Baylor in the News – Feb. 28-March 6, 2021

March 7, 2021

Media Contact: Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-1961
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WACO, Texas (March 7, 2021) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories as they shared their thoughts and expertise on COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, the evolution of Black Twitter, COVID's effect on the mental health of children and on worship, how bundled payments with co-pay waivers can create substantial cost savings for patients and the classical music that underlies memorials and solemn occasions.

Feb. 28, 2021

KWKT-TV: Baylor COVID labs look to expand into community
VIDEO: The partnership between Baylor and My Labs Direct on a COVID-19 testing lab and research facility is processing more than 3,000 COVID tests a day in an effort to test the entire student population every week. Now, MLD is looking to make a bigger impact in the Waco community.

March 1, 2021

KXXV-TV: Baylor nursing students help fight COVID-19 by distributing thousands of vaccines to their community
VIDEO: Distributing thousands of Moderna COVID vaccines, Baylor nursing students on the cusp of graduation are working to vaccinate the community at a drive-thru clinic at McLane Stadium. Interviewed were seniors Katie Larson and Brennen Louthen and faculty member Barbara Devitt.

Houston Chronicle: Black Twitter takes Black resilience and humor online
Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., chair and professor of journalism, public relations and new media, is quoted in this article about the evolution of Black Twitter. Ramirez is a coauthor of the 2018 book "From Blackface to Black Twitter: Reflections on Black Humor, Race, Politics, & Gender."

Psychology Today: COVID-19 and How It Affects Our Children
Maria L. Boccia, Ph.D., professor of child and family studies in Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, writes about how reduced contact with friends has affected mental health of children for the worse — even more than adults — with increased depression and suicide attempts.

EurekAlert: Bundled payments with co-pay waivers creates substantial cost savings
Michael Richards, Ph.D., M.D., associate professor of health care administration, is a co-author on research published in the journal Health Affairs, which found that providing patients discounts for using medical providers that agree to charge one set price for expensive procedures can result in savings for both patients and payers.

March 2, 2021

Baptist Standard: Baylor University names recipients of alumni awards
Baylor University will recognize six individuals as recipients of the 2021 Baylor Alumni Awards. A virtual award recognition event on April 11 will provide the kickoff of Baylor Alumni Week, April 11-18.

WTOP-FM Radio (Washington, D.C.): National Cathedral event examines race in cinema from ‘Crash’ to ‘Black Panther’
Author Greg Garrett, Ph.D., professor of English, joins panelists in a discussion of racial, historical and religious portrays and themes in the movies “Casablanca,” “Crash” and “Black Panther.”

March 3, 2021

Baptist News Global: The charismatic story is part of the Baptist story, historian contends
While never gaining widespread acceptance in Baptist circles, the Holiness, Pentecostal and charismatic traditions have interacted with Baptists “more than we have imagined,” observed Baptist historian and Baylor religion professor Doug Weaver, Ph.D., who gave the E. Glenn Hinson Lectures at Baptist Seminary of Kentucky on March 1.

Baptist Standard: Baylor launches online ‘journey through history’ regarding race
On Texas Independence Day, prior to the public release of a report from a commission formed to explore Baylor University’s historic links to slavery and racial injustice, the school held the first of three forums on the subject.

Waco Tribune-Herald: Carl Hoover: Music for mourning — using art to express wordless emotion
Baylor University’s conductor-in-residence Stephen Heyde and School of Music Dean Gary Mortenson, D.M.A., share some of the classical music that underlies so many of our memorials and solemn occasions.

KWKT-TV: Baylor hosts ribbon cutting for COVID-19 test lab
Two months after opening a lab to run the COVID-19 tests given to students, faculty and staff, Baylor held a special ribbon cutting ceremony for one of the largest testing labs of its kind owned by a university without an affiliated medical school.

March 4, 2021

KWBU-FM: Business Review: Remote Psychology
AUDIO: Working from home may sound like a dream job, but in this episode of “The Business Review,” Baylor marketing expert and researcher Sara Perry, Ph.D., explains why remote work isn’t for everyone.

The Great American Songbook Foundation: Songbook Archives adds new collections
Historic archival collections from groundbreaking composer and arranger Ralph Carmichael are among the latest acquisitions for the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Songbook Archives & Library. The article mentions the more than 140 other arrangements of religious-themed music by Carmichael that have been donated to Baylor for use by its student ensembles.

Patheos Anxious Bench: The Surprising, Spiritual Side of Margaret Mead
Elesha Coffman, Ph.D., associate professor of history and editor of Fides et Historia, the journal of the Conference on Faith and History, writes about what she discovered in her research about the spiritual life of anthropologist Margaret Mead, now published in Coffman's new book, "Margaret Mead: A Twentieth-Century Faith."

March 5, 2021

Christianity Today: Why It Feels So Disappointing to Sing to the Lord a Remote Song
Monique Ingalls, Ph.D., associate professor in Baylor's Center for Christian Music Studies, is quoted in this article about COVID's effect on worship, especially in-person singing. Ingalls notes that corporate worship is a central part of religious gathering in most Christian traditions “because participatory music-making powerfully imparts a sense of community” and helps foster social bonds.

Baylor Connections: Lyn Prater, Ph.D.
AUDIO: Baylor nursing students are serving on the front lines of COVID-19 vaccination efforts throughout Waco and Dallas/Fort Worth. In this Baylor Connections, Lyn Prater, Ph.D., clinical professor at Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing, takes listeners inside the school’s participation in vaccine distribution locations, with students administering the vaccine to thousands of their Texas neighbors.

KWKT-TV: Construction approved for Baylor University Autism Center
The Baylor University Board of Regents has approved construction of a $2.5 million Autism Clinic within the Department of Communication Science and Disorders in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences.

KXXV-TV: Baylor Board of Regents approves construction of $2.5 million Autism Clinic
The Baylor University Board of Regents has approved the construction of a $2.5 million Autism Clinic.

March 6, 2021

Game Spot: How Games Make It Fun To Be The Villain
Dan Shafer, Ph.D., associate professor of film and digital media and author of "Moral Choice in Video Games," is quoted in this article about the moral dilemma in video games when faced with choosing Good or Evil.

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 proactively placing high-profile stories about faculty research and expert opinions, innovative teaching, major awards and recognition, and community involvement. The Baylor M&PR team develops faculty experts to effectively communicate the impact of their research or, as subject-matter experts, speak into national trends and conversations with media outlets, 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 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 19,000 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.