairs activity students can participate in a book club this semester, which “helps enrich our understanding of other cultures and perspectives by reading and discussing books that offer a unique point of view or narrative,” according to their webpage. Race is the main subject of their current book, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing Brown, and discusses how the author has been looked at differently in professional environments because of the color of her skin.“The Multicultural Affairs book club started to engage students in conversations…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterEva Hruska, a professor who teaches Russian at Baylor discussed her Slovakian heritage as well as the often overlooked relationship between the Czechs and Slovakians during their fight for independence. The event was one of multiple events held by Baylor in honor of Czech independence, including hosting the Czech ambassador to speak. Hruska, who wanted to make sure she didn’t come off as a “token disgruntled Slovak,” does think that it’s important to realize the relationship the two have had throughout history. She expressed her concern that there was no mention of Slovaks in any…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterKelly Atkinson, executive director of The Cove, talked about the problem of homeless youth in America and how The Cove is working locally to give them a safe place after school where they can be themselves at the Paul L. Foster Success Center Monday afternoon.The event was part of the Baylor Round Table, which is composed of women from Baylor faculty and staff, alumni, spouses of professors and other women from the Baylor community. The Cove is a place teenagers where without a home or guardians can stay from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m., and it…
Students relieve stress through friendly helpers.
A choir of laughs and running feet filled the West Waco Library meeting room as children and parents gathered at 2 p.m. for the adoption party of the library’s new pet hamster. The event was intended for families and lasted about an hour. Children were engaged with the two librarians as they taught them about hamster facts, took them on a scavenger hunt to find the new hamster, read them a hamster book and, of course, let them play with the hamster. “The library has events for people of all ages. We have events for kids of all ages and…
A standoff between a SWAT team and a local man took place Friday afternoon around 4 p.m. at Valley Mills Apartments on Valley Mills Dr., as police said the wanted suspect was unwilling to cooperate at the time. The individual was identified as Daniel Remington Jr., 51. He is charged with a parole violation, forgery of the elderly and resisting arrest. “This same individual actually eluded our officers yesterday afternoon in a car chase. He drove so irresponsibly that our officers, for the safety of our citizens, called that chase off,” Sgt. Patrick Swanton of Waco Police said. “Another agency…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterPolice are conducting an ongoing investigation into illegal gambling at a minimart at 5303 Sanger Ave. regarding illegal gambling. The store, called Mini Mart, was discovered by the police to be illegally operating gambling machines Tuesday afternoon. An arrest warrant is out for the individual or individuals police believe was running the business, who they have yet to apprehend. “Shortly after one o’clock this afternoon, our officers served a search and arrest warrant at a location of 5303 Sanger Ave,” Sgt. Patrick Swanton of Waco police said. “The business is named Mini Mart; however, we…
By Harry Rowe | Staff Writer Author, trainer and mentor Alana Hill spoke on diversity in the workplace and how it fosters innovation and collaboration to Baylor students and the public on Tuesday afternoon. She wanted them to understand how to incorporate it into their future lines of work. The talk was given as part of the Academy Speaker Series put on by the Center for Global Engagement, which “brings national and international speakers to campus to introduce students to the variety and complexity of leadership needs in contemporary society,” according to their webpage. The event was open to the…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterStudents took an opportunity to enact their civic duty Tuesday afternoon as they signed up to register to vote and took time to learn more about the voting process. The event took place on the first floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and was part of National Voter Registration Day, an organized effort to increase citizen awareness for upcoming elections. The League of Women Voters, a national non-partisan group that originated during the Women’s Suffrage Movement, held the event. “We know very few of [Baylor students] are from…
In an effort to raise $6,000 by Veteran’s Day, dogs of all ages belonging to Buzzard Billy’s customers gathered Sunday at the cajun and American fare eatery. They enjoyed a plethora of dog treats while mingling with one another. The fundraiser was put on by Dogtopia, a dog-sitting franchise with over 70 locations dispersed across the country, according to their website. Their charity, the Dogtopia Foundation, made a goal of raising $6,000 per location by Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The money raised by each location will be used to sponsor a puppy in training for America’s Vetdogs, an organization…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterDr. R. Marie Griffith, the John C. Danforth distinguished professor in the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis, spoke to the Baylor community and public Tuesday about the long battle for sex education, and how it relates to the current #MeToo movement. She drew similarities from past events and related them to the current political and social climate surrounding sexual misconduct. This year’s talk was part of a two part lecture series for the Charles Edmondson Historical Lecture Series. The series was titled “The Culture Wars in American History,” and the idea is explored…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterBaylor has shown through its many study abroad and mission trip opportunities how much it values students traveling and serving those around them. The Louise Herrington School of Nursing is no exception. Nursing students at Baylor have an opportunity to experience and serve their global community through mission trips. Baylor’s medical mission trips originate back to 1976, a year before Dr. Lyn Prater, a clinical professor and level four coordinator for the nursing school, arrived. According to Prater, the trips that occurred early on were at the Mexican border in El Paso. Students worked with…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterA brand new dietetic internship is being offered by Baylor’s family and consumer sciences department. The program is a necessary component to becoming a registered dietitian and is required before taking the national exam to become an registered dietitian (RD). Before the program, students would have to find another area, like Dallas or Austin, to satisfy the requirement. Certain graduate students who have completed their bachelor’s degree in nutrition sciences may be eligible for it. “Currently, across the US, there are not enough dietetic internships to meet demand, and competition for those slots is fierce,”…
By Harry Rowe | Staff Writer Dr. Vicki Liu, a graduate trainee of the Texas A&M toxicology department, spoke to Baylor students Wednesday about the dangers of disinfectant byproducts in the water system and how they can be minimized. The talk was part of Baylor’s fall 2018 Environmental Science Seminar series, which features prominent researchers from all over the country working in fields related to or specifically involved with environmental science. “[Dr. Liu’s] research in the field of drinking water contamination is incredibly important to chemistry and public health fields, has been published in high impact journals and is important…
By Harry Rowe | Staff WriterBaylor continues to grow more diverse and more academically prestigious than ever, as it welcomes in its highest achieving class to date according to Baylor’s Office of Institutional Research and Testing.The finding, as well as more enrollment statistics, was included in Baylor’s news release on Sept. 6. The release highlights the incoming class’ excellence as well as Baylor’s growing graduation and retention rates. Jessica King Gereghty, assistant vice president for Baylor’s undergraduate admissions & enrollment, said the statistics reflect positively on the kind of students Baylor attracts into its community. “It just reflects that still…
