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President Ken Starr will discuss current national and world events with Os Guinness, promoter of cultural and religious freedom around the world, during the president’s On Topic session today.

Guinness will discuss his newly released book “The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity” at 7 p.m. in Waco Hall. Guinness has written and edited more than 30 books and worked for some time as a freelance reporter for the BBC.

“In his wonderful book, ‘The Global Public Square’, Os Guinness articulates a much-needed solution for maintaining healthy perspective amidst the conflicts that arise in modern life,” Starr said in a press release. “In what he calls ‘soul freedom,’ Os offers a constructive vision for how society can address the issue of human dignity and justice for all.”

Battling stiff resistance in Congress, President Barack Obama conceded Monday night he might lose his fight for congressional support of a military strike against Syria, and declined to say what he would do if lawmakers reject his call to back retaliation for a chemical weapons attack last month.

The president made his comments as a glimmer of a possible diplomatic solution appeared after months of defiance from the Russian-backed government of President Bashar Assad in Syria. In a rapid response, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cited “international discussions” in unexpectedly postponing a test vote originally set for Wednesday on Obama’s call for legislation backing a military strike.

In a series of six network interviews planned as part of a furious lobbying campaign in Congress, Obama said statements suggesting that Syria might agree to surrender control of its chemical weapons stockpile were a potentially positive development.

Safety has gone mobile. Just when we thought the smartphone could do it all, yet another function has been added to its diverse repertoire: security guard.

Thanks to the newly available BlueLight Mobile App, Baylor students no longer have to feel nervous about early morning walks to campus, late night walks from Moody Memorial Library, or middle-of-the-day runs around the Bear Trail.

“Baylor has been enabled on our mobile app called BlueLight,” said Preet Anand, founder of the BlueLight Mobile App. “Students wanted the app so that they would feel safer around Baylor’s campus and that it would give them a quick way to get help.”

The Baylor Campus Navigator app is soon to release new updates that allow users to access Baylor sports rosters and buy tickets.

Created by Cypress senior Kyle Martin, the app was originally intended to help students find their way around campus.

Between the updates made on April 18 and the updates soon to be released, the app is evolving into more than a physical navigator.

“The updates are just to add more value,” Martin said. “There’s a little bit of value for freshmen and people that live on campus, but that’s why I’m adding the sports stuff because it applies to more people.”

By Abigail Loop Reporter Women attending Baylor will have the opportunity to learn how to defend themselves against the dangers of today’s…

The Transition Agreement did not pass based on a vote by members of the Baylor Alumni Association.

A total of 1,499 votes were cast. There were 830 ‘yes’ votes and 668 ‘no’ votes. One vote was counted illegal for being in favor of both yes and no.

Two thirds of the votes, in this case 1,000 votes, needed to be ‘yes’ in order for the agreement to pass.

Based on a vote by members of the Baylor Alumni Association, the Transition Agreement did not pass.

A total of 1,499 votes were cast. There were 830 ‘yes’ votes and 668 ‘no’ votes. One vote was counted illegal for being in favor of both yes and no. Since 1,000 ‘yes’ votes were needed for the agreement to pass, the BAA will continue as an independent entity.

Starting next summer, a new grading policy will be implemented campuswide that establishes minus grades.

While the idea of a new grading system has caused some controversy, Dr. Wesley Null, vice provost for undergraduate education, assures students that the change will not negatively affect them.

“There is no data to indicate that GPAs will go down,” Null said. “We anticipate that the change will mostly result in a wash, if you will, as far as there will be just as many faculty who will decide to go up to an A- from a B+ as those who will assign an A- instead of an A. We don’t anticipate a dramatic change in GPA.”

Water is more welcome than ever this coming weekend as the Bears turn up the heat at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Any water bottle, disposable or reusable, will be allowed at the game against Buffalo this weekend.

As reported by the Lariat on Wednesday, many students were confused by the water bottle policy at last week’s game against Wofford. Attendants were to allow two water bottles per person but were not sure about the type of bottles to permit.

It will be easier for pedestrians to get around Waco as Waco city officials begin plans to extend the Brazos Riverwalk.

The city of Waco has recently received money from the federally funded program called the Transportation Enhancement Program, said a staff member of the Texas Department of Transportation who did not wish to be identified. Money is given under the Transportation Enhancement Program to support local projects that have a strong link to transportation.

“It was created to provide funds for projects that do a little above and beyond what the department’s used to doing,” the staff member said.

The Baylor Alumni Network aims to bring the Baylor community together and, to do so, the network relies heavily on volunteers.

The alumni network is a part of the Baylor Division of Constituent Engagement, which oversees many of Baylor’s outreach programs. According to the mission statement, the goal of the alumni network is to create opportunities for Baylor alumni, parents and other constituents to come together and build meaningful relationships.

The National Zoo might have a baby panda, but Cameron Park Zoo has Aztec, the miracle baby ocelot.

Aztec was born on May 31 at Cameron Park Zoo, and is considered a miracle baby because of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his birth.

Cameron Park zookeeper John Abernathy said part of the reason Aztec was a miracle was because his mother Maya was so old when she had her first child.

By Rae Jefferson Reporter Baylor’s Sustainability Department has hailed the 2013 “Move 2 BU” a success. Smith Getterman, assistant director…

By Claire Cameron and Shelby Leonard Reporters Student government plans to serve breakfast  at 8 a.m. on Saturday in front of…

By Rebecca Jung Reporter College women are four to five times more likely to be raped while in college than…

By Jeffrey Swindoll Reporter A new and improved radar may help predict weather phenonmenon in Waco. Greg Patrick, from the…

A fight inside a Houston-area high school escalated into a series of stabbings on Wednesday that killed a 17-year-old student and wounded several others, sheriff’s officials said.

