The dos and don’ts for an extended winter break, as learned from a spring and summer living under COVID-19 restrictions.
Author: Meredith Howard
Considering connections as a main hiring factor prevents qualified women and people of color from getting jobs they deserve.
The Board of Regents approved the purchase of three properties on Washington Avenue, giving the University a better financial position — owning the buildings instead of leasing them.
By Meredith Howard | Assistant News EditorHomosexual behavior is described as a temptation and issue by Student Policies and Procedures. However, students who are part of the LGBTQ community cannot be subject to disciplinary action or a loss of university financial aid on the basis of their sexual orientation.The same could not be said 13 years ago.Baylor’s sexual misconduct policy in 2007 included “homosexual acts” along with “sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault, incest, adultery [and] fornication.” This means that students could be subject to disciplinary action for their sexual orientation.“The sanctions that the University may impose against a faculty…
By Meredith Howard | Assistant News EditorIt’s truly ridiculous the way mask-wearing has been politicized in the U.S. With President Trump refusing to publicly wear a mask until July because he didn’t want to “send the wrong message,” Americans are polarized about whether it’s right for state and local governments to mandate the use of face coverings.This disagreement is unnecessary. Scientists agree — wearing masks reduces the rate of coronavirus transmission. They don’t prevent the spread completely, but they’re one of few tools we have to combat the illness. Admittedly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance in…
By Meredith Howard | Assistant News EditorWith some students deciding to stay home this semester, local apartment complexes have received an influx of requests to re-let unit leases.Houston senior Alexander Van Fleet, an employee of The View on 10th, said while students who signed leases at The View for the 2020-2021 academic year have been requesting lease takeovers at a higher rate than usual, people who are reletting have still been able to fill those spots at the expected pace.“Surprising with the amount of stuff we have with COVID, a lot of people have been really quickly finding lease takeovers.…
By Meredith Howard | Assistant News EditorAnxiety is high among students and parents alike regarding how this fall semester will turn out. While in-person learning is generally preferred in “normal times,” people are rightfully concerned about the public health implications surrounding a quite possibly untimely attempt to return to campuses.While I wish remote learning was a realistic option for the U.S.’s K-12 schools, the reality is that many working parents are unable to stay at home and help their children learn using an online curriculum, and all-day childcare options are expensive (not to mention, they face similar safety concerns as…
By Meredith Howard | Assistant News EditorUnprecedented regulations in federal Title IX law that went into effect Aug. 14 have led Baylor to create the new Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office in order to investigate misconduct that’s no longer covered by federal Title IX law.The system will replace the former one that dealt only with sexual misconduct that was included in Title IX. The definitions of sexual assault and sexual harassment have been significantly narrowed, leaving some survivors with no federal protection.For example, sexual harassment is now strictly defined as an action “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive…
By Meredith Howard | Copy Desk ChiefWith students’ extracurricular activities canceled, classes moved online and work hours lost, most of us have more time than we did pre-corona. It’s necessary to fill some of that time with productive things, such as schoolwork and cleaning. However, be careful to set realistic expectations for yourself.Although most students have more time on their hands than they’re used to, productivity is also affected by mental health and emotional issues stemming from social distancing. College students are used to being around peers almost constantly which helps to stay motivated.Another issue is isolation from support systems.…
By Meredith Howard | Copy Desk ChiefVoting matters. But unfortunately, many college-aged citizens fall victim to one of two cardinal sins in election years.Some simply select the candidate their parents have chosen without researching platforms for themselves. There’s nothing wrong with agreeing with your relatives’ political views, but you need to figure out for yourself if someone’s policies align with your values.Others feign political indifference and forgo showing up to the polls altogether. This is also problematic because politics affect everyone, even those who don’t consider themselves to be activists. Politics start and end wars, dictate racial and gender equity…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterMany high school seniors can enter college with lofty expectations, but Baylor students have their own unique perspective on balancing these expectations with reality. Spring Lake, N.C., freshman Gabriella Villa said she made an effort to come into college with a realistic assumption of what life in higher education looks like, despite hearing stories or stereotypes. “I thought I would be super stressed – that it would be so bad. But when I came here, it was a lot better than I thought, honestly,” Villa said. “A lot of people would tell you to study…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor’s Christmas on 5th celebration will feature a variety of activities Thursday, such as pony rides, face painting, selfies with Santa, carnival booths, a petting zoo and more. The long-standing Baylor tradition will kick off at the SUB Bowl with the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures’ carols