Browsing: Featured

Hard work and long hours are necessary to continue the annual tradition of the floats of the homecoming parade, which first began to appear in the parade in the 1920s.

Baylor’s Chamber of Commerce is tasked with organizing homecoming and all of the details that are involved, including floats.

“We work with all the fraternities and sororities who have a float, and we coordinate with them in different risk management policies,” said Fort Worth senior Brent Pollard, a float chair for chamber. “We are the middle man between them and risk management. We give them the information on judging.”

The Baylor Board of Regents approved construction on the new business school and track and field facility, designs for North Russell Hall renovations and plans for new doctoral programs at its annual Homecoming meeting Friday.

In a world of fleeting moments and memories, the 21st century has embraced an old idea to hold on to the past forever — tattoos.

Dr. Candi Cann, assistant professor in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, has researched in detail the many ways people are choosing to remember the dead. Specifically, she has studied the occurrence of makeshift roadside memorials, Internet memorials, car decal memorials and tattoos.

Three generations and 14 family members — a family of Baylor legacies.

A resonating family presence on campus doesn’t give legacy students any preferential treatment over an average Baylor student. Waco junior Rachael Brown and Dallas sophomore Caty Beth Holstead know this all too well. They are cousins, and are only a small portion of the longstanding Allen legacy family.

The construction of the new Baylor Stadium, projected to be open by the first football game of 2014, is on schedule.

“It’s an aggressive schedule from the very start,” said Jim Heley, the senior project manager for Austin-Flintco. “We knew that going in.”

Heley was referring to the six-day workweeks that construction crews often carry out. Brian Nicholson, associate vice president for facility, planning and construction, said some workdays can range from 18 to 24 hours.

In an unlikely pairing of two worlds, a new business recently started by three Baylor students aims to combine the selling of luxurious, high-fashion products with the humanitarianism of fighting third-world poverty.

Kith + Kin, whose name is derived from the word kinfolk or community of people, was founded earlier this semester by Waco senior Christen Batson, Fort Worth senior Meredith Noles and Dallas senior Jeffrey Sholden. The company was created as part of Baylor’s Accelerated Ventures program, a course that funds students for the opportunity to create real businesses and make real profits over a two-semester period. Kith + Kin utilizes a unique business model to sell high-quality leather bags, which are designed by Noles here in Waco, but manufactured by former prostitutes in Rwanda.

With Oklahoma losing last week in the Red River Rivalry, Baylor moved up to 12th in the country in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls, which is the highest the Bears have been since 1991. For the first time in the 16-year history of the Big 12, Baylor is the highest ranked team in the conference.

The Baylor Bears will look to prove they belong at the front of the pack as they play Iowa State in the final homecoming game at Floyd Casey Stadium.

By Paula Ann Solis Staff Writer Two more Baylor students have been arrested in connection to the high-grade marijuana drug…

Up against a deadline, Congress passed and sent a waiting President Barack Obama legislation late Wednesday night to avoid a threatened national default and end the 16-day partial government shutdown, the culmination of an epic political drama that placed the U.S. economy at risk.

Every six seconds, a child age 5 or younger dies from hunger somewhere around the world.

Tim Jarrell, senior pastor at Austin Avenue United Methodist Church, gave the statistic in a speech Wednesday at the Fast of Caring in downtown Waco.

Representatives of multiple charitable organizations around Waco congregated at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce and skipped lunch for the Fast of Caring. The Fast of Caring is an event held annually in honor of World Food Day, its mission being to raise awareness of hunger issues across the globe.

In a relatively short period of time, Baylor football has become nationally renowned for its explosive offense. Through the first four games, the Bears were averaging 781.5 yards per game, 70.5 points per game and beating teams by an average of 54.3 points per game. All of these marks led the country.

Baylor faced an unexpected challenge in its first road game on Saturday against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. The Bears managed to escape “The Little Apple” with a 35-25 victory, but one that looked different from the display of offensive fireworks in previous weeks.

The Bears’ struggles continued with a straight set loss to in-state rival Texas Christian University on Wednesday night. The Bears lost the sets 25-23, 25-21, and 25-21. The home confines of the Ferrell Center have not been friendly for Baylor volleyball so far in Big 12 conference play.

Baylor took a deficit to begin every set, and struggled to recover.

The numbers said “Kick-Ass 2” was going to do just that. Before its theatrical release, audience tracking surveys estimated the superhero action-comedy could gross as much as $25 million its opening weekend.

Instead, the sequel took in only $13 million, finishing far behind the civil rights drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and earning “Kick-Ass 2” an instant reputation as a flop.

Waco will soon become a lot more colorful.

The Color Me Rad 5k will begin at 9 a.m October 26 at BSR Cable Park in Waco, giving the Baylor and Waco communities the opportunity support a charity.

Color Me Rad is a race known for its one main feature: throwing color. Race participants can expect to finish the race with their clothes looking more vibrant than when they started.

Several businesses in the area who have excelled in hiring and accommodating people with disabilities are being honored Friday at the third annual Walk ‘N Roll event downtown, said Kim Nunn, co-chair for Walk ‘N Roll.

Walk ‘N Roll will begin after the Lex Freiden Employment Awards ceremony at 11:30 a.m. in the Waco Convention Center, where Texas employers who have enhanced and empowered the employment of those with disabilities will be recognized. A walk to raise awareness for those with disabilities will be take place from 1:45 to 2 p.m. around the convention center, followed by the recognition of local businesses and a resource fair from 2 to 4 p.m.

