Understanding where we go from here is pivotal. If we treat every life lost as nothing more than ammunition for ideological battles, we deny the sacredness of human life itself. This is not the time for rash remarks or partisan point-scoring; it is time for genuine change.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 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.

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?

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.

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.