The Baylor Lariat by The Baylor Lariat

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 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

opinion

Monday, August 21, 2017 The Baylor Lariat

b ay lo r l a r i at.c o m

We want to hear it. Send us your thoughts: LariatLetters@baylor.edu

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?

COLUMN

EDITORIAL

Embrace change with The Lariat BAILEY BRAMMER Editor-in-Chief

If this is your first time picking up an issue of the Baylor Lariat, or first time scrolling through o u r app or website, welcome to your No. 1 source f o r Baylor news. Whether you are brand new to our publication or are a longtime follower of our work, thank you for readership and support. This year, the Lariat has made a few considerable changes that may or may not affect the way you receive your news. Baylor’s school newspaper has been around since 1900 and has most recently been printed four days a week. However, as technology and society continue to evolve, journalism has made leaps and bounds in the digital world, the Lariat is no exception to this. Our staff of around 40 students has the unique opportunity this year to redefine the way we present news to the Baylor community. While we are decreasing our print days to twice a week, this does not mean that we will be producing less content. Instead of classifying our publication as “print first” or “digital first,” I’d like to set the standard that we will do our very best to simply have your Baylor news first. As someone who has always enjoyed unfolding a freshly printed newspaper and running my fingers over the pages to see if the ink has dried yet, this change was a bit difficult for me to grasp at first. However, as many of us learn when we embark on a new adventure, such as college in an unfamiliar city or taking on a different job or beginning a new friendship or relationship, change can be a

good thing. This semester, as you dive into your classes and extracurriculars, whether for the first time as a wide-eyed freshman or the last time as a seasoned senior, remember that nothing stays the same for very long. Change occurs whether we seek it or not, and we can fight it all we want, but it will happen regardless, so why not embrace it? And while change will develop of its own accord, do not forget that you can also catalyze change. If you are unhappy with a situation in your own life, or perturbed by the treatment of others, you have the ability to make a difference (it may be cliche, but it’s true). Speak up and share your thoughts with others, and with the Lariat. We are always honored to receive and publish letters from our readers on issues they are passionate about. As playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard said, “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate shortterm weapon.” And as you partake in your own natural and purposeful transitions throughout this semester, we hope you will continue to pick up the Lariat on Tuesdays and Fridays, that you will continue to visit our website at baylorlariat.com, that you will continue to scroll through the Morning Buzz before class, that you will continue to tune in to our Lariat Radio play-by-play and that you will continue to watch LTVN tackle breaking stories on camera. While we are changing just as much as you are, we still strive to be your source for all things Baylor and appreciate every viewer and reader, even if you just pick up the paper for the crossword. Our staff works day and night to deliver to you the most accurate, timely and interesting news possible, and it is our privilege to continue to do so. Bailey Brammer is a junior journalism and history major from Phoenix.

Rewon Shimray | Cartoonist

Dear President Livingstone

The Baylor Family is opening our arms to you Welcome to Baylor! It’s been evident throughout the summer that your involvement in the Baylor community and your desire to engage with everyone is genuine. We appreciate that, and we wanted to let you know. The level of respect you have for our traditions, as well as the characteristics that make Baylor unique, is a testament to the way we want to see Baylor move forward. We hope you continue this constant communication throughout the year. You’ve made an impact on students so far with the continued communication, that we hope it doesn’t stop as the year picks up and the “newness” of your presence wears off. We like the transparency of your priorities and your goals as president this year. Communication is the best

way to facilitate collaboration, and they always say that two are better than one. We hope through your constant openness and Presidential Perspective emails, everyone stays on the same page. As you said in your first Presidential Perspective email, Baylor has experienced periods of triumph and turmoil since 1845, so the next actions that you take will define Baylor moving forward. We no longer want to be “that school.” You know, the “one with the Title IX problem.” We hope that a focus of your time here is to restore the Baylor tradition, the tradition of excellence, the vision and values, the “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Futuris” motto. It’s important to reflect on and learn from the past, but also important to look forward.

