Browsing: community

A lot of us may embrace and engage in the large prayer tent on Fountain Mall and various conversations surrounding the three-day Christianpalooza, also known as FM72. There is beauty in having a space for that on a college campus. However, this is one of numerous examples of public, almost performative, Christianity at Baylor.

Currently, it is mandatory for all first-year students at Baylor to live on campus, but what is the reasoning behind this? According to Baylor, it is “for first-year students to live and grow together and find their place.” However, I find that in some cases, the benefits of on-campus living do not always outweigh the drawbacks. Here are some reasons why I believe mandatory on-campus living should be reconsidered.

The Waco Police Department doesn’t get a day off in the fight against crime, but it isn’t alone in that fight. Waco Crime Stoppers is an organization of civilian volunteers who work to help solve cases in the McLennan County area. The service allows people to anonymously submit tips about unsolved crimes at the Crime Stoppers hotline or through the P3 Tips app.

Founded 12 years ago to combat human trafficking in Waco, Unbound Now has become a global nonprofit organization. Unbound executive director Kristi Hayes said it started with a small local church group that refused to let the issue go unnoticed in the community.

For the first time since its inception in 1969, Baylor’s Student Foundation is opening talent acquisition applications — a privilege previously reserved for rising juniors and seniors — to rising sophomores. Jefferson, S.D., senior and co-president Jensyn Younger said although applicants must be prepared to sacrifice their time, participation in Student Foundation makes it all worth it in the end.

With Black History Month commencing this week, we have the opportunity to highlight these businesses in our community. It is likely they will be receiving a bit more traffic than they typically would in any other given month due to the outpouring of support from locals in honor of the month. However, considering all that Black business owners go through in order to keep their businesses alive, shouldn’t we be giving them the credit they’re due year-round?

The problem that exists in attending a church aimed specifically at college students is that it lacks the opportunity for growth. I believe the beauty of attending church is that you can meet a variety of people from all walks of life. Spiritual growth flourishes most when you surround yourself with those who are different from you rather than those who are similar.

“We usually emphasize the fall, and that’s maybe not wise,” Dr. Charles Ramsey said. “Maybe emphasizing the spring is something we need to get stronger at and realize the importance of. There’s a lot of people during this time in particular who are looking for community, and I think that’s our desire for each student — our invitation and our prayers that every student at Baylor would feel invited to join a community.”

Inspired by the governing bodies of Baylor and other R1 institutions, The Woodlands senior and Student Body President Nick Madincea said student government aims to be the first in the Big 12 to roll out a five-year strategic plan. He said the strategic plan will help the organization unveil new projects while carrying on old ones.

And just like that, recruitment week is finally over. After anticipating this week all of last semester, you may have just experienced the best week of your life or the most exhausting week of your life. Either way, I encourage you to see the spring semester as one full of new opportunities and new beginnings.

After a successful first camping trip in October, Kamp Love at Baylor is seeking to expand its ministry by combining love for the gospel with love for the outdoors — all for the greater purpose of cultivating campus unity and lifting up the name of Jesus.

Based on the core themes of care and belonging, the Graduate Student Association will host its second Diversity Gala from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 29 at George W. Truett Theological Seminary. The gala will include a variety of speakers and panelists, bringing the Baylor and Waco communities together for a conversation about the importance of diversity.

“We prayed, you know, at the beginning of FaceTime that we wanted to be part of the heartbeat of Baylor University,” Olayinka Obasanya, founder and director of FaceTime with God, said. “I think we’ve established that prayer; I think we’ve seen…God establish that prayer through us and we want to continue to be that at Baylor.”

If fitness is something that you want to pursue, you shouldn’t feel like the gym and traditional bodybuilding routines are the only way to get fit. There are so many different forms of fitness and so many different avenues on how you can approach training. You can train for aesthetics, strength, endurance, cardio or even a little bit of everything.