Students make filing taxes less taxing
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Student lifeA couple of days ago, we wrote about how Baylor Law School was providing an excellent service to the community with its People’s Law School. Today comes word that a number of Baylor business school students are getting in on the act, as well, working with the A.J. Moore Academy to help local low-income families complete their tax returns.
The involvement is part of a national service, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, which trains volunteers to provide free income tax preparation for those who need it most. Since the Waco program started in January, over 660 returns have been filed; organizers expect to file as many as 2,000 returns by April 15.
I like what David Hall, a junior accounting major, had to say: “This program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at Baylor. Not only do I get the hands-on experience of completing tax returns for people, but it also gives me the opportunity to serve the Waco community in a way I never anticipated.”
Sic ’em, students!
Cross country team sets the pace for athletic and academic success
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Athletics, Honors
“Winning with Integrity” has been a mission of sorts for Baylor’s athletics department in recent years, and the Baylor women’s cross country team provided another example of what that means this fall. The Lady Bears had a great season in the field, finishing 17th at the NCAA Championships in November to lead all Big 12 schools.
This week, the team was also honored for its academic success. The Lady Bears compiled a team GPA of 3.69, the seventh highest GPA in the country and the highest GPA of any school competing at the NCAA Championships, eight spots better than the next highest team.
For its work, Baylor was named a 2007 Division I Women’s Cross Country All-Academic Team by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Two Lady Bears, senior Lauren Hagans and sophomore Nichole Jones, were named to the USTFCCA’s Women’s All-Academic Team; Hagans had earlier earned all-America honors, while Jones was one spot shy of joining Hagans as an all-American. (Click here for a nice feature on Jones’ faith and success from FCA.org.)
Sic ’em, Baylor cross country!
Baylor’s Alumni 150
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni
For the past couple of years, each issue of the Baylor Line has profiled several notable alumni, ranging from Governor Ann Richards, to Word Inc. founder Jarrell McCracken, to author Thomas Harris.
Equally interesting are the profiles on alumni you might never have heard of — people like Bess Whitehead Scott, a pioneer for women in journalism, and Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll. It’s amazing to learn about the accomplishments of other “relatives” of our same Baylor family!
To read more, browse the Baylor Line archives; look for the “Alumni 150″ department in each issue.
Sic ’em, Baylor alumni!
Making the law more ‘user-friendly’
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics
For the third year, Baylor Law will host the People’s Law School on March 1, a free one-day event designed to make the law more user-friendly. What an excellent way for Baylor to share its services with the local community!
Attendees can select three of 15 one-hour courses on day-to-day topics like family law, landlord/tenant rights, insurance law, wills and estate planning. Each course will be taught by a Baylor Law professor or a local attorney.
Registration ends Feb. 28; for details, visit the website or call 254-710-6591.
Sic ’em, Baylor Law!
Big weekend a big success for Baylor athletics
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics
Following up on Friday’s post about this past weekend in Baylor athletics… If you were holding your breath, you can let it out now; this weekend was an unqualified success for the Bears and Lady Bears.
Both the Baylor men’s and women’s basketball teams continued their marches toward the NCAA Tournament with wins Saturday. The ninth-ranked Lady Bears came from behind to beat Iowa State in Ames, 59-54, taking sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with three games remaining. The men, meanwhile, knocked off No. 24 Kansas State, 92-86, to improve to 18-8 on the year; the squad’s 6-6 Big 12 record has the Bears tied for fourth in the conference.
Baylor baseball kicked off its season with a three-game sweep of Purdue, thanks to stellar performances from the likes of sophomore pitcher Kendall Volz (8.0 shutout innings, 10 strikeouts) and freshman Landis Ware (5-for-10 with a double and a home run in his first three collegiate games).
The 10th-ranked Baylor softball team won four of six games at the Palm Springs Classic in California, including a pair of wins over top-25 teams. Men’s and women’s tennis each defended their home courts successfully, with the 11th-ranked men blanking Kentucky 7-0 and the 8th-ranked women slipping past No. 16 William & Mary 4-3. Even the equestrian team got in on the action, defeating Fresno State on Saturday.
All in all, not bad for a weekend’s work.
Sic ’em, Baylor student-athletes!
Big weekend for Baylor athletics
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics
This weekend holds all kinds of drama for Baylor sports fans. It starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. as Baylor baseball kicks off its 2008 season against Purdue at Baylor Ballpark–a season that holds great promise for Bear fans. Head coach Steve Smith was quoted in today’s Waco Tribune-Herald as saying, “This team is capable of going to the College World Series for sure. From an ability and talent standpoint, this is as good of a team as we’ve had here.” That series continues Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon.