We hope part of your mission is to link the past to a positive vision for what is to come around the corner. Part of Baylor’s vision is to “offer a distinctive voice to global conversations about crucial issues - such as social responsibility, health care, economic growth, human rights, poverty, diversity, and sustainability in a way that few others can.” Baylor has a global imprint, and we believe that with you as our president we can maintain that. This is a place of growth and development, and we want for you to continue to push this university to do just so. We have confidence that you will carry on the legacy of the footprint this university has, and that you lead it to make strides rather than plateau. You’re the new face of

Baylor, and that is an honor. Everything you do represents the university. Our wish is that you represent this school in the best way possible. We hope that you are able to represent Baylor’s values well in public. Being under the public eye must be hard at times, but you get to do so for this amazing Baylor family, and for that we are appreciative. We have faith that you will lead Baylor to take a stand for the future. We will no longer be bogged down by past events. We will move forward. We will look out for each other. We will keep our arms around each other’s shoulders. And we believe that you will keep your hands over all of us, as a past president once said, helping the Baylor family to “face the future boldly.”

COLUMN

Beginning again: Baylor chaplain welcomes students DR. BURT BURLESON Guest Columnist

And so, we begin again. This is the way of things in our world... the planet spins and a new day dawns... things tilt and fall ushers in another school year... we leave one chapter of life to enter a new one. We’re always beginning again and though not “starting from scratch,” the canvas is often pretty clean. Beginning again is the way God infuses grace into the universe and into our lives. Though our stories have

predictable plots and themes, we’re never bound by them because the nature of... nature is that we can always s t a r t over. We always get “doovers.” A n d so, we b e g i n again. This is the way of things in any human story. Though there are so many frustrating

limitations, there are infinite possibilities. Human beings can make choices and we can make an effort. We can plan a plan, dream a dream, risk a risk, see what needs to be seen. We can get rid of an old habit and create a new one. There is this capacity for intention, where we are made to “mean to.” We have a will that can be directed and changes things. And so, we begin again. But it’s never something we do alone. This, I think, is what the Psalmist gets at by saying, “God’s mercies are new each morning.” It’s not just that God

Meet the Staff

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bailey Brammer*

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Kristina Valdez*

BROADCAST MANAGING EDITOR Jessica Babb

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Molly Atchison

SPORTS EDITOR Nathan Keil

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Didi Martinez

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Liesje Powers*

BROADCAST REPORTERS Christina Soto Elisabeth Tharp Rylee Seavers

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Meredith Wagner

OPINION EDITOR Megan Rule*

NEWS EDITOR Kalyn Story*

CARTOONIST Rewon Shimray*

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Pablo Gonzales*

STAFF WRITERS Brooke Hill Julia Vergara Phoebe Suy Savannah Cooper

DESIGN EDITOR Kaitlyn DeHaven* COPY EDITOR Adam Gibson

seems to shake our lives like an Etch A Sketch artist and offer us a clean slate, it’s more like there’s a new gift, some new grace that is operative. It’s a new mercy and it wasn’t quite there in the same way the day before, so that when we step into a new day, a new semester, a new home, a new chapter... a new anything, when we step forward, we step into some merciful flow. There is an eternal yes to our yes when we choose to begin again. The Apostle Paul names this synchronicity when he writes that “all things are

SPORTS WRITERS Ben Everett Collin Bryant

MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISTS Baylee VerSteeg Jessica Hubble Will Barksdale AD REPRESENTATIVES Josh Whitney Evan Hurley Cooper Hess Quinn Stowell MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE Luke Kissick Tobé Ulokwem

General Questions: Lariat@baylor.edu 254-710-1712 Sports and Arts: LariatArts@baylor.edu LariatSports@baylor.edu Advertising inquiries: Lariat_Ads@baylor.edu 254-710-3407

working together for those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose.” This creative, alchemical and redemptive interaction is what happens when we say yes to a life that is unfolding. Our willingness is met by God’s willingness. And so, we begin again. We all do, here in the fall semester at Baylor University in 2017. What do you want in this new beginning? Your desires are a part of this school year’s equation. What are you willing to do? Your willingness to direct your intention, to

“mean to,” is going to matter. What seems to be unfolding in front of you? Can you perceive it? That’s often the fun part of beginning again. Be watching for something that seems to be served up just for you. Live each day assuming there might be some really wonderful surprise and ready to say, “well how ‘bout that.” It’s a wonderfully, magical universe, a holy and sacramental world surrounds us. And so, we begin again. Dr. Burt Burleson is the University Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual Life & Missions.

