The Texas Department of Transportation, TxDOT, announced that both lanes traveling north and south on Interstate 35 will be closed from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. on Thursday as the contractor continues work on the Forrest Street U-turn bridge.Also, the MLK and University Parks intersections under I-35 will be closed during the construction.Students received emails Tuesday night through the Baylor News Flash system notifying them about the I-35 main lane closing and encouraging them to plan alternate routes while the interstate is closed.Loop 340 will be another option for travel during the closure of the I-35.The northbound traffic will…
Author: Madalyn Watson
A day off from classes in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not stop Baylor’s football team and other Waco residents from giving back through the MLK Day of Service: Brazos River Cleanup. Keep Waco Beautiful, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping Waco clean and healthy, teamed up with Waco Paddle Company along the banks of the Brazos River in an effort to clean up waste polluting the waters.The executive director of Keep Waco Beautiful, Ashley Millerd, explained why Martin Luther King Jr. Day is more than just a day off of work and school. It’s also a…
Don’t let the people you follow on Twitter do it for you.
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterSigma Tau Delta, Baylor’s chapter of the International English Honors Society, hosted Christmas with the Grinch from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Carroll Science Building Tuesday for students to relax and enjoy holiday festivities to prevent the Christmas ‘grinches’ caused by finals stress.Students sipped hot chocolate or hot apple cider, munched on an assortment of cookies and made handmade ornaments while Sigma Tau Delta Students read from, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” by Dr. Seuss aloud.Canyon senior Gordon McCormack, the treasurer of Sigma Tau Delta, performed a dramatic reading of the children’s book that attracted…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterSnapchat, Instagram, Twitter. These are just some of the social media platforms that distract students from focusing on their studies and passions.According to an AAP study in 2017, 50 percent of American teenagers use social media and 60 percent send text messages while working on their homework or studying. This form of multitasking affects a student’s learning abilities. Anaheim Hills, Calif., sophomore Sarah Gendron uses social media apps like Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, but said her favorite distraction is browsing Reddit.“Hours usually go by of procrastination spent on social media any time I sit down to…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterThe women of Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa) hosted their annual Kappa Karnival Wednesday in Russell Gym as an opportunity for students to gather, be free of end-of-semester stress and have fun.This is the eighth year the sorority has thrown Kappa Karnival as their all-university event.Houston junior Kathleen Cisarik, Kappa university event chair said Kappa Karnival was moved from Fountain Mall so students could enjoy their night protected from rain.“We were kind of scared about the rain, so we decided to just be safe and [have] it in the Russell Gym,” Cisarik said.Kappa Karnival featured many activities…
The Baylor Pre-Veterinary Medical Association first big event was very successful in finding a home for two homeless dogs.
Take a behind the scenes tour of the digitization and preservation for Baylor’s libraries and archives.
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterEver since I can remember, I have been enamored by the colors of fall. Most children, like myself, were struck with curiosity as the mysterious chlorophyll broke down the green within the leaves to reveal oranges, yellows and reds.However, overtime my focus on colors expanded to: the grey turtleneck my mom sported on our road trips to the mountains, the black darkness cloaking haunted corn mazes and the splash of dark red cranberry sauce nestled up against slices of turkey on Thanksgiving day.Autumn is the best time of year, and everyone should cherish it before the…
By Madalyn Watson | Reporter Baylor revealed this year’s torchbearers Thursday night during Freshman Mass Meeting in the Ferrell Center.The four torchbearers are chosen by the Baylor University Chamber of Commerce to represent spirit of the student body and participate in homecoming traditions such as the Freshman Mass Meeting and the passing of the torch.The four torchbearers are Arlington freshman Chris Malone, Boerne sophomore Sutton Houser, Lake Jackson junior Sarah Hosack and Lubbock senior Sean Elemento.When the torchbearers met for the first time after learning their important roles for this year’s homecoming, Sean Elemento, the senior representative, heard something that…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterStudents are creating their costumes and preparing for festivities that occur only one night a year: Halloween. But there’s a place where people get dressed up and be themselves all year, and that’s at “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” performances. The Waco Hippodrome offered showings of the iconic film on Oct. 26 and 27, complete with a live cast of Waco Civic Theatre actors. The 1975 musical science-fiction horror-comedy film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” follows Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple, on a strange and alarming adventure when their car breaks down in a…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterFor students looking for fun, safe and sober ways to celebrate on Halloween, the Baylor Peer Allies Coalition is hosting a Haunted Game Night from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in the Beauchamp Recovery Addiction Center (BARC) in the East Village Residential Community.Baylor’s Peer Allies Coalition is the local chapter of ACCEPT (Allies Cultivating Change by Empowering Positive Transformation), which partners with the BARC to promote positive change.New Braunfels senior Morgan Pettis, president of the Peer Allies Coalition, explained what the Peer Allies Coalition was created to do and how it helps students in recovery.“The [Peer…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterBenjamin Cooper, Baylor Pre-Law Society program manager, created the Baylor pre-law podcast “Bears, the Bar and Beyond” when he noticed students’ busy schedules made it difficult to attend pre-law events on top of classes and extracurricular activities. Cooper released the first episode of the podcast series on Sept. 6, intending to provide information for pre-law students and students considering the pre-law program. “One of the things we also emphasize is for students to get a realistic understanding and expectation of what being a lawyer is like, so the hope is that through the podcast and through…