from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by the Baylor Religious Hour Choir Christmas concert at 6:15 p.m., also at the SUB Bowl. At 8:15 p.m., Kappa Omega Tau will hold the annual tree lighting ceremony. Boerne junior Trip Smith is one of Kappa Omega Tau’s Christmas on…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterThe Student Association for Vaccination Education has only been at Baylor for about a year but is already conducting research and making efforts to educate the student body about the science behind vaccination. SAVE “supports current scientific consensus with an emphasis on objective data,” according to their Connect website, and part of its goal is to increase the percentage of students at Baylor who are receiving vaccinations. “Vaccinations do decrease the incidents of disease, and that has been proven over multiple studies over decades,” Waco senior Angelica Anzures, SAVE’s president, said. “We are raising awareness…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterThe phrase “Me Too” was coined in 2006 by Tarana Burke, a civil rights activist, but it didn’t truly become a widespread movement until 2017 when actress, Alyssa Milano, tweeted the hashtag and it went viral.According to the ‘me too’ movement website, Burke founded this movement to “help survivors of sexual violence, particularly black women and girls, and other young women of color from low wealth communities, find pathways to healing.” #MeToo has touched almost every corner of the world, with Spain, India, China and many other countries adopting the social movement after protesters take…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor’s branch of the national organization Be the Match holds registry drives every semester to provide Baylor students with resources and information to join the registry list for stem cell and bone marrow donors.Be the Match will hold another registry drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in the Baylor Sciences Building.Omaha, Neb., senior Jennifer Sexton, Be the Match’s president, has donated to save a patient in need, and she is passionate about encouraging other college students to do the same.”What’s really important is that a lot of people think that it is like…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor’s Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS) is running a blood drive this week that will end at 4 p.m. today. The drive began Monday, with Carter BloodCare donation buses parked by Moody Memorial Library and the Bobo Spiritual Life Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. El Paso senior Antonio Cardenas, MAPS’ community health chair, coordinated this drive. “We try to get people to come donate blood. All the blood stays here locally, so it’s helping all the people here in Waco, and it’s just a way to give back to our…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor’s Society of Women Engineers’ two-day fundraiser is underway, and the club officers hope to outsell themselves today and use the event to support women in STEM. The Baylor branch of the national organization sold socks, succulents and scrunchies from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Building and from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Teal Residential College. Georgetown freshman Jenna Champion is on SWE’s freshman council and worked a shift selling products at the fundraiser yesterday. She said the fundraiser was going well, and that she has enjoyed her first…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor will participate in National First-Generation College Celebration Day by hosting a mixer for students, faculty and staff from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the Student Union Building Den. The first 100 guests will receive free lunch and giveaways, and resource tables and photo ops will be available to all attendees.Dallas junior Batool Unar Syed is a second-time First in Line peer leader who mentors eight first-gen freshman students throughout their first year at Baylor. “On Friday after my classes, I will be attending the celebration in the SUB to meet more first-generation…
By Meredith Howard | Staff Writer Applications have closed and interviews for freshman orientation and Line Camp leaders are currently underway. Many students are waiting to find out if they’ve been hired. Colfax, Wash. junior Lauren Claassen, a former Line Camp leader, said she felt like Baylor New Student Programs doesn’t look for a specific type of person when deciding who to hire as Line Camp leaders, but that they do favor some qualities. “One thing that NSP values a lot is authenticity and being who you are. They’re looking for a wide variety of people, so they’re not looking…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor’s Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students received more than 20 feminine products during their donation drive, which was held from Oct. 7-25. “This was more than we expected, so we consider this a success and appreciate all of the effort from those who donated,” said El Paso senior Antonio Cardenas, MAP’s community health chair. Donations were accepted at MAPS meetings, as well as at the Baylor Sciences Building. The donation drive was organized to collect menstrual products for MAPS’ upcoming “women’s empowerment project” in the Dominican Republic. This year’s annual spring break mission trip is…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterWhile some Baylor students eat, bleed and breathe green and gold, others find themselves constantly making jokes about our Baptist university, but we all have something in common. While we all benefit from the many opportunities Baylor offers, most of us have also been frustrated with some university policy or stance at some point in our Baylor careers.It’s important to balance school spirit with recognizing Baylor’s faults and wanting to fix them. Constantly bragging about Baylor’s No. 12 football ranking — sic ’em — and rising status as a research institution seems like it would…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor will be home to One Heart Project’s first collegiate mentoring group beginning in January 2020. One Heart was founded after a 2008 high school football game between Grapevine Faith School and Gainesville State School, a “maximum security juvenile facility housing the most violent teen offenders in the state of Texas.” Grapevine students got together and rallied behind the Gainesville players, performing cheers and waving signs to encourage them. This event inspired One Heart’s inception, and the organization now boasts a national reach.The pilot group of Baylor students involved in the One Heart chapter will…
