By Rewon Shimray | Opinion EditorFamilies like the Dietz’ have missed the experience of eating out together throughout the shelter-in-place order.“Part of eating out is a morale boost,” Charis Dietz said.Dietz, a freelance writer and editor, has lived in Waco since 2002 with her husband, a Waco native, and their 3-year-old daughter, Hope.Dietz said Revival Eastside Eatery helped her family retain a sense of normalcy by providing an alternate way to eat out.“We’ll pick up to-go from Revival and take it to the park and have a picnic — and then it still feels like we’re eating out,” Dietz said.…
Author: Rewon Shimray
By Rewon Shimray | Opinion EditorWelcome back to the Quarantine Cookbook! The goal of these recipes is to make you feel like a chef by exerting the least amount of energy, using the fewest ingredients and requiring the most minimal skill possible.Last time we made sandwiches with whatever was left in our fridge. With the confidence gained from making your very own gourmet sandwich, I will now guide you through the next level.We are going to use both the stove top and oven — moving to new cooking territory. I believe in you. This is the self-development you need to…
By Rewon Shimray | Opinion EditorAt this point in the stay-at-home order, you’re probably already sick of your own cooking. As college students, our cooking skills vary greatly. Some people have air fryers and iron skillets in their kitchen cabinets like trophies to prove just how good they are at cooking. Others have a microwave, and it’s the only utility in the kitchen they know how to use. No matter how good or bad you are at cooking, you get hungry. For my quarantined audience, I have chosen a simple recipe that can be made with staple ingredients (hopefully) found…
With the transition to online classes, the glee of spring is fogged by worry and disappointment. Everyone is tasked with premature move-outs and unexpected goodbyes. On top of the strain of life transitions, students also have to work toward an unfamiliar system of online classes. Universities could alleviate this stress by allowing students to opt into a pass/fail grading system.Duke University has implemented a similar system. Students can choose for their spring 2020 courses to be graded on a pass-fail basis (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory). Students who would prefer to receive letter grades can make a request with the Registrar’s Office.Giving students the…
By Brooke Hill | ContributorWhen I landed in New York City two months ago, bright-eyed and ready to tackle whatever the city threw at me, I most certainly didn’t picture living in a New York without Broadway, without a Metropolitan Museum and without live TV shows. But after coronavirus cases peaked to 95 Thursday, Broadway has gone dark until further notice, the Metropolitan Museum has closed its doors and both late night TV shows like Saturday Night Live and early morning talk shows like Good Morning America have announced that they will no longer be filming in front of a…
By Rewon Shimray | Opinion EditorThe troupe dressed in polos and khakis left the audience laughing throughout the entire performance. Fiji lived up to their self-proclaimed title of “Movers and Groovers.” With layered choreography, the large group was well-coordinated. The songs varied in genres ranging from rock to country to pop. Although the narrative of songs did not necessarily match the theme or provide any overarching narrative, the performance was entertaining and continued to impress without a plot.The curtains opened to a beautifully painted home interior. From the opener, it was a loud act — everyone on stage projected their…
By Jennifer Rivas | ContributorBaylor University has no enforced university standard grading policy. As a student, it is frustrating to have inconsistent grading scales across classes.Some classes consider a 90 or above to be an A, 89-87 a B+, 87-83 a B, 83-80 a B- and so on. In other classes, a 93 or above is considered an A, 93-90 an A-, 89-87 a B+ and so on.This affects a student’s GPA because an A in a class is a 4.0, however an A- in a class is a 3.67 GPA score. If a student received an A- in all…
By Brittney Matthews | ContributorBaylor seems to have endless funding for athletics, yet they have ignored attempts to build an adequate swimming pool or create a swim team, which is a popular sport worldwide.The SLC pool has three 25-yard lap lanes, a lazy river, a vortex pool and a jacuzzi. There also used to be a 30-foot slide, but it was taken down last year. The expectations for the SLC pool were set high, but building a pool where the lowest depth is 4 feet was disappointing.Burna Battles was the assistant professor of health and human performance when the SLC…
By Alexis Scott | ContributorHave you ever woken up to catch the bus to campus and think that you’ll make it to class on time? Well, if you’re like me, then you’ve been wrong because the bus only brings you to Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation and Sid Richardson and class starts in three minutes in Castellaw Communications Center. The Baylor University Shuttle offers free rides for students from 7:25 a.m. until 5:25 p.m., Monday through Friday. The bus arrives on intervals of 10 to 15 minutes from start of operation to day’s end. The program also…
By Catherine Rennell | ContributorYou may have heard of the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core program, particularly that it’s classes are hard and unreasonable. This reputation is highly undeserved and ought to be changed.Aristotle writes in his work “Metaphysics” that the more we know, the more we realize what we don’t know. This learning paradox is precisely what one experiences in the BIC program through a series of paradigm shifts provided by each of its classes. After two rigorous years of BIC courses, I can confidently say that I am humbled by the realization of all that I truly do not know…
