Education in Waco

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Image courtesy of Waco Independent School District
Image courtesy of Waco Independent School District

A sense of irony accompanies the fact that Baylor University, a college renowned for its academic excellence, shares a city with a struggling public school system. After the 2013-2014 school year, ten schools within Waco I.S.D. were failing to meet state-mandated accountability ratings. These ratings are based on results of the S.T.A.A.R. standardized test. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems the problem is obvious: the schools need better teachers and leadership to improve test scores. Is this solution too simple?

In reaction to the low scores, Waco I.S.D. proceeded to place new principals in the failing schools. Many of these principals signed a disclaimer stating that if the scores did not increase, they would be demoted. This caused very quick turn-around; Hillcrest PDS Magnet had four different principals over a span of five years.

The new leaders focused on implementing programs which would raise S.T.A.A.R. scores. Crestview Elementary saw such changes when the principal added tutoring sessions and required writing portfolios. This was a great success, as the following year Crestview met standards and has seen improvement even since. Many other schools in the Waco I.S.D. also saw student progress, though they did not improve enough to meet the state-mandated rating. This makes one wonder if low scores can be eradicated with tutoring sessions and writing workshops – perhaps there is more to the problem.

Both J.H. Hines Elementary and Indian Springs Middle School’s scores were in the bottom 5-percentile of scores in Texas, so the two schools qualified for grants from the Texas Education Agency in August of 2014. J.H. Hines received $3.6 million and Indians Springs received $.48 million. J.H. Hines Elementary used this money to hire behavioral counselors and community members to help combat behavioral issues. Waco I.S.D. hopes that this investment will end the problem of students missing school due to behavioral issues, such as suspensions or expulsions.

In fact, in the 2013-2014 school year, Waco I.S.D. had the greatest number of suspensions of any district in the state. Statistically speaking, from pre-k to fifth grade, 22 out of every 100 students miss school because of an out-of-school suspension. Parents accuse Waco teachers of giving up on the students by suspending them rather than disciplining them correctly. These parents also cite a feeling of shame within their children, which makes it much harder for them to return to school following their suspension. Students also learned that they could get out of school by acting out.

Waco High and G.W. Carver Middle School implemented a “Restorative Practices” program which successfully halved the number of suspensions. This initiative focuses on keeping students with behavioral problems in school rather than automatically sending them away. Students are allowed to visit “reset classrooms” in which they can gain their composure and receive instruction on how to resolve the issue. Additionally, both campuses hired a Behavioral Support Aide to better help teachers and students understand the root of the behavioral issues.

These initiatives have seen an incredible amount of progress not only in reducing the number of suspensions at these schools but in the test scores as well. Waco I.S.D. is actively working to implement similar programs in every school. Clearly, students must be in an environment which fosters growth and understanding in order to succeed academically. The more students are encouraged and engaged by their teachers, the more interest they will show in their schools.

Nikki Thompson is a sophomore majoring in English. 

 

 

Sources

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/education/waco-isd-principals-demoted-after-campuses-fail-state-accountability-ratings/article_6c0de731-1c6c-54d5-b78d-9186836d55e1.htmlrces

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/education/many-struggling-waco-isd-campuses-score-lower-in-preliminary-staar/article_b667948a-28f4-5b1e-81d3-dae2d2d0311d.html

http://kwbu.org/post/waco-isd-secures-big-grant-money-struggling-campuses

http://csgjusticecenter.org/youth/media-clips/waco-isd-tackles-highest-state-suspension-rate/

 

 

 

 

Baylor Mugshots: Elisabeth Lambert

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Elisabeth's dog, Rocky
Elisabeth’s dog, Rocky

This week I met up with senior BIC-er Elisabeth Lambert to talk about her hopes, dreams, and her time here at Baylor.  We snagged a rickety little table crammed between a trash can and a wilting ficus, and I powered up my laptop, opening up my prepared questions.

Elisabeth turned on her own computer and sat with legs crossed, fingers woven together on the table.  “I made some notes to help me out,” she said, a true BIC student.

We jumped right into it.

