By Alexandra Bebout | Guest ContributorThe 2012 gang rape case may be settled, but we shouldn’t allow ourselves to do the same. Last Monday evening, Baylor University held a mandatory “It’s On Us” assembly to educate incoming freshman on the issue of sexual assault; three days later a female student was assaulted on campus. I’m horrified, but not surprised. It’s true the university has held these mandatory assemblies for four years and quickly alerted the student body of Thursday’s assault, but as a female freshman sitting in the Ferrell Center as the main speaker jovially compared sexual assault to eating…
Author: Mckenna Middleton
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorAlthough I’ve lived in Texas for the past three years, I still consider myself to be a true Californian, an Angelino to be precise. I eat In-n-Out, use expressions like “stoked on it” and consider my biggest demon to be rush hour road rage. While I embrace my hometown culture in almost every way, there is one aspect of Texas that I adopted immediately: saying “y’all.”Like most non-Southerners, I was initially skeptical about wielding this loaded phrase. I had always considered “y’all” to offer nothing but a grammatical indication of regional identity, similar to the…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorWhile some shows should stop while they are ahead, “New Girl” Season 7 offers viewers closure, consistency and some final laughs before the fun ends on May 15.Much like the final season of “Parks and Recreation,” this last season of “New Girl” takes place three years in the future, a jump in time from Season 6 that allows the show’s creators to innovate the characters while maintaining their same lovable qualities. Unlike the final season of American Idol, where the judges were completely different from Season 1, the characters are all the same, played by…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorMost students wait in eager anticipation for the special Tuesday when Baylor grants a much-needed academic break and fun events spring up around campus. For those who contribute to the maintenance of the university’s most vital functions, however, Diadeloso plans are thwarted by responsibility.Students who worked on Dia still often find time to take part in festivities, whether before or after their shifts.Moody Memorial Library was open during its regular hours from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Some of the library’s student employees, including Bedford sophomore Sandra Miruka, spent some of her day behind a…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion EditorFestival Latino devotes Thursday through Saturday to events celebrating the vibrant Latin American culture present in the Baylor community and beyond. Each day of Festival Latino will focus on a different area of student development, said Dallas junior Pablo Gonzales, marketing coordinator for the event. Thursday’s event, “Catalistas,” focused on career and professional growth, Friday’s event, “¡Parranda!”, will focus on culture and diversity and Saturday’s event, “Raices,” will focus on learning from those who came before you.Festival Latino was born of a collaboration between the Hispanic Student Association, Hispanic sororities and fraternities and other Hispanic…
By JJ Dickinson | ContributorI’m a campaign manager for Austin Allaire, and I asked to write this because I want to make our side of the story known ahead of today’s runoff election. Last week, you may have seen some posts about events happening behind the scenes in the election process. An article published in the Lariat on Friday described a case our campaign team raised against another candidate’s campaign. Our team did not raise this complaint maliciously. Rather, we felt the need to address what we saw as a gap in the Electoral Code. After personally reviewing the code,…
By McKenna Middleton | Opinion Editor, Kaitlyn Dehaven | Assistant Web and Social Media Editor On Russell Stover S’mores A lot of incoming Baylor freshmen dream about that moment — the one where they walk into their first day of Baylor Line Camp and see them — their soulmate. Now, while this might be semi-irrational because of the short amount of time they spend together, what about the Line Camp Leaders? The ones who spend all summer together? Hanahan, S.C., junior Chase Pfaff and Corpus Christi sophomore Meghan Mandel found love during the summer of 2017. Pfaff was on the…
“The very basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1787In light of the current sociopolitical climate, many Americans might be inclined to lump journalists into the same category as used-car salesmen, lawyers and lobbyists –– professions known for a systematic tendency to lie and mislead. In fact, even our president has coined and,…
By Megan Garland | ContributorWhen his disabled mother struggled to navigate her way around campus and his residence hall, the eyes of Old River-Winfree junior Joel Polvado were opened to the world of disabled students on campus. This was the beginning of Polvado’s mission as he entered student government at Baylor. “Watching my mom try to navigate my residence hall and the rest of campus, the curbs on Seventh Street, was really difficult for her,” Polvado said. “Things that we don’t think about as abled people, people who are disabled struggle with.”The Office of Access and Learning Accommodation (OALA) is…
By Bailey Ray | Contributor According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the actual statistic of sexual violence may be higher than reported due to the sensitive and personal nature it conforms to, given that there are slight discrepancies between this statistic and those of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. In addition to statistical data, the CDC explained what the encompassing term of “sexual violence” refers to. The issue of sexual violence can involve many different parties, said the CDC, which outlined different types of perpetrators such as intimate partners, spouses and significant others. Many communities, including…