Three students described as “persons of interest” were taken into custody after the fight in the cafeteria at Spring High School, about 20 miles north of Houston. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said authorities were not searching for any other suspects and that everyone involved in the fight were students from the school district.

The face of Baylor alumni relations is changing.

After 10 months of negotiations, the leadership of both the Baylor Alumni Association and the Baylor Board of Regents drafted a Transition Agreement.

“They talked through all the things the university does and the association does and that resulted in the transition agreement you see,” Collin Cox, BAA president, said. “We got here because a lot of leaders on both sides spent a lot of time thinking about what is best for Baylor University.”

As the vote nears, some Baylor Alumni Association members expressed their concerns about losing the 154-year-old organization and their independent voice.

Thomas Nesbitt, who graduated from Baylor in 1994 and is a lifetime member of the BAA, said the Transition Agreement should not be passed.

“The Transition Agreement is bad for Baylor,” Nesbitt said. “It dissolves the 154-year-old alumni association.”

After the announcement of the Transition Agreement over the summer, various people have expressed their approval or concerns. While this matter is complicated, these opinions can be sorted into those that support a ‘yes’ vote on Sept. 7 and those that don’t.

Baylor’s administration and the Baylor Alumni Association’s leadership support the Transition Agreement.

Baylor President Ken Starr said the purpose of the agreement is to move the university forward.

If The Baylor Line magazine is to continue with the word Baylor in its title, the Transition Agreement between the Baylor Alumni Association and Baylor Board of Regents must receive a ‘yes’ vote from at least two thirds of the BAA member present at the meeting on Sept. 7.

The Baylor Line magazine began in 1946, and since then, it has been published by the self-regulating Baylor Alumni Association.

The Line’s mission statement says the magazine’s purpose is “to examine, from a wide range of perspectives, Baylor’s history, culture, institutional practices, aspirations, and identity as a private, Baptist university and to enable alumni to maintain their emotional, intellectual, and social bonds with the university and each other.”

As Baylor students hit the fitness center of the McLane Student Life Center this semester, they can expect to break a sweat on the newest workout equipment on campus.

Every summer, machines in the fitness center are assessed and replaced by the newest technology available. This summer, the SLC welcomed 10 new cardiovascular machines, including four treadmills with personal viewing screens, two ellipticals, two adaptive motion trainers, one recumbent bike and one upright bike.

The campus bookstore now features a repair service for students and faculty plagued by computer viruses, software bugs and other computer-related issues.

The Baylor Bookstore expanded its range of services to the Baylor community with the introduction of the Computer Repair Center.

The Computer Repair Center can be found near the technology department of the Baylor Bookstore.

In response to the city of Waco’s new ordinance that requires all pets to be microchipped, the Animal Birth Control Clinic will be offering a free microchip clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at their location on 3238 Clay Ave.

The new Waco city ordinance requires all cats and dogs of Waco residents to be spayed or neutered and microchipped.

This must be done by Jan. 1, 2014, said Carrie Kuehl, executive director of the Animal Birth Control Clinic. The city of Waco is sponsoring Sunday’s free microchipping clinic, Kuehl said, to meet the needs of citizens.

The tire of a black Ford Ranger pickup truck blew out at 6:46 p.m. and caused the vehicle to turn on its side near the 2100 block of University Parks Drive.

The driver, Baylor employee Pablo Oliverez, said the truck flipped onto its side as he tried to avoid a light pole. He said he was wearing his seatbelt and felt fine when the truck finally came to a stop.

Dozens of water bottles were left trashed outside Floyd-Casey Stadium on Saturday despite a new policy allowing outside water bottles into the stadium.

“I had water, but I threw it away,” Coppell freshman Victoria Clark said. “I didn’t know we were allowed to bring it inside.”

Some students, such as Lubbock senior Hayden Murphy, witnessed game attendees not being allowed to take in their own hard plastic water bottles. Murphy said he took two bottles in, but they were disposable.

The fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, also known as “Fiji,” has been banned from taking part in any university activities this year.

“Phi Gamma Delta is not participating in all university events this semester due to a violation of university policy,” said Lori Fogleman, assistant vice president of media communications.

Fogleman added that Phi Gamma Delta will not be a part of Interfraternity Council recruitment, also known as Rush, this year.

A drug ring distributing $30,000 to $40,000 of high-grade marijuana monthly near Baylor campus HAS resulted in four arrests and an investigation of more than 50 Baylor students.

McGregor, Lorena and Baylor Police departments, in cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration, served two warrants less than one mile from campus on Aug. 28. Marijuana, prescription pills, packaging materials, weapons and more than $12,000 were found in the two residences, according to the McGregor Police Department. The customer base of the suspected distributors is the Baylor student body, said McGregor Police Department’s Criminal Investigator Lt. Joe Coy.

President Barack Obama gained ground Tuesday in his drive for congressional backing of a military strike against Syria, winning critical support from House Speaker John Boehner while key Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed to back a no-combat-troops-on-the-ground action in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack.

Officials said the emerging Senate measure would receive a vote Wednesday in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Approval is likely.

Wasting less by feeding more is the name of the game for the folks at Baylor’s Campus Kitchen.

Tuesday afternoon, members of Campus Kitchen met at the Mary Gibbs Jones Family and Consumer Sciences Building to begin the first daily food collection of the semester. Memorial, Penland and Collins dining halls kept leftover food hot for the pickup after 3:30 p.m.

Campus Kitchen is a national service organization that helps students relieve hunger in their communities by working through universities and high schools.