Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter September 16 was World Play-Doh day and the Mayborn Museum held an interactive event for kids to learn, using the classic toy. “We are an informal learning site and so we want to kind of mesh the fun and learning together and what better way to do that, than with Play-Doh,” said Anne McKay, museum engagement coordinator at the Mayborn. McKay said she heard about world Play-Doh day last year and thought it would be a great opportunity to teach kids. Four stations were set up in the museum for kids to count, create, build…
Author: Rylee Seavers
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter The arts can be an escape from the stresses of everyday life, providing a happily ever after at the end of a long week. But, sometimes the arts address difficult issues and seek to start conversations among audiences. “We perceive the stories that we get a chance to experience as that’s something that happened to someone else, when in actuality, it’s us. That’s the magic. We see ourselves through the depiction of characters and the stories that are told,” said Alton Patton, producer of “The Fertile River”. “The Fertile River”, Baylor Theatre’s current guest production,…
By Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter Every year during Family Weekend students take to the stage to showcase their talent at After Dark. “We had about 23 performers audition, some are groups, some are duets, some are just individual performers, and then we had to cut it down to about 16,” said Paula Logsdon, Executive Producer of After Dark and Thousand Oaks sophomore. Logsdon was involved in theatre in high school, so getting the chance to work with Student Productions is a way for her to stay connected with the arts, she said. Logsdon said her favorite part of producing…
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter Baylor students shopped for workwear with the help of Baylor Career and Professional Development and JCPenny staff at the “Suit Up BU” event. The event allowed students to talk to professionals and get advice on workplace attire. “You really need to make sure that you are looking tip-top shape because that’s a reflection of yourself, which will be a future reflection on that company,” said Haley Davis, event and program coordinator for Baylor Career and Professional Development. Davis said it is important to dress to look and feel your best. She has even gotten dressed…
By Rylee Seavers | Broadcast ReporterMany people dream of traveling to far off places, but most would never dream of living in one. For me, any time not spent preparing for my future is spent dreaming about the places I may get the chance to visit and, hopefully live in. Some Americans forget that there are more countries in the world than the United States. But when you travel and live abroad, you see that there are people on the other side of the world just like us. They work, socialize and live much like we do in the United…
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter Baylor bears flung their green and gold afar during summer 2017 by studying abroad in countries all over the world. According to the Center for Global Engagement, 572 Baylor Students participated in study abroad programs this summer. Dr. Charles Weaver has been director of the Baylor in Great Britain for about 10 years and first went on the trip with his wife in 1984. He lead about 80 students on the second summer 2017 session of Baylor in Great Britain along with eight other faculty members. “The world is just an increasingly global place,” Weaver…
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter The community is celebrating Czech culture at Westfest in West, Texas. Mimi Montgomery Irwin is the owner of the Village Bakery in the area. Her father and mother opened the Village Bakery in 1952 and her father was one of the seven organizers of the first Westfest in 1976. “The night before the fest started, we had a horrible rain storm and high winds. All the tents went down, and I remember being out at the Westfest grounds with my family putting the tents back up,” Irwin said. Westfest was originally created as a celebration…
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter Baylor theatre students are hard at work preparing for their upcoming performance of “Crazy for You”. Whether they are on or off the main stage, Baylor theatre students all have a part to play in preparing for opening night. “Typically, our production process overall lasts about 20 weeks. Given that the build and design period for the musical happens over the summer, we actually end up extending that a little bit,” said Amanda Lassetter, production manager for Baylor Theatre. “Crazy for You” involves 100 looks and more than 500 garment pieces, Lassetter said and about…
By Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter The Martin Museum of Art is currently featuring The Velasco Paintings by former Baylor art department chair John D. McClanahan. McClanahan is also the founding director of the Allbritton Art Institute and worked at Baylor for 35 years before retiring. “It’s really special for someone with a connection to Baylor to be here because they have that inside knowledge of how our department works, what our students are learning in the classroom and they can really hone in on helping them develop themselves as artists,” said Allison Chew Syltie, director of the Martin Museum…
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter Yesterday, Baylor students gathered on the Vera Martin Daniel Plaza for this year’s Mosaic Mixer. The event, which happens every year, is hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and showcases a variety of Baylor organizations. “The purpose of the event is just to welcome new students to Baylor and also it’s for returning students just to get to know the different organizations they can get plugged in to,” said Kristin Koch, graduate apprentice for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “Out department really wants students to embrace their own culture, as well as celebrate different…
