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Friday, September 29, 2017 The Baylor Lariat
News
Baylor Missions prepares fall break trip for Hurricane Harvey relief SAVANNAH COOPER Staff Writer
Baylee VerSteeg | Multimedia Journalist
Baylor awarded annual McNair Program grant PABLO GONZALES Assistant News Editor Baylor University has been given an annual grant of $232,265 to introduce the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. Named after Ronald McNair, an astronaut who died during the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger Mission, the program partners with universities to prepare minority students for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. Participants are from disadvantaged backgrounds and have demonstrated strong academic potential. The program is funded by the United States Department of Education and is one of eight TRIO programs. TRIO programs are federal programs that provide services to disadvantaged and underrepresented individuals. One of the more well-known programs is Upward Bound, a program that provides low-income students with resources and aid in preparing for and applying for college. Dr. Sinda K. Vanderpool, associate vice provost for academic enrollment management, said in a press release that this program will identify talented students and provide them with resources to enter academia. “The big-picture goal of the McNair Program is to build the pipeline for future members of the academy,” Vanderpool said. “It’s important for underrepresented students in college to see professors who share similar experiences and have similar backgrounds to
their own.” Students that are part of the McNair program will get a chance to work with faculty on research projects, prepare for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and present at conferences. The grant Baylor received will allow for 25-30 students to enter the program. “I am very excited that the McNair Program is coming to Baylor,” Leander senior Parth Amin said. “Many multicultural students are the first in their families to go to college, let alone graduate school, so this is an excellent chance for multicultural students to advance their education.” A team of 10 people composed of faculty and students came together to write the grant for the McNair program over the course of the last school year. One of the members of the committee was Rachel Renbarger, a student in educational psychology, who was named a McNair Scholar during her time as an undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma. She currently serves as the graduate assistant of the Baylor in Maastricht program and said she would not be where she is without the McNair program. “There is a zero percent chance that I would be in graduate school without McNair,” Renbarger said. “Even if I by some chance I was accepted to graduate school, I don’t think that I would have lasted very long without McNair.” The McNair Program will take its first cohort in spring 2018. Interest meetings will begin this semester.
For fall break, Baylor Missions will be taking a group of students to Houston to offer relief to those in need. Jill Hatcher, project coordinator for Baylor Missions, said she is looking forward to the trip because it’s the start of an ongoing process. “My hope is that [the trip] will actually plant a seed for future work for us,” Hatcher said. “The recovery from the hurricane’s effects is an ongoing long-term process, so this trip will be that first step toward that direction.” Coppell sophomore Reid Zaworski, a member of the student leadership team of the student community, engagement and service team, has little experience with mission trips, but won’t let that stop him from going and encourages others to do the same. “I myself haven’t done a lot of work like this so I may be a little hesitant, but I know this is greater than just me,” Zaworski said. “Everything we do down there will impact a whole other person’s life positively and knowing that everything that we do there will make a difference in someone’s life, that will just push us all further to work harder down there.” A convoy of minivans will head for
South Baptist Church of Houston on the about being out of their skill level.” afternoon of Oct. 12. As a student leader, Zaworski said “We’ll stay in the same place, but we’re he is looking for volunteers from all going to go out to different places during backgrounds who are ready to work and the day and we’ll come back in the evening step out from what they know. and have time for reflection and sharing “Honestly, we just want each volunteer stories and eating a good meal,” Hatcher to be ready and hard working and know said. that whenevFor students er we go down who are there it will interested, but be something hesitant to probably unlike apply, Hatcher what people encourages have ever seen,” them to be Zaworski said. open to the Hatcher said quick trip that she knows that will leave long God will use lasting impacts whatever the on their view. group is able “I think this to offer and exwill be a great pand it. opportunity to “WhatevJILL HATCHER | take a quick trip er little bit you PROJECT COORDINATOR FOR down there. have, it’s God’s BAYLOR MISSIONS We’re not going job to take that to put anyone and multiply it,” in a place where Hatcher said. they’re out of The applicatheir comfort zone,” Hatcher said. “They tion deadline is Sunday and the trip will may be doing something they’ve never run from Oct. 12 to Oct. 15. Interested done before but they will have the skills students should fill out a form, review the needed to do it. They should not worry trip page and submit an application.
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They may be doing something they’ve never done before but they will have the skills needed to do it.”
BEDS from Page 1 Streets takes the beds out on their Saturday pilgrimages to downtown Waco. For several years, Journey to the Streets has operated under the leadership of Phyllis Shows, bringing food to the homeless, and now, the team is happy to hand out the bedrolls as well. Gloria Helleson, a volunteer with Journey to the Streets, said that homeless people react with tears when they receive their very own bedroll. “They cling to it like it’s the first thing they ever had, [like] a child with a new toy,” Helleson described. “It’s the most humbling situation you can ever come across. There are really not words, it’s all heart.”
Helleson and Moseley both confirmed that the ministry could use more crocheters and people to do the “grunt work” of cutting plarn. But it seems that the women who have joined the group have been deeply committed, and have a good time while serving. They laugh out loud and enjoy fellowship while gathering together to crochet. The group has also included women who are homebound. Moseley explained that her 91-year-old landlord often has balls of plarn waiting for her whenever she returns from work. “We have one homebound lady who made three [beds] in three weeks,” Helleson said. “So this lady is my hero. She
is just so on fire to do this.” The beds are approximately 2 1/2 to 3 feet wide, and 6 feet long. A strap is included so that the bed can be rolled up and carried when not in use. It takes 500700 plastic bags and hours of crocheting to make one bedroll. Upon delivery, each bedroll has a note tied to it that reads in part: “Dear friend, may you be blessed in a special way with this free bedroll to help make your life a little more comfortable. May you know that many women and men work to make these mats to bless you because people really do care about you and your situation…”
http://www.alliancewaco.org
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Serving up Texas BBQ with global spice! Lunch Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 11am till Sold Out; Catering Available. Parked at 301 South 2nd Street, behind Spice Village. 254-749-2368 call or text davieg.honkytonkbbq@gmail.com Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
On Tuesday, October 3, 2017 Duo two-factor protection will be expanded to Canvas, Box and other Baylor resources Over 2,000 Baylor accounts have been compromised over the past few months due to successful phishing attempts. Expanding two-factor protection to more of our information resources gives us all the assurance that even if an account is hacked, outsiders cannot access your information.
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