“Is there a Baylor memory that sticks out in your mind more than any other?” I asked.

Elisabeth consulted her notes, and then said immediately, “The cookies and milk thing that they did during Line Camp, when we got back from the trip to Independence!  I don’t remember the song—which is probably a good thing, because it would be stuck in my head all the time—but I got free food, and I didn’t expect it.”

We reminisced over the cookies and agreed that any instance of free food would always rank pretty high on our list of most memorable experiences.

“You know they were giving out free groceries on Fountain Mall the other day?” I said.  Elisabeth nodded and leaned over the table to whisper excitedly that she’d gotten two dozen free eggs that day.

“I’m making omelets every morning,” she said.

We laughed, and then I asked my next question.  “What do you think of BIC?”

Elisabeth got that look on her face that every BIC-er feels in their souls by about the middle of their second semester—equal parts pride, confusion, excitement, and exhaustion.  “I’m glad I did it,” she said, after some thought.  “And I’d do it again—there’re lots of great professors in BIC.  I’ve definitely learned a lot.”

“What’s been your favorite class?” I asked.

“My favorite class was with Dr. Stacey Hibbs!” Elisabeth said.  “She’s so nice!”

I shared my own love for Dr. Hibbs, and then shamelessly advertised the Mug article that I had written about her last semester (which you can find here!).

Finally, at the end of our interview, I said, “Can you describe Baylor to me in three words?”

Elisabeth admitted that she didn’t have any notes for that particular question, so she had to think about it for a bit.

“‘Draining my finances,’” she said with so much accuracy that it hurt, “but I don’t think that’s what you’re really going for.”

(“You’re not writing that down, are you?” she asked.  “Everything gets written down,” I said ominously.)

After some more thought, she finally told me that she did not think that she could condense her entire Baylor experience down into just three words.  “It’s too much for that,” she said.  “I’m sorry!”

I assured her that it was fine, and that I had more than enough to write a stellar article.  Then I thanked her for her time and set about transcribing our conversation into another literary masterpiece while Elisabeth bought herself a Frappuccino.

Chelsea Teague is a junior majoring in Professional Writing and Rhetoric 

 

Pursuing the Majority

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Image courtesy of CNN.com
Image courtesy of CNN.com

In an election where many people do not support either of the candidates from the two major parties and third party voting is at one of the highest rates in recent history, the question, “what if no one gets the majority?” is not far-fetched.  Moreover, this would not be the first time this has happened.  In the election of 1824, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford nor Henry Clay received enough votes to win the majority of the vote.  The election went to the House of Representatives who selected John Quincy Adams.  Therefore, it is a possibility.  Regardless of the likelihood, it is worth exploring what will happen if no candidate wins a majority of the votes.

In order to win the presidential election, a candidate needs to win 50%+1 of the vote, or 270 votes in the electoral college.  If none of the candidates receive that magic number then the election goes to the House of Representatives, where they will choose a president out of the three candidates who received the most electoral votes.  Each state delegation gets one vote, so representatives from each state must come together and decide which candidate their state will be voting for.  To win, a candidate again needs to receive 50%+1 of the vote, or twenty-six votes.  Similarly, the Senate will be tasked with choosing a Vice President from the two Vice Presidential candidates that receive the most electoral votes.  Each senator can cast one vote for the candidate they think is best suited to be Vice President.  The same rule of 50%+1 applies here too, so a candidate needs fifty-one votes to be selected as Vice President.  If the House has not elected a president by inauguration day, then the Vice President-elect assumes the office of the president.

Is it likely that this will happen?  No, but it is possible (I think we said that about other events in this election that did occur).  Currently Evan McMullin, running as an Independent some states and as a write-in candidate in others, is winning the state of Utah.  If he wins Utah on Tuesday night it is certainly possible that could be enough to block either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump from getting 270 electoral votes.  So, maybe that third party vote was not a waste after all.  We will have to wait for Tuesday night to find out.

