What Happened Various student voices sounded through the halls of the Bill Daniel Student Center this afternoon as demonstrators gathered in response to what has been called a “racially insensitive event” this past weekend. On Saturday evening members of Kappa Sigma Fraternity hosted a “Mexican-themed” party called “Cinco de Drinko.” Photos and details of the event were posted on Twitter and sparked outrage among students. Damian Moncada, president of the Hispanic Student Association, expressed his disappointment with what occurred at the party. Moncada said the theme of the party felt like a ‘slap in the face’ in light of hosting PURE,…
Author: Joy Moton
By Joy Moto | Staff WriterA panel of faculty from the religion, public health and sociology departments hosted a discussion about how people relate to sex as the concluding part of a series about sexual assault and rape culture Thursday evening in the Baylor Sciences Building.The series of conversations was part of an initiative for the It’s On Us Student Advisory Council during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Throughout this month, members of Baylor faculty have engaged in public discussion about the role of sex education through the perspectives of spirituality, science, and society.Faculty concluded the series by addressing the significance…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterThe LatinX Coalition, Better Together BU and the Hispanic Student Association collaborated to host an event called P.U.R.E., which stands for Promoting Unity and Respect for Everyone.The event took place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday on Fountain Mall. It involved Baylor students sharing stories to increase social awareness and encourage students to respect each other. Houston junior Damian Moncada, president of the Hispanic Student Association, said the event occurred for the first time as a collaborative effort of students who have a desire to promote unity and respect on campus. Moncada said Baylor…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterThe Tau Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. hosted a forum to address mental health issues in the black community Wednesday evening in the Cowden Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center.Dallas junior Eriq Hardiman said the fraternity decided to host an event addressing this topic because suicide is not a prevalent topic of discussion in the black community, and it is a major concern as finals week approaches. “Statistics show that during finals week people are more inclined to commit suicide,” Hardiman said. “We’re speaking primarily about African-Americans because that’s not a…
The Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Men for Change collaborated to host the final THIS Matters panel discussion Thursday in the Alexander Reading Room.THIS Matters is a series of conversations connecting leaders with diverse perspectives to offer context to society’s most challenging questions. A panel of four faculty members discussed the origins, causes and effects of hypermasculinity and hyperfemininity. Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez, associate professor of journalism, public relations and new media, spoke about the effects of mass media on how society views gender. First, Moody-Ramirez defined femininity as the simple quality of being female. She said hyperfemininity is a more complicated…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterBaylor’s Association of Black Students will host A Family Affair, an event with free catered food, carnival games, music, dancing and fellowship to showcase black culture on Baylor’s campus. The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. today at South Russell Fields.The organization has hosted this event under a different name, “Fish Fry,” in previous years but decided to change the name when new ideas came to light. “The event was styled in block party form to attract the minority members of Baylor for a free, on-campus event,” said New Orleans, La., junior…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterStudents gathered in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center for a Cross-Cultural Engagement dinner with the African Student Association on Tuesday evening. Students ate a traditional Ethiopian dinner as a panel of three students from various parts of Africa discussed their experiences growing up in America as people of African descent.Alexandria, La., senior Mima Fondong, president of the African Student Association, is originally from Cameroon and said it was hard for her parents to understand what she went through growing up in a new country because although they had been young once, they did not experience…
As church communities gather to celebrate and reflect during Holy Week, Waco’s Church Under the Bridge has always been known for celebrating in unique ways. Jimmy Dorrell, pastor of Church Under the Bridge, said Palm Sunday is his second favorite day to celebrate, following Easter. “For many, the power of it is the humility of Christ and that you begin Holy Week off with a sense of if God comes in on a donkey, how much more should we be humble for him?” Dorrell said. The ministry celebrated Palm Sunday by having the congregation lay palm branches on the ground…
I once dated a guy who, four months into the relationship, proceeded to tell me that he was never physically attracted to me. He said my body did not appeal to him and my face “kind of” did. He proceeded to tell me how he had hoped my personality would make me more physically appealing to him, but it did not. He concluded by telling me he lied about his attraction to me for the entire four months and stamped it with an “I’m sorry I hurt you.” I have no idea why he would lie about being attracted to…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterStudents and faculty gathered Tuesday evening in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center for the Cross Cultural Engagement Dinner with the Indian Subcontinent Student Association.Students from the organization prepared a traditional Indian dinner called butter chicken, a spicy dish with white rice, chicken and gravy. Springfield, Mo., junior Noah Ward opened the dinner by explaining the purpose behind cross-cultural dinners. He said the dinners are designed to strengthen the bonds of cultural humility and religious literacy at Baylor. Ward emphasized that part of Christianity is understanding our neighbors