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The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Does technology usage increase dementia risk? - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
“Brain-rot” is Oxford University Press’s term of the year, with the use of the term increasing by 230%. With this dramatic uptick, researchers start to wonder if our brains are actually “rotting” — and if it really is because of “those dang phones.”
In conjunction with the University of Texas’s Dell Medical School, Baylor neuroscience researchers have co-authored a study into the connection of an increased risk of dementia and technology use.
Dr. Michael K...
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Goldwater Scholarship opens doors, inspires students - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Four undergraduate STEM researchers have earned the Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding undergraduates interested in pursuing STEM research.
Baylor ranks in U.S News top 30 for undergraduate research — an honor that is reflected by these Goldwater Scholars, according to Dr. Andrew P. Hogue, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Office of Engaged Learning.
“These Goldwater wins are evidence in support of thos...
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Meet the 2025 candidates for student body president - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Campaign season for Baylor’s next student body president kicked off Wednesday, with three experienced juniors vying for the title. These three candidates have each had extensive experience in different areas of student government, making for a close presidential race.
Landon Self
Pflugerville junior Landon Self is a political science major. He has been a part of Baylor student government since his freshman year when he first served as a student senator. In...
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No Small love: Engaged juniors reflect on past 6 years - The Baylor Lariat

Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
San Diego juniors Amelia Shelhamer and Brady Small had been dating for six years when Small finally popped the question over spring break last month.
“In the back of my mind, I always knew,” Small said.
Shelhamer and Small started dating their freshman year of high school when they went to their homecoming dance together.
“He asked me to freshman year homecoming, and then later that evening asked me to be his girlfriend, which at the time when we were 14, was...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Baylor to host events honoring Sexual Assault Awareness Month - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
In this year’s observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office is partnering with student government and several campus organizations to provide a schedule of events dedicated to recognizing sexual assault awareness.
Tulsa, Okla. junior and student senator Elle Kalcik said student government is currently working to pass legislation designating the month of April as Baylor’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“Studen...
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Licensed psychologist, professor awarded Outstanding Faculty member - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Dr. Sarah Mire is an associate professor in the department of psychology and a faculty affiliate with the Baylor Center for Disabilities. In addition to teaching, she is also a licensed psychologist in Texas, a nationally-certified school psychologist and a licensed professional in school psychology. She is among several other Baylor faculty members that were recognized as Outstanding Faculty Members for 2024-2025.
“That’s what I’m doing here — is training...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

SCOTUS is ‘most powerful court in history,’ says author, poli sci professor - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
In the final session of Baylor Libraries’ Readers Meet the Authors Series, political science and law come together with one common idea: the U.S. Supreme Court is the most powerful court in history, and it is the only institution that will protect minority rights.
Dr. David Bridge is an associate professor of political science, and his recent book titled, “Pushback: The Political Fallout of Unpopular Supreme Court Decisions” examines the importance of civil...
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Baylor reflects on Title IX history, looks to future policy - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
For a decade, sexual assault cases and Title IX lawsuits created a dark chapter in Baylor’s story.
In 2015, then-Baylor President and Chancellor Ken Starr asked a Baylor law professor to do an internal inquiry into how the university handled a string of allegations: a student who faced sexual assault charges in 2011, a football player’s arrest for physical assault and two players being named in a sexual assault police report in 2013, a football player convic...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

$4.71 million grant dedicated to researching patience of parents - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
The future is looking bright for Baylor research with a $4.71 million grant dedicated to the study of patience.
The Baylor Research in Growth and Human Thriving Science Center is a multidisciplinary research center housed in the College of Arts and Sciences focused on the study of human flourishing. A part of the BRIGHTS center, a team of interdisciplinary researchers from several different institutions have received a $4.71 million grant from Templeton Reli...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Livingstone addresses future of DEI at Baylor - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
President Linda Livingstone met with state legislators on Monday in Austin to evaluate the future of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Baylor after a wave of state-wide bans swept the state of Texas in recent weeks.
“You will see us continue to lean into supporting students and faculty from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences,” Livingstone said.
State legislators passed Senate Bill 17 last spring, a law prohibiting DEI offices and initiativ...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Board of Regents approves tuition increase, scholarship initiative, 2 academic degrees - The Baylor Lariat

By MacKenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
At their regular February meeting, the Baylor Board of Regents took major steps towards its five-year strategic plan, including approving a tuition increase for the 2025-26 school year, a new scholarship initiative and the addition of two new academic degrees.
“The regents took several steps to ensure we’re laying a foundation for the aggressive implementation of our new strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds,” President Linda Livingstone said.
One of these steps...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

What explains the downward trend in Baptist students on campus? - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
In 1844, the Texas Baptist Education Society petitioned the Texas Congress to charter a Baptist university. 180 years later, Baptists are slowly becoming a minority at Baylor.
The percentage continues to drop every year, hitting 17.3% in 2024, according to the Baylor Office of Institutional Research — a decline from 26.5% in 2018.
Dr. Barry Hankins is a resident scholar of religion and American culture in Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion. Authorin...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Baylor pediatric psychologist among most-cited researchers in the world - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Dr. Christine Limbers is the director of the Psy.D. graduate program and leads Baylor’s pediatric psychology laboratory. She is one of Baylor’s premier research faculty, appearing for the second year in a row on Stanford University’s database of the most-cited researchers in the world.
“There is lots of different research that goes in within the lab,” Limbers said. “It all sort of ties back to trying to enhance [the] health and well-being of children and the...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Art history chair awarded Professor of the Year - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
The 2025 Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year is Dr. Heidi J. Hornik, professor and chair of the Art and Art History Department at Baylor.
This award recognizes faculty members that excel in areas of teaching, research and service.
Hornik joined Baylor’s Art and Art History department in 1990 and has served as the department chair for the past four years. Besides teaching several advanced art history courses in Italian Renaissance and Western Art,...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Readers Meet the Author Series recognizes Christian music legend - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Nearly seven years after the death of musical icon Kurt Kaiser, Baylor hosted his family, the community and a packed crowd of students and faculty to reflect on the impact Kaiser’s music had on the world of contemporary Christian music.
In this year’s third installment of Baylor’s Readers Meet the Author Series, Bob Darden, retired professor of journalism, was joined by Dr. Terry York, retired professor of Christian ministry and church music. York’s recently...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Baylor history professor named Big 12 Faculty Member of the Year - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
While 2024 wasn’t a Big 12 Championship year for many Baylor sports, it was a winning year for the faculty, as Dr. Stephen Sloan, professor of history and the director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor, took home the first-ever Big 12 Faculty of the Year award.
In November, The Big 12 Conference announced the nominees to highlight one exceptional faculty member from each of the 16 universities belonging to the conference.
These faculty members wer...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

VP of student life reflects on tenure at Baylor ahead of retirement - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Dr. Kevin Jackson, Baylor’s vice president of student life, announced his retirement from Baylor last week, after 16 years with the university.
“To be able to finish my career at a school where we can truly work with our student’s mind, body and soul has just been amazing,” Jackson said.
Prior to his time at Baylor, Jackson served in a similar student life-related position at Texas A&M University for almost 20 years. However, his time as an Aggie does not...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Tour guides give glimpses into Baylor for prospective students - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
After a long day of class and responsibilities, most Baylor students are ready to head home and relax. But there’s no rest for the BEARS, a select few students who are Baylor Experience & Admissions Representatives.
Salem, Ore., junior Kiera White has been a tour guide since the spring semester of her freshman year. Because of her experience, she was promoted to senior BEAR her sophomore year. According to White, senior BEARs act as an “extra bit of leaders...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Baylor business school named among top 100 for future leaders - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Baylor joins several prestigious institutions like Harvard, Yale and Stanford Universities on TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 Best Colleges for Future Leaders 2025, marking a strong start to the new year.
Partnering with Statistica, TIME ranks Baylor at No. 61 in the nation and No. 3 in Texas for producing excellent future leaders across disciplines. Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business was specifically highlighted in this ranking for demonstrating the unive...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Baylor University EPA grant to combat food insecurity, advance sustainability - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
This month, Baylor was awarded a near $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program to alleviate food insecurity in Waco’s underprivileged communities and drive sustainable agricultural practices.
The money part of a larger $17.9 million EPA Community Change grant awarded to several local Waco nonprofits whose local investments will fund future sustainability efforts.
Dr. Stephan...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Baylor University author series talks slavery, Southern Baptists - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
With the construction of a memorial for enslaved persons taking place on Baylor’s historical Founders Mall, many wonder about the South’s history of slavery. Baylor’s Meet the Author series held a conversation to unpack the story of early Baptists in the American South.
On Tuesday, the Office of the Provost and the Baylor Libraries presented Dr. Kimberly Kellison, associate professor of history and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for a...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Chapel requirement is deeply ingrained in Baylor history - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Chapel has been a part of Baylor’s core curriculum since its founding in 1845 and is the oldest tradition in American higher education, according to Baylor’s official website.
Sharing a birthday with the university itself, Baylor chapel was created for students to find their faith community — a mission that has continued to this day.
Dr. Burt Burleson, university chaplain, explained that chapel was a common practice in 1845, but with much less variety than...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Texas Supreme Court incumbents fend off Democratic opponents, keep seats - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Targeted for their rulings on recent abortion cases, the three Republican Texas Supreme Court justices up for reelection successfully fended off Democratic opposition, retaining all nine seats.
In Place 2, incumbent Jimmy Blacklock defeated Democrat DaSean Jones by a large 18% margin.
Blacklock was appointed by Gov. Gregg Abbott in 2018 and previously worked under the governor at the Office of the Attorney General, where he presided over several high-profile...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Home sweet home: Who has access to your dorm? - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Living on campus can be startling change for many. In a new environment with less supervision, students might find themselves wondering about their own security within the four walls of their dorm room.
Dr. Rob Engblom, senior associate director for resident learning, explains the safety measures practiced by Baylor’s 18 different residence halls on campus.
“There [are] a lot of different features, and I’d say the first line of defense are just the card-swip...
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Opinion Columns

