Texas cities nab No. 1, No. 3 for Best Cities for Love

McClatchy Tribune News Service

Yesterday was the big day for sweethearts. But here in Texas we have two of the top three best cities for love at our disposal at all times, according to The Daily Beast. The news site ranked cities “based on a high prevalence of marriage, a low incidence of divorce, a relatively happy population and a wealth of bars and restaurants to meet and woo a significant other.”

San Antonio came in at No. 1 and at No. 3 was the even closer Austin.

Here’s a list of the top ten and a link to the full list:

#1, San Antonio, TX
Singles: C
Social life: A
Emotional health: A
Marriage: B
Divorce: C

#2, Milwaukee, WI
Singles: A
Social life: A
Emotional health: C
Marriage: F
Divorce: A

#3, Austin, TX
Singles: B
Social life: A
Emotional health: B
Marriage: C
Divorce: C

#4, Virginia Beach, VA
Singles: C
Social life: A
Emotional health: A
Marriage: F
Divorce: A

#5, San Diego, CA
Singles: B
Social life: D
Emotional health: B
Marriage: A
Divorce: C

#6, Boston, MA
Singles: A
Social life: D
Emotional health: A
Marriage: B
Divorce: C

#7, New Orleans, LA
Singles: A+
Social life: A+
Emotional health: F
Marriage: C
Divorce: D

#8, Hartford, CT
Singles: B
Social life: C
Emotional health: B
Marriage: D
Divorce: A

#9, Cleveland, OH
Singles: A
Social life: A
Emotional health: F
Marriage: F
Divorce: A

#10, Portland, OR
Singles: D
Social life: A
Emotional health: B
Marriage: D
Divorce: A

Snow more waiting

Students walk along Fountain Mall Thursday night as the first snow of 2011 hits campus. Baylor’s area is expected to get one to three inches of snow tonight.Ted Harrison | Multimedia Producer

Forgive the terrible play on words, but really. Baylor students have been trekking through the cold without snow since Monday night. Some went more than 24 hours without electricity and others experienced on-and-off power in their off-campus apartments and houses all day Wednesday.

So when snow began to fall on our campus at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night students rushed out of their dorms and hit the ground sliding. Ted Harrison, Lariat multimedia producer, and I left the newsroom to get a taste of the snow and see how the students were reacting.

With the thought of classes being canceled circling around on social networks, some students stooped to pleading for a snow day, if for no other reason than they feel they have paid their dues in steps to class in the frigid conditions all week.

We encountered ultimate frisbee on Fountain Mall, snow angels on Fifth Street, snow men in front of Waco Hall and tons of photo ops with Judge Baylor. In Central Texas, we appreciate all snow — even the minuscule amounts. Though as we get later into the night, the weather conditions will become more prevalent for the decision on if school will be in session tomorrow or not.

Around 1 to 3 inches of snow is possible for our area. Baylor will continue to monitor weather conditions and any alteration to regular business operations or class schedules will be communicated through text and email, according to a Baylor News Flash sent to students at nearly 3 p.m. Thursday

Our Twitter and Facebook will be updated as soon as we hear official word on any changes to tomorrow’s schedule. Either way, school or no school, tomorrow is Friday, Baylor Nation!

UPDATE: Baylor University has cancelled class for all of Friday, Feb. 4. The scheduled Winter Premiere for Saturday, Feb. 5 has also been cancelled.

Stay warm and safe and enjoy the snow!

Nick Dean
Editor in Chief

The Burleson Boogie Chapel

The man who runs Chapel, Dr. Burt Burleson, gave the students in Chapel on Monday more than just words of inspiration.
Burleson, the university Chaplain and dean for spiritual life at Baylor, provided all in attendance with the “Burleson Boogie” during the Chapel program featuring the Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir.

 

Student Publications take home awards, knowledge from conference

Caty, Meghan, Nick B., Lincoln and I just got back from the National College Media Convention in Louisville, Ky., and it was incredible. We went to so many different sessions and learned useful information to take back to the newsroom.

A few bits of information from sessions:

• Don’t go to graduate school right after undergraduate school. Various recruiters and speakers said that unless you know exactly what you want to do with your master’s, don’t rush into it. They also advised against doing a master’s degree in the same major as your bachelor’s degree (for example, a master’s in journalism when you majored in journalism as an undergraduate.) Instead, they said one should get a master’s degree that is more specialized, such as investigative reporting or foreign correspondence.

• Recruiters from Associated Press and other news agencies said five to seven clips of your work is enough to apply for an internship.

• Lynn Hoppes of ESPN.com said in order to be a successful blogger, one should find a niche that one is good at, that no one else blogs about. He said a blog should be specific, like covering the building of new stadiums and arenas.

College Media Advisers/Associated Collegiate Press awards:

The Baylor Lariat

First Place | Special Section |Four year college

The Lariat’s special section about Generation Y won FIRST PLACE at the ACP awards on Sunday at last week’s College Media Advisers/Associated Collegiate Press convention in Louisville, Ky.