and loving one another. The dinner featured a…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterFirst Woodway Baptist Church is partnering with George W. Truett Theological Seminary to host a Special Needs Ministry Leadership Conference. The conference will take place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on April 21 to 22 and will discuss the challenges of leadership in special needs ministries and how to be effective in spreading the Gospel. Janice Stewart, senior lecturer in Baylor’s department of communication sciences and disorders and co-director of Helping Hands ministry at Woodway, came up with the idea for this conference after attending a similar conference at Woodway five years ago. She said…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer In spite of the gloomy rain that covered the streets of Waco Monday evening, members of the community gathered in the Hippodrome for a night of music, art and passionate storytelling. Wild Torch is an event designed to showcase art to convey the stories of women who have survived the horrors of the sex industry. The name of the event came from the hope that the fire in these women’s stories will ignite a fire in people who attend to participate in the mission of Jesus Said Love, a ministry that serves to embrace…
Baylor is home to a diverse group of students from the various countries of Africa. Though traveling from the same continent, each student’s experience at Baylor has been different and has affected their views on global immigration as well as diversity at Baylor. Onose Aigbe is from Nigeria and said America is very different from her country. She described a society where everyone is expected to bow down to elders and use their right hand for everything. Everyone is more in tune with each other, Aigbe said. Aigbe said she appreciates the various people she has met at Baylor as…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer Every year, thousands of people leave the clear water and sandy beaches of the Caribbean islands to enter America. Houston junior Darnelle DesVignes is from Trinidad and Tobago, an island off the coast of Venezuela. DesVignes said the Caribbean is just a melting pot of different cultures. “Their festivals, food, clothes, music is all a collaboration of different cultures,” DesVignes said. DesVignes described Trinidad and Tobago as a place where people are more focused on their similarities than their differences. Coming to America was a culture shock for her because America was described as…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterThe Pi Mu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated will host the 16th Annual Pink and Green Scholarship Pageant to crown a male student as Mr. 1908, in recognition of the sorority’s founding on January 15, 1908. The pageant, taking place at 7:08 p.m. Sunday in Barfield Drawing Room, is designed to recognize the scholastic achievements and personalities of young men in the Baylor community. “Combating the norm is always necessary,” Houston junior and pageant chair Danielle Sherman said. “This male scholarship pageant is giving the males on this campus something to relate to…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterThe McLennan County Hunger Coalition will host the seventh annual “Spring Onto Summer” Food Drive on from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday to build food supplies of Waco food pantries in order to serve the expected large number of people needing food assistance this summer.Waco is one of the largest food deserts in the country year-round, but the issue of child hunger worsens in the summer when many children are home from school and cannot receive free meals provided in schools. During the school year, students are eligible to receive free or reduced price…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterEvery year during the Lenten season, the churches of downtown Waco unite to host a series in honor of the 40 days leading up to Easter. A few years ago, local church leaders felt they were not being effective in reaching beyond their doors.Tim Jarell, senior pastor of Austin Avenue United Methodist Church, said the leaders of the churches sought ways to become more effective in reaching people in the downtown area and the Baylor community. After being inspired by the Moth, a national storytelling movement of telling real-life stories, the church leaders changed things…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer After an in-depth discussion about the Black Lives Matter movement among members of George W. Truett Theological Seminary’s Black Student Association, the group decided to open up the conversation to members of the community by hosting a discussion titled “Teach-In: The Matters of Black Lives.” The event, which will take place at 6 p.m. today University Baptist Church is designed to raise awareness about topics surrounding the issues facing African Americans and to educate people about the Black Lives Matter Movement. “It’s an important conversation that needs to be had that gets pushed off…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer Churches of various denominations will assemble in McLane Stadium for a night of unified worship. Two years ago, The Gathering made history by being the largest assembly of Christians in the history of Waco. This event, that united 35,000 people, will take place again at 6:30 p.m. April 9 in McLane Stadium. The idea behind the Gathering is to unify the various churches of the Waco community for a time of fellowship and worship in honor of Palm Sunday. A goal for this year’s Gathering is to maintain the traction of unity that was…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterBaylor’s Office of Student and Community Engagement, in partnership with International Justice Mission, invited students to gather in the classroom of North Russell Hall for a human trafficking forum Thursday evening.International Justice Mission is an international organization composed of social workers who take cases in international countries. Sacramento, Calif., junior Morgan Powell said human trafficking is so prevalent in other countries because often the police are on the side of criminals. “Almost every country has laws against slavery, but they don’t have security to enforce them,” Powell said. Baylor’s International Justice Mission chapter hosts events…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterBaylor students are promoting an