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter A pop-up gallery in downtown Waco is featuring 52 works of art inspired by Waco and created by local artists. “These artists had all produced work that was descriptive of Waco in some way,” said Fiona Bond, executive director of Creative Waco. “It captures something about the essence, the spirit, the culture that is Waco.” About 200 works of art were submitted for the gallery and the 52 featured pieces were selected by two internationally-known judges, Bond said. Bond said Waco is not normally associated with creativity, so the gallery was an opportunity to showcase…
By Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter The class of 2021 celebrated the end of Move-In 2017 with Festival at the Fountain. “Festival at the fountain is a great event, right at the beginning of welcome week. It is for all new students who are coming to Baylor for the first time, their parents, their family, any guests that came with them. It’s just going to be a great celebration at the end of move in and at the start of welcome week,” said Tripp Purks, assistant director of New Student Programs. Local restaurants and bakeries provided desserts for the incoming…
Rylee Seavers | Broadcast Reporter The Mayborn Museum is currently featuring the “Speed: Science in Motion” exhibit which explores the science of car racing. “It’s an exhibit that really lets individuals come and play with design factors, human performance factors around racing, and then you get a chance to do some of these things,” said Charlie Walter, Mayborn Museum director. Visitors can test their skills using peripheral vision, driving a race car simulator and challenge a friend to change a tire in the pit lane. The exhibit was created at the Scitech museum in Perth, Australia and was toured around…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff WriterBaylor United for UNICEF received its official charter from Baylor Student Activities on Tuesday and is looking for members for the 2017-18 academic year. San Antonio junior and president David Espinoza, El Paso junior and vice president Clarissa Anderson and Mansfield senior and secretary Taylor Strong are the three founders of the organization and are all members of the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. Espinoza said BIC teachers have learned about world cultures and the issues that affect those cultures. They decided to start an organization to support UNICEF because it is one of the largest humanitarian…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer Some students with Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) discrepancies are having their financial aid temporarily removed from their accounts for the current semester. This is because of discrepancies on their 2016-17 and 2017-18 FAFSA’s because they were being filed using a 2015 tax return. “When we detect a discrepancy on the FAFSA, the financial aid on a student’s account is temporarily backed off until we resolve the mismatch,” said Amine Qourzal, associate director of counseling for the Baylor student financial aid office. Prior-Prior Year is part of a FAFSA rule change that…
The McLane Teammates Scholars program is accepting applications for the 2017 fall semester.The program is a one-semester-long, non-credit reading group where students read texts pertaining to the theme of the semester and discuss ideas, according to its website. The theme for the 2017 fall semester is “Economics and Social Issues: Markets and the Marginalized.” The program is meant to be a discussion among students that are diverse ideologically and within their majors, said Dr. Steve Bradley, associate professor in the department of entrepreneurship and faculty director of the Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise. “We hope to really get…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer Texas Senate Bill 522 was passed by the Texas Senate on April 12. The bill ensured equal access to marriage licenses for all couples and allows county clerks to delegate the issuance of a marriage license to a deputy clerk, judge, magistrate or certifying official if they have notified the commissioners court of a “sincerely held religious belief” in writing.The bill was passed with bipartisan support, according to a press release, and was co-authored by one Democratic and four Republican Texas Senators. The bill states that if there are not enough authorized people in…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer U.S. Rep. Bill Flores spoke about current events in Washington D.C. and took calls from constituents to answer their questions and address their concerns during a town hall via telephone on Wednesday evening. The town hall was one of three held this week that covered different counties within the 17th Congressional District. The telephone town hall began at 6:30 p.m. Flores said his office called 45,000 people and a few hundred dialed in to the call. Flores began by addressing events happening in Washington, D.C. Flores said Congress had “a few stumbles” when addressing…
On March 13, CIA director Mike Pompeo said in a speech that the CIA is an intelligence organization that unapologetically engages in foreign espionage. “We focus on collecting information about foreign governments, foreign terrorist organizations, and the like — not Americans,” Pompeo said. Pompeo also said organizations such as WikiLeaks walk and talk like hostile intelligence organizations, and people such as Edward Snowden and Julian Assange seek only to make a name for themselves with no regard for national security. There is no question that WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden have caused problems for national security. According to a report by…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer The Honors College’s 25th annual J. Harry and Anna Jeanes Academic Honors Week is underway. During this week, undergraduate students present thesis research papers and attend a banquet. Events began Tuesday and will conclude Friday with the academic convocation. Academic Honors Week is a recognition of the opportunities provided to undergraduate students through the Honors College. Throughout the week, all graduating seniors