By Arion Crenshaw | Contributor Tonya Lewis, Baylor director of media communications, had everyone in the audience at the “No More: Dispelling the Rhetoric of Victim Blaming” panel discussion close their eyes and think back to their most embarrassing memory. A few moments later she asked them to imagine if that memory went viral, was shared and retweeted. Lewis was trying to get attendees to get a small glimpse of what victims of sexual assault go through. The department of communication and the Communication Coalition of Minority Students sponsored the forum Wednesday afternoon, which was a proactive way to help…
By McKenna Middleton | News Editor, Rylee Seavers | Staff WriterInterim President David Garland issued a statement on Monday regarding the online petition to make Baylor a sanctuary campus, stating that “it is not in the university’s best interests — nor in keeping with our legal covenants — to declare Baylor a ‘sanctuary campus’ without the proper authorization or legal authority.”It also said that Baylor can continue to support students without the designation as a “sanctuary campus” and will strive to be a hospitable and compassionate place. The petition was dated Feb. 6 and has reached about 1,300 signatures, it…
By McKenna Middleton | News EditorSince Monday, an online petition titled “Make Baylor University a Sanctuary Campus” has garnered support through signatures from students, alumni, faculty and staff.The declaration was drafted by members of the Graduate Theological Fellowship and was addressed to interim President Dr. David Garland, Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Greg Jones, Vice President for Student Life Dr. Kevin P. Jackson, and Vice Provost for Global Engagement Dr. Jeffrey S. Hamilton.”We, the undersigned members of the Baylor community, call on our administration to declare Baylor University a sanctuary campus,” the document states. “Baylor’s profession of the Christian…
By McKenna Middleton | News EditorAn assistant in the football strength and conditioning area of the Baylor athletics department was arrested early Saturday morning on charges of solicitation of prostitution.Brandon Washington was arrested by deputies after arriving at a local hotel to meet a prostitute, McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara told the Waco Tribune-Herald. His charge is classified as a Class B misdemeanor. Washington was recently hired in the Baylor athletics department but was fired once the university learned of his arrest, according to a Baylor University statement. “After a full criminal background check was completed and cleared, Brandon Washington…
Following President Donald Trump’s election, many Americans were looking for a restart button, or at the very least, an escape key. After desires to move to Canada had all but died, one state remained resilient in its efforts to distance itself from United States. The term “Calexit” pervaded Twitter with a hashtag expressing support for California to separate from the Union and become its own country. And while many who were unsatisfied with the election results, especially those living in a blue state like California, may see this as an opportunity to break free from the turmoil of American politics,…
Jan. 25: Lattes and Resumes || 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Moody Library and BSB Lobby || Lattes and Resumes is a professional development event in which career advisers meet with students who want advice on how to make their resumes the best they can be. The event comes with free Common Grounds coffee or hot cider. Jan. 26: Free Enterprise Forum || 4 to 5:15 p.m. in Foster 250 || Morris M. Kleiner, professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and the AFL-CIO Chair in Labor Policy, speaks on “Guild-Ridden Labor Markets:…
McKenna Middleton | News EditorUniversity of Oklahoma cornerback Parrish Lee Cobb, named in a warrant for Aggravated Robbery by Waco Police Department, Bellmead Police Department and Baylor Police Department, turned himself in Tuesday night, Waco police confirmed Wednesday morning in a press release email. The warrants set for Cobb, 19, came following a string of three similar robberies that took place in early January, the release states.Cobb committed first to Baylor and then ended up at Oklahoma, reported the Waco Tribune-Herald. University of Oklahoma officials are aware of the situation, said athletics spokesman Rowdy Gilbert in an email to the…
By McKenna Middleton | Page One EditorAt the end of every semester, Baylor students receive an email urging them to complete course evaluations. An evaluation for a single course takes about five minutes to complete and asks questions about the effectiveness of the instructor and the course itself.Dr. Wesley Null, vice provost for undergraduate education, oversees the administration of the course evaluations. “Course evaluation feedback is used by instructors as they consider making revisions to their courses,” Null said. “In addition, course evaluations are used as one of many factors, including peer evaluations, that are taken into consideration as faculty…
By Mckenna Middleton | Page One EditorTo some people, a necklace is just a fashion statement, but to Aspen, Colo., junior Megan Woodrow, founder of Pure White Jewelry, jewelry can serve as a reminder of God’s love and purpose.Since Woodrow founded the company in January, Pure White Jewelry has worked to encourage women to embrace the identity that God gives Christians. The jewelry, designed by Woodrow, comes in three lines: white pearls to remind women they are pure, rose gold pearls to remind women they were made to shine and black pearls to remind women to be bold in the…
By McKenna Middleton | Page One EditorOn Nov. 8, four states voted to legalize the recreational use and retail sale of marijuana. These states – California, Maine, Nevada and Massachusetts – had each previously legalized marijuana for medical use. The bill was also on the ballot in Arizona, but it did not pass.The Golden State in particular accounts for a large population of Baylor students. While 68.5 percent of Baylor students are from Texas, the next largest demographic, 6.2 percent, calls California home, according to Baylor Institutional Research and Testing. Half of the United States has already established legalization of…
