Author: Julia Vergara

By Julia Vergara | Staff Writer Influenced by its Christian mission, Baylor puts time and effort into caring for the environment with university-wide sustainability practices and programs. Baylor’s Sustainability Policy defines “sustainability” as the societal effort to meet the needs of present users without compromising the needs of future generations. Smith Getterman, director of sustainability and special projects, said he believes it is a part of the Christian mission –– both as individuals and as members of the Baylor community –– to practice sustainability. “When we talk about being good stewards of our resources, we’re really talking about how the…

Creative Waco hopes to grow Waco as a cultural hub.

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterBaylor’s Hispanic Student Association is hosting a university-wide week of events to reach out to new people and to celebrate over 30 years of community excellence on campus.Events are taking place every day this week in various places across campus.Gabriela Fierro, Houston sophomore and special events coordinator for Hispanic Student Association, said the Hispanic Student Association is happy to know they have been influencing campus for over 30 years.”It’s a celebration of that and showing the campus that this is something we’re proud of and we want them to be a part of it as…

By Julia Vergara | Staff Writer Baylor University Libraries, The Institute for Oral History and Women’s and Gender Studies will be launching the Baylor Women’s Collection website at the “Sharing Her Story” event 3 p.m. Thursday at Armstrong Browning Library. Director of Armstrong Browning Library Jennifer Borderud said the new Baylor Women’s Collection site will highlight materials relating to the achievements of women found in the Baylor Libraries and the Institute for Oral History. “The primary purpose of the site is to provide Baylor faculty and students an easy way to discover the rich resources we have that were created…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterBaylor recently announced a waitlist for the incoming freshman class of fall 2018 due to the strong demand of prospective students and the rate at which deposits are being received.Jessica King Gereghty, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions and enrollment, said Baylor has received over 30,000 completed applications for the upcoming freshman class. Gereghty said for the past three or four years, Baylor has had an incoming class of around 3,300 or 3,400 students and there are still seven more weeks until the May 1 candidacy reply deadline.”The waitlist is a tool that a lot…

By Julia Vergara | Staff Writer Key: January (green), February (red), March (blue) According to the BUPD Crime Log, Baylor and surrounding areas have experienced 167 reported crime cases since the beginning of the semester, Jan. 8. Out of the reported crimes, 112 occurred on-campus and 55 occurred off-campus. The most frequent crimes overall were theft, burglaries and alcohol-related cases. There were 45 reported cases of theft. Out of those reports, 34 occurred on-campus and 11 occurred off-campus. There were 27 reported cases of burglary, and 21 were reported as a burglary of a motor vehicle. Out of the reported…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterThe best piece of advice I have ever come across is, “Be who you are. You are not everyone’s cup of tea and that is OK.” The phrase concludes a longer quote that talks about how you shouldn’t waste your time trying to convince people that aren’t “your people” – or people that just don’t get you – that you have value, because no matter how hard you try, they are going to miss it completely. And you have to be OK with that. This advice didn’t even come from an important figure or role…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterAfter competing in the Baylor School of Music’s third annual Semper Pro Musica Solo and Chamber Music Competition, 18 students have won the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May. The six solo competition winners, as well as four chamber groups, will be in New York City from May 23-26, and the students will perform at 8 p.m. May 24 in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Gary Mortenson, dean of the Baylor School of Music, said the competition consisted of two rounds. About one in every three students…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterBaylor’s journalism, public relations and new media (JPRNM) graduate program will be sending its highest number of representatives to the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Midwinter Conference.The conference will take place Friday and Saturday at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez, graduate program director, said four graduate students have been accepted to present their research at the conference, two will serve as moderators and she will serve as a discussant for the Minorities in Communication Division.“I’m very pleased with the work that our students…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterStudent Learning and Engagement launched the very first student-led Baylor History Tour Friday, engaging its guests in the rich history of a university older than the state of Texas itself.Baylor History Tour’s route starts at the bear habitat and moves through some of the oldest areas of Baylor’s campus, including Fifth Street, Carroll Library and Burleson Hall.Tours are offered on Fridays and those interested can register on the Student Learning and Engagement website.Sacramento, Calif., senior Kaitlynn Plaskett and Warsaw, Ind., Ph.D student Jeff Strietzel serve as co-coordinators for Baylor History Tours. “We’re not just the…