app that is new to Waco and rewards drivers for refraining from texting while driving.Users can download the free app and receive rewards for safe driving. Safe 2 Save partners with businesses in Waco so that safe drivers can accumulate points and redeem discounts from businesses. The app contains a GPS unit that will display alerts if the driver attempts to text and add points if they successfully drive undistracted. Marci Corry from College Station started the app because, as a runner, she has seen that accidents occur because of…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterChildren who suffer traumatic experiences often find themselves enduring the pains and struggles of being bounced around the foster system. In the midst of an environment that makes them feel unwanted and misplaced, children are able to find hope with an organization designed to assist them.CASA (The Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) is an organization established to advocate for children who go through the foster system. Because the foster system is so dense and Child Protective Services often works with a multitude of cases at a time, children can feel as if they are…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterMassive clouds of color soared over Fountain Mall Tuesday evening as students and members of the Waco community ran around splashing colors over each other to celebrate Holi.Holi is part of the festival of colors, an Indian tradition designed to celebrate the arrival of spring. “It’s about joy, happiness, just getting with your friends and family and celebrating something fun and wonderful,” said Washington, D.C., sophomore Amy Kumar who helped organize the event. Baylor’s Indian Subcontinent Student Association brought this event to Baylor’s campus to share a part of Indian culture while engaging the community.…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterWhile students were away for Spring Break, Baylor’s situation regarding Title IX lawsuits and sexual assault scandals continued to unfold.Officials from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights paid Baylor a visit. Officials from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights visited Baylor on Thursday and Friday as part of an investigation into a complaint filed by former Title IX coordinator Patty Crawford. According to Lori Fogleman, Baylor’s Assistant Vice President for Media Communications, the Title IX Office’s office hours were for students, faculty and staff to meet directly with the Office…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer A Baylor student and an alumnus have created a group designed to confront the struggle of pornography. Shameless is an anti-pornography movement that consists of anonymous accountability groups that meet to discuss pornography addiction. The group was created by Houston senior Nathan Eggen and Baylor alumnus Mason Everett out of a desire to help people discuss a harmful struggle they dealt with themselves. “The idea came from our own struggles with pornography and the fact that it’s a topic that’s not really discussed at all,” Eggen said. The name of the organization comes from…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer Many students, faculty and visitors on Baylor’s campus walked around with ashes in the shape of a cross on their foreheads Wednesday. These people attended Baylor’s universitywide Ash Wednesday services held in Elliston Chapel at 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The services were led by Dr. Burt Burleson, university chaplain, and Carlos Colón, coordinator for worship initiatives. North Village resident chaplain Tierney Boss, who assisted with the services said the ceremonies were designed to usher in the first day of Lent. Lent serves as a period of time for Christians to repent of their…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterNow that the voices of many Gospel singers from decades ago have been digitally preserved through the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, workers in the Ray I. Riley Digitization Center are working to preserve sermons of passionate preachers through the Black Gospel Preachers Project.The project started as an initiative of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project. Robert F. Darden, professor in the department of journalism, public relations and new media and founder of the project, said African-American preaching and music are interchangeable. Since he has found that most preachers sing and most gospel singers preach,…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterBaylor’s Texas Hunger Initiative will co-host a campuswide food drive and hunger awareness forum with Baylor Campus Kitchen and No Kid Hungry from 6 to 8 p.m. today in the Baines Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center.Omaha, Neb., senior Megan Rollag, a youth ambassador for No Kid Hungry who organized the event, said the event is designed to bring the issue of child hunger in America to light on Baylor’s campus. Students will have the opportunity to learn about this issue and how they can play a part in reducing hunger locally. “I’m hoping…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer The Association of Black students and the department of multicultural affairs hosted the 30th annual Black Heritage Banquet Thursday night in Foster 250. Ilyasah Shabbaz, daughter of civil rights activists Malcolm X and Betty Shabbaz, spoke about the importance of identity, humanity, and having compassion for others. While people continue to suffer injustices around the world, people have a moral obligation to do everything they can to protect their human rights, they said. “When one of us is mistreated, all of us are mistreated,” Ilyasah Shabbaz said. “When one’s human rights are violated, all…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer The National Pan-Hellenic Council is hosting National Pan-Hellenic Council Week beginning Tuesday night with Greek 101, an event designed to inform students about what it is like to be in a black Greek letter organization at Baylor. Members of the four black Greek letter organizations on Baylor’s campus will have a panel discussion to dispel myths and truth about Greek life and answer questions from prospective members. The National Pan-Hellenic Council is an organization comprising nine historically black sororities and fraternities that are often call the “Divine Nine.” “Those who are interested in joining…