Smash and Dash
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WE’RE THERE WHEN YOU CAN’T BE TheTUESDAY | JANUARY 29, 2013Baylor Lariatwww.baylorlariat.com SPORTS Page 5 NEWS Page 3 A&E Page 4 Making milestones It all adds up Ready, set, sing Brittney Griner breaks the NCAA Baylor accounting students Don’t miss today’s opening record for total career blocks. Find out land in the top five of a national performance of the Baylor how she affects the court defensively accounting competition Opera’s ‘Dialogues of Carmelites’ Vol. 115 No. 4 © 2013, Baylor University In Print >> HAND OFF Smash Alumni Association Baylor reacts to former Star Wars director George Lucas passing the director’s torch to J.J. and president under fire Abrams By Sierra Baumbach indirectly communicated to the prosecu- Staff Writer tor who was trying the case,” Polk County Page 4 Criminal District Attorney William Lee dash The 258th State District Judge Eliza- Hon wrote In an e-mail to the Lariat. beth E. Coker, who is also president of >> CALL OUT According to the Chronicle article, Local cemetery the Baylor Alumni Association, is under Polk County Investigator David Wells Get one writer’s opinion review by the Texas Commission on Judi- was sitting beside Jones in the gallery. on player safety and cial Conduct for a text message allegedly Jones asked to borrow Wells’ notepad the future of the NFL plagued by sent during court that was thought to aid and it was from this exchange that Wells following remarks by the prosecution in a felony charge of in- discovered the interaction between Cok- President Obama and vandalism jury to a child. er and Jones. Bernard Pollard According to an article published on Wells reported the interaction to Hon. By Rob Bradfield Jan. 18 in the Houston Chronicle, the text “Following a jury trial conducted in Consulting Editor was allegedly sent five months ago from August of 2012, it was reported to me by a Page 5 Coker at the bench to assistant prosecu- member of my staff that there had been a Over the weekend, vandals in tor Kaycee Jones, who was not working communication during the trial between >> FREE AGAIN Oakwood Cemetery caused up to on the case but was in the courtroom. the presiding judge and an assistant pros- $200,000 worth of damage to his- She then passed the information in ecutor regarding possible testimony in Charges have been toric graves. The defaced monu- dropped against one man the text to lead prosecutor Beverly Arm- the case,” Hon told the Lariat. ments included those of former strong. who was arrested after Following an internal inquiry within Texas Gov. Richard Coke and The contents of the note said, “Judge the office, Hon said it was determined shootings at Lone Star Madison Cooper, author of the says … baby pooped on (Reeves) - if that the communication did not influ- College in Houston best-selling novel “Sironia, Texas.” he threw a dog off the bed because the ence any line of questioning or strategy According to police, the damage dog peed on bed what would he do if employed during the trial, nor did it in- Page 3 was done between 9 p.m. Friday TRAVIS TAYLOR | LARIAT PHOTOGRAPHER baby pooped on him?” This appeared to fluence the ultimate outcome of the trial. and 7 a.m. Saturday. Grave markers in the Oakwood Cemetery on La Salle Av- prompt a question in favor of the pros- The defendant was acquitted of all “We think it was more than enue were vandalized on Saturday. ecution, the Chronicle reported. charges against him. one suspect because of the amount The defendant, David Reeves, had Hon said that because of the investi- commenting on the community reaction on Viewpoints of damage and the weight of the earlier testimony in the trial that showed gation, it would be inappropriate for him objects damaged,” Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton of the Waco PD website. “It’s a sacred place and after Reeves became angry when a new to comment on the precise details of the the Waco Police Department said. things like that aren’t supposed to happen puppy soiled his bed, he threw the ani- communication or the administrative The grave of Coke is a pillar topped by a t h e re .” mal off of the bed. Additional testimony steps which were taken after the investi- “Chapel is statue of the governor in life. On either side David Evans, superintendent and execu- showed that Reeves’ baby had severe di- gation began. an hour long were busts of the governor’s sons, both of tive secretary of the Oakwood Cemetery As- arrhea the night the child was injured, ac- “The office will cooperate fully, how- whom died relatively young. sociation, said the vandalism was restricted cording to the Chronicle