Lady Bears’ top point guard is ready for tipoff 4 Baylor’s Niya Johnson, top ranked point guard in the NCAA, will play against the No. 2 guard today. see Sports, page 7 baylorlariat com The Baylor Lariat WE’RE THERE WHEN YOU CAN’T BE David Crowder will perform at the Woodlands this weekend. He took time out of his tour for a Q&A with the Lariat. see A&E, page 5 Friday | March 27, 2015 Gather at the Brazos McLane Stadium to host historic service on Palm Sunday By Kalli Damschen Staff Writer Thousands of worshipers are expected to fill McLane Stadium for the Gathering, a historic Palm Sunday worship service, at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Gathering, named from the hymn “Shall We Gather at the River?” which will be sung at the event. Kevin Harrison, pastor of Victori- ous Life Church and lead administrator of the Gathering, said he hopes the event will provide a sense of unity. “This is not just about having a service,” Har- rison said. “It’s the genesis of a movement of unity. We see the division in our world. How in the world can our world come together and be united if the church isn’t?” The official website describes the Gathering’s ASSOCIATED PRESS goal as building a bridge between the church Authorities investigate a tractor-trailer that crashed into an overpass under construction on Thursday, in Salado. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Becky Ozuna says and the community by bringing people together the truck hit a beam being used to build a bridge across Interstate 35 on Thursday morning. for an evening of worship. “The theme is the body of Christ coming to- gether to remind ourselves that we have much more in common than we have differences,” said John Durham, pastor at Highland Baptist Church and head of security and marketing for 18-wheeler slams into bridge the Gathering. “We desire to lift up the name of Jesus across Central Texas.” By Reubin Turner said two of the injured victims had Harrison also said the goal of the Gather- City Editor been released from the hospital. ing is to bring Christians together, regardless of The third was still admitted in their differences. One person was killed and stable condition. “We want to see unity in the body of Christ,” three others were injured when an Traffic was backed up for miles Harrison said. “We want to bring down the walls 18-wheeler smashed into a bridge on along the interstate, which is a pri- of denominationalism, of races, of ages. We just Interstate 35 on Thursday morning mary north-south artery through want to come together in spite of whatever our in Salado. Texas, Donnie Adams of the Bell differences are.” The event caused two beams to County Sheriff’s Office said. One of the special guests at the event is Dr. dislodge and fall onto the highway “We’ve got more vehicles than Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fel- hitting several vehicles and closing we’ve got space for,” said Adams, not- lowship. He is also the founder and president the highway in both directions. ing that the area is undergoing heavy of the Urban Alternative, a Christian broadcast Clark Davis, a 32-year-old Ar- construction. ministry that aims to help people find God’s lington man who was driving a He said the stretch of roadway purpose for their lives. pickup truck on which the beams fell is being expanded to three lanes in Harrison said Evans is the perfect speaker died at the scene, according to the both directions and includes new for the purpose of this event. Texas Department of Transportation. overpasses, exits and other work, he “For years he’s been a voice of unity,” Har- The other victims were taken to said. rison said. “He’s talented, he’s gifted and he’s Baylor Scott & White Hospital in According to Bell County Sher- spoken to audiences as large as a million people Temple with what authorities said iff’s Office twitter account, however, before. He really captures the heart of what we’re were non-life-threatening injuries, I-35 around the Salado area was still about, and it’s the heart of unity.” SKYE DUNCAN | LARIAT PHOTO EDITOR but further details weren’t immedi- closed at that time. Other special guests include Israel Hough- The bridge collapse led to a I-35 being closed from Temple to Salado and a back up of cars ately available. The Associated Press contributed along 95 Thursday afternoon. Late Thursday afternoon officials to this report. SEE GATHERING, page 4 New York building Student Senate votes collapse injures 12; to permit social gas blast suspected media campaigning By Madison Miller sophomore Lindsey Bacque By Jonathan Lemire its French fries when he felt the Reporter helped author the bill that chang- and Colleen Long explosion next door. “It just hap- es and clarifies the wording of the Associated Press pened out of the blue. ... We were The Student Senate unani- Electoral Code. Originally, the shaking even an hour, hour and a mously voted to make alterations code did not make any provisions NEW YORK — An apparent half later.” in the electoral code to clarify or give direction for candidates or gas explosion leveled an apartment Mayor Bill de Blasio said pre- unclear wording at its meeting campaign worker’s personal ac- building, largely destroyed another liminary evidence suggested a gas Thursday. counts. and launched rubble and shards of explosion amid plumbing and gas The Electoral Commission If any candidate violated this glass across streets in the heart of work inside the building that col- interpreted the code to say that rule, the punishment would be Manhattan’s trendy East Village on lapsed was to blame. candidates and their campaign a hearing by the Electoral Com- Thursday, injuring a dozen people. A plumber was doing work workers cannot post anything mission and then with Judicial Smoke could be seen and smelled connected to a gas service up- promoting a campaign on their Affairs. for miles. grade, and inspectors from util- personal social media accounts. “A lot of the candidates run- Restaurant diners ran out of ity Con Edison had been there to Social media pages dedicated ning for student body officers felt their shoes and bystanders helped check on a planned meter installa- specifically to the campaign, how- that there were some things that one another to escape the midaft- tion an hour before the fire, com- ever, were allowed. needed to be clarified,”Bacque ernoon blast, which damaged four pany President Craig Ivey said. ASSOCIATED PRESS When the commission an- said. “It was a joint effort.” buildings as flames shot into the But the work failed the inspection, Smoke billows from the scene of a large fire and a partial building collapse nounced this interpretation at a According to the bill, any can- air, witnesses said. Passers-by were partly because a space for the new on Thursday in the East Village neighborhood of New York. Orange flames mandatory candidate meeting didate, campaign worker or any- hit by debris and flying glass, and meters wasn’t big enough, and the and black smoke are billowing from the facade and roof of the building. Tuesday night, there were several one not officially affiliated with a bloodied victims were aided as inspectors said gas couldn’t be in- people who were upset. The com- campaign may post to personal they sat on sidewalks and lay on mission also said non-campaign troduced to that part of the build- building in East Harlem killed tic pipe rather than a 127-year-old social networking pages or spe- the ground, they said. workers could not post anything ing, Con Ed said. eight people and injured about 50. cast-iron segment that came under cific campaign pages regarding “It was terrifying — absolutely on their personal social media The state Department of Public A National Transportation Safety scrutiny in the immediate after- student government elections or terrifying,” said Bruce Finley, a accounts, but it changed its inter- Service was monitoring Con Ed’s Board report released last week math. asking for votes. visitor from San Antonio, Texas, pretation Wednesday in an email response. said a leak reported just before De Blasio noted no one had Although the Senate voted to who had just taken a photo of his to the candidates. The fire happened a little over the deadly blast may have come reported a gas leak before Thurs- approve the bill, it is not effective food at a restaurant known for Port Barre, La., a year after a gas explosion in a from a 3-year-old section of plas- SEE BLAST, page 4 SEE ELECTORAL, page 4 Vol.115 No. 84 First copy free. Additional copies 25 cents each. © 2015 Baylor University Opinion Friday|March 27, 2015 2 The Baylor Lariat We are called to love the immigrants And the sad part is, many students do Editorial not realize how offensive such behavior is. According to some of the latest polls by How we view and treat an entire race Gallup, immigration is one of the most di- of people should not depend on whether visive topics in American domestic policy. or not they are in the country illegally. As Almost every week, national leaders, espe- Christians at a Christian university, we are cially those from Texas and Arizona, offer called to a higher standard. And from our solutions they think will help end the na- thoughts to our actions, we should show as tional crisis.