Author: Josh Siatkowski

Results for the 2024-2025 Baylor student government elections are in after polls closed Wednesday night. Aurora, Colo., junior Lily Davis headlined the results, winning the race for student body president. Davis, who is serving as external vice president this year, received 1,543 votes (61.5%) and was most closely followed by Aidon Butler, who had 930 votes (37.1%). For Davis, the victory has left her feeling a combination of thankfulness and excitement for the future. “There’s this dual feeling. First and foremost, gratitude. The second feeling is excitement — not just everyday excitement … but a deep-seated excitement and energy to…

The Baylor Police Department is currently investigating five scooter thefts that took place on and around campus in the last month. The thefts took place between Feb. 27 and March 23, and assistant chief of BUPD Don Rodman said that among these five thefts, there have been few commonalities or linking traits.

As Waco prepares to welcome a projected 100,000 visitors on Monday for Eclipse Over Texas, this year’s Diadeloso will be a uniquely busy one. But with all the buzz and excitement comes some confusion and questions. Here’s what you need to know about how the day is going to work.

Colleen and Davide Zori are professors in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, with offices right next to each other in Morrison Hall. The two work even closer to each other in the summers, when they travel to central Italy to work on the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project.

Whether it happens or not, I still stand by this: If our campus provides surgical procedures and health exams, there shouldn’t be an issue with providing Kleenex every once in a while.

The Waco Police Department doesn’t get a day off in the fight against crime, but it isn’t alone in that fight. Waco Crime Stoppers is an organization of civilian volunteers who work to help solve cases in the McLennan County area. The service allows people to anonymously submit tips about unsolved crimes at the Crime Stoppers hotline or through the P3 Tips app.

Baylor’s Office of Access and Learning Accommodation is set to be relocated from the first floor to the basement of the Sid Richardson Building this fall. “It feels like a step backward,” Katy senior Brenna Colihan said. “Baylor’s been doing such a good job of trying to push accessibility forward, … but at the same time, moving OALA to the basement makes it feel like [students who use their services] are trying to be hidden.”

Associate vice president for safety and security Mark Childers came to Baylor in 2014, bringing with him 18 years of experience in the Secret Service to help turn Baylor’s security camera system into what it is today.

“I just say bring back Vine,” Carlsbad, Calif., sophomore Camille True said as she expressed how complicated and problematic current social media apps like TikTok have become.

With a 2020 repeat already looking like a lock for the presidential election, it seems like this year’s primaries don’t mean much. Here’s why that isn’t true.

The Baylor Career Center hosted over 115 employers for Career Day Tuesday in the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center. The Lariat spoke to two of these companies to get their advice for students looking to give themselves the best shot at a selective job or internship.

Dr. Rizalia Klausmeyer, senior lecturer in Baylor’s chemistry department, never planned to become a professor. Now, she’s in her 24th year at Baylor, serving the campus community in a myriad of different ways.

In southeast Waco — a neighborhood with one of the city’s highest poverty rates — the Talitha Koum Institute has combined science and faith for over 20 years, providing childhood development from birth and breaking generations-long cycles of poverty.

Social media giant Snapchat released an ad for the 2024 Super Bowl in which it called for “less social media” and “more Snapchat.” Let’s face it: It’s just one of the app’s many tricks meant to keep turning your mindless scrolling into billions of dollars.

Student Productions and performers agree Baylor needs more non-Greek representation in All-University Sing. Although participation from other organizations is highly encouraged, these groups should understand that a 2025 Sing act is more than a sign-up sheet away.

Tammy Renee Blankenship was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday evening for the 2016 hit-and-run death of Baylor student David Grotberg.

Over seven years after the hit-and-run death of Baylor student David Grotberg, a jury found Tammy Renee Blankenship guilty of both manslaughter and failure to stop and render aid Thursday evening. The jury spent nearly seven hours deliberating.

Since Tuesday, the trial of Tammy Renee Blankenship has been slowed down by multiple debates between the two legal teams. With defense testimony wrapping up Wednesday afternoon, Judge Susan Kelly of the 54th District Court recessed the court until Thursday, when closing arguments will proceed and a verdict may be reached.

Testimony began last week for the trial of Tammy Renee Blankenship — a former Midway ISD administrator accused of killing Baylor student David Grotberg in a hit-and-run on the evening of Oct. 6, 2016.

Senate Bill IV was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Dec. 18, 2023. The new law clamps down on illegal immigration in various ways, but its largest impact is making illegal immigration a state crime in Texas. Two months before taking effect on March 5, the law has been met with opposition. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas on Jan. 3.

When Barbara Ann Walker and the Rev. Robert Gilbert walked across the graduation stage on June 2, 1967, Baylor University had gone over 120 years without granting a degree to a Black student. The story of Baylor’s integration is long, challenging and still developing, but more than anything, it is a story centered around the actions not of governments or university administrations but of outspoken support from students themselves.

Despite a decrease in nearly all types of crime in Waco, narcotics offenses have risen 21% since 2022, according to Waco PD’s Crime Statistics Report. This number reveals the complicated reality of drug use and abuse in Waco and the U.S.

Construction on the portion of University Parks Drive that lies beneath Interstate 35 has cut off power to emergency call towers near Baylor Law School. Even with an occasional blue light tower outage, there are 23 campus safety programs already in effect.

Taylor Swift and other major private jet users have huge carbon footprints, but average individuals can still engage in climate-conscious behaviors that are as effective as they are fun.

Every Sunday since 1992, Jimmy Dorrell and Church Under the Bridge have been empowering people from all walks of life and redefining how to view homelessness and poverty.

Since the introduction of Baylor’s new digital ID card at the beginning of the spring semester, 60% of on-campus students have signed up for and begun taking advantage of the service. However, off-campus students, faculty and staff will have to wait for it to be extended to them.

With Eclipse Over Texas and Diadeloso both taking place on April 8, it’s not just the sun and moon that will align. Although Waco is estimated to host over 100,000 visitors, the focus of the day will still be Baylor students — and maybe the sudden daytime darkness.

From pioneering Spanish-led tours at local colleges to planning a new mentorship program, Navegando has been active in promoting positive futures for high school students who are immigrants in Waco.

Paleontological breakthroughs could be on the horizon for the Waco Mammoth National Monument as Dr. Lindsey Yann and graduate researchers Dava Butler and Maree Yard aim to ascertain important baseline facts about the 65,000-year-old fossils.