Opinion The Baylor Lariat welcomes reader viewpoints through letters to the editor and guest columns. Opinions expressed in the Lariat are not necessarily those of the Baylor administration, the Baylor Board of Regents, the student body or the Student Publications Board.

Editorials, Columns & Letters Editorials express the opinions of the Lariat Editorial Board. Lariat letters and columns are the opinions of an individual and not the Baylor Lariat.

Lariat Letters To submit a Lariat Letter, email Lariat_Letters@baylor.edu. Letters should be a maximum of 400 words. The letter is not guaranteed to be published.

News

Monday, August 21, 2017 The Baylor Lariat

not your ordinary boot store Boots • Hats • Shirts • Jeans

exotic boots • Tame Prices

254-741-6161 • 4637 S. Jack Kultgen Freeway • Next to Cabela’s • M – S 9 – 9, Sun. 11 – 6 • Shop Online at Cavenders.com

Monday, August 21, 2017 The Baylor Lariat

LTVN

baylorlariat.com/category/broadcast-news/

ON THE WEB >>

Off-campus housing and how to avoid break-ins

By: Jessica Babb

Move-In 2017

WELCOME, BABY BEARS! Baylor’s newest freshman class moved into campus on Wednesday and Thursday with the help of current students, staff and faculty members. Among the move-in volunteers was university president, Dr. Linda Livingstone, who welcomed the freshmen and their families. Baylee VerSteeg | Lariat Photographer

Class of 2021 arrives at Baylor, gears up for start of fall semester JULIA VERGARA Staff Writer For many new students, two events kick off their Baylor experience: Move-In Day and Welcome Week—both of which serve to connect freshmen to the Waco and Baylor community. Incoming Baylor freshmen and transfer students moved into the residence halls on Aug. 16 and 17, then participated in Welcome Week events throughout the rest of the week. “Part of this idea of living in a community is something that is such a valuable experience and we want it to be positive so we’re going to help in every way that we can,” said Tiffany Lowe, director for Campus Living & Learning. Lowe said that Baylor has a “well-oiled” system for move-in. Once students arrive at Baylor, hundreds of Move2BU volunteers consisting of faculty members, staff and students are there to help them move in. The hundreds of volunteers helping with Move-In is a demonstration of what it means to be part of a community, Lowe said. New Baylor President, Linda Livingstone also helped the incoming class move into their residence halls. Livingstone said that she was unbelievably impressed with the system and

how it reduces the stress of the students in such a welcoming and warm way. “Being engaged with our students and spending time with our students is one of the most important things that I can do,” Livingstone said. “Doing that on welcome day is a great time to do that for our new students.” After Move-In Day, Welcome Week kicked off with Festival at the Fountain— an event that showcases “the best of Baylor and the best of Waco,” Tripp Purks, assistant director of New Student Programs, said. In order to showcase the best of what Waco has to offer at this event, New Student Programs partnered with different vendors and caterers throughout the community, Purks said. “Anytime we think about putting an event together, we’re thinking about how this helps new students be authentically connected to the institution that’s going to be their home for the next four years,” Purks said. Once Festival at the Fountain ended, new students had the chance meet with their small groups—a group that “journeys throughout Welcome Week together,” said Nathan Shelburne, director of New Student Programs. Being in small groups serves to connect new Baylor students to each other as well as upperclassmen—which are their Welcome

