At Baylor, the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office exists to engage in these issues of sexual and interpersonal misconduct with care and integrity. We take very seriously our role to actively shape a conscientious community where members are valued, empowered, recognized and supported.

As a woman, one of my go-to defenses against implicit sexism is repressing my feminine traits in favor of masculine ones. In classes, when I feel underestimated, I quickly bring to mind all my knowledge of football and the stock market. I make sure to hide my pink nails and try not to bring up Taylor Swift. Our “girliness” doesn’t imply inability.

Over the past five to 10 years, I have witnessed a phenomenon: anime, the treasure I used to hold so dear to me, is beginning to spread nationwide. I have a fear that once it becomes mainstream in America, the quality of anime will decrease due to us forcing our societal norms onto the shows.

Oftentimes, required classes may seem unnecessary and unhelpful in our everyday lives. However, each one has been chosen to further our education and our perspectives at Baylor. Classes that should be added to this list are those emphasizing cultural conversations. This could include English classes that focus on multicultural literature, history classes that examine a certain ethnic group, medical humanities classes that discuss race in medicine and so many more.

Of course, this isn’t a Baylor problem or a Waco problem or a Texas problem or a U.S. problem. This is a cultural problem. And the way to solve a cultural problem is through education.

In comparison to a school like the University of Texas at Austin, which regularly holds events to support the homeless community and has a social work program that collaborates with the city, it appears that Baylor is missing out on many opportunities.