By Meredith Howard | Staff Writer, Video by Grace Smith | Broadcast Reporter Baylor’s 2019 Treat Night featured themed residence halls where children and grandchildren of Baylor faculty and staff had the opportunity to show off their costumes and collect candy. A variety of residence halls participated in the popular campus tradition. Both hallways of North Russell Residence Hall’s second floor, for example, were decorated for the children to enjoy— the female side was themed “Under the Sea” and the male side was themed “Safari Adventure.” Alumni at the event appreciated the opportunity for their kids to have a safe…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterPolitical groups on campus are staying informed this fall’s debate season while also taking part in October’s Halloween festivities. Baylor’s branch of the Network of Enlightened Women (NeW) hosted an event Monday night called “Pumpkins and Politics” to watch last week’s 2020 Democratic Party presidential debate and paint pumpkins.NeW is a national organization that promotes conservative policies and “expands intellectual diversity” through discussions with a “like-minded community” of conservative women.Despite the national organization’s conservative-specific mission, Lubbock senior Jordan Davidson, vice president of Baylor’s NeW branch, said she welcomes members from across the political spectrum.“We have…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterThe Store, a food pantry on Baylor’s campus offering students access to a variety of food and hygiene items, serves as a resource for students experiencing food insecurity and seeks to normalize reaching out for support during the school year. The Store is located in Sid Richardson Building room 47, which is in the lower level of the building’s east wing. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and offers items like canned goods, cereal, milk and frozen meals, as well as hygiene products. For access, students only need to…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterBaylor ITS will increase the minimum password length requirement for all BearID accounts to 10 characters for all passwords reset after Oct. 22. This policy change occurs during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which Baylor is commemorating with the third annual Baylor Cyber Day, which will be held Tuesday and Wednesday. “Longer passwords take modern computers longer to crack than shorter passwords—each character you add to a password exponentially increases the amount of time it would take a computer to crack it,” Will Telfer, Baylor information security analyst, said. “Computers are constantly increasing in speed and…
By Meredith Howard | Staff Writer, Video by Igor Stepczynski | Broadcast Reporter Baylor is known to have hosted one of the nation’s first Homecoming celebrations, and is also considered to have the largest college Homecoming parade in the nation. Baylor’s Homecoming spans three days (as well as Monday’s Chapel service) and will offer a variety of events for the Baylor community to attend earlier in the week. Students were invited to Family Dinner with the Livingstones Tuesday, where they received a free meal from food trucks parked on the lawn outside Allbritton House. Thursday: Baylor kicked off homecoming activities…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterMany Baylor students choose to work part-time jobs in college, whether their reasons are to further their careers, to improve their time management skills or simply to pick up a regular paycheck.Baylor’s Student Employment Office offers assistance connecting with internships, community service projects, fellowships and graduate assistantships, and “strives to serve students in the on-campus and off-campus employment opportunity process.”All student employees interact with the employment office, even if it is just to fill out their preliminary hiring paperwork. Oklahoma City senior Rachel Funk is the student manager of the Bill Daniel Student Center Ticket…
By Meredith Howard | Staff WriterLet’s face it—no college dining hall food will live up to your favorite family recipe. But there are still some things that could be improved about Baylor’s dining halls.AvailabilityOne thing that can be frustrating about the cafeterias is their mid-day closures and limited weekend openings. A simple solution to this would be to provide continuous service from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (or later) with meal options changing while the service is operational. Penland’s late-night service should also be open on Fridays.Options for those with dietary restrictionsI can’t speak for people with allergies, but as…
By Meredith Howard | Staff Writer Although Moody Memorial Library is commonly referenced by students, Baylor has a variety of libraries on campus with resources and collections differing with location and topic.Moody Memorial Library:Moody is Baylor’s largest library, and is currently the only option offering 24-hour areas. Offerings in Moody include HelpDesk+, group study areas, Gregory Garden, Prichard Quiet Study Commons and Starbucks Coffee. Students can find research materials on a variety of topics at Moody and can make appointments online to meet with librarians who can help them find information on specific topics.Jesse H. Jones Library:Jones Library has two…