“I think Baylor handled this pretty well. It could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse too.”

As the newest chief of Baylor’s Police Department, John Kolinek said he aims to better diversify the department, promote engagement with students and build personal relationships between students and officers in order to foster trust.

With a record-breaking freshman enrollment this fall, Baylor has sought to find ways to open more space in the dorms and freshman classes by offering some freshman full tuition and housing to defer fall enrollment, tuition discount for freshman to begin early in the summer online, contract buyouts and a hotel stay for around 150 freshman.

Baylor University is implementing new COVID-19 protocols including required masks in classrooms and additional weekly testing for unvaccinated individuals.