By Mary Watson Vergnolle | ContributorSince its founding, Baylor University has vowed to commit itself to academic excellence and Christian commitment through its various academic career programs and numerous student activities and organizations. Baylor has been under intense scrutiny over the past few years for its efforts to make safety a priority across campus. In an effort to address all issues throughout campus, there are safety procedures that can and should be dealt with properly to ensure a safe environment for all students and faculty. One may be familiar with Emergency Call Boxes. These twelve-foot posts are located around campus…
By Rewon Shimray | Opinion Editor & Gaby Salazar | Copy EditorFriday, Oct. 11Koe Wetzel at the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo 9 p.m. | Extraco Events Center | Rock out with Koe Wetzel at the Bud Light Music Stage! Free with paid admission.October Paint Date Night 7 – 10 p.m. | Kieran-Sistrunk Fine Art Gallery | Relax with painting and sweet treats. Cost is $65/couple and reservations are mandatory.Blow-Your-Own Pumpkin 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Stanton Studios | Make art with coffee, snacks, a photo opportunity, fall decor, and music. Available till Saturday.Inktober Meetup! 3 – 6…
Taking a national fear and addressing it on the campus level is something Baylor has handled well through its Sic ‘Em for Safety campaign for National Preparedness Month. The first of many initiatives, the active attack training video released Thursday clearly had a lot of thought and resources put into it. A discretionary announcement for possible triggers for the Baylor community on Wednesday was a good cautionary step to prepare viewers. The video itself effectively portrayed a shooting incident. Having real Baylor students, staff and campus in the video made the scenario real for viewers. Many times, people are unlikely…
Rewon Shimray | Opinion EditorBig eyes, full lips, bold brows, tan skin, curvy figure — these are ideal characteristics by American beauty standards. It starkly differs from the Indonesian ideal: plump cheeks with dimples, pale complexion, petite frame.This summer, I was challenged to identify what set of beauty standards I wanted to base my self-image upon.For two months, I immersed myself in Indonesian culture. Wanting to focus more on the sites around me and less on my own image, I minimized anything that would make me appearance-conscious. The less I focused on how I was presenting myself to this foreign…
Kaitlyn Vana | ContributorIn a world shaped by the internet’s infinite access, traveling becomes a lot like a checklist. Instead of exploring and experiencing cities on our own, travelers turn to the web, where Yelp, TripAdvisor and others offer helpful suggestions often at the cost of truly connecting with travel destinations. Some cities and sites are meant to be breathed, experienced and encountered off a tour bus and away from a tour guide. In no place can you learn this better than in Florence, Italy. I visited Rome, Venice, and Florence this summer through a high school study abroad program,…
While Baby Boomer parents taught their children manners for every occasion ranging from the dinner table, church and the grocery store, they never spoke into the realm of social media use. Thirty percent of U.S. millenials use Snapchat regularly — even more frequently than Instagram. With Snapchat dominating much of our social lives, without any norms established by generations past, we need to have a discussion about Snapchat etiquette.Snapchat Story ContentThe unofficial limit is five posts on a story per day. More than that is borderline spam.Some events are better experienced in person and don’t translate well over a hand-held…
By Rewon Shimray | Staff WriterAt the intersection of theology and science, Ramm Scholars find diplomatic conversations.The Ramm Graduate Scholars Program facilitates conversation on the intersection of Christianity and science with five Masters of Divinity students from Truett Theological Seminary and five doctoral STEM students from the graduate school.A few Mondays every semester, students gather for a dinner followed by a discussion. Faculty members Dr. Kimlyn Bender, professor of Christian theology, and Dr. Rebecca Sheesley, associate professor of environmental science, facilitate the conversation.Michael Davis, Ph.D student in Dr. Sanghoon Kang’s Microbial Ecology Lab, said discussions about science and religion often…
Automatic behaviors college students fall into — monotone “thanks” for a door held open or a groan when a professor challenges a class — can harm individuals’ capability for making genuine interpersonal connections, according to Dr. Andrea Dixon, associate professor of marketing and executive director of the Keller Center for Research and the Center for Professional Selling. “I think there’s a lot of small little behaviors in society that are nice manners that may be done more out of a habit than a true interest and respect for someone else,” Dixon said. Everyday exchanges that lack eye contact or any…
The facets of social media — an image-saturated, language-fluid, highly-politicized environment — breed divisive in-groups, Baylor experts find. Dr. Leslie Hahner, associate professor in communication, said social media creates “ecosystems” of thought. “Because all social media is built on algorithms, those social media cater to your specific tastes,” Hahner said. “Those ecosystems don’t expose you to opposing beliefs, or things that challenge that, and that can create some problems in terms of how we relate to other human beings.” Hahner described the constant reinforcing feedback as “toxic to some extent.” According to Hahner, individuals in highly saturated ecosystems are “more…
Gravestones used to be the central place to mourn the deceased. In this virtual age, social media pages have become a new “burial site” of sorts, according to Dr. Candi Cann., a BIC and religion department professor. Cann published a book about memorialization of the dead in the contemporary world in 2014, based on her death research. “People tend to talk to the dead on social media as though they were still present,” Cann said. “That actually occurred before; people would go to the gravestone and talk to the dead there.” Cann said the main difference between mourning online versus…