By Julia Vergara | Staff Writer New Student Programs is calling all students with a desire to serve and a passion for Baylor to apply to become a Welcome Week Leader.Assistant Director of New Student Programs Tripp Purks said Welcome Week Leaders play a special role in making Baylor feel like home for incoming students.Purks said Welcome Week staff are looking for students that love Baylor’s traditions, history, spirit and everything that makes Baylor a unique community.”We really want to help students develop a sense of belonging [during Welcome Week] and take ownership of their own Baylor story, which is…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterThe Baylor Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) is currently searching for new members to join in its goal of supporting the Baylor Health Center by providing student input, assisting with activities and developing health outreach programs for the campus.Baton Rouge senior and President of SHAC Chris Shin said the deadline for the application is March 15 and students can access it through the Baylor Health Center website.”We’re a small group, but we would love to really make an impact and we can have a better impact on the student body if we get passionate applicants,”…

Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work has brought the “Artifacts of Human Trafficking” exhibit to campus.

The Baylor African Student Association (ASA) strives to share the beauty of Africa with others.

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterThrough the Philanthropy and Public Service Program, a group of Baylor students have teamed up with children from Restoration Haven’s after-school care program to create their very own stomp-show. Restoration Haven is a community support organization that provides life skill classes, counseling, advocacy, tutoring, Bible study and planned community events for residents that live in the city’s urban areas.Students in Philanthropy and Public Service Program have been working with about 25 children — ages 5 to 15 — for the past two to three weeks, preparing for their performance at Baylor’s Stompfest in April.Dr. Shirley…

By Julia Vergara | Staff Writer The band Honest Men first performed at Baylor’s inaugural Battle of the Bands before moving on to produce their own album and tour.Current Baylor students are now getting their chance for a big break through the month of February, as the Union Board searches for talent to showcase in the seventh annual Battle of the Bands.Assistant Director for Student Union Jordy Dickey said Student Union has entered a long season of searching for bands. They are seeking musicians that cover a variety of music genres and have opened up the competition to include solo…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterCampusTown Waco is an organization that connects college students to local jobs and internships –– completely free of charge –– with the goal of keeping them in Waco after graduation. Initiative Coordinator for CampusTown Waco Evan Hebert said the organization is a partnership between each of the five colleges at Waco, the City of Waco, the Greater Waco Chamber and a local non-profit called Prosper Waco.”Everyone who cares about keeping students in Waco when they graduate is in on this project,” Hebert said.Director of Communications for Prosper Waco Christina Helmick said that while a majority…

The Baylor Law School will be hosting People’s Law School from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday at the law school, located at 1114 S University Parks Dr. Baylor Law will be offering a variety of free, interactive classes — Making the law “user-friendly” to help participants understand their legal rights. According to Baylor Law’s website, the classes will be led by volunteer attorneys and legal experts. Participants will be able to choose three classes out of 19 options. The topics will cover a variety of events such as Privacy and Social Media, Sexual Harassment and the Workplace, The Immigration…

Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary will be hosting the third annual Texas Baptist Women in Ministry Conference Friday. Registration for the conference will begin at 8:00 a.m. and is followed by a large session, four panel discussions, a networking lunch, three breakout sessions and ends with a second large session at 4:30 p.m.Jo Ann Sharkey Reinowski, director of academic services for Truett Seminary and secretary for Texas Baptist Women in Ministry, said there are many different ideas about the role of women in ministry. While some churches are excited about a woman serving as the lead pastor, other churches…

President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union Address Tuesday night, calling for unity between the Republican and Democratic parties. In his speech, Trump detailed what the government has done during his first year of presidency and implored Congress to support his plans for the future. “Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve,” Trump said. Trump said that in his first year of presidency, the government has created 2.4 million new jobs,…

Story by Julia Vergara | Staff Writer, Video by Branson Hardcastle | Broadcast Reporter Waco companies and organizations came together at Project Homeless Connect to offer help and services to the city’s homeless community. The event took place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday at the Waco Convention Center and was hosted by The Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition, The City of Waco and The Department of Veteran Affairs. Mike Ormsby is a social worker at the Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a member of the Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition. He said people dealing…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterAs tourism in Waco rapidly increased, Luke and Rachel Whyte and their good friend David Ridley asked the question — “Who is welcoming all of these visitors to Waco?” So in summer 2016, they decided to start the company Waco Tours. Rachel Whyte said they first began launching the company through their personal social media accounts and websites. At the inception of the company, they only had one van and were doing one or two small tours per week. In January 2017, Luke Whyte quit his day job in order to do Waco Tours full-time.…