article. ever, in response to any such investiga- commitment Monday morning the busts still lay on to the older portion of the cemetery and “The prosecutor who received the tion,” Hon wrote in the email. two days a week, the ground, their faces broken. A statue of St. some of the graves were more than 100 years communication was not assigned to the Coker declined to comment on the old. which takes up Francis lay nearby, and back across the lawns court in which the trial was held and was investigation. to the gate were a scattering of cracked and “The ones that can be repaired will be re- not participating in the trial of the case. Attempts to get in contact with other from Page 1 as much time as broken headstones. However, it appears that the substance of TRIAL “The citizenry is angered,” Swanton said, SEE SMASH, page 6 the communication from the judge was SEE TRIAL, page 6 some other classes members of the Baylor Alumni As- sociation went unanswered. that students must Multiple faculty members at the take. ...If it takes Baylor Law School declined com- students’ time and Alumni honored ment when asked about the ethics of the case. money, the course However, Deborah Rhode, Er- should be offered nest W. McFarland Professor of in Hall of Fame Law at Stanford University, offered for credit instead By Kate McGuire sure, no diamonds.’ He always an explanation of why Coker may of as a compulsory Staff Writer kept focused, he was a very posi- be under investigation. tive person. He knew that God “Conferring on any subject in university Making a difference in the was in control,” said Alice Brown, court without the knowledge of tradition.” world is a small accomplish- friend of Griffin’s mother. all parties is wrong,” Rhode said. “Even when the contact is indi- Page 2 ment for those honored at Baylor “He exemplified hard work. Alumni Association Hall of Fame. He made an impact in every facet rect, it’s still problematic. A judge Last week the Baylor Alumni here. I’ve seen how his impact has should be neutral and not confer Association held their third annu- grown so fast,” Joannie Shedrick, with anyone about a trial outside of al Hall of Fame ceremony, where friend of Griffin’s mother, said. the parties involved. It undermines Bear Briefs they honored countless alumni The Distinguished Alumni the title.” for their impact on Baylor and the Award, the most prestigious of all Coker transferred from Sam Houston State University to Baylor The place to go to know world around them. the awards, was given to James R. Instead of giving out the her where she graduated from in the places to go Daniel, ’62, Jennifer Hilton Samp- awards separately, like the BAA son, ’92, and Nick Strimple, ’69. 1989. She got her Juris Doctorate has done in the past, they have According to the BAA Hall from Baylor Law in 1992. Be a poet held a Hall of Fame these last of Fame program, this award She is a second generation Bay- The Union Board presents three years. recognizes those whose service lor graduate and a third generation the Acoustic Cafe: Spoken “We wanted one huge banquet in their careers merit honor and Texas judge. Word at 8 p.m. Thursday and everyone was very receptive acclaim through their peers and Coker was a lifetime member of in the Bill Daniel Student of that,” said Judge Elizabeth Cok- colleagues. the BAA and was asked to serve on Center Den. This evening er, BAA president. Daniel, Vice Chairman of the board in 2009. Robert Griffin III was absent BancFirst Co., has worked on nu- She was asked to serve as the will be filled with BAA president a year later. poetry, spoken word and because he was recovering from merous projects for Baylor as well his torn ACL injury but was given refreshments. as in his own career with medical the Distinguished Baylor Black health care providers. Change the world Alumni Award. The award is only “Baylor will teach you more SMASH from Page 1 three years old, and Griffin is the Join the Academy for than how to make a living, it will youngest recipient. The presi- teach you how to make a life,” he Leader Development in dent of the Baylor Black Alumni said in his acceptance speech. welcoming the founder Club, Marie Brown, presented the The second honoree was TRAVIS TAYLOR | LARIAT PHOTOGRAPHER of Shoot4Life Ministries award, which was then received Sampson, the first female and and Ghana’s national by his mother’s friends. SEE ALUMNI, page 6 coordinator for Young “Robert always said, ‘No pres- Serving up a new Tennis Center Leaders International Jim Hawkins hits a ceremonial first serve to dedicate the opening of the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Cen- Vincent Asamoah to ter as his wife watches on Friday.