Many fans of Netflix’s new series “The Haunting of Hill House,” directed by Mike Flanagan and based on a Shirley Jackson agree that the show has led to nightmares, anxiety attacks and even made some want to throw up. Twitter user @RadioWires said, “Man… the haunting of hill house is so good. It makes me want to vomit, cry, and turn on all the lights in the universe. Amazing storytelling. Incredible atmosphere.” Although I completely agree with the praise, tweets like these can lead others to skip out on a show with amazing character growth and unique storyline because they…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterWednesday was a dark and rainy evening as detectives gathered together in the Fentress and Baines rooms on the second floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center to solve the disappearance of Mr. George. Hosted by Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society, and the Baylor Literary society, the Escape Room Challenge engaged students in the mystery from 7 to 8 p.m.Canyon senior Gordon McCormack, the treasurer of Sigma Tau Delta and a member of the event’s committee, immersed students into the story of the escape room when he greeted them at the door.“You’ve all received…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterBaylor students, families and alumni have many game day options at the Baylor versus University of Texas game this Saturday — one of which is a sober tailgate.The Beauchamp Addiction Recovery Center (BARC) along with the University of Texas Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) are hosting a Sober Tailgate from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at 2007 University Ave. in Austin.New Braunfels senior Morgan Pettis said she will be able to see her friends she met through the BARC who have since graduated from Baylor at the tailgate.“I feel like tailgates are a very big…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterThe Texas State Board of Education recently held a preliminary vote to remove historical figures from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), which is the pre-kindergarten through high school history and social studies standards the board abides by. Some of those historical figures include Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller.Tony L. Talbert, associate dean of strategic initiatives and professor of social and cultural studies, compared the Sept. 14 vote to a preceding one where the board considered removing Rosa Parks from the curriculum.“The state board is elected persons, who are theoretically speaking for their constituencies, but…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterAlthough many Baylor students have schedules packed with classes, work and organizations, they still want free time to enjoy some mind-numbing and obsession-worthy entertainment. However, when students binge watch television shows on Netflix, it can take a toll on their time management, motivation and bank accounts.I can admit to spending too much of my time binge-watching television shows and letting it bleed into the time I had allotted for schoolwork. However, I feel there is another form of entertainment that not enough Baylor students have looked into as an alternative: Podcasts.Even though it is possible to…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterThe psychology and neuroscience department hosted Amber Harris Bozer, Ph.D, assistant professor from the department of psychological sciences at Tarleton State University, on Friday. Bozer’s lecture titled, “Pain, the Brain and Approach-Avoidance” was held from 12:20 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in the BSB.Joaquin Lugo, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, introduced Bozer.“[Bozer’s] work is in pain processing, but she also has a line of work where she is looking at more of an undergraduate research base as well,” Lugo said.Bozer began her presentation by explaining the differences between pain and chronic pain. “The goal…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterThanks to the efforts of Baylor Helping Hands, a motorized wheelchair will be delivered to the McCarty family on Saturday, Sept. 22. Baylor Helping Hands is a group of Baylor students who aim to spread God’s love through assisting the physically and mentally disabled in the Waco community.Amy and Jason McCarty’s seven-year-old daughter, Caoimhe, was born with encephalocele, meaning the back of her skull did not form completely and brain tissue lies outside of the skull. This developmental issue has caused Caoimhe several other medical problems throughout her life.“Caoimhe was born four weeks early in June…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterAs the school year begins, new students are searching for friend groups and returning students are making new friends. Professor Christopher Kaczor from Loyola Marymount University visited Baylor on Thursday to lecture on Friendships and Happiness: Insights from Aristotle, Aquinas and Contemporary Psychology. At 4 p.m., students gathered in the Alexander Reading room to hear his analysis on the different kinds of friendships and to join him for a reception after the seminar. Dr. Thomas Ward, assistant professor of philosophy, introduced Kaczor. Ward had worked with him at Loyola Marymount University before coming to teach at…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterIn honor of International Overdose Awareness day this past Friday, Baylor’s Beauchamp Addiction Recovery Center (BARC) held a memorial for those who lost their lives to overdoses. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., student volunteers and staff members at the BARC sat outside in the hot sun handing bracelets, pins, water and popsicles out to anyone who was interested. “The idea of the event is to give people that space for reflection and to prevent it from happening in the future,” said Lilly Ettinger, assistant director of wellness and recovery at the BARC.Outside the BARC, there…
By Madalyn Watson | ReporterThe Institute for Oral History houses the testimonies of individuals that together make a different human history than those portrayed in textbooks.“[Oral history] shows you that there is more than one perspective and that there are multiple stories in history,” said Adrienne Cain, assistant director of the institute.Cain is also the treasurer and secretary of the Texas Oral History Association (TOHA), which is a professional organization of oral historians associated with the Institute of Oral History at Baylor University.Dianne Reyes, the recently hired administrative associate of the institute, has a BA in Art History from New…