Saturday, the men’s basketball team hosts No. 24 Kansas State and national player of the year candidate Michael Beasley. For the Bears to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, this one is pretty much a must-win. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.; the game will be televised in Texas on Fox Sports Net. Tickets for both this game and the baseball series are available online now.
Meanwhile, the Baylor women’s basketball team and reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Jessica Morrow is headed to Ames, Iowa, for an 11 a.m. meeting Saturday against Iowa State. The No. 9 Lady Bears can claim their second Big 12 Conference title in four years if they can win out over their final four games. Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net.
If that’s not enough, there’s plenty more sports in action this weekend, as well. Led by Big 12 Player of the Week Jordan Daniels, the No. 10 Baylor softball team looks to continue its hot start to the season at a tournament in California this weekend. Baylor equestrian hosts Kansas State today and Fresno State tomorrow at the Willis Family Equestrian Center. The No. 10 women’s tennis team hosts No. 16 William & Mary Saturday at 1 p.m., while the 11th-ranked men host Kentucky Sunday at 2 p.m.
Sic ’em, Baylor athletics!
Spring means Sing at Baylor
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Student life
The 55th annual All University Sing competition gets underway tonight. Approximately 1,200 students have spent 14 hours a week for almost the past two months rehearsing. That’s a lot of work to put into an act that’s no more than seven minutes long!
With 16 acts, when you factor in time to set-up and tear-down between each act, those in attendance at Waco Hall will be in for a good three-hour show. I’m looking forward to attending next weekend. Tickets are still available by calling 254-710-3210; shows will be held Feb. 21-22-23 and Feb. 28-29-March 1, with each performance starting at 6:30 p.m.
Sic ’em, Sing performers!
Baylor prof develops new way to test blood-sugar level
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Research
I cannot overstate how much I hate needles. But, there is some history of diabetes in my family, so the prospect of daily sticking myself to check my blood-sugar level is out there.
That’s why I’m personally excited to hear about a new potential alternative for diabetics to daily pricking developed by a Baylor researcher. The new technique, created by electrical and computer engineering professor Dr. Randall Jean, uses an electromagnetic sensor to read blood glucose levels; the process is no more complicated for the user than giving a thumbprint. (Read the press release for more on the science behind it all.) There’s still some development to do before the sensor is ready for the market, but early testings show the sensor works effectively.
Sic ’em, Dr. Jean and all Baylor researchers!
Baylor Apprentice alum speaks in Chapel
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Student life
Baylor alum Roxanne Wilson, who earned some measure of fame from appearing on The Apprentice a couple of years ago, was the guest speaker in Chapel last week. My wife and I watched that season of The Apprentice pretty regularly. (For those who didn’t, Roxanne represented Baylor well, both in the integrity she displayed and in her success, making the show’s final four.)
Since appearing on The Apprentice, she has spent most of her time as a public speaker and working with non-profit organizations. If her Chapel appearance was any indication, she’s a natural fit; her presentation was free and easy as well as entertaining. (You can watch that video here.) She’s also written a book, Footprints in the Boardroom.
In Chapel, she talked about what it’s like to be a Christian on a reality show and how the foundation of faith she established while a student at Baylor has kept her anchored through law school in Michigan, on The Apprentice and afterwards. While I was in Chapel as a student, I took for granted that we could hear speakers like this on a regular basis; as an alum, I’m happy to know that students are still getting this sort of encouragement and admonition as part of a Baylor education.
Sic ’em, Chapel programmers, and sic ’em, Roxanne!
Contemporary art on display at Martin Museum
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Just for Fun, Alumni
For those of you planning to visit campus on or before March 1, I highly recommend stopping by the Martin Museum of Art in the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.
Marc Burckhardt’s (BA ‘86) and Mike Benny’s contemporary illustrations and paintings are featured in Gallery 1. Chances are likely that you will see some familiar pieces, as their works have been commissioned by clients such as Volkswagen, Rolling Stone, TIME, New Yorker, Major League Baseball and even Baylor Magazine (click to see that sample). Some of Burckhardt’s work is held in the private collections of Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren and the late Johnny Cash. Sony Records commissioned the Johnny Cash work shown here, which is on display at Martin Museum.
Fans of contemporary photography can view the works of Amy Holmes George in Gallery 2. To view the artistic prowess of our current students and faculty, come see the Annual Art Student Exhibition and Studio Faculty Exhibition on display March 27 through April 16.
The museum’s exhibitions are free and open to the public unless specified, thanks in part to the generous support of the Martin Museum Art Angels and the Sue & Ted Getterman Endowed Fund. Visit www.baylor.edu/martinmuseum for hours of operation and more info about exhibitions on display throughout the year.
Sic ’em, Marc!