Men’s choir video goes viral during Kenya mission trip with music teams have sponsored girls so that they are able to go to school to escape female genital mutilation or female circumcision, a consistent problem in this region of Africa. On this trip, students met the girls they Kenya believe what the men’s choir did this summer? have been sponsoring. In May, a team of 75 members from the Baylor Men’s “The money that we give fully supports a girl to Choir journeyed to Kenya on a mission trip in hopes go to boarding school where she is able to continue of uplifting people through the gift of music, while also her education without the threat of [female genital serving the communities. mutilation],” Bradley said. A video of the group singing the song “Da Coconut” Choir members served in various capacities during was posted to the Emirates Airlines’ Twitter account and their Kenyan visit, but among the trip’s highlights was has since gone viral. News outlets around the world have the group’s service at a Komolion village. posted the video and published stories, including People The group held a medical clinic that served over 400 Magazine. people, helped create a community garden, contributed During their two week visit, from May 14-29, the toward financial security by providing hens and bee group traveled to a variety of villages hives for families, fit each child in Kenya, including Nairobi, Masaii, ONLINE EXTRAS with a pair of new shoes, painted Komolion, Marigat, Pokot, Secenanri their school and rebuilt some You can check out the and Kajiado. In addition to serving, walls in their school that had been the men were able to make memories Baylor Men’s Choir destroyed by termites. by enjoying the Masaii Mara Safari performance at: “We did all of this in addition and taking pictures at the equator. to singing and dancing with the b a y l o r l a r i a t . c o m “Our work with the Pokot Village people. We also outfitted each of Komolion as the ‘change the world child with pairs of new underwear, and we gave everyone in a day’ project allowed us to have the resources to T-shirts donated by Baylor students,” Bradley said. make a significant impact on the most recent visit,” said Students enjoyed working and playing with the Dr. Randall Bradley, Baylor Men’s Choir director. children in the village. The group kept a blog while they were abroad that “The most fun memory I had on the trip was when was updated with a new post and multiple pictures every we were painting the walls of a school we visited and day. The blog team consisted of four members, with 15 everyone was singing Disney songs, which made the contributing authors, so a diverse set of perspectives and work go much faster,” McWhirter said. experiences were shared. The most meaningful moment of the trip for Eden “I decided to go on this trip because I knew that Prairie, Minn., senior Zach Schaser, the president of the something as big as this trip with this many people group, occurred while working and serving in the Pokot would never happen again and I wanted to be a part Village. of something unique,” said Austin sophomore Lucas “I got to see God work through me even in the McWhirter. midst of my discomfort and bring people from across Since 2007, students who have traveled to Kenya the world together with music,” Schaser said. “It was

Third Street closure affects students’ paths to class as year starts

Week leaders. These groups are built in social and academic communities, Purks said. Austin freshman Samantha Soto, said that it was good to have a group of people that she will be seeing more often rather than just being a “fish in a big tank”. Shelburne said that new students, in general, have a mix of two strong emotions as they step out on their own for the first time: excitement and anxiety. Welcome Week leaders help students deal with both emotions before school even begins. Lily Covey, a Welcome Week leader and Marion, Ill., junior, said welcome leaders are important because college is a big adjustment from high school. “I think it’s important that as soon as freshmen hit campus, they have an upperclassman to show them the ropes and that way they know they have someone to trust right off the bat,” Covey said. Purks said the end goal of Welcome Week is to warmly welcome all new students to their new home at Baylor, whether they are a first-year college student or a transfer student. “Our department feels strongly that we have a critical role in helping each and every single student at Baylor feel like they belong here,” Shelburne said. “That this is their place and this is their home.”

By: Jessica Babb

Move2BU welcomes the freshman class of 2021 to campus

By: Christina Soto

NCAA conducts investigation into Baylor sexual assault allegations

A sneak peek inside Mclane Stadium By: Elisabeth Tharp

BROOKE HILL Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Lucas McWhiter

BEARS ABROAD The Baylor Men’s Choir traveled to Kenya over the summer. The group, which takes an international trip every four years, went viral after a video of the choir singing “Da Coconut” was posted to the Emirates Airlines’ Twitter account.