in the honors program will be presenting thesis research projects, said Dr. Thomas Hibbs, dean of the Honors College. The honors thesis is an opportunity for students in the Honors College to…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writers Baylor Bridges seeks to provide a “community of friends” for international students, whether they are at Baylor for one semester or four years, Tulsa senior and Baylor Bridges co-founder Sarah Lesikar said. Bridges is an international Christian organization that aims to serve, encourage social connections and provide a space for spiritual conversations among international students with the goal of creating student leaders, according to its website. The Baylor chapter of Bridges was started in spring 2016 and is still growing. Lesikar was inspired to co-found Bridges after spending time abroad in Maastricht, Netherlands. She…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer Baylor email accounts have been subject to an increased number of phishing attacks, said Will Telfer, Baylor’s Information Technology Services information security analyst.The first email was noticed on March 31. It told recipients that documents they had requested were attached, Telfer said. The documents appeared in the email as a link. The email was posted on the BearAware Twitter account warning that the email was a phishing attack. Thursday, another wave of phishing emails was sent out signed from the “Office of Information Technology,” which does not exist. It told recipients to click the…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff WriterThree finalists have been selected for Baylor’s Robert Foster Cherry Award for great teaching. The winner of the award will be announced in spring 2018.The finalists are Dr. Heidi Elmendorf, associate professor of biology at Georgetown University; Dr. Neil Garg, professor of chemistry at UCLA; and Dr. Clinton Longenecker, distinguished university professor of leadership at the University of Toledo. Dr. Michael Thompson, professor in Baylor’s department of electrical and computer engineering, and associate dean for undergraduate programs and chair of the Robert Foster Cherry award committee, said the three finalists will visit Baylor to deliver…
Couple shares their experiences, lives as immigrants in Waco
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer Old River Winfree senior and Internal Vice President Joel Polvado was found guilty on March 31 of sending a campaign Snapchat from his student government office, according to the official opinion of the Student Court. Sanctions were imposed on the Polvado campaign, requiring its official campaign social media accounts to be inactive from Tuesday to Thursday, according to the official opinion of the Student Court. This ruling comes three days after sanctions were imposed on the Dickerson campaign for posting two unapproved campaign videos to official campaign social media accounts. Polvado sent a Snapchat…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff WriterBaylor will offer five social innovation lab courses in fall 2017 meant to address “wicked problems” in society that cannot be solved in one field and require a transdisciplinary approach, according to Baylor’s Hope Abounds blog. A “wicked problem” is defined as a complex issue that has multiple different dimensions and no clear solution, according to the Baylor Social Innovation Collaborative Initiative website. The courses offered will address campus hunger, child migration, human trafficking, at-risk elderly populations in Waco and water in communities. These courses are part of designing a new way of teaching and…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer Katy senior Amye Dickerson, student body external vice president, was found guilty of violating Baylor’s electoral code on March 28 by posting two unapproved videos to her campaign Facebook page. A sanction was placed on the Dickerson campaign by the electoral commission, requiring her to suspend all campaign social media from March 28 until April 1, according to the official opinion of the court. The Dickerson campaign appealed to the student court on the grounds that the electoral commission was wrong to find the campaign guilty, said Waco senior Elliott Riches, council to the…
Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) has received a $ 3 million dollar grant from the Walmart Foundation to help their efforts to combat hunger in Texas.THI is a capacity-building organization, meaning that they work with other organizations to increase collaboration and use existing resources efficiently, director of THI Dr. Kathy Krey said. THI works at the local, state and federal level to combat hunger through community engagement, developing policy and research, Krey said. It started out with an emphasis on combating child hunger, Krey said, but has extended its work to address hunger affecting families…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer In a culture saturated with depictions of what masculinity is, Men for Change seeks to address the negative aspects of society’s definition of masculinity and explore healthy forms of masculinity as defined by spirituality said Dr. Josh Ritter, co-leader of Men for Change and assistant director for Baylor Formation. Men for Change was formed in partnership with Baylor Formation, the department of multicultural affairs and the Baylor Counseling Center. The group is a “brave space” for Baylor men to discuss spirituality and masculinity and find an intersection between the two, according to its website.“Our…
By Rylee Seavers | Staff Writer Texas is rich in many resources, such as land and minerals, but water is not one of them, said John Williams, author and historian. Williams spoke to Baylor faculty and staff on Tuesday afternoon about the history of the Lower Colorado River Authority, the present state of water resources in Texas and the future if new water resources are not cultivated. Williams’ new book, “The Untold Story of the Lower Colorado River Authority,” published by Texas A&M Press, focuses on the problems in the Colorado River Basin. However, Williams said many of the problems…