By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorLos Angeles is one of the most mythologized cities in the world. It’s been featured in countless films, resulting in a public idea of the city that blends fact and fiction. I grew up on the northeast side of Los Angeles, and living in Waco has given me a new understanding of this dichotomy between the perceived Los Angeles and the city I love. Each of the common myths I’ve heard over the years about Los Angeles has some grain of truth to it, but the city holds much more nuance than its public image…
Author: Mckenna Middleton
As high school seniors around the country await the arrival of acceptance and rejection letters from universities, some may have more reason to feel confident depending on their school of choice.At 42 percent of private schools and 6 percent of public schools, a student who has a relative that attended the university to which they apply may have an advantage over other applicants, according to a 2018 survey of admissions directors by Inside Higher Ed. These universities consider legacy status as a factor in the admissions process. The way universities handle legacy status has a direct and lasting impact on…
By Moorea Long | ContributorAs I sat in church last Sunday, I watched a mother text someone and then scroll through her Facebook feed during the sermon. Her young daughter looked up at her, and the mother kept scrolling. I realized that this little girl was learning at a young age that whatever is happening on her phone takes precedence over being involved in the world around her. Although most of the sermon would have been tough for a small child to grasp, I would argue that children may never learn respect if their parents do not set a good…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorEvery year, Baylor students, staff and faculty are required to change the password they use to log into sites like Bearweb, Outlook and Canvas. Changing passwords so frequently may seem like a hassle, but Baylor ITS information security analysts say it can help boost the security of your accounts — not just at Baylor, but on all online platforms that require a login. “We tend to reuse passwords from site to site. And so if, say, Amazon were to experience a breach, and you’re using the same password at Baylor and you never change it,…
Story by McKenna Middleton | Opinion Editor, Video by Jenna Welch | Broadcast ReporterSince the first Harry Potter book was released 20 years ago, more than 500 million books have been sold all over the world in 80 languages. However, many children who grew up in conservative religious families were not allowed to read one of the most popular fictional stories ever written. Dr. Greg Garrett, professor of english, teaches a class on the Harry Potter novels and said religious objections to the books surfaced because of their association with witchcraft. “It immediately sort of grated on people from really…
Story by McKenna Middleton | Opinion Editor, Video by Melanie Pace | Broadcast Reporter Baylor’s Office of Career & Professional Development’s career fairs this semester have aimed to address the diversity and accessibility needs of students, said Desiree Foley, CPD employer relations specialist.Foley said career fairs in the past have been marketed to all majors, but student surveys expressed a desire for a shift to major-specific career fairs.“There’s a desire for more tailored programming, especially for students both in the humanities and the sciences,” Foley said. “We understand that those students have unique and diverse career interests and needs and…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorOn Election Day, 36 states held elections for governor. According to data from Baylor Institutional Research and Testing, 91.4 percent of undergraduate Baylor students are from states participating in governor elections. The National Governors Association reported 17 of those 36 states had incumbents eligible for re-election, but even some of those seemingly predictable states were met with unexpected challenges. For example, in right-leaning Texas, incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott won re-election by 55.6 percent to Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez’s 42.2 percent as of 11 p.m. Tuesday with 78 percent of precincts reporting. Dr. Patrick Flavin,…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorAn internship program with Baylor’s ITS information security team gives students real life experiences protecting Baylor’s technological assets. Jon Allen, Baylor interim chief information officer and chief information security officer, said the program has been in the early stages for the past few years, but is now becoming more formalized, with four students working as information security interns. Allen said the program includes students from interdisciplinary backgrounds and emphasizes the wide range of skills needed in the cybersecurity profession. In this way, the internship program fits into the goals of Illuminate, Allen said. According to…
Here’s where to be and when this weekend in Waco. Friday, Nov. 2 Friends of the Waco-McLennan County Library Book Sale | 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Creative Arts and General Exhibits Building, Extraco Events Center | Stop by and browse over 110,000 books, DVDs, CDs and more. Admission is free, and all purchases made Friday feature no sales tax. First Friday | 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. | Downtown Waco | Participating locations downtown will feature activities, later hours of operation, live music and refreshments. Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda and Art Exhibit | 10 a.m. – 6…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorThe New York Times reported Oct. 21 that the Trump administration is considering narrowing the definition of gender as biological, unchangeable and determined at birth, a policy that would essentially erase the identity and privacy rights of 1.4 million transgender citizens – a group larger than the entire population of Dallas.The news demonstrates the Trump administration’s willingness to put the privacy and identity rights of over a million citizens at risk in order to participate in wedge politics. Even if you don’t identify as transgender, it is imperative that we voice our dissent over this…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorBaylor Cyber Day continued Wednesday afternoon at the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation with a panel discussion on cybersecurity of personal health data. Panelists discussed the challenges of cybersecurity as fast-changing health technologies and a move to electronic medical records raise new concerns for both industry leaders and average citizens.The discussion was moderated by Jon Allen, Baylor interim chief information officer and chief information security officer, and featured leaders from the health data and cybersecurity industry including Jason Barnett from HCA Healthcare, Richard M. Seidner from Splunk Corp., A. Michael Smith from…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorCommercials for Ancestry and DNA tests suggest such services help people discover who they really are. They tell customers to spit in a vial to unlock untold personal genealogical data based on an analysis their genetic makeup. These tests bring new challenges to fields ranging from sociology to politics to medicine and cybersecurity.SOCIOLOGYBaylor sociology doctoral candidate Edwin Eschler has studied ancestry DNA tests and has even taken tests himself. Eschler said these tests operate by comparing the DNA of people with unknown heritage to people with known heritage.“Essentially, they’ve tested people already who know their…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorTo recognize National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Baylor’s second annual Cyber Day kicked off at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Cashion Academic Center. Cyber Day, sponsored by Baylor Information Technology Services, the Baylor School of Engineering and Computer Science and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations, aims to help the Baylor community become BearAware. Cyber Day is a two part event featuring Tuesday’s HackFest as well as a panel discussion on protecting health data held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation. At HackFest, the first floor of Cashion Academic…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorJustice Brett Kavanaugh’s controversial confirmation process has brought up concerns about the partisanship of the U.S. Supreme Court and have been further ignited by Kavanaugh’s nomination, according to a study conducted by Pew Research Center. The role of a judicial body can be seen on all levels of government — even in the Student Government at Baylor University.Baylor’s Student Court, the judicial branch of student government, has seven justices that preside over matters ranging from parking ticket appeals to disputes between organizations and their members to student government elections.Plano senior Landon Dutra has been an…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorThe deadline to register to vote in the upcoming general election is fast approaching – Oct. 9 for Texas, but some out-of-state Baylor students may be unsure of their options. Dr. Rebecca McCumbers Flavin, senior lecturer of political science, said college students can “vote where you sleep,” meaning those who are not from McLennan County can either register to vote in Waco or can request an absentee ballot.“I tell students to choose what they’re most comfortable with,” Flavin said. “If they feel like they have a better sense of who is on the ballot and…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorThe Central Texas Food Bank is now offering a mobile food pantry site, which is catered to Waco’s veteran community as part of a partnership with the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System. The mobile food pantry will take place from 9 to 11 a.m., the first Wednesday of every month at the Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.This veterans mobile food pantry is part of the Veteran’s Pantry pilot program of Feeding America, a nationwide network of over 200 food banks, of which Central Texas Food Bank is a member. The program…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorBaylor’s Women in Computer Engineering club is working to keep more women in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. The group meets each week for community, mentorship and professional development opportunities.Data from the School of Engineering and Computer Science reveal that only 23 percent of students enrolled in the program are women. WiCS president and Columbia, Mo. junior Maddie de la Torre said the club was founded as an initiative to keep more women in computer science programs at Baylor.“One of the things I liked about it was, when I was a freshman it…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorThe Waco community, led by Mission Waco, will take to the streets Sunday morning for the 13th annual Walk for the Homeless. The event coincides with the 26th anniversary worship service of Church Under the Bridge.The walk begins at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Meyer Center, in Waco, where brand new shoes will be distributed to the homeless from the Waco community. Through this effort, Mission Waco moves away from its traditional empowerment method to the relief model, said Jimmy Dorrell, president of Mission Waco.“Americans are terribly committed to sort of this give away stuff,…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorBaylor’s financial and human resources systems are in the initial stages of a major overhaul. Becky King, Enterprise Resource Planning project director and associate vice president of Information Technologies, said the older Enterprise Resource Planning software needs a major update to be able to support projects like Illuminate, Baylor’s five-year strategic plan.This initiative, called Ignite, will only affect the university’s old Enterprise Resource Planning systems, which include processes such as financial management, budget planning, human resources and payroll.“What sparked it is that the university has a lot of plans — important plans —Illuminate being the…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorBaylor Parking and Transportation Services is implementing a new system in an effort to more effectively manage the timed parking spots around campus. Timepark was developed in response to complaints that timed spaces were being occupied for long periods of time.Matt Penney, director of Parking & Transportation Services, said timed parking offers drivers convenient access to their destinations for short periods of time, but the time-limited spots at Baylor weren’t serving this purpose as expected.