Baylor in the News – Oct. 2-8, 2022

October 9, 2022
Fall at Baylor

Baylor University

Media Contact: Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-1961
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WACO, Texas (Oct. 9, 2022) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories as they shared their thoughts and expertise on volcano research, the religious implications of climate change and how to avoid being scammed after a natural disaster.

Oct. 3, 2022

Waco Tribune-Herald: New Baylor Symphony conductor makes debut
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, former conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, makes his debut as Baylor Symphony Orchestra conductor Tuesday night at Baylor's Jones Concert Hall in McCrary Music Building.

Oct. 4, 2022

KWTX-TV (CBS): Degrees of Science: From Baylor to Iceland to Study a Volcano
VIDEO: Baylor geologists Kenny Befus, Ph.D., and James Thompson, Ph.D., returned from studying the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland and used drones as part of their research to measure lava temperatures and help model the flow of the lava.

The Texas Tribune: Texas A&M’s early-voting location was popular during general elections before it was moved off campus
Patrick Flavin, Ph.D., The Bob Bullock Professor of Political Science at Baylor, is quoted in this article about an early voting site on the Texas A&M campus that was removed an early-voting location.

The Baptist Standard: Around the State: Student Athlete Mental Health Endowment at Baylor
Baylor University announced a gift from Jarred and Kay Nan Sloan of Houston supporting Baylor Athletics and resourcing Athletics Mental Health Services, which ensures access for Baylor’s student-athletes to mental health services.

The Ophthalmologist: An Elephant in the (Research) Room
Visual impairment creates a significant barrier to accessing graphical data in scientific and medical research. To address this issue, a group of visually impaired and blind researchers have teamed up with Baylor University to present a solution: tactile and visual data representation through 3D-printed lithophanes.

Oct. 5, 2022

The Christian Century: When the Four Horsemen ride again
Baylor history professor Phillip Jenkins, Ph.D., writes about how climate change will have religious consequences, especially in the Global South.

Oct. 6, 2022

Newsweek: 'Great British Baking Show' Hosts Slammed Over Mexican Week: 'It's a Shame'
Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor and chair of journalism, public relations and new media at Baylor and a race and culture expert, is quoted in this article about the “Great British Baking Show” facing backlash a Mexican-themed episode, which critics have slammed as both half-baked and culturally insensitive.

Scientific American: Do You ‘Matter’ to Others? The Answer Could Predict Your Mental Health
This article about the psychological construct of mattering gauging the risk of depression, suicide and other disorders cites research by Baylor sociologists Rebecca Bonhag, Ph.D., and Paul Froese, Ph.D., who found that both men and women derive a sense of mattering from close relationships, but women do so more than men from their roles as parents and close friends.

The Baptist Standard: Barr: God sees women even when Christian patriarchy does not
The Bible tells the stories of women whom God used and who exercised spiritual leadership, but they are all-but-invisible when Scripture is viewed through patriarchal lenses, best-selling author and Baylor history professor Beth Allison Barr, Ph.D., told a Christian community development gathering at First Baptist Church in Waco. Barr is author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth.”

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: How to avoid getting scammed while you're recovering from Hurricane Ian
Stephen Rispoli, J.D., LL.M., assistant dean of student affairs and strategic initiatives at Baylor Law, is quoted in this article about how scam artists, identity thieves and other criminals tend to use the opportunity after a disaster to swindle victims out of their money.

Oct. 7, 2022

Baylor Connections: Meghan Becker
AUDIO: Monday, Oct 10 is Mental Health Awareness Day, and October is traditionally one of the busiest times of year for university counseling centers across the nation. Meghan Becker serves as Director of CARE Team Services in Baylor Student Health and Wellness. In this Baylor Connections, she discusses mental health resources at Baylor and shares how students can connect with the right resources to address their needs and thrive in school and life.

The Baptist Standard: Greed and profit at heart of racism, lynching expert says
Systemic racism has more to do with greed and profit than with race-based hatred, said Malcolm Foley, Ph.D., director of Black church studies at Baylor’s Truett Seminary and an authority on lynching, at a Christian community development conference at First Baptist Church in Waco.

Religion News Service: Are the culture wars changing how Christian students choose colleges?
Mary Herridge, assistant vice president of enrollment management at Baylor, is quoted in this article about an increasing challenge for Christian universities to preserve their religious identity in today’s supercharged political environment.

Oct. 8, 2022

The Dallas Morning News: The world isn’t binary; our thinking shouldn’t be either
Thomas S. Hibbs, Ph.D., The J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy at Baylor and Dean Emeritus of the Honors College, writes about how fields like philosophy can help us think beyond elementary categories.

ABOUT BAYLOR MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Baylor's Office of Media and Public Relations (M&PR) supports the University's Illuminate strategic plan as a top Christian research university by focusing on faculty research and expert opinions, innovative teaching, major awards and recognition, and community involvement. Through its media training workshops, the Baylor M&PR team develops faculty experts to effectively communicate the impact of their research or speak as subject-matter experts into national trends and conversations with media outlets, through Hot Topics and on the Baylor Connections podcast. Our faculty expert directory is available on the M&PR website at www.baylor.edu/news/experts.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.