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Baylor Lariat W E ’ R E T H E R E W H E N YO U C A N ’ T B E MONDAY
AUGUST 21, 2017
B AY L O R L A R I AT. C O M
Opinion | A2
Arts & Life | B1
Sports | C4 & C5
Dear President...
Waco’s art culture
Football is upon us
Expectations and gratitude in a letter to our new president.
See our players prepare for the upcoming season.
Waco artists are featured in Waco 52 until Aug. 31.
Free Food, Festivities, Family Lariat
transitions to two days of print PHOEBE SUY Staff Writer
Jessica Hubble | Lariat Photographer
FUN ON THE FOUNTAIN Festival at the Fountain took place Thursday night, welcoming freshmen from near and far to campus and giving parents a chance to say goodbye. The festival kicked off the start of Welcome Week and featured local vendors from around Waco, such as Lula Jane’s, Steel City Pops and Club Sandwich.
Times are changing, and so is The Baylor Lariat. Beginning this fall, the Lariat will only publish in print on Tuesdays and Fridays while broadening its digital presence. Breaking news and university developments will be published on the Lariat website, mobile app, social media accounts, Waco Cable Channel 18 and Morning Buzz e-mail newsletter. “Our goal is to be the best source of information about Baylor,” said assistant media adviser Julie Reed. “None of that is changing. What is
LARIAT >> Page A7
New president, new beginnings Livingstone shares summer experiences and vision for university BAILEY BRAMMER Editor-in-Chief After a summer spent interacting with incoming freshmen and receiving her Baylor Line jersey, as well as being hard at work as president of the university, Dr. Linda Livingstone is eager to take on the new school year and welcome the class of 2021. Livingstone spoke with Lariat about her and her husband’s experiences on campus this summer, as well as her plans to continue to move the university toward a bright future in spite of the turmoil of the last year and a half. Q: You and your husband came from Move-In today. Tell me a little bit about what that experience was like. I have to tell you, it was an amazing experience. I had heard about it, people had described it, but you really don’t get a feel for it until you actually are there and see it and experience it or participate in it. We loved being there and helping. We loved seeing our students and faculty and the staff actually moving people in, but it was just really fun to see some of the new students and their parents, and the way we do move
Baylee VerSteeg | Lariat Photographer
MOVE IT, MOVE IT President Livingstone showed her appreciation and care for the Baylor community by helping freshmen move into their dorms on Wednesday.
in reduces the stress so dramatically for people in the move-in process, I mean I remember when I moved in, and I was by myself, and my parents couldn’t come with me and I had to empty my car by myself. And I don’t know how many carloads I had to take up to my room by myself, and
you’re just exhausted, and you’re overwhelmed. And so the way we do this is spectacular. Q: I know you also took part in some Line Camp activities as well this summer and you did the trip to Independence to see where Baylor
began. How was it seeing students see that and see that’s where the school’s foundations started? I had heard what a fabulous and moving experience it was. It is one of those things that you kind of have to do it and experience it to really understand it because, again, I had heard it described, and after the students all got there in their jerseys and went through the columns, they had Brad and I go through as well. And when we walked behind the columns and the students and Line Camp leaders are lined up and they are all high-fiving us and saying “welcome home, President Livingstone, and they gave us our jerseys and we put them on, it was a very emotional experience and very moving. And then you walk through those columns, and I can just see how profound an experience it is, particularly, it certainly was for us, and for these freshmen to really sort of be walking into the Baylor family in a very significant and very visual and symbolic way. Q: Last time we spoke, we talked about you and your husband finding your own way to impact students and interact with them. How’s that going? A couple things, I would say.
We’ve eaten at Penland several times this summer, so one of the things we’re going to try to do this summer is get around to the dining halls. I’ve heard we need to have pancakes at Teal on Thursday nights, and go to Brooks for their family dinner some Sunday evening. To see students in the setting where they are, living life, is a great thing and I really don’t like to cook either, so any chance I can let someone else cook for me, I’m happy to do. We’ll certainly do as much of that as we can since we live right on campus and that’s easy to do. Q: Are you excited for the upcoming football season? I am excited! I have to say, I’m excited about all our sports coming up. We have volleyball and soccer as well as football coming up, so we’re going to certainly try to get around and spread our attendance to catch a variety of sports and support all of our athletic teams. It’s an exciting time with a new coach, and I know Coach Matt Rhule has been working very hard with the team, and he’s done such a great job of representing the university since he’s been on board. I’m looking forward to his
PRESIDENT >> Page A7
Sexual assault lawsuits continue as school year begins PHOEBE SUY Staff Writer While welcoming a new president this summer, Baylor’s recent sexual assault scandals continue to follow the university. In addition to the filing of the latest in a series of lawsuits against Baylor and the settlement of a previous suit in the span of four months, the university was ordered in a third existing lawsuit to release underlying information from the Pepper Hamilton investigation. Baylor hired Pepper Hamilton law firm in fall 2015 to conduct an independent review of Baylor’s institutional response and compliance to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The nine-month investigation ultimately found that Baylor failed to implement Title Vol.118 No. 1
IX and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA). Pepper Hamilton provided Baylor with 105 recommendations, 80 percent of which have been implemented and the remaining 20 percent are in various stages of work, according to Baylor’s “Our Progress” website. HERNANDEZ LAWSUIT SETTLED One of five Title IX lawsuits against Baylor was settled on Aug. 15. Plaintiff Jasmin Hernandez settled with the university and requested to dismiss former Baylor Head Football Coach Art Briles and former Athletic Director Ian
LAWSUITS >> Page A6
Lariat File Photo
LEGAL STRIFE Baylor has had three sexual assault lawsuits filed against them in the past four months, with the Hernandez lawsuit being settled on Tuesday
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