As we reflect on the impact social media has had on our 2025 minds, it is much less positive. Social media has produced an anxiety-ridden, disconnected and apathetic generation. Our minds are filled with constant noise and comparison. Every major and minor tragedy is broadcast to us in grotesque detail.

Come Friday afternoon, Barfield Drawing Room will be teeming with parents, tickets will be sold out for Baylor football’s non-conference clash with Samford and families clad in green and gold will flood 5th Street. For many, the promise of Family Weekend brings eager anticipation.

As stated in The Oxford Blue, “Music from the past is music with history, music that creates more than a desire to dance, it creates specific feelings of a particular moment in time, even if we weren’t necessarily alive at the time.”

Since mankind has been able to fly, companies have been looking at ways to capitalize on it. Howard Hughes had his Spruce Goose, Jeff Bezos has Blue Origin and Elon Musk has SpaceX. The United States is embarking on a unique era of space travel. We aren’t competing with the USSR to put a man on the moon anymore; the entire paradigm has shifted to looking for the most affordable and accessible ways to get people into space.

As we begin a new academic year, it’s an honor to step into the role of student body president. My top priority will be to represent my peers as the chief advocate for the student voice. Baylor is a special place that we are blessed to call home, and having been a Baylor fan for most of my life, I could not ask for a better way to spend my final year in Waco.

Picture a mischievous, weird-looking creature sewn into softness — bat-wide ears, marble-round eyes and a row of tiny needle teeth curving into a cheeky grin, all wrapped in shaggy, candy-colored fur. That is a Labubu: part gremlin, part rabbit, part sugary fever dream, designed to look both adorable and a little dangerous, like it might steal your heart and money in the same breath.

I’ve spent years trying to find a faster way to learn the ins and outs of a class, but every time I try something else, I come back to writing everything out. No matter the subject matter or the type of class, writing things out helps me keep everything clear in my brain.

As someone who recently moved to Texas from the Northeast, I had only heard murmurs about a gas station known as Buc-ee’s. I knew that they had hundreds of gas pumps and real Texas brisket, but I had no idea what I was in for. I didn’t grow up in the neon glow of the yellow beacon on the side of the highway that told me that paradise was at the next exit.

In our current culture, doomscrolling has become a derogatory term, attached to several physical and mental health issues. While it is quite indisputable that doomscrolling reinforces negatives, what if it is not the source of them?

The biggest problem with movies flopping today is not viewership or critical reception; it’s something more controllable and preventable: the money. Budgets have ballooned to the point where it’s tougher than ever to make a profit.

In 2019, a study showed that 41% of students drop a class during their first two years at a four-year university. The majority of students reported three different reasons for their drop: not liking the course, not liking the instructor and being unsatisfied with their grade. This study also showed that “a student’s preparedness is not a driver of course dropping,” showcasing that academic inclination is not as important as we think.

Self-Care September has arrived, and with it come questions about what self-care means and how to implement it effectively in your life. In a culture that’s become centered on self-help and improvement, it’s essential to learn how to take time to take care of your mental health.

It seems that Baylor’s happy-go-lucky, rainbow-sunshine demeanor is restricting people from telling the truth about their lives, for fear of being judged by the seemingly picture-perfect peers that surround us. This phenomenon seems unique to Baylor.

With roommates, not only did I have a solid, close-knit group of friends already established, but they were literally close enough that I didn’t have to worry about getting too far out of my comfort zone or even leaving my room.

It’s hard to deny the power of television, and reality TV is today’s cultural epidemic. And if you’re among the rare few who don’t watch, I envy your freedom. Reality TV is an entirely different ballgame.

In a world where classrooms and social media compete for our attention, it’s hard not to wonder who shapes us more: the traditional education system or the influencers we follow. Both play a major role in how we see ourselves and the world around us, but the balance between them is defining Gen Z as they enter the workforce.

Periods shouldn’t be embarrassing, but they are, so how do we change this?

In the academic model, the measurement of success can become a bit murkier. One contributing factor to the lack of clarity is the issue of where you, as a student, sit in the flow of the academic transaction. You might see yourself as the customer or you might be the product. It presents a few questions: the first is who determines that and the second is what is the difference.

Generative AI’s like ChatGPT and Grok have filled in a lot of blanks for us in recent years – it’s been a list maker, homework helper, search engine and even a personal therapist for some. With this technological power at the tips of our fingers, many find themselves caught between remaining wary of the true power of AI and embracing it completely. In the education sector, it seems to lean toward the latter.

When people talk about the “college experience,” they usually think about late-night study sessions, game days or the freedom of living away from home for the first time. But if you ask anyone who looks back fondly on their time at Baylor, chances are they’ll tell you their most meaningful memories came not from the classroom, but from the clubs and organizations they joined.

With a growing fitness culture at Baylor and across the country, the SLC needs to keep up with improvements in the quality of its equipment and amenities along with the space itself.

When people warn you about the “freshman 15,” they usually mean too many late-night snacks, Dr Pepper refills and dining hall desserts. But the scary version isn’t the number on the scale. It’s the freshman 15 of distractions — 15 clubs, 15 group chats, 15 events you swore you’d go to and 15 stressors you didn’t actually need.

Peering through dozens of tiny eyes, insects watch us. Tiny beings caught in a world too large and too dangerous, targeting them for the sin of being present. They may begin to understand their time has come to an end without the choice to reason, plead or defend their life. Knowing that never again will they rest upon the petals of a lily, nourish a vegetable garden or spin a dew-coated web, they may silently accept their fate. And hopefully, an afterlife full of sugary fruit and warm sun will greet them kindly.

When Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, on May 8, 2025, history was made at the Vatican. In his first few months as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo connected with people around the world. After watching him and listening to social media, one thing is clear: Pope Leo is the best pope for Gen Z.

Our “best” is never characterized by a carnal, self-protecting fear, or even by our grandest worldly accomplishments, but by the fear of God. My perfectly crafted self-image is nothing compared to the image of God within me.

Sometimes people approach faith like it’s a competition. A verse or passage is read, and instead of seeking to understand it, the focus shifts to proving who is right. When the rush to be right takes over, conversations that could be moments of learning or reflection turn into debates about who can quote Scripture the fastest or defend their interpretation the strongest.

As summer rolls into the upcoming semester, the Editorial Board sat down to introduce ourselves and share the messages we want to bring into this new year.

As tough as it is to swallow an unexpected $5,000 increase in annual bills, the price hike may not be entirely unwarranted when you take a closer look. But if Baylor expects 10% more money from its families, students are equally warranted to expect a 10% better Baylor experience.

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.