Brittany Gamlen is a junior majoring in international studies 

Jesus Said Love

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Image courtesy of Jesus Said Love
Image courtesy of Jesus Said Love

Outside the boundaries of Baylor’s extravagant and meticulously groomed campus looms the ever-present poverty of Waco. Though college students often make remarks about their lack of money, few find themselves in the predicaments of their fellow Wacoans. People find themselves working jobs they never anticipated; such is the case for many women who find employment at gentleman’s clubs. Uncommon hours and low pay force these women to a lower standard of life than that which is depicted in the glamorized sex industry of the media.

Finding work in the sex industry is usually not one’s first choice. In big cities like Dallas, dancers make good money and better tips. However, in Waco, the entertainers struggle to live off of their paychecks. The sex industry also leads to further problems. Many dancers find themselves struggling with substance abuse, emotional or physical abuse, criminal records, homelessness, prostitution, and rape. Even if these women find the means to leave the sex industry, their employment history can keep them from getting a better job or pursuing further education. Because of this, many women get caught in the cycle of the sex industry. Once they are in, it is exceedingly difficult to escape. Due to these conditions, it is easy for dancers to feel a sense of hopelessness and despair.

However, Waco locals and Baylor graduates Brett and Emily Mills founded an organization called Jesus Said Love thirteen years ago in an effort to empower, equip, and enable these women to find more stable employment. Their mantra is to “share the revolutionary love of Christ with women in the commercial sex industry by awakening hope and empowering change.” While JSL workers do make an effort to share their faith, the organization takes a “no strings attached” approach to their outreach. This means that the volunteers expect nothing in return from the women and seek only to form relationships with them.

Jesus Said Love is an organization with many different facets. Perhaps their most well-known form of outreach is “club ministry,” in which they send teams of volunteers (who have previously undergone extensive training) into clubs with gifts for the dancers. They arrive early so as to speak with the women as they prepare for the night and hand out things like t-shirts or earrings. The purpose of this is to form relationships with the dancers and show them that they are loved. JSL has a good relationship with three of Waco’s seven clubs.

Jesus Said Love’s ministry reaches much further than just ministering to women at the clubs. The organization helps connect dancers with practical resources. Emily Mills has an account at a clothing store to provide interview appropriate attire to women looking to pursue a better job. In a specific case, Jesus Said Love funded a former dancer in her business idea, creating the popular Luna Juice. JSL also connects women with job training, rehab, counseling, and churches.

Currently, JSL is constructing headquarters in downtown Waco. This building will be a safe place for dancers with an exercise area, locker rooms, childcare, and more. Instead of outsourcing for things like job training and counseling, these services will be offered in the JSL headquarters. There will also be a retail store to help fund the ministry. Though it was founded in Waco, Jesus Said Love has branches in cities across Texas. JSL is also very easy to get involved in; students can donate or volunteer and help spread the word about JSL. It is the perfect place for any Baylor students looking to impact lives in the Waco area and witness God’s love at work.

Sources

https://notmytaboo.com/category/sex-industry/

http://jesussaidlove.com/

 

Nikki Thompson is a sophomore BIC student majoring in English. 

 

Coffee, Cake, and the Oxford Comma

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Becca Richards
Becca Richards

It is 11 A.M., and I am currently sitting in a small coffee shop trying to recover from a lecture on the philosophy of mind with a latte and a slice of chocolate cake. Still warming up from a chilly morning walk, it feels like fall for the first time since starting college. For a New England girl, this weather is perfect.

It’s funny – the accents have begun to fade into the background after a month here in Oxford. The streets are finally making sense, and I look the proper way before crossing them. The country, the culture, and the Oxford university system are so different from the United States – the last is perhaps the most strikingly different. Oxford is based on a tutorial system. I have a primary tutorial once a week and a secondary every other week. A tutorial consists of submitting and discussing an essay I have written with a professor here at the university. Then I go to four different lecture series that are taught by other professors. They assign reading lists for everything, so most of the week is spent reading and trying to set a world speed record in the 1500 word dash while retaining some appearance that I know the material.

