STAY CONNECTED >>
The Baylor Lariat
@bulariat
@baylorlariat
Baylor Lariat W E ’ R E T H E R E W H E N YO U C A N ’ T B E FRIDAY
JANUARY 12, 2018 Opinion | A2
Arts & Life | B1&2 Bike around town Pedal tours bring Waco locations into a new light.
Oprah 2020
Eloquence does not necessarily translate to political competence.
B AY L O R L A R I AT. C O M Sports | C4
Softball in Africa Baylor softball traveled to Ghana to teach kids the game
Judge orders file release in Title IX case REAGAN EBB Staff Writer
Rod Aydelotte | Waco Tribune-Herald file photo
TOGETHER ATF agents hug each other while their wounded are loaded on a ambulance on Double E Road after the initial raid on the Branch Davidian compound located outside of Waco in 1993.
Waco Remembers FBI chief negotiator from Branch Davidian siege discusses David Koresh, both sides’ mistakes of unorthodox religious views have decided to establish groups and communities of their own, Noesner said, so the Branch Davidians were not a unique group in that sense. Why then, A six-part television series titled “Waco” is set to premiere on Noesner asks, were the Davidians brought to the attention of the the Paramount Network on Jan. 24 and will star Academy Award government? nominee Michael Shannon and Taylor “The difference was the autocratic Kitsch in the leading roles. rule of David Koresh and his Kitsch will portray David Koresh, manipulation of his followers also led the leader of the Branch Davidians them into engaging in some illegal religious cult, and Shannon will activities that brought them under the portray Gary Noesner, the FBI’s scrutiny of the Bureau of Alcohol, chief negotiator on site in February Tobacco and Firearms,” Noesner 1993, when a 51-day standoff said. “That began the concern in the began between the Davidians and government, because weapons were the FBI. The dispute ended with a being converted illegally to automatic fire that killed 76 people and also and there were a number of other ignited nationwide discussions on violations.” government overreach and religious While the FBI had been alerted extremism. by local authorities of child abuse The series is based on two allegations within the compound, GARY NOESNER biographies, “A Place Called what ultimately brought them to FBI CHIEF NEGOTIATOR Waco” by Branch Davidian David Waco in 1993 was the shootout that Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors ensued between the U.S. Treasury of the final fire on April 19, 1993, and Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, “Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator,” by Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Branch Davidians on Feb. Noesner, now retired chief of the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit. 28. The Baylor Lariat conducted an unpublished interview with Agents from ATF were attempting to execute an arrest warrant Noesner in 2015 regarding the Waco siege and received an inside for Koresh and a search warrant for the property, Noesner said, look at day-to-day interactions with Koresh and his followers, but the mission was compromised when the Davidians heard that mistakes that were made on both sides of the standoff and factors the raid was going to occur. that made the interactions both difficult and famous nationwide in the decades to follow. FBI >> Page A7 Many individuals across the country who uphold some kind
HANNAH NEUMANN
Focus Magazine 2017 Editor-in-Chief
“
[Koresh] wasn’t a well-educated individual, but he was articulate, he was an all-powerful leader in his group...
Judge Robert Pitman granted a motion filed Wednesday by Jim Dunnam, an attorney representing 10 women in a Title IX lawsuit against Baylor, to clarify the term “sexual assault” regarding the Title IX cases and order Baylor to release certain documents. A plaintiff’s motion, Document 248, was filed in response to Baylor’s behavior throughout the lawsuits. The phrase “sexual assault” is a broad term with multiple implications, and the Jane Does feel it is important to define an exact definition, according to the motion. “Plaintiffs are concerned without specificity, Defendant will use their own interpretation,” Court Document 248 said. The multiple women claiming sexual assault have turned to Title IX for defining forms of misconduct in the past, and the Jane Does wish to use the definitions stated by Title IX policies. On the other hand, Baylor wants to utilize a more limited definition. Baylor defines “prohibited conduct” as all forms of interaction that violate policies laid out by Title IX. According to the document, the plaintiffs believe that all forms of unwanted sexual penetration, unwanted touching, verbal harassment and gender-based harassment should be included in the court’s definition of sexual assault. The document states that without a clear definition the plaintiffs fear Baylor will use its own interpretation of the term. With this motion, the included criminal acts of misconduct will provide clarity for both parties moving forward. Lastly, Court Document 248 said the order of events, including the time of alleged assaults and when Baylor had knowledge of the reports, will be definitive to resolving the cases. Pitman granted the motion, creating Document 2481. It also stated that Baylor must not filter or censor its reporting related to any Title IX case. The order also states that in the data reported, Baylor must include the date of the report and the person to whom the report was initially made. “Baylor University continues to maintain our position of keeping discovery in this case focused on the claims of the plaintiffs who have sued and preventing the disclosure of nonparty student records, such as confidential medical and counseling records,” the university said in a statement Thursday night. In regards to the Title IX office at Baylor, new leadership is on the horizon this year. After former Coordinator Patty Crawford resigned from her position in July 2017, Kristan Tucker was nominated as coordinator. After only a few months, Tucker stepped down from her position. Baylor has not given any reason for her resignation. Baylor announced Maureen Holland will serve as the interim Title IX Coordinator until someone has filled the position. Holland worked as a consultant for the Cozen O’Connor law firm specializing in education law and civil rights investigations. She previously served as a member of the Pepper Hamilton law firm, who led the investigations leading up to the resignation of former university president Ken Starr.
McLennan County flu cases hit five-season peak JULIA VERGARA Staff Writer The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District has reported a high number of flu cases than usual in the area throughout the month of December. In just one week, the number of flu and flulike cases rose from 338 to 1,041 for the week ending Dec. 15. The next week, ending Dec. 22, saw another increase, jumping to 1,541 cases. It was not until the last week of December, ending Dec. 29, that the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District saw a decrease to 1,283 cases — a number that is still unusually high. “For the past five seasons, this would be the highest peak that we’ve had,” Public Health Information Specialist for the City of Waco Kelly Craine said. “The last high peak that we Vol.118 No. 28
had was the 2014-2015 season — that time went to almost 700 cases, but clearly we’ve gone even higher in these past two weeks with over a thousand cases.” Since the beginning of this year’s flu season in October, there have been two flu-related deaths of individuals over 80 years old, Craine said. Craine said the City of Waco receives the flu case numbers from a variety of sources throughout McLennan County, including physicians, hospitals, urgent care clinics, schools and nursing homes. According to City of Waco press releases, flu season does not typically peak until January or February — meaning that there is a possibility flu case numbers will rise yet again this year. The City of Waco monitors the number of flu cases weekly because the virus is difficult to predict, Craine said.
FLU >> Page A7
Associated Press
STAY HEALTHY Flu shots are available to students at a variety of locations around campus, including the health center on the second floor of the McLane Student Life Center and clinics at various locations around campus.
© 2018 Baylor University