CMA’s Best of Collegiate Design winners:

The Baylor Lariat

Fifth Place | Photo Page/Spread  | Nick Dean, “Baylor Nation”

Round Up yearbook

Third Place, Sports Spread — Rachel Moorman, “Strength in 3’s”

Fifth Place, Yearbook Cover — Ryan Brinson, “It Began Here”

Sixth Place (Honorable Mention), Student Life Spread — Ryan Brinson, “End of a Decade”

Sixth Place (Honorable Mention), Individuals Spread — Ryan Brinson, “Larger than Life”

Way to go Baylor student publications!

To see all of the Best of Collegiate Design awards for 2010 visit the CMA website.

We also got to explore Louisville a bit. We went to the Louisville Slugger Museum, walked around Fourth Street Live and took a walk near the Ohio River. Louisville is such a beautiful city.

– Olga Ball

What’s the plan, BU?



Weekly Greek: The BU chapter of Alpha Chi Omega

Members of Alpha Chi Omega pose in front of thier olive green and scarlet red letters during one of thier on-campus events.

Alpha Chi Omega was founded as a musical fraternity at DePauw University in Indiana in 1855.

Professor James Hamilton Howe invited seven women to form a society. 100 women founded the Baylor chapter of AXO in October 1885. Represented by the lyre and the colors olive green and scarlet red, AXO is actively involved in philanthropies that work towards reducing instances of domestic violence. At Baylor, AXO works closely with the Waco Family Abuse Center, preparing weekly dinners and hosting parties for the women and children at every major holiday during the year.

Annually, the sorority hosts a diaper drive to help alleviate the cost of supplies for the center. AXO also puts on Take Back the Night, a forum designed to raise awareness of domestic violence on college campuses and the surrounding community.

The AXO all University event this year will be a sand volleyball tournament.

Other fun annual AXO events include Paintcrush, where everyone comes together to throw paint on each other in fountain mall. In December AXO hosts Destination Unknown, an event where AXOs and their dates head somewhere unspecified, and a tacky-dress Christmas party called Guys, Ties, and Alpha Chis.

Some famous Alpha Chi Omega alums include Condoleeza Rice, Alma Gates Sanders, a former CFO of CNN, and Aubrey O’Day from Danity Kane.

– Amy (Chi Omega) and Rachel (Kappa Alpha Theta)

Weekly Greek: Getting to Know Alpha Delta Pi

Members of Baylor Alpha Delta Pi on Bid Day 2010

Weekly Greek Spotlight: Alpha Delta Pi

Founded at Wesleyan Female College in Georgia on May 15, 1851, Alpha Delta Pi was conceived by Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald and five other women who wanted to create a society for ladies that would help to develop their values and foster active involvement within a community.

Represented by the colors of azure blue and white, ADPi strives to uphold the values of sisterhood, sorority, scholarship and self. The four ideals are essentially the pillars for ADPi, and were chosen to simultaneously correspond to the four corners of a diamond.

The diamond is commonly understood to symbolize strength and longevity because of its durability. There is a second symbol for ADPi: the lion; a symbol of strength and character.Another important facet of membership in ADPi is philanthropy.

ADPi’s national philanthropy is the Ronald McDonald House. Not only does the chapter fiscally support RMH, but they also devote time and money the chapter raises throughout the yer. Each year ADPi sponsors an event called the Pop Top Collection where the chapter gathers the tops of aluminum cans and gives them directly to the RMH housein Temple. The RMH then turns in the tops to receive money per pound of aluminum.

This fund-raising event produces a significant amount of money for the RMH because there is more aluminum in a single pop-top than in an entire can. ADPi also annually hosts Girls Fight Back, a community outreach program particularly useful for college-age girls.

An amazing learning experience for young women who will be living on their own, the clinic offers several basic moves to teach girls how to protect and defend themselves from an attacker. This semester, the self-defense clinic will be held at 7 p.m. in the Barfield Drawing Room of the SUB.

Next week’s spotlight: Alpha Chi Omega

— Rachel and Amy

So who’s L.E.H.?

Graffiti on the south side of the Dutton Parking Garage.

—Anita

What do you think of transportation in Waco?

The Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization proposed some new amendments last month to their long-term transportation plan. Wacoans can review the plan and the proposals and comment straight to the MPO Policy Board. Want to learn more? Read the Lariat story here or click here to comment on the proposals.

—Anita

A Truly “Shocking” Experience

On Tuesday I had a very uncommon experience. I was tasered by a police taser.

You will be happy to hear that it was completely by choice and I wasn’t en route to escaping the police officers. The police officers offered to let me try it, to see how it feels. I accepted. I thought the experience would be worth it and it truly was a, hopefully, once in a lifetime experience.

I was only tasered for 1 second; a true criminal is tasered for 5 seconds. I wanted to experience it but, 5 seconds seemed to be a tad much. Because I didn’t take on the full 5 seconds, I wasn’t slammed to the ground.

I was immobilized and I surely felt the amount of electricity that is used during an electrocution. My left leg gave out, where they had clipped me, but the officers were holding my arms so I did not fall. I was very dizzy afterward, but it slowly went way away. It was a different experience. It is a great alternative to shootings, but one time was enough for me!

Lariat Staff writer Brittany Hardy, center, experiences 1200 volts of electricity first hand after being tasered for one second voluntarily on Tuesday evening at the Baylor Police Department. Jacky Reyes/ Lariat Staff

–Brittany Hardy

Brittany’s Story:  To protect and serve…a campus