There is a lot more freedom with arranging your time since the only homework is due basically once or twice a week. The tutorial system makes for a really intensive 8 weeks studying one topic in detail, which is the inverse approach to the BIC. In spite of this difference, the grounding that the BIC lay in history, politics, and sociology has been incredibly beneficial in understanding political theory – my main area of focus this term.

While official term began this week, the previous month was spent listening to lectures about British culture, going on field trips to important landmarks around England, and writing papers synthesizing what we had learned in British culture lectures with our main areas of study. The lecturers chose to focus on how we remember and misremember narratives throughout history. For a minute, I felt like I was back in Morrison for World Cultures, and loved seeing the intellectual connection of academic thought four thousand miles apart.

Currently, both the United States and England are in the middle of a definitive narrative period of change and uncertainty. The concern here over Brexit is startlingly similar to the anxiety induced by the current election cycle. Oxford, as a city, voted to stay in the European Union, and it is fairly common to hear professors voicing their shock over how the decision went. I get the scarcely comfortable feeling that no one really knows what is going to happen in the next few months either here in the U.K. or home in the U.S. That being said, it is comforting to know that this controversial period is not the end of the story – just the middle. We hope.

The coffee shop, which, incidentally, is in an awesome vault beneath a church, bans laptops from twelve to two so I need to wrap this and myself back up and head out into the autumn air. Even though it seems like the world is in crisis, there are also blue skies and falling leaves and a heck of a lot of beauty in this place, and for that, I am undyingly grateful.

Becca Richards is a junior BIC and University Scholar student with a focus in philosophy. 

Baylor Mugshots: Brittany Gamlen

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img_3680

The first thing that anyone should know about Brittany is that she is that she is more passionate about politics than almost any other person I have ever met.  If you have read her own column for The Mug, “The Daily Grind,” then you know that she knows her stuff, and is not afraid to tell it like it is (“but not in a Trump-like way,” she would say).

I got the chance to talk to Brittany over the phone a couple of nights ago, and I grilled her with questions about her time at Baylor and what she thinks she would like to do in the future.

“What’s your favorite Baylor memory?” I asked.

Because I am so intimidating and scary, I heard her laugh nervously on the other side of the line before she warned me with, “Okay, so this is kind of cliché…” Brittany told me that her favorite Baylor memory by far was our football team’s classic domination of TCU a couple of years ago, when the Bears won with a score of 61-58.  “I was right in the front row of the line section,” Brittany said, “and I rushed the field with everyone.  It just really felt like I was a part of the Baylor family.”  I agreed that there was no bonding experience quite like stampeding with a herd of riled up twenty-somethings over a field of crushed horned toads, and then we moved on.

“If you were going to pursue anything other than a career in politics, what would you do?” I asked.

“A friend and I actually went through a phase last year where we really wanted to be CIA agents!” Brittany said, excitement palpable through the phone.  We both laughed about that, and while I shoved my own secret aspirations to be the next American super spy deep into the corners of my psyche, Brittany admitted that she probably did not have the skills required for the job.  “But it’ll always be a secret dream!” she said.

Next I asked Brittany what she had accomplished during her time at Baylor that she was most proud of.  She said that she had had trouble thinking of actual, tangible things that she had done in her two-ish years in Waco when she first read the questions that I sent her.  Finally, she said, she had decided that she was most proud of the person that she had become—proud of the journey that she had completed.

“I was trying to think of a way to say that that wasn’t cheesy,” she said, laughing.

“I think that’s great!” I said.  “No worries.  Last question: can you describe Baylor to me in three words?”

This was a hard one.  Together, we explored Thesaurus.com to try to coax the words out of Brittany’s brain.  Awkward silence reigned as she struggled over finding just the right thing to say.  Finally, she decided on life-changing (“That’s one, right, because it’s hyphenated?”), unique, and fun.

“Yep,” she said as I typed the words.  “Sounds about right.”

Chelsea Teague is a junior majoring in professional writing.

Why Does College Cost So Much?

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Image courtesy of the Pitt Business Review
Image courtesy of the Pitt Business Review

College is expensive and therefore, the cost of tuition is an important and relevant issue to college students.  Recently, politicians with platforms to make college free or to lower the cost of tuition have become popular, and there is a mindset that college should be available to everyone.  However, what many people do not realize is that one of the biggest reasons tuition costs so much is the same reason that many people believe is the solution to the problem: the federal government tuition loan program.

