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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 FRIDAY
OCTOBER 26, 2018
B AY L O R L A R I AT. C O M
Opinion | 2
Arts & Life | 6
Sports | 7
Let loose.
Bad times or good times? A review of the Bad Times at El Royale.
Hardworking Women Celebrate as soccer steals Big 12 the championship!
Christianity should promote vulnerability on hot topics.
Anger about Anderson plea Students plan protest of Anderson’s plea deal RAEGAN TURNER Staff Writer
Liesje Powers | Multimedia Editor
PROTEST In response to Jacob Anderson’s request for a plea deal, Baylor students decided to organize and plan a protest outside of McLennan County District Attorney’s office on Friday from noon to 5 p.m to encourage a rejection of the plea deal.
Legal professional discusses chance of plea deal rejection LIZZIE THOMAS Staff Writer District 19 Judge Ralph Strother will decide Dec. 10 whether he will accept a plea bargain by Jacob Walter Anderson, former president of the Baylor fraternity Phi Delta Theta. The date for the decision was pushed back after the alleged victim filed a formal objection to the plea bargain. Robert Callahan, a local defense attorney, said he heard the alleged victim had filed an objection but he has never before seen a formal objection to a plea deal filed. He was surprised to see that the victim had formally moved to postpone the judge’s decision on the plea bargain, which was successful. “Whenever a DA recommends a
plea offer, the defendant has to decide whether to accept it or not. Once the plea is explained and accepted, the judge has to determine if he’ll accept the offer,” Callahan said. “The judge has the opportunity, if he feels it is appropriate, to reject or modify the plea agreement. If the judge does reject it, the defendant has the opportunity to withdraw the plea as though they never plead guilty.” Callahan said judges rarely reject plea agreements, and he would speculate that, though it’s not uncommon, it happens every 50 or so pleas. Anderson was charged with four counts of sexual assault in 2016 following accusations that lead to his departure from Baylor. According to court documents, the case is currently in the pre-sentence
investigation stage where the probation officers will tell the judge their recommendation based on what they find. The plea bargain consists of deferring Anderson’s adjudication probation, deferring finding Anderson guilty for three years, paying $400 in fines, completing individual psychological treatment and alcohol and drug treatment and reducing Anderson’s sentence to unlawful restraint — for which he could get 10 years jail time — instead of four counts of sexual assault. In the victim’s formal plea objection, the victim’s parents said the following in an email to legal counsel Vic Feazell: “[We] are so upset!!!!! What is going
The announcement of a plea deal in the sexual assault case involving Jacob Walter Anderson, the former Baylor student and president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, has prompted an outcry from students at Baylor and citizens of Waco. A protest of the newly proposed plea deal is scheduled for Friday from noon to 5 p.m. in front of the McLennan County District Attorney’s office at 219 N Sixth St. The assault case from 2016 has recently been spotlighted due to Anderson’s pleading of “no contest” on Oct. 15 to a charge of unlawful restraint, a lesser offense than when he was indicted on four counts of sexual assault, which is a second-degree felony punishable by up to twenty years in prison. The plea was part of a possible deal that would sentence Anderson to three years of deferred probation along with a $400 fine and required counseling. The four counts of sexual assault filed against Anderson would be dismissed.
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Arlington Senior Sierra Smith organized Friday’s protest
I feel like all Baylor students should be passionate about this, especially with what’s been going on with our school in particular...” SIERRA SMITH | ARLINGTON SENIOR
to bring awareness to the people’s opinions of the plea deal and to show solidarity with the victim. “The aim of the demonstration is to hopefully get the attention of Judge Strother and let him know that the community in which he presides is not happy with this agreement. Hopefully he will reject it and allow the case to go to trial. Beyond that
PLEA DEAL >> Page 4
PROTEST >> Page 4
Scholars gather at Stewardship of Creation symposium BRIDGET SJOBERG Staff Writer Students and faculty are gathering Wednesday through Friday to discuss the relationship between faith and nature at the Baylor’s Stewardship of Creation symposium. The event, which started Wednesday and concludes this afternoon, is part of the Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture, a yearly conference that picks a specific faith-related topic to address through guest speakers and discussions. The event is always presented through the Baylor Institute for Faith and Learning. This year’s theme, Stewardship of Creation, focuses on the interaction between faith and the world around us and the role of Christians in caring for creation. It considers “opportunities and challenges for people of faith as they observe the divine mandate to care for creation,” according to the program’s website. Past themes include “The Bible and the Reformation” and “Faith and Film.” Dr. Rebecca Hays, program coordinator for the Institute for Faith and Learning, recognizes the Vol.119 No. 19
symposium as a gathering spot for distinguished guest speakers who have true passions in their academic fields. Speakers this year include Jeffrey Ball of Stanford University and Philip Bess of the University of Notre Dame. Baylor scholars such as Susan Bratton, an environmental science professor, and Ralph Wood, university professor of theology and literature, also spoke. “The symposium provides Baylor students with opportunities to hear from and have conversations with top scholars in their fields from across the country and around the globe,” Hays said. “Many of these scholars embody Baylor’s mission of integrating academic excellence with Christian commitment and serve as excellent examples for how our students can think about their faith animating the work they’re doing in their chosen areas of study.” The event began with a pre-conference field trip to Mission Waco with co-president and founder Jimmy Dorrell. Other activities of the week combine featured speaker presentations and choices of “colloquium sessions” and panel presentations about topics like renewable energy, nature through literature and the Bible’s view on environmentalism.
Liesje Powers | Multimedia Editor
FAITH IN ACTION The Baylor Institute for Faith and Learning gathered people for the Stewardship of Creation symposium to discuss the relationship between faith and nature this past week. This year’s theme is Stewardship for Creation.
Dr. Lori Kanitz, assistant director of the Institute of Faith and Learning, said she hopes the event encourages attendees to learn and create open discussions about faith and nature. “So much of the dialogue about stewardship of creation has been coopted politically, making the church hesitant to take it up,” Kanitz said. “Yet from the very first words of Genesis
1, Hebrew and Christian Scripture suggests that all of creation is a priceless gift from a creator that reflects his glory, elicits wonder and praise and for which humans have been made responsible. We hope the conference creates opportunities to de-politicize the dialogue and re-theologize it.”
SYMPOSIUM >> Page 4 © 2018 Baylor University