By Rewon Shimray | Staff WriterFour women serving in both formal and informal positions of ministry shared stories, advice and encouragement at the “Women of Valor” panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Paul & Katy Piper Great Hall.A family physician, a vice provost and anthropologist and church leaders were all “very intentionally” chosen to be on the panel, according to event moderator, Dr. Gaynor Yancey — who serves as the faculty regent for the Board of Regents, as well as a professor, master teacher and director of the center for church and community impact in the Diana R.…
By Rewon Shimray | Staff WriterFour women working in various fields of ministry will share their life stories in a panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Paul & Katy Piper Great Hall.Truett Women in Ministry “Women of Valor” panel discussion will provide networking opportunities, encouraging testimonies, time to ask questions and free pizza, according to vice president of Truett Women in Ministry Stephanie Westberg. An event RSVP form is available online.Four women, Lori Baker, PhD., Lauren Barron, M.D., Beth Kilpatrick, M.Div, MSW and Pam Rivera, M.Div. represent diverse careers from professors to senior pastors.Westberg said speakers were chosen…
The days of trick-or-treating are over for college students but costume-wearing continues. With trending debates such as “My culture is not your prom dress” and Kappa Sigma fraternity’s “Cinco de Drinko” themed party two years ago. Baylor Multicultural Affairs shares their insight on cultural appropriation.Cultural appropriation, as defined by Baylor Diversity & Inclusion, is “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.”Cultural appreciation seeks further understanding of a culture, whereas appropriation further perpetuates stereotypes, according to San Francisco junior and Multicultural Affairs Black…
Rewon Shimray | Staff WriterBlind students are the most underrepresented students in science, according to Dr. Bryan Shaw, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Shaw and a group of student researchers are developing a gummy candy to help visually impaired students experience science in a new way. “Part of the problem is a lot of education is based on seeing stuff. But you see with your mind, not your eyes, so [visually impaired students] shouldn’t be totally out of the game,” Shaw said. Shaw’s research group makes gummies that replicate protein structures so visually impaired students can picture the shape…
By Rewon Shimray | Staff Writer ‘Tis the season for It’s On Us’ annual public event for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It’s on Us, a student-led initiative to prevent interpersonal violence at Baylor, displayed Christmas trees and played carols to educate students about the signs of an unhealthy relationship. The display was open on Oct. 11 and 12 from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. outside the Bill Daniel Student Union Building. The dissonance between October and Christmas was designed to reflect the inappropriateness of violence within a healthy relationship. The event was centered around the phrase “What’s more out of…
By Rewon Shimray | Staff Writer and Brooke Hill | News EditorFormer Phi Delta Theta president Jacob Walter Anderson, who was indicted on four counts of sexual assault in 2016, pleaded no contest Monday to one charge of unlawful restraint in return for the dismissal of his former charges Monday. Under the agreement, Anderson would not be required to go to prison nor register as a sex offender. Instead, his sentence would be three years of probation, a $400 fine and required counseling. Unlawful restraint can be charged as a Class A misdemeanor, a state jail felony, or as a…
By Rewon Shimray | Staff WriterWhile about 60 percent of the world population speaks more than one language, approximately 20 percent of Americans are multilingual.“When the majority of the population does something, that tells me that we were meant to do it,” Dr. Kim Potowski said. “That tells me the human brain was meant to have more than one language in it.”Potowski, professor of Spanish linguistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, proposed a remodeling of the U.S. education system to promote bilingualism at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Draper 147. The event was sponsored by the Department of Modern…
By Rewon Shimray | Staff WriterThe Baylor multicultural coalitions, representing 37 chartered organizations, wrote a letter to Student Senate expressing that they felt “disrespected, unheard and embarrassed to call Student Senate the representatives of Baylor,” read aloud at the Student Senate meeting Thursday.The week prior, Hispanic Student Association president Gabriela Fierro requested funds for the 31st Hispanic Heritage Banquet from the Student Government Allocation Fund. The banquet took place at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Barfield Drawing Room.In both the meeting with the Finance Committee on Sept. 26 and the meeting with Student Senate on Sept. 27, Fierro said she…
On Baylor’s grounds of 6,691,000 square feet, six buildings are specially designated for private breastfeeding. Baylor Human Resources also provides lactation accommodations for up to one year after the child’s birth. Moody Memorial Library was the first building on campus to provide the service. Rooms 2030 and 2080, labeled “New Mom Rooms” can be used by Baylor employees, students and spouses, as well as on-campus guests. Keys can be checked out at the circulation desk with a Baylor ID card without any time restriction. There have been 449 checkouts for both rooms combined since they opened in January 2013, according…
Rewon Shimray | Staff Writer From under a bustling highway bridge to the famous fresh-cut lawns of Magnolia Market & Silos, Mission World’s Church Under the Bridge will be moving locations in March 2019.Church Under the Bridge meets under the I-35 bridge at the Fourth and Fifth Street exit almost every Sunday for people of all backgrounds to participate in a Church service. The service includes worship, led by people from the community, a sermon from various church leaders and even a free meal. Carolena Meza Clark, Mission World administrative assistant and eight-year member of Church Under the Bridge, said…