a powerful moment for me, and one that continues to leave me humbled and inspired by what is possible when we trust God to work in us.” The choir members used their different strengths in order to serve the community in a variety of ways. “Some pre-med students were working with our doctor on a medical clinic, some engineering majors were constructing room dividers and wooden stands for a hand-washing station, other choir guys were painting, and others were working with a water pump and clearing a garden,” Schaser said. Another fun moment for the group was getting to spend the night in the Masaii Mara Safari. “I was in awe at the open expanse of the Africa plains, the patterns of distant trees and clouds on the horizon and the vibrant colors that blossomed across my entire field of vision,” Schaser said. In addition to appearing on a local television morning show, Bradley said the group was interviewed by a top-rated talk show host in Manilla and Skyped with the Philippine writer of the song. The men’s choir has a history of going abroad every four years, so if a student stays in the group for four years, he is able to make one international trip. The Men’s Choir has been to Kenya in 2005, to Argentina in 2009, back to Kenya in 2013 and again this summer of 2017.

The NCAA is conducting an “ongoing, pending investigation” into Baylor’s handling of various sexual assault allegations, the school’s lawyers confirmed in a federal court filing. Baylor officials said the school must maintain the confidentiality of the NCAA’s investigation process. Baylor lawyers argued in court that providing all of their communications with the NCAA could compromise the investigation. The NCAA is a voluntary organization composed of hundreds of colleges and universities throughout the United States. One of the primary duties of the NCAA is to enforce regulations governing issues such as recruiting, admissions, financial aid, impermissible benefits and academic standards. NCAA bylaws mandate that NCAA investigations be maintained as confidential. “I find it significant that for over a year Baylor has been going around talking about transparency, but tells the court it wants to turn over no records,” Chad Dunn, one of the attorneys representing several women who have sued Baylor, told the Associated Press. In a separate filing, Baylor officials told the federal judge they may compile a spreadsheet for the court of all alleged sexual assaults at Baylor from 2003 to February 2016 to quantify the history of the problem without compromising private student information, AP reported. “It talks about NCAA disclosures, which is why we will decline to comment,” said Lori Fogleman, Assistant Vice President for Media Relations and Crisis Communications about the filing. The Baylor athletic department said it is doing everything they can to make the investigation go as smoothly as possible. “I think we’ve been extremely cooperative with the NCAA. We’re still in that timeframe of learning more. We’ve been extremely transparent and we continue to be. It’ll lead us where it leads us,” said Baylor Athletic Director Mack Rhoades to the Associated Press. The Baylor Athletic Department declined to comment. The Lariat reached out to the NCAA but did not get a response. The national media attention surrounding this investigation and the sexual assault allegations have been largely felt on Baylor’s campus, especially by student athletes. “The change in media presence and a negative national spotlight on the athletics programs was definitely something I was aware of,” said Seattle junior Lizzie Armstrong, who is on the Baylor Track & Field team. “Although the atmosphere has changed, I still feel the welcoming community and strong connection between teams that I experienced when I first came to Baylor. I have met many amazing individuals through Baylor athletics that I consider family, and am still proud to say that I am an athlete here.”

“Speed in Motion” exhibit opens at the Mayborn Museum

By: Rylee Seavers

ONGOING INVESTIGATION The NCCA, an atheltic association dedicated to regulating member universities, is conducting an investigation into Baylor’s handling of sexual assault allegations.

The sexual assault allegations first surfaced in May of 2016, when the university fired head football coach Art Briles and athletic director Ian McCaw and demoted former Baylor President Ken Starr, who later resigned. Since then, more than a dozen women have filed lawsuits claiming that the university mishandled or ignored their complaints. This led to an internal investigation of the university by the law firm Pepper Hamilton, which resulted in 105 recommendations from the law firm for Baylor to improve upon. By May 2017, Baylor had implemented all 105 recommendations, according to university’s website.

Tuesday, August 21, 2017 The Baylor Lariat

News

Festival at the Fountain

Jessica Hubble | Lariat Photographer

GATHER Freshmen students get to know each other over some tasty treats at Festival at the Fountain on Thurs., Aug. 17. Welcome Week begins every year with this gathering which gives students a chance to bid a final goodbye to their parents and say hello to their first friends at Baylor.

