Author: Meredith Pratt

By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterThe Black Lives Matter movement and police reform became major talking points for the 2020 election after protests erupted across the nation in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and more Black Americans.Both President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden have made efforts to appeal to Black voters, but the candidates have taken different stances on the BLM movement.The president recently held a “Black Voices for Trump” rally in Atlanta on Sept. 25 where he promised to make Juneteenth a national holiday, designate the Ku…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterOn April 17, 2013, just 20 miles north of Waco, a fire at the West Fertilizer Company turned into an ammonium nitrate explosion. The facility burst at the seams approximately 20 minutes after the fire was first reported to emergency dispatchers.West, a town of about 2,800 at the time, felt the impact of the explosion both physically and emotionally. Following the incident, the town received an outpouring of support from Waco and the surrounding communities, including Baylor University.The explosion resulted in the death of 15 people, 12 of which were first responders. Over 160 people…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterBaylor doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to Big 12 conference pride. I think that’s something we should change.Our athletic teams proudly wear the Big 12 logo on their uniforms, which is great for Baylor’s co-branding and identification with the conference, but the next step is getting the school to display our conference partners logos at our athletic venues — be it flags, banners or pennants — to further demonstrate our solidarity and unity with our conference members.For reference, many other Big 12 schools clearly display the logos of their fellow conference…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterLike many on-campus organizations, foreign language clubs at Baylor now host meetings virtually in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. This has caused club officers to get creative in how they structure their meetings.Foreign language clubs are typically some of the most popular after-school activities on campus because they allow members to engage in cultural activities and practice language skills outside of the classroom.For Research Triangle, N.C., senior Paul Piazza, this is the second year of serving as Italian Club president. The Italian Club currently meets bi-weekly at 6 p.m. on Zoom.Piazza said that…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterPresident Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden clashed on stage with personal attacks, interruptions and name-calling in the first presidential debate of the 2020 election season Tuesday night.The 90-minute debate was the first of three scheduled for the election season. It was moderated by Fox News Anchor Chris Wallace and took place in Cleveland.Wallace pre-selected six topics for the debate. These topics included: Trump and Biden’s records, the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence in US cities and the integrity of the election.For each segment the candidates were allotted two uninterrupted…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff Writer, Video by Madison Martin | Broadcast Reporter Three Baylor students took to social media to organize a peaceful protest after hearing the grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case. The protest took place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Waco Suspension Bridge. More than 50 people attended the event. The protest was in response to the Wednesday morning announcement that a Kentucky grand jury had decided to indict one of the three Louisville Metro Police Department officers for wanton endangerment — and not for murder — after fatally shooting Breonna Taylor in March.…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterBaylor’s sororities and fraternities differ from most schools in that they do not have official Greek houses. Instead, pass-down houses off campus have been cultivated over the years as hubs for the individual groups.For large sorority gatherings, such as chapter meetings and All-Universuty Sing practices, sororities meet in individual chapter rooms in the Stacy Riddle Forum. Fraternities also often use the chapel inside the forum for certain traditions.Frisco junior Hannah Dryden is one of many sorority members who live in a pass-down house. She lives in a Delta Delta Delta house called ‘SUNNY D,’ which…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterUnmasked Skincare is Tulsa senior Grace Heinecke’s answer to ‘maskne’ — the breakouts that are caused by wearing a mask.Heinecke said she noticed when she returned to school in August that almost every conversation involved some comments about the irritation that comes from wearing a mask.“I think like everyone else, I am really sick and tired of the masks. So, originally it started with me wanting to solve my own problem, but I soon realized this was obviously not just me,” Heinecke said. “I thought if I could benefit from this, someone else could too.”Dr.…

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By Meredith Pratt | Staff WriterIn order to actively combat the coronavirus pandemic, the Baylor Health Center updated its services to include a respiratory clinic and provide rapid COVID-19 testing. The services, however, are limited to students, leaving faculty to turn elsewhere for testing.Baylor faculty and staff may only be tested on campus if they are selected to be a part of the university’s randomized surveillance testing.Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Consulting Michelle Huse said this policy is to ensure that Baylor students get the care they need from the on-campus health clinic.“We have some limited opportunities for faculty…

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