Fifth and sixth grade students at La Vega Intermediate H.P. Miles Campus walked into school Feb. 20 and was greeted by well-dressed college students cheering them on with signs.Students from Baylor and University of North Texas gave students an energetic welcome to school in an event called Empowering the Youth. It was composed of college students dressing in professional attire, cheering for students as they enter school and having a dance party after an inspirational speech given by Patrick Powers, the creator of this event. Powers, a senior at University of North Texas, designed this event to emphasize the importance…
Author: Joy Moton
The Hispanic Student Association will host the Copa Oso soccer tournament at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19 in South Russell fields. The purpose of the tournament is to start a new scholarship initiative for Latino students at Baylor. There are a limited number of scholarships that are available to minority students at Baylor, said Damian Moncada, Houston junior and president of the Hispanic Student Association. “It’s very important for us to take notice of the under-served communities, especially the minority community here at Baylor,” Moncada said. Moncada said because the expenses of a college education and the lack of…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterTruett Women in Ministry is a group that seeks to educate both men and women regarding women’s issues in ministry, Baylor and the larger church community. The group was formed out of the larger Texas Baptist Women in Ministry group that addresses women in ministry in Baptist churches.“Our mission is to educate women about their roles and their call, to help them live fully in the call that God has placed on their life and also to empower men by teaching men alongside women,” said Val Fisk, president of Truett Women in Ministry. The group…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer Videos of African-American students at Baylor are circulating on Twitter because of a hashtag that Baylor NAACP set in place called #myblackhistory. The hashtag enables students to give diverse perspectives on their experiences and what being African-American means to them. Houston sophomore Maryse Bombito, press and publicity chair for Baylor NAACP, films students answering questions about what they love about being black and posts the videos on the Baylor NAACP page with the hashtag. Bombito said she came up with the idea for the hashtag because she believes people should celebrate history in the…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterThe members of St. James Methodist Church shared tears of joy, prayers and fellowship for the de-consecration service that would close the building’s doors as a church for good.The historically black church on Clay Avenue was built in 1924. The maintenance and utilities needed to operate such a large building had become too much of a burden for the small congregation of 20-30 people, so they had to put the building up for sale.The congregation will still hold its own services and will meet at Lakeshore United Methodist Church building. After months of searching for…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools announced that it is placing a one-year warning sanction on Baylor. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools determines if campuses in the southern region of the United States meet the standards to be considered an accredited institution. Baylor has been accredited since 1914. The university submits evidence that it is in compliance with the Principles of Accreditation every 10 years, according to Baylor’s website. Pepper Hamilton conducted an investigation following allegations of Title IX non-compliance last year. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has since…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. will host Jazz n’ Stanzas at 7 p.m. Friday in the Baines Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center. Jazz n’ Stanzas is an event designed to celebrate the roots of today’s music. “Jazz and stanzas is originally how African Americans got to express themselves artistically. You especially see that with things like the Harlem Renaissance Movement where you had people like Zora Neale Hurston, and you had people who are all about artistic expression through books, poetry, music and jazz,” said San Diego, Calif., senior India Fordham, who…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer Exactly 50 years ago, Barbara Walker and Robert Lewis Gilbert became the first African American students to graduate from Baylor University. Students gathered in Barfield Monday evening to celebrate the 50-year anniversary as well as the birth of an organization that will make history for Baylor. Through the department of multicultural affairs, Baylor will have its own black student union. Black student unions at other college campuses have served to unify, maintain and sustain communities of color in the midst of racial discrimination, economic exploitation and access to resources. The black student union at…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer Nearly four months after receiving the most horrifying news of their lives, Clark and Diane Grotberg continue to revel in the love they have been shown after the death of their son, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident on Oct. 6, 2016. Fergus Falls, Minn., sophomore David Grotberg was a member of the Golden Wave Band, and when news of his death reached bands all over the country, they responded with tributes to honor Grotberg. “When we first found out that he had been killed, we just felt so alone, and all of…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterJust in time for NCAA National Signing Day, the department of multicultural affairs hosted its own Multicultural Affairs Signing Day. Students visited the multicultural affairs suite and signed letters of intent to either commit or recommit to the multicultural organizations of their choice.“This is just an opportunity to heighten the awareness of all multicultural organizations and activities that we have available,” said Leslie Moore, coordinator for the department of multicultural affairs. The idea for the event came from Geoffrey Griggs, assistant director of multicultural affairs. “MA Signing Day was thought of while I was getting…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterJust in time for Valentine’s Day, Baylor Global Missions will host a chocolate tasting event at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center to educate students about the benefits of fair trade.The goal of the event is to expose students to the realities of the exploitation involved in the chocolate industry while also presenting simplistic ways to make changes, said Holly Tate, assistant director for Global Missions.“Free trade is a way of monitoring how these goods are produced and making sure people are paid properly and making sure that the people who…
As a young boy listening to the voice of an excited announcer and the roaring crowds at the World Series over the radio, John Wood knew baseball would become one of his lasting passions.“Once baseball gets in your blood, it’s pretty hard to get out,” Wood said. Wood is a retired professor of religion at Baylor and former professor of ethics. After suffering a heart attack two years before retiring, Wood decided to get started on his bucket list. One of the first things he wanted to accomplish was writing about the sport he loved so dearly. This resulted in…