McLendon appointed as Baylor interim provost SAVANNAH COOPER STAFF WRITER Interim Provost Michael McLendon, President Linda Livingstone and head football coach Matt Rhule might have different titles, but they share a commonality of a wave of change in Baylor’s leadership. President Livingstone hired McLendon as Interim Provost on July 1, succeeding Executive Vice President and Provost L. Gregory Jones, who resigned to return to Duke University. The seventh-generation Texan and third-generation Baylor-ite, McLendon told his family that he’d be back in Texas no longer than six months after graduating and moving to D.C. for an internship. His time away lasted much longer than six months and 25 years later McLendon returned to Baylor as the dean of the School of Education in 2015. Prior to Baylor, McLendon worked as the academic associate dean for the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development

at Southern Methodist University. McLendon said he is excited to be a part of Baylor during a time of effective change. “It’s the right time in Baylor history where my talent and interest could best be used,” McLendon said. “It’s a very exciting and momentous year and I’m grateful and privileged to be a part of it.” In Baylor’s Media Communications announcement of McLendon’s hiring, Livingstone also highlighted how important his expertise will be fully utilized. “We are blessed to have such a noted higher education scholar on the Baylor campus who can immediately step in and serve the university as interim provost during this important time of transition,” Livingstone said. The role of provost is a dated term that inflicts confusion among students, faculty and staff members alike. From McLendon’s perspective he wants to use his position to recreate the experiences he had as an undergraduate student. “I was here as an undergraduate

and Baylor changed my life,” to parcel talent and be able to fund McLendon said. “I view the role of important initiatives and be able to at provost as providing me to do the a very high level lead the university.” same thing in the lives of others.” Thomas Hibbs, Dean of Baylor’s McLendon’s leadership style will Honors College, has worked with play into his role as provost, and McLendon and Hibbs noted how said he knows that his personality and McLendon is the right hobbies converge person for the job. into his work. “He will engage “He’s a all the constituencies voracious reader, of Baylor to get their he’s a great film input and learn buff, so he likes from them,” Hibbs ideas, he likes said. “He’s also a talking about person who has been ideas,” Hibbs said. involved in leadership “He likes talking McLendon at top-ranked about the culture, universities, so I think both high and low, that combination is exactly what we he’s also got a voracious appetite as need.” well for conversation.” As a chief academic officer of a Throughout the academic year, university, the provost wears several McLendon plans to implement hats to ensure the productivity of a change across campus to better serve university. the community. “It provides for those who want “At the last Board of Regents to play that role,” McLendon said. “It meeting...developing a plan which is the individual who has the ability we’re calling an academic strategic

plan,” McLendon said. “A plan that will drive the university’s investments and help direct it toward tier one university status.” During his 25-year gap from Baylor, McLendon said Baylor has made great strides while still staying firm in its Christian values and beliefs. As an alum and now provost, he said is proud of Baylor’s efforts. “Baylor could do what virtually no one else in the country has done, which was to remain a place where teaching is highly valued and where excellence and teaching is expected upon the faculty,” McLendon said. McLendon said that as a worldclass Christian research university, Baylor has a distinctive role to play among all colleges and universities in the United States, which he looks forward to working with this upcoming academic year. “The most exciting part of the role for me is try to do for others what was done for me, unbelievable almost thirty years ago,” McLendon said.

LAWSUIT from A1 McCaw as defendants, according to her lawyer Alexander Zalkin. In March 2016 Hernandez filed the lawsuit against Baylor accusing the university of acting “with deliberate indifference towards Hernandez’s reports of rape to several different Baylor departments,” the complaint stated. According to court documents, Hernandez was raped twice by Tevin Elliott, a former Baylor football player, in April 2012. In 2014, Elliott was sentenced to 20 years in prison for two counts of sexual assault. Given the nature of sexual assault cases, victims often go by pseudonyms such as Jane Doe. Zalkin said he believes Hernandez’s decision to go public was very courageous. “Her decision to do that really exemplifies her motivation for bringing this lawsuit, which was really to try to bring attention to the issue of sexual misconduct on campus at Baylor, and really, nationwide,” Zalkin said. “By going public, I think she really accomplished that.” When asked in a March 2016 video press release if she felt justice was served after Elliott’s conviction, Hernandez said she felt that Baylor did not play a part of that justice. “The city of Waco and then the state of Texas have allowed some justice to occur. But in regards to Baylor, I don’t think justice has been done in regards to their interaction with me as a student,” Hernandez said in the video. This settlement does play a part in remedying that, Zalkin said. “We certainly feel that justice, some measure of justice, has been served. Jasmin brought this lawsuit to effect change and she’s accomplished that and some. So, you know, in that regard, justice has been served,” Zalkin said.