By Julia Vergara | Staff Writer As students arrived at Baylor for the Spring 2018 semester, some may have noticed the university was different —  it was brighter, lit up with green all across campus. These lights represent the beginning of Baylor’s new marketing and communications campaign, “Where Lights Shine Bright.” Jason Cook, vice president for marketing and communications and chief marketing officer, said the lights were meant to visually send a signal that something different is going on at Baylor. “We’ve been in a period of darkness over the last couple of years and now it’s time for us…

Video by Meredith Aldis | Broadcast Reporter, Story by Julia Vergara | Staff Writer As a student in Baylor’s Truett Seminary, John Calaway attended classes taught by Jimmy and Janet Dorrell, co-founders of Mission Waco. In January 2018, Jimmy Dorrell has handed off his role as executive director to Calaway. “Because I have lived out this calling to serve and empower the poor for 25 years, I know the character and quality of life needed to do it well,” Dorrell said. Dorrell said Calaway sat in his “Introduction to Christian Witness and Mission” class at Truett Seminary many years ago.…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterThe Girl Scouts of Central Texas and Barnett’s Public House partnered up to bring a Girl Scout Cookie Specialty Dinner to Waco.The event is set to take place from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Barnett’s Public House, located at 420 Franklin Ave.”The moment we announce it [the dinner], it almost sells out,” Marketing Director of Barnett’s Public House John Hodges said. “Everybody loves this event because everybody loves Girl Scout cookies.”The dinner costs $25 for a four-course meal that includes dishes made with Lemonades, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwich and Caramel deLites. The…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterBaylor’s Spring Break Outdoor Adventure Trip registration is officially open, offering the chance to explore the Grand Canyon, the Paria Canyon, Colorado or the Pecos River.Jeremy Yarbrough, senior coordinator for Outdoor Adventure, said these trips provide participants with an opportunity to challenge themselves and share this experience with other Baylor students. “You know, it’s school, school, school and to be able to take four or five days just to relax — It just kind of helps rejuvenate and recharge students for the rest of the semester,” Yarbrough said. The options for the Spring Break Outdoor…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterIn the era of social media, the term #goals has become a way to label something as perfect– something everyone wants to do, to be or to have. The phrase can appear anywhere– Twitter, Instagram, Facebook–, and it can refer to just about anything– relationships, vacations, life, etc.Relationship goals often refer to the adorable celebrity couples that are constantly gushing about each other on social media and in interviews. Vacation goals could refer to relaxing luxuriously on the beach without a care in the world. Life goals could refer to a huge house in a…

Story by Julia Vergara | Staff Writer, Video by Christina Soto The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District has reported a high number of flu cases than usual in the area throughout the month of December. In just one week, the number of flu and flu-like cases rose from 338 to 1,041 for the week ending Dec. 15. The next week, ending Dec. 22, saw another increase, jumping to 1,541 cases. It was not until the last week of December, ending Dec. 29, that the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District saw a decrease to 1,283 cases — a number that is…

By Julia Vergara | Staff WriterThe “Bring Back the Light at Moody Memorial Library” event brightened up Baylor’s campus with 92 new LED lights in celebration of the building’s 50th anniversary. Students, faculty and staff came together Wednesday night and watched as Baylor President Dr. Linda Livingstone led the countdown to the relighting of Moody’s exterior. “It’s so exciting to see such a great group coming together around this opportunity to really highlight the academic excellence of this place and the academic excellence that flows out of our library system,” Livingstone said. Moody first opened its doors to the Baylor…

Julia Vergara | Staff WriterThe Mayborn Museum Complex is currently featuring 19 women who have made significant contributions to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.The exhibit “Find a Way, Not an Excuse: Women in STEM” was an original idea from former Baylor museum studies graduate students Courtney Berge and Valencia Johnson, according to exhibits manager Trey Crumpton.Crumpton said Berge and Johnson came up with the concept, conducted research, picked which women to focus on and spoke to Mayborn Museum administration about making it an exhibit.”We said, ‘Yes!’ And so we took their ideas and kind of reworked it…