By Joy Moton | Staff Writer In the midst of heightened fear and hate crimes across the country, Baylor students have a place to turn. The Bias Motivated Incident Support Team (BMIST) is a committee of faculty and staff that advises students who deal with issues surrounding discrimination or bias. The idea for the committee was proposed in 2008 by the office of the president to guide students through the process of handling discriminatory incidents. “We as a group are so committed to the idea of being an inclusive campus and making sure that people don’t endure issues like this without…
Joy Moton | Staff WriterNurse-Family Partnership is a program in which nurses visit the homes of pregnant first-time mothers to mentor and educate them.The program originated 30 years ago in Denver, Colo. It was brought to Waco as a collaborative effort with the Waco Foundation five years ago with the hope that it would help grow and educate the community while breaking the cycle of poverty. The program in Waco includes six nurses who visit the homes of 25 clients each week. The nurses provide resources to educate first-time mothers about how to take care of their baby as well…
Joy Moton | Staff WriterBaylor’s department of wellness is one of four universities in the country that has pioneered a new collegiate fitness program called F45. The program entails a high intensity, circuit-based group workout that only takes 45 minutes.“It’s marketed towards a younger population, and it’s just 45 minutes of your day. It goes by really quickly, and you get to work with your peers, which is pretty cool,” said Wichita, Kan., Fit Well graduate assistant Leah Gagnon, who participated in F45. The new program is considered to be innovative because it includes the growing trend of group workouts…
By Joy Moton | Staff WriterThe Coalition of Black Ambassadors partnered with the department of multicultural affairs to host the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Cashion Banquet Hall. Even though the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has passed, students said they felt it is important to celebrate his legacy outside of a single day. “It’s an every day thing because his legacy, what he stood for, what he fought for and what he died for, is something that we should carry on with us for the rest of our lives,” said Houston senior Hailey…
Joy Moton | Staff Writer The voices of more than 100 people could be heard singing “We Shall Overcome” as they walked across the Waco Suspension Bridge for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Members of various organizations in the Waco community gathered to celebrate the 21st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peace March and Observance.The Delta Upsilon Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. designed this event to commemorate King’s life and legacy and to demonstrate unity in the Waco community. The morning began with participants walking across the suspension bridge in the same way that Martin…
The Lariat finds out what the director of Mission Waco has been up to
By Joy Moton | Reporter and Brianna Bassett | ReporterTrumpeters played a moving piece, cyclists from Minnesota took a silent ride in solidarity and choir members sang a tribute song. Bands from other universities paid their respects and massive groups of students and faculty throughout the Baylor community united to pay tribute to one young man: David Grotberg. Grotberg was a sophomore honors student from Fergus Falls, Minn., who died in a hit-and-run accident on Oct. 6. There was something peculiar that stood out among all of the tributes: members of the Honors Residential College wore orange bandanas. This item…
My phone vibrated, waking me out of a deep slumber, showing news that I didn’t realize would change everything for me. On July 1, 2014, my friend, Joseph Alaniz, was killed in a car accident. I didn’t believe it until I logged into Twitter and saw my timeline flooded with sorrowful tweets expressing grief. High school graduation was less than a month before. Everyone’s excitement over the next chapter of our lives was immediately extinguished. The morning the news spread was traumatic, I remember going to Joseph’s house and seeing my friends sitting on the curbs and sidewalks sobbing in…
By Joy Moton | Reporter In the midst of the traditional festivities that take place for Baylor’s homecoming, a fraternity of the National Panhellenic Council hopes to bring something new to the table. Phi Beta Sigma fraternity Inc. will host their first Royal and Pure homecoming step show Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Waco Convention Center. The intent of the step show is to bring diversity to some of Baylor’s homecoming traditions. “I feel like the school needs something new for its African-American and minority parts of the school, but we also want to invite everybody. It’s not just…
By Joy Moton | Reporter Three years ago, Pastor John Durham had a vision of his church leaving its building to be a presence in the dying community surrounding it. His vision resulted in the annual We Walk 5k hosted by Highland Baptist Church. The walk consists of registered participants walking around the northern part of Waco and praying over local businesses, ministries and residents. Participants would be given “We Walk” cards with the names of local businesses, churches and other organizations to pray for as they walk. This year, the walk will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday. The…
By Joy Moton | ReporterYoung men from various fraternities, leadership positions and communities united Tuesday evening wearing suits to demonstrate their status as more than a stereotype. A group of 63 African-American men gathered in front of Pat Neff Hall, accepting a challenge to unite and capture a photo of themselves in suits to represent their resilience against the negative labels that are often stamped on African-American men. “I want Baylor to know that we’re actually on campus and not just a denomination or a minority or a statistic to help Baylor’s campus out,” Stafford junior Charlz Bisong Jr. said.…
Mayborn Museum Complex opened a new exhibit that features pilgrimages around the world
Baylor NPHC to host events for students this week
National Museum of African-American History and Culture to feature Baylor professor’s work
As I sat in church last Sunday, the pastor took a moment out of his sermon to pay tribute to the people who were involved in repairing the damage done by the 9/11 attacks. He spoke of doctors who performed life-saving surgeries, firefighters who pulled people out of buildings and police officers who directed the flow of traffic. There was, however, a significant group of people that he left out. He forgot to mention the individuals who played a large role in providing the emotional support of victims’ families. He didn’t talk about the people who conducted funerals, visited hospitalized…
Mission Waco hosts Walk for the Homeless
By Joy Moton | ReporterA group of Baylor students were horrified to discover Wednesday night that the new Rosenbalm Fountain had become an ill-suited home for dead and barely surviving fish. Houston freshman Noelle Flores planned to go fountain-hopping with a group of friends. When they got in the fountain, they saw a white and silver fish floating in the water. “We thought it was dead at first because it was just lying on the bottom of the fountain floor,” Flores said. “After maybe like five minutes, it just got up and started swimming.” As the group proceeded to walk…
Truett student creates unique environment to share the Gospel