Manuel Sager, the ambassador of Switzerland to the United States, discussed the importance of a direct democracy and trust in the government with Baylor Model United Nations students Tuesday.

“Our office heard from ambassador Sager that he would be traveling through Texas this week and we invited him to speak to a group of our students,” said Jordan Hannah, the deputy chief of staff for the office of the Baylor president, said. “We wanted to capitalize on this opportunity and he graciously accepted.”

Baylor football has established a tradition of elite offense. In the last two seasons, the Bears have finished second nationally in total offense.

With that history, Baylor came into this season with a world of expectations on the offensive. So far this season, the Bears have shattered previous offensive records with junior quarterback Bryce Petty at the helm.

The government shutdown is slowing the wheels of justice in federal courts by delaying civil cases, forcing prosecutors to operate with skeleton staffs and raising uncertainty about the system’s immediate future if the stalemate continues past Thursday.

That’s when federal courts officials expect the reserve funds they have been using since the Oct. 1 start of the shutdown will run out.

Interior Design Studio 1 students received one of the greatest challenges of their design careers – building fully functional chairs using nothing more than cardboard and glue.

Elise King, lecturer in the interior design department, said the students were given two and a half weeks to use re-purposed cardboard and Elmer’s glue to create aesthetically pleasing pieces of furniture. Students were urged to research the physical properties of cardboard to determine the most effective way to use the material, King said.

The recent government shutdown may extend the deadline of a petition on the White House’s website requesting national park status for the Waco Mammoth Site.

Jeff Goodman, program administrator for the city of Waco Parks and Recreation, said he doesn’t know if the deadline has been extended, because deadline extensions for petitions are only applicable to petitions issued after Oct. 1, according to the White House website.

The future closure of Collins Dining Hall is part of a greater plan to improve dining experiences on Baylor campus.

“Collins is closing because it allows us to better manage the rising costs associated with providing high-quality dining on campus,” said Dr. Kevin Jackson, vice president for student life.

Baylor Alumni Association board members selected new officers Saturday, after BAA President Collin Cox, resigned on Oct. 10.

In a letter to Chad Wooten, BAA executive interim vice president, Cox said he cannot be a part of an organization that will possibly sue the university.

“The BAA Constitution, which we as officers swear to follow, uses phrases like ‘unity of purpose,’ ‘the best interest and support of the University,’ and ‘a genuine interest in Baylor’s welfare,” Cox said. “I cannot personally reconcile these promises, which I hold deeply, with any prospect of full-blown litigation against Baylor.”

After blowing teams out by an average of over 54 points through the first four games, Baylor football faced a battle in its first road test of the season against Kansas State.

The Bears faced their first true adversity and experienced their first deficit of the year, but managed to fight back for a 35-25 victory, for their first-ever win in Manhattan, Kan.

The No. 15 Baylor Bears survived a scare from the Kansas State Wildcats to win 35-25 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. on Saturday.

The win marks the first time the Bears have ever won a game at Kansas State.

Playing its first road game of the year, Baylor started out the game with 12-play, 59-yard scoring drive where the Bears held the ball for the first 4:27 seconds of the game. Junior quarterback Bryce Petty finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

West Fertilizer Co., the West plant where an explosion took place in April leaving 15 people dead and more than 100 homes destroyed, was fined $118,300 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 24 safety violations, said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

OSHA had not inspected the plant in more than 30 years. The findings of their latest investigation, according to Boxer, were failure to have an emergency response plan, unsafe handling and storage of anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate, inadequate labeling of storage tanks, failing to pressure test replacement hoses and not having respiratory protection or appropriate fire extinguishers.

The 2013 HOT Fair and Rodeo is going strong, and The Baylor Lariat was there to get all of the bronco riding, cafe roping, barrel racing and bull riding action on Oct. 9, 2013. Photos taken by Constance Atton | Lariat Photographer.

Three Baylor entrepreneurs have decided to change the way college students study. Adanote.com, created by three Baylor students, is an online collaborative platform that allows students to upload, share and study notes together online in a unique, social interface.

Baylor students can log on, create an account for free. They can find other students taking the same classes as them and view notes created by them online.
The website is using Baylor for its beta testing, but the goal of the website is to be available for all universities.

The United States on Wednesday cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to its Mideast ally Egypt, responding to the military ouster last summer of the nation’s first democratically elected president and the crackdown on protesters that has sunk the country into violent turmoil.

While the State Department did not provide a dollar amount of what was being withheld, most of it is linked to military aid. In all, the U.S. provides $1.5 billion in aid each year to Egypt.

The winners of the 2013 Nobel Prize in physics owe thanks to faculty and students from Baylor’s department of physics for helping confirm the existence of the elusive Higgs boson particle.

The prize was awarded to Dr. Peter Higgs and Dr. Francois Englert, the two scientists who theorized the existence of the particle back in the 1960s and spearheaded the push for its discovery in July of last year, according to the Nobel Prize’s website.

Baylor was dominant in its Big 12 opener, setting a conference record for total offense with 864 yards. The number was the most by an FBS team in the last decade. The Bears scored the most points against West Virginia since 1904. Baylor became the first team since 1930 to score 70 or more points in three straight games. This was all against a team that beat No. 11 Oklahoma State convincingly the week before.

Despite the convincing win, Baylor moved up only two spots in the AP rankings, from No. 17 to No. 15.