“To work, these individuals need to complete their business (in a short time frame) and then move their car from the…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorWhen faced with a piece of modern art, the temptation is to think to yourself, “I could have made that.” Conceptual art can often bring us outside of our comfort zone because it causes us to question what art really is.The statement “I could have made that” suggests a valuation of technical skill over any other artistic component. This line of reasoning makes sense. After all, if something is going to be worthy of a museum, it should be something that transcends the abilities of the average museum-goer. While conceptual art doesn’t surpass the physical…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorBaylor alumnus David Cranor has always wanted to be an inventor. His educational and professional journey has been defined by a synthesis of creativity and technology.“They kind of feed off of each other,” Cranor said of his two passions.Cranor graduated from Baylor with a degree in engineering and a concentration in film and digital media in 2008. He then went on to the MIT Media Lab, where he received his Masters of Science in 2011 and gained a new understanding for how to harmonize his love for the creative and technological realms.Before coming to Baylor,…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorLaptops provide students with convenient, reliable access to technology — until they don’t. Computer crashes and issues can come at the worst times, especially when students rely on their laptops to do homework and keep documents safe.Baylor offers resources to students facing personal computer issues through the ITS Help Desk, TechPoint and the Technology Repair Center at the Baylor Bookstore. Each resource helps students with computer problems in unique ways.Carl Flynn, director of marketing and communications for information technology and university libraries, said there are steps students can take to prevent computer crashes.“For instance, we…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion Editor The new iOS 12 update for iPhones and iPads, expected to roll out any day now, promises more effective and entertaining features. A poll of Lariat Twitter followers revealed that 85 percent of 110 survey participants have an iPhone and will therefore receive the new operating system updates once Apple releases the software. Devices going back to the iPhone 5 and iPad Air will support the new system. The latest iOS will offer new features to make iPhones “faster, more responsive and more delightful,” according the Apple website. Although the upgrade was announced on…
By Sam Cedar | Guest ContributorOver the weekend, Nike made Colin Kaepernick the face of the company’s 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” campaign. The first advertisement rolled out by the company shows a picture of Kaepernick’s face with text overlay reading, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” However, between the two parties involved (Kaepernick and Nike), only the former has made any real sacrifice. Kaepernick’s protests against police brutality, which have consisted of respectfully kneeling alongside fellow NFL players during the playing of the national anthem, have cost him far more than a job. Though…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorA partnership between the Baylor Pre-Veterinary Medical Association and Waco’s Animal Birth Control Clinic has launched a new effort to manage the population of feral cats on Baylor’s campus. The Campus Cat Project follows the “Trap, Neuter and Release” (TNR) method, which the Animal Birth Control Clinic Executive Director Carrie Kuehl said has had success locally and on a national level. To complete the TNR process, feral cats are safely and humanely trapped, neutered or spayed by professionals at the Animal Birth Control Clinic and then released back in the same location 24 to 36…
By Jessika Harkay | Guest ContributorI couldn’t imagine being a football player or a frat-boy at Baylor in this current time. Being labeled a potential rapist has been exploited recently with the emergence of scandals and the #MeToo movement. With that said, though the risk appears to usually come from those type of boys, I couldn’t imagine being innocent and having to deal with the assumption that you are more dangerous than any other man walking down the street. People should not be stereotyped simply because of the extracurricular activities in which they choose to participate. Though I believe it’s…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorStarting this fall, Baylor students and staff have the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning in a new way: with widened access to makerspaces, workshop spaces that incorporate many types of creation. While some departments on campus have their own fabrication workspaces such as theater arts and engineering, the new makerspace in Moody Library, as well as a partnership with Maker’s Edge in Waco, offers Baylor students and staff a chance to widen the realm of possibility.Andrew Telep, assistant director for learning spaces and media services at Baylor University Libraries, has been involved in the…
By Aviv Tome | Guest ContributorWhen I first set foot on the Baylor campus as a freshman, I couldn’t help but hear the infamous ‘Baylor Bubble’ slang term. I believe it has become an antiquated way to describe the Baylor community’s connection with its surroundings. However, it seems Baylor students have embedded and weaved their roots into the Waco community where their Christian light has been radiating through, despite the claims of being isolated. Baylor students have shown immaculate love and devotion toward their community; enough to reconsider the word ‘bubble.’ With such a vibrant and passionate student body, I…
By Anna Tabet | Guest ContributorAs a freshman this year, I had the experience of attending the “It’s On Us” seminar. The event’s main focus was on educating students of the dangers of rape within and beyond our campus. Overall, the event seemed well planned and thought provoking. However, I truly believe Baylor lost out on an opportunity to institute real change.As a young woman, I have been taught by everyone of the importance of preventing sexual assault in my life. I’ve watched the videos. I’ve heard the speakers. I’ve sat through hour long seminars, and yet I’ve never once…