In 1980, a year in college cost approximately $3,400.  Now, a year of college costs approximately  $23,000.  Even after taking inflation into account there is a large price difference, but why is that?  The loans and financial aid programs that the federal government gives out to help students pay for their tuition significantly increased during this time period.  Although well intentioned, the increase in student loans allowed colleges to raise their tuition rates.  As students are able to take out bigger loans more easily and frequently, colleges experience an increase in demand from students and as a result, raise their tuition.  While the increase in demand is the result of money the students have received from the government and not the individuals’ own money, all colleges see is that students have more money for college.

Thus, one of the first steps that can be taken to creating more affordable college costs is to scale back the federal loan program.  Perhaps returning to caps on loans, as was previously done, would help bring down the cost because students will have less money to spend.  Another possible solution is scaling back on financial-aid programs.  There is no question that college should be available to more people, but a large federal loan program increases the cost of tuition.  Additionally, students must pay back their loans, so they are not saving any money but instead are delaying their payment.  In that case, college is not more affordable, just paid for later.

As such, high college tuition rates are not just the result of the infamous “inflation,” but also the federal loans on which we rely so heavily. This is a difficult topic and not easily solved, but one thing is clear: we should not have to spend our entire lives paying off student debt.

Brittany Gamlen is a junior majoring in international studies.

 

JASTA and Charlemagne

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Image courtesy of the American Enterprise Institute
Image courtesy of the American Enterprise Institute

On September 28, 2016, the United States Senate overrode President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) by a vote of 97 to one. JASTA limits the extent of a political concept called “sovereign immunity,” which states that a sovereign body cannot be accused of legal wrongdoing and is thus immune to any type of legal prosecution, criminal or civil. In simpler terms, JASTA will remove sovereign immunity from Saudi Arabia and allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi Arabian Government.

Despite the unanimous vote of 97 to one in the Senate and 348 to 77 in the House of Representatives against President Obama’s veto, American lawmakers have already started backpedaling. Days after overriding the president’s veto, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated, “Everybody was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were, but nobody had really focused on the potential downsides in terms of our international relationships,” and blamed President Obama for this lack of discussion.

Come on, Mitch. Why do you think the guy vetoed the Act? ‘Saudi Arabia’s mad that we’re allowing our citizens to sue them for a crime they did not commit? Who woulda thunk!’

Some Americans might say, ‘Well, of course the Saudis funded the 9/11 attacks. They hate our freedom and our blue jeans and our rock and roll. I bet they haven’t seen a single episode of the Brady Bunch.’

To put these thoughts to rest, both the FBI and CIA have published reports which officially clear the Saudis of any suspicion of wrongdoing1. Moreover, although Osama Bin Laden was a member of the prominent Bin Laden family in Saudi Arabia, Osama’s Saudi Arabian citizenship was revoked in 19942. Furthermore, in his official reasons for committing 9/11, Bin Laden clearly stated, “We call upon you to end your support of the corrupt leaders in our countries. Do not interfere in our politics and method of education,” with “corrupt countries” meaning Saudi Arabia3.

Finally, Saudi Arabia and the United States have been very close allies since 1945, with Saudi Arabia investing trillions of dollars in the United States which JASTA has seriously endangered4.

While I cannot hide my disdain for this act and the immediate backpedaling of the lawmakers who we trust with our international relations, I nonetheless find this act extremely interesting, as there are few actions throughout history that truly compare to JASTA.

The closest comparison that I can muster is the “Donation of Pippin.” After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the political landscape of Europe was scattered and unclear. The Franks took control of a great deal of Western Europe, with the Lombards, the remnant of the Ostrogothic Empire, occupying Italy.

