Browsing: Opinion

Classrooms are supposed to be spaces where students learn how to think, not what to think. But when professors introduce their own political views, especially in classes unrelated to politics, it can blur that line. For many students, it creates an uncomfortable dynamic where disagreeing doesn’t feel like a real possibility.

I will always remember the exact moment when I openly stated, “I’m definitely not going to a private school or sticking around in Texas.” God had the last laugh. And I’m grateful that he did. My time at Baylor has been transformative. I’ve learned so much about myself these last couple of years and have grown so much as a person.

To the underclassmen who are annoyed at having to reroute their way to class or lunch because there is a mob of seniors taking photos that you’re probably photobombing, we get it. In fact, we are annoyed with ourselves as well.

Basing your diet on the advice of online influencers is a dangerous route to take, as it often lacks critical information that allows consumers to make healthy, responsible choices on their own.

What happened to you doesn’t define you, but it does shape you. You have a choice to be stuck in that room forever or to become a person they never touched, never stole from and never had power over.

Over time, the church has made Christ’s death and suffering too normalized. His horrible pain and agony have been lessened in our hearts and minds, and it is easier now than ever before to forget the brutality of Christ’s crucifixion. Watching “The Passion of the Christ” will remind viewers of this sacrifice and realign their hearts toward God in an honorable manner.

With multiple major mergers in the streaming world, streaming services are getting significantly bigger at higher prices. Sooner or later, they will be almost indistinguishable from cable.

In a world that is all over the place and constantly changing, cozy games help. Games like The Sims 4 and Animal Crossing offer low-stakes, calm gameplay. These games allow players to tend gardens, fish and decorate their dream homes at their own pace. There aren’t any fast-paced, quick time events or frustrating levels to complete, which helps promote relaxation.

Taking a gap year does not mean abandoning your goals. It means strengthening your ability to pursue them. It allows for reflection, growth and, perhaps most importantly, recovery. When you return — whether to school or another path — you do so with clarity rather than exhaustion.

The world will not end just because a rapper dislikes cats, and if you are really offended by Timothée Chalamet’s comments, support your local opera and ballet.

When we allow ourselves to be useless, we’re going against the idea that the value of us as living beings is tied to our output, our bank accounts or our GPA. We give our brains a chance to rest, and more importantly, we give our minds a chance to catch up to our bodies. We remind ourselves that we are human beings, not human doings.

Criticisms directed at TPUSA accuse the organization of “provocation” or creating a “spectacle.” These claims are reinforced by short viral clips rather than engagement with the organization’s actual ideologies. When judgements form this way, people risk oversimplifying complex viewpoints and reducing TPUSA and its supporters to an out-of-context viral clip.

Baylor University will host a stop on the campus tour of Turning Point USA, a national political organization that is known for staging confrontational political events at universities. While supporters say these events at universities promote free speech and bring conservative ideas onto campus, but Baylor students should be asking a deeper question: are these tours actually to foster dialogue, or are they designed to turn universities into a stage for political theatre?

A great opportunity to serve is within a church community. In 1 Peter 4:10, Christians are called to “serve others.” But if a church says “no, you cannot serve because you have to take part in a believer’s baptism,” then some may lose a chance to carry out the very thing they are called to do.

Now more than ever, the confirmation of alien life is exactly what the world needs to bridge its divide. With economically and emotionally devastating wars and polarized thinking, something big could mend fences — and finding extraterrestrials would do just that.

I see more and more posts on my feed: cute church dresses, families posing with oversized bunnies, kids running through fields hunting eggs and baskets overflowing with candy. It all looks beautiful, but when did we lose the raw, real meaning of Easter?

The world and the feelings it inspires are often big, complicated and scary. A poem can take one of those feelings and distill it into something more palatable.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a staple of our society. It has become a part of everyday life, whether it’s a student using it for school or a teacher using it to make up class instructions. One avenue where AI can’t get enough is in our media.

Not recognizing ASL as a foreign language at Baylor is hindering not only the university’s focus on diversity and inclusion, but also the very Christian mission to spread the gospel to all people.

As of late, it feels like these massive April Fools’ campaigns have slowed down. In the past six years, I cannot remember a single company’s April Fools’ Day announcement that has truly grabbed my attention.

Your character always has a path to follow, sure. Maybe you have it all laid out on the map or the quest board, but what about everything off the beaten path? What about all the other locations? All the quests and secrets waiting to be discovered? The upgrades, cool loot and the experience points?

We don’t need to reject technology or social media completely, but we do need to relearn where the line is and start acting as if it exists again. If everything becomes content, we all lose control of our own lives at some point.

College classrooms should challenge students to think, not just to speak. And until participation grades show that, they are not really measuring engagement at all. Instead, they are measuring personality.

Growing up is something that we hope to rush and have even come to idolize. We all look for the next milestone that says we’re older and one step closer to adulthood. Yet, when we reach adulthood, we all wish time would reverse so we can relive our youth.

Concerts have become for the elite; long gone are the days when you could show up at the door, pay $50 and hope to storm the barricade. With artists like Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars smashing record sales, it has become increasingly difficult to attend concerts.

Letting go is less about losing something and more about making room for something better. When we carry the weight of the past, we don’t have the energy or mindset to grow. The Bible consistently points toward renewal, hope and moving forward.

If you’re worried about what a draft or what the Iran war might mean for you personally, listen to foreign policy experts, research your eligibility and — above all — stay engaged. Apathy and misinformation kill as bullets and bombs do, without us even setting foot on the battlefield.

Now that the winter months have passed and the sun is consistently shining, there are so many opportunities to be outside and enjoy the fresh air. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the nice weather has been taking walks outside. Walking has consistently improved my mood, eased my anxieties and provided a fun way to exercise.

In a world where so much of our happiness has become tied to circumstances, success and other people, the way we choose to see our lives may be more powerful than anything happening around us.

Next month, TPUSA’s “This is the Turning Point Tour” will arrive on Baylor’s campus. What does it mean for Baylor — not simply as a university, but as a Christian academic community — to host an organization so closely associated with ideological aggravation?