Browsing: Opinion

The next time a politicized press conference discusses the nature of autism, take it with a grain of salt and look at the reports yourself before coming to conclusions.

Missing your meal plan? You’re not alone. Between rising grocery prices, busy schedules and spoiled leftovers, life after the dining hall isn’t as glamorous as we thought.

When I look at the people doing this predator-catching, I can’t help but wonder if they truly care about children or if they’re bloodthirsty weirdos who have to pick on someone they know can’t and won’t fight back. I mean, what other scenario can you beat the bricks out of someone and post it online?

As I graduate and apply to medical schools this May, I am confidently going into my future recognizing that I have not only maximized my chances of earning an acceptance to medical school, but I have ultimately prepared myself to solve the problems of the world.

In a time of constant communication, it seems like sending a letter is trivial and time-consuming. It might take a week or two to gain a response when you could have what you need within seconds of sending a text. However, the art of writing letters should be embraced and leaned into.

We tend to treat endings like losses, like the last page of a favorite book or the final scene of a show. And sure, graduation feels like a big, dramatic final scene. But instead of mourning what’s over, maybe we should celebrate the little things that made it all so special: the professor who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself, the stranger you ran through the rain with and the late-night food runs with someone you barely knew a semester ago.

I was so terrified of the answers to my questions that I simply stopped asking. How could the Church love gay people but hate that they were gay? Why did the same people who quoted Exodus and Deuteronomy refer to other human beings as “illegals”? Was I actually going to go to hell because my family went to church on Sunday instead of Saturday? If God was good, why was I so alone?

Part of learning how to get over my social anxiety was learning that conversations with strangers could be playful, fun and deeply fulfilling at the same time if I was willing to reject some social norms and shift to topics that brought a deeper narrative, such as the ones I asked the first gent.

Growing up doesn’t mean losing what you once loved, these things can morph and exist in your life, you just must be intentional about it. There will always be people who look down on you, but they are probably jealous that you have another avenue that makes you happy. Growing up isn’t sad, but subjugating yourself to what others impose on you is.

All I can say is, thank God I only spent two weeks at Baylor before I got my foot in the door at The Lariat. I don’t know what else I would have done here to make my college experience half as meaningful.

Politics and personal feelings aside, we need to uphold the Constitution and allow due process to take its course. The least we can do as fellow students is show our support and constantly be a shoulder to lean on during difficult times.

In the modern era, but also decades past, some popular musicians find it acceptable to merely get up on stage and perform their songs as they appear on their records. These musical offenders can be found across every genre: pop singers and bands, country artists, classic rockers and others all indulge in this practice.

Needless to say, life moves pretty fast, and you probably are always going to be a little bit tired. It is one of life’s inevitabilities. But everyone goes through it and just because you’re feeling it doesn’t mean you need to share it.

By now you have probably seen the newest viral trend, The USC Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge. This cause, created with good intent, has turned into a trend instead of a way to spread awareness.

Now, don’t get me wrong — there’s nothing wrong with ambition. You should always put your best foot forward, set goals and strive for growth. But every once in a while, it’s necessary to take a step back and enjoy the journey, not just the results.

While it is important to recognize the significance of an all-female crew, Perry should not be getting more attention than the women who have dreamed their whole life of going to space and worked to do so.

Real transformation doesn’t come from crystals. It comes from aligning your choices with your values, which, I hate to break it to you, are not coded in your Mars placement or rising sign. Growth begins when you look in the mirror and say, “Maybe it’s not the moon. Maybe it’s me.”

Whether you enjoy fantasy fiction, classic novels or a good picture book, there is inspiration to be found in every story. If you’re seeking new motivation in paper form, here are some of the Editorial Board’s most beloved suggestions.

If some of us can sit in a prayer tent and go to worship concerts three nights in a row, why can’t we put the same time into actually making a difference?

Reporters are a middleman between those with information and those without it. We take the time to get the answers that people need, when they need them, and deliver that information in a way that is accurate and makes sense. We sniff out lies and go digging for the truth.

I was depressed and anxious. Utterly lost. And then I saw a vision of the throne room of heaven. Nothing was ever the same.

For Superman, Hollywood was obsessed with the idea of an evil version of the character. From characters like Homelander, Omni-Man and to an extent, the DCEU Superman, the archetype had shifted from a kind and caring hero to an unstable villain that abuses their power for personal gain. The original idea of an altruistic Superman-like character was pushed aside with that darker depiction taking over.

The only “green” our economy cares about is the dollar, and one day, we are going to wish we cared about the green on the trees a little more. So when the oil rigs run dry and our oceans are filled to the brim with waste, it won’t just be because of plastic straws — it will be because of us and our gluttony.

In recent years, platforms like TikTok and LinkedIn push content toward young adults, glorifying nonstop productivity and six-figure salaries — often at the cost of sleep, social lives and mental health. These unreasonable standards can lead employees to equate their self-worth with career success and ultimately lose their sense of purpose.

There’s a suffocating pressure at our university, not always shouted out loud but whispered through glances, side-eyes and subtle exclusions. It tells you that if you’re not wearing the right outfit, worshipping at the right church or saying the right things, you don’t belong. The phrase “Love thy neighbor” gets thrown around, but only if that neighbor blends in.

It is not a good precedent to appropriate work from other creators, even if you think more art will be created through AI. Intellectual property is protected in every field and service; however, for some reason, AI large language models have been able to use intellectual property for their own benefit, because it hasn’t been properly regulated yet. Many argue that ChatGPT isn’t “creating” anything; it is simply plagiarizing it and calling it their own.

I don’t find SAAM “triggering” at all. It warms my heart and inspires me to do things like what I’m doing right now — going beyond my comfort zone to bring light to an issue that affects our Baylor community and beyond. I hope to help others who have experienced it to understand it better and feel less alone.

If you had told me freshman year after saying “I’m gonna transfer” one too many times, that I was graduating from that very institution in May, I wouldn’t believe you. My experience at Baylor has ultimately changed me in so many ways. I have never had experiences with humans who have altered my life; basically, I’ve been humbled, shattered, loved, etc. Everything you need to experience in your young adulthood is right here.

What’s beautiful is that you don’t need the aesthetic to be Christian. I have been to churches with beautiful stained-glass walls, and I’ve been to churches with no walls at all. I’ve experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in a small worship service with less than a dozen people singing in a dialect I barely understand, and I have experienced the Holy Spirit in a gathering of hundreds.

The argument could be made that since Texas’ minimum wage is $7.25 per hour — which is the same as the federal minimum wage which was set in 2009 — Baylor is paying its student employees a reasonable amount. Except we’re no longer in 2009. It’s 2025, meaning Baylor students are dealing with over a decade-long inflation rise. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.48% per year between 2009 and now, producing a cumulative price increase of 48.07%. This means today’s prices are 1.48 times as high as average prices since 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.