Zalkin said as part of the settlement, the details were confidential. Baylor declined to comment. MOST RECENT TITLE IX LAWSUIT In May Baylor was served its latest Title IX lawsuit. It accused the university of failing to provide sexual assault victims with legally mandated support systems and denying them educational opportunities. The plaintiff, named in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, was a student-athlete on the women’s volleyball team in February 2012 when the alleged sexual assault took place. According to the court document, Doe said she was gang raped in an off-campus residence by a group of Baylor football players – at least four and as many as eight. Early spring 2013, Doe said she attended a few sessions at the Baylor Counseling Center. The filing states that when Doe informed her counselor of the sexual assault, the counselor cited statistics about the number of women who decide not to report sexual assaults in an apparent effort to persuade Doe to do the same. According to Doe, the counselor mentioned neither Title IX nor her rights or options. The lawsuit states that McCaw and the football chaplain were informed of the sexual assault but failed to report the sexual assault to anyone outside of the Baylor football program. Lack of Title IX training was cited as the reason. Doe also asserted in the court filing that Baylor’s failure to properly investigate and/ or address her allegations of sexual assault contributed to a hostile educational environment that prevented herself and other female students from accessing educational opportunities. Doe

specifically cited attending classes with two of her accused rapists as such an environment. In a statement released by Baylor following the lawsuit filing, the university stated it had “been in conversations with the victim’s legal counsel for many months in an attempt to reach an amicable resolution.” “As this case proceeds,” the statement said, “Baylor maintains its ability to present facts - as available to the University - in response to the allegations contained in the legal filing.” On June 27, Baylor moved to partially dismiss certain claims in Doe’s complaint, citing that the plaintiff’s claim expired in spring 2015 at the latest. “The plaintiff’s complaint shows that she knew for at least three years that nothing had been done to investigate her claim or help her,” the dismissal motion said. Title IX claims in Texas are subject to a twoyear statute of limitations. In the court motion, Baylor contended that the statute of limitations in this case began when the plaintiff became aware that she had suffered an injury or had sufficient information to know that she had been injured. The lawsuit is currently in litigation and both the plaintiff and the defendant declined further comment. EXISTING LAWSUIT DEVELOPS Baylor is also involved in another Title IX lawsuit in which the plaintiffs, 10 anonymous women, accused the university of mishandling their sexual assault reports. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ordered on Aug. 11 that Baylor produce “all materials, communications, and information provided to

Pepper Hamilton as part of the investigation.” Communications between Baylor and Pepper Hamilton were once protected by the attorney-client privilege, but Pitman’s court ruled that Baylor waived that protection when it repeatedly released findings and conclusions made by Pepper Hamilton. “Would it be fair to allow Baylor to protect remaining undisclosed details regarding the Pepper Hamilton investigation when it intentionally, publicly and selectively released certain details of the investigation, including attorney-client communications?” the court order stated. “The Court concludes, with respect to materials covered by the attorneyclient privilege, that it would not.” The referenced findings include the “Findings of Fact” document and the 105 Pepper Hamilton recommendations. “Baylor recognizes this is a complex order, and the university appreciates the court’s ruling that attorney work product privileges continue to apply in this case,” Fogleman said in a statement. “All of the work product and related materials prepared by Pepper Hamilton are currently protected from discovery, with the provision of the university being required to produce a detailed log of certain work product and to identify witnesses who were interviewed. Baylor continues to express concerns regarding the protection of students’ personal records, specifically the desire of many students - who are unrelated to this case - that their identities remain anonymous and their information confidential.” The trial for this case has been set for October 2018.