The Lombards ruthlessly attacked the Papacy’s holdings in the area surrounding Rome proper around 754 CE. While Pope Stephen III technically reported to the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire), Constantinople could spare no reinforcements as it fought the Ummayad Caliphate in the East. As such, Pope Stephen looked to the Franks for assistance. The then king of the Franks, Pippin, the son of Charles Martel, answered Pope Stephen’s call and swiftly forced the Lombards to sue for peace.

Having suppressed the Lombards, Pippin met with Pope Stephen and claimed that, due to their transgressions, the Lombards should cede land to the Papacy, which thus created the Papal States. It is important to note that this meeting took place without Lombard leadership. However, Pippin promised that the Papacy would receive the city of Ravenna, which was then held by the Lombards. The Lombards refused to cede the city, however, and, turning his attention to other problems in his empire, Pippin did not fully deliver his promise to the Papacy before his death.

It was Pippin’s son, Charles the Great, more popularly known as Charlemagne, who would deliver on his father’s promise to the Papacy. In 772, Pope Adrian I formally requested that the Lombards cede Ravenna. King Desiderius of the Lombards refused, however. Once again, the Papacy turned to the Franks for help. Charlemagne intervened and completely erased the Kingdom of the Lombards, giving Ravenna to the Papal States and declaring himself King of the Lombards, absorbing the remaining territory in Italy into his Frankish empire.

This historical example is a case, much like the one we are facing now, which involves one sovereign power forcing its will onto another sovereign power, demanding money and property for what it sees as a transgression. Yet there is no means to force a sovereign power to act against its own interest, save for violence. Unfortunately, our modern day case could similarly result in all-out war.

This all to say, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that Saudi Arabia is a terrorist state (they’re not – but we’re pretending). Furthermore, let’s assume that somehow an unbiased ruling originating from a New York court against Saudi Arabia actually occurs. Finally, let’s assume that a reasonable sum of money in damages is requested of Saudi Arabia.

Who is going to make them pay this sum? The United Nations? The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries? The Arab League? No, none of these bodies will force Saudi Arabia to pay. Saudi Arabia is a sovereign power, just like the United States.

There is one power that can force Saudi Arabia to pay – the United States Military. Yes, the US Military would have to invade Saudi Arabia in order to extract the money a court in the United States has demanded.

While America’s potential occupation of Mecca and Medina would surely improve our relations with the Arab world (pause for nervous laughter), we probably should not invade Saudi Arabia for a crime they did not commit, according to the CIA at least.

French philosopher René Girard identified what he called a “Scapegoat Mechanism” in human history, by which every society finds a scapegoat and kills that scapegoat. When a society’s problems persist, they simply find another scapegoat and kill it as well. According to Girard, this mechanism drives human history.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not fund the 9/11 attacks. They had no reason to do so. As this country soils itself before the international community in the upcoming presidential election like a toddler at a piano recital, our society has deemed it fit to blame someone else for our problems: the Saudis.

Please write your congressman and get this law thrown out as I try to remove myself from the watch list I have surely been added to after searching “Bin Laden’s Justification for 9/11” a few too many times today.

 

Lee Shaw is a junior majoring in professional writing and the current editor of The Mug.

 

Works Cited

1http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/politics/cia-john-brennan-saudi-arabia-9-11/

2http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html

3https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver

4http://www.cfr.org/saudi-arabia/us-saudi-relations/p36524

https://www.britannica.com/event/Donation-of-Pippin

 

 

A Bright Spot

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Image courtesy of Fine Art America
Image courtesy of Fine Art America

I think there is a certain bravery scientists must internalize as they take on a new research project. There is no promise that there are answers for them to find, no promise that the answer they find will be the one they wanted. Years and millions of dollars of research can turn into a failure. However, this makes the success all the more amazing. There are certain problems that haunt society, leaving their mark, as blazing signs that we have yet to find an answer.

HIV/AIDS is an example of a problem into which an unimaginable amount of effort has been put into curing. However, as of yet, there is no cure. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that attacks CD4 T-Cells (a vital part of the immune system that attacks invading organisms). Instead of killing the host directly, the virus weakens the immune system until the person can no longer fight off simple infections such as colds or the flu.

AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, refers to the later stages of HIV, when the immune system has been severely compromised. At the end of 2015, there were an estimated 36.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS across the world. Most of these people live in third world countries, where a lack of access to education, medicine, and birth control has left populations ravaged by this disease and millions orphaned as they lose their parents at incredibly young ages.

In the US, I do not think we see the real effect of this disease. There are treatments: ARV drugs can suppress the virus enough to give a person with HIV a relatively healthy life, but only if you have enough money to take an expensive and intense regimen of drugs for your entire life. For many though, that is not an option. The drugs can also lead to a long list of severe side effects.  Researchers have fought effortlessly for a cure, a cure that will allow people to live without drugs and free from the burden of this disease. There has been great defeat.

There is a hint of change in the air though. Just a few days ago, findings in a study on monkeys were published that left people amazed and hopeful. A group of immunologists at Emory University infected a group of monkeys with SIV (the primate version of HIV) and then attempted to treat them with Alpha4Beta7, an antibody that is found on the surface of CD4 cells. The findings were unexpected and gave no clear-cut answers. However, the monkeys treated with antibiotics had noticeably lower levels of SIV 8 months out, in comparison with the monkeys treated with a placebo. Already, they have been able to start human trials. I cannot tell you much about how this works because they know very little. There is not yet a clear understanding of exactly what mechanistic changes occurred.

In reality, this may all amount to nothing, or it could be a moment we will etch into the pages of history. In science, we rarely know exactly what the outcome will be. Perhaps we will fail. Perhaps we will change the world. If you have the bravery to follow through and commit, you may change the world.

 

Katherine Estep is a junior majoring in neuroscience. 

 

Sources

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/10/antibody-treatment-surprisingly-cures-monkeys-hiv-infection

https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/global-statistics/

https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/

Baylor Mugshots: Swanson Traylor

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long

Our latest Mugshot contributor is Swanson Traylor, a freshman BIC-er with two majors and one epic positive attitude.  I lured him to the library with promises of free Starbucks, and then attacked him with a list of Big Bad Baylor Questions™.

“First of all,” I said.  “I know you haven’t been here long, but is there a Baylor memory that sticks out in your mind more than any other?

Swanson thought over the past seven weeks of his life, and then admitted that, if anything, his greatest Baylor memory must have been his very first World Cultures lecture with Dr. Long.  “He went on this long analogy about quests, and about how BIC was a quest,” Swanson said, laying the scene.  “He is such a great speaker—I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”

We agreed that all Dr. Long had to do to get us to weep with patriotism was open his mouth and spill something about the weather.  After a few more minutes of gushing over how much we loved our BIC profs (“I have Hinden for Cultures!” Swanson said.  “He’s the one that throws the beach ball the first day of class!”), we moved on.

“So I guess you’re liking BIC so far, huh?” I asked.

Swanson said that he definitely was.  “It still seems ridiculous that I’m required to do all these things that I love to do,” he told me.  Like most BIC-ers, Swanson is a man of many interests, with majors in English and history.  “BIC is everything that I like all melded together,” he said, shaking his head like he could not believe his luck.

I asked him what he would major in if not English and history, and Swanson said that there was actually a very real probability that he would switch.  “I’m really interested in film,” he said.  “Being a director would be really cool.  The professional writing major looks awesome too.”

I freaked out a little when he said that and tried to win him over to our pro-writing ranks (“Join us,” I hissed).  He said he would think about it.

Finally, I asked him the last question on my list.  “Can you describe Baylor to me in three words?”

Swanson mulled that over, and then said, “Welcoming, rigorous, and—um, surprising, I think.”  He said that before coming to Baylor, he had assumed all the stereotypes surrounding tidy little Baptist universities would be true.  “They’re not,” he said.  “Especially in BIC, it’s really diverse.”  And with that, we saluted each other and went our separate ways.

BIC definitely affects your Baylor experience—and your life, if we are all being completely honest—in irreversible ways.  Dr. Long is right: our education is a quest, and we are all adventurers bound together in pursuit of the best versions of ourselves, and the best version of the world we live in.

Chelsea Teague is a junior majoring in professional writing.