By McKenna Middleton | Page One EditorHundreds of Baylor faculty, alumni and staff gathered Thursday morning at the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame to voice a desire for change in university leadership.Bears for Leadership Reform sent an invitation to the Baylor community, offering a safe place for them to share their concerns and join a movement advocating transparency and change to the Baylor Board of Regents. “Recently, there has been a cloud over our university, and there should not be, and we believe sincerely that there’s been a lack of leadership,” said John Eddie Williams, an attorney and former Baylor…
By McKenna Middleton | Page One EditorIf nothing else, the current presidential election proves that candidates are not judged on their actions and words alone, evidenced by the nomination of a politically inexperienced candidate with a track record of contradicting his own words, and his opposition, who has a reputation for keeping her public life secret. In the digital age, the influence of a candidate’s persona plays an increasingly crucial role through television and social media presence.Nielsen estimates 84 million people tuned into the first presidential debate on Sept. 26. This is the highest viewership of a presidential debate, topping…
This election season has exposed the binary nature of American politics. Whether you attribute the divsion to biased news content or the polarizing platforms of the two major parties, the conflict of political agendas is clear. This disparity between ideologies can often turn politics into a taboo conversational topic. On the contrary, my dad and I love to talk about politics. He leans right and I lean left. We disagree to varying degrees about almost every issue. How, you might ask, can we maintain discussions about controversial issues and not end up frustrated, upset or angry? How can we do…
By McKenna Middleton | Page One EditorBefore Judah and the Lion takes the stage at the Baylor Chi Omega Chili Cook-off and Concert tonight, the crowd will hear the up-beat indie-pop sound of The Greeting Committee, a four-person band from Kansas City, Kan. The band met at Blue Valley High School in 2014 and played for the first time at their school’s talent show.The first whispers of The Greeting Committee manifested with Addie Sartino, 19, the main vocalist, who also plays instruments in the band. Sartino wrote and released her own music in the early days of high school.”I would…
Under my kitchen sink grows a monster. A pile of at least 50 HEB grocery bags accumulates new limbs every time I forget to bring a reusable tote to the store, threatening to spill out from behind off-brand Windex and sponges. This grocery bag infection is something I never expected to find myself suffering from, but ever since moving to Waco, this has been my reality. This was never a problem in my hometown, since the entire county of Los Angeles adopted an ordinance prohibiting the use of plastic bags at grocery stores, resulting in customers either bringing reusable canvas…
By McKenna Middleton | Page One EditorWaco is the latest in a long list of towns around the country to report threats of “creepy clowns.” Waco ISD received death threats against two local high school campuses via social media on Sept. 29. A 14-year-old Waco High School freshman confessed to creating a fake Facebook account to post the threat as a joke after being taken into custody for questioning on Wednesday afternoon, said Bruce Gietzen, Waco ISD director of communications, in a Facebook statement Wednesday. “All along, we did not think the threat was a credible threat. We did have…
I love television, but I never watch TV.Like millions of Americans, I have switched from watching live-broadcast TV to consuming shows that are exclusively online through streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.Preference for streaming services has not only changed how we watch TV, but also what we watch. While network television is forced to keep viewers’ attention for an entire week, often relying on cliffhangers and gimmicks, Netflix originals foster a binge culture, resulting in series that resemble something like a 13-hour-long movie of quality cinematography.According to a Time Magazine analysis of the 2015 Nielsen’s Total Audience Report, 40 percent…
By Mckenna Middleton | Page One EditorAbout a year ago, I fell in love with Tyler Knott Gregson. This modern poet has gained popularity over social media sites such as Instagram and Pinterest, which is where I first encountered Gregson’s captivating poetry. Gregson usually writes free verse poetry, making simple yet profound observations on love, nature and human connection. His most famed poetry collection, the Typewriter Series, synthesizes Gregson’s multi-faceted talent as poet, photographer and artist. Using a vintage Remington typewriter and scraps of paper such as receipts and hotel notepads, Gregson records observations and musings in a uniquely artistic…
By McKenna Middleton | Page One EditorFreed from the bondage of essays and classic literature, I took a trip to the public library at the beginning of the summer. On the new arrivals shelf sat a book with a charmingly simple cover illustration and a title that immediately caught my attention: “Cities I’ve Never Lived In.” “Cities I’ve Never Lived In,” written by Sara Majka, is a collection of loosely connected short stories. The frame tale is narrated by a young New England woman who has gone through a divorce and recounts cities she has lived in, towns she has…
I stopped paying attention to the presidential campaign three months ago. It wasn’t because I don’t care about politics or am apathetic toward the impending election. On the contrary, I stopped paying attention because I care about politics. When the primary elections finally made it to California in June, I didn’t just vote for a presidential candidate. I voted on local propositions, school board members and city council representatives, all of which felt significantly less futile than the former. Filled with lists of meaningless names and legal jargon, the novella-sized voter information guide was overwhelming at first — exponentially so…