The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Paper straws will not save us — or the turtles - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
A $10 tip later, you’re sipping on your iced oat milk latte through a paper straw. Sip after sip, you choke back that chalky paper taste, reminding yourself of all the turtles you’ve saved by your brave sacrifice.
We are saving the turtles, right?
In theory, yes. Plastics do pose a significant threat to sea-life, according to the Sea Turtle Conservatory. By now, everyone has seen the viral video in 2015 of that poor sea turtle with a plastic straw lodged up...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Don’t forget their names — Title IX and Baylor women - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
When you think Title IX at Baylor, most are immediately transported back to 2016, where a sexual assault scandal rocked a football team up to the office of the president.
The blatant mishandling of sexual misconduct and Title IX complaints during that time is a whole issue itself. But too often, we forget the catalysts behind it all — the brave women that spoke up against an institution with endless resources.
This is about them. Title IX is about uplifting...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Political extremism is out; it’s OK to meet in the middle - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
American politics are messy. It’s almost a self-fulfilling prophecy when you combine that much money, power and influence. But now, Americans are looking down the barrel of a completely different monster, and it’s not liberal versus conservative — it’s much more extreme than that.
We’re living in a world where a figure involved with the new administration does a Nazi salute at the presidential inauguration, books about government censorship are being banned b...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Navigating the holidays, from a child of divorce - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
“I know it’s sad, but now you’ll get two of everything.”
I heard this sentence at least 100 times when my parents first got divorced. Two Thanksgivings, two Christmases, two birthdays — these things might sound exciting from the outside, but it’s not what kids from split families want to hear.
A double Christmas means nothing when it’s traded for a happy, present family. The holiday season is often a painful reminder for many, and the empty chairs at the di...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Networking is non-negotiable - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
Enjoying college life is absolutely a necessity. These four years are so special and they truly go by quickly. But when you’re finally walking across that stage at graduation and all the celebrations die down, you’re faced with a harsh reality: “now what?”
Early on in our education, we’re taught to continuously prepare for the future. By middle school, we’re told to prepare for high school, and then we spend all of high school working hard to get into colleg...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Greek life stereotypes are unfair, mostly for women - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
“Paying for your friends” has been a phrase we hear all too well during sorority rush season. Greek life serves as an opportunity for community amongst like-minded individuals, but too often it is diminished into a shallow process, a criticism that is disproportionally targeted towards young women.
More often than not, young women bear the brunt of Greek life stereotypes and negativity. From TikTok OOTDs to YikYak opinions, it seems like women are consiste...
The Baylor Lariat - The official student news sour •

Fleetwood Mac went their own way, remain iconic - The Baylor Lariat

By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
There are very few bands that survive the passage of time. From The Beatles to One Direction, pressure in the music industry and fame itself proves to be too much for many to handle.
Some artists release a few hit songs and fade into irrelevance as time goes on. Others might create a brand for themselves and use that brand to build an empire that withstands the test of time and inevitable band breakups. Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands.
One of the major a...