Baylor News
A former Cornell University student filed a lawsuit in September alleging that seven men sexually assaulted her in 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York. At Baylor, students and faculty reflected on the allegations and the role of universities and students in addressing sexual assault.
For many Waco residents, finding an affordable place to live is becoming increasingly difficult as housing prices rise faster than incomes and the supply of affordable homes remains limited, but one nonprofit is working to fight this crisis.
Zeta hosted its fall philanthropy event in Waco Hall on Thursday night to support breast cancer research and awareness. The event featured 20 contestants, with Kappa Omega Tau’s Joshua Brown taking home the crown. Filled with audience engagement and humor, the event went beyond competition as participants and attendees shared their personal connections to the cause.
Nationally observed from Sep. 15 to Oct. 15, Baylor’s adoption of Hispanic Heritage Month aims to highlight multicultural student organizations celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic and LatinX communities. Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries throughout the two months and hopes to foster more meaningful dialogue through various initiatives.
Waco News
Gas prices in Texas have surged more than 70 cents per gallon since the U.S. went to war with Iran three weeks ago. The near-total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has driven oil prices up more than 40%, pushing the national average to its highest point since 2023 and sending diesel past $5 for the first time in three years.
The Baylor University Institute for Oral History hosted the Black History Month Walk to honor on the people in history that might have been forgotten. The annual event hosted about 100 people through the streets of Waco Saturday morning, beginning at the McLennan County courthouse.
Between Valley Mills Drive and Irving Lee Street — home to campus’s closest H-E-B — the southbound I-35 frontage road has been cut down to one lane since mid-2025. Its completion, along with other parts of the project, such as a new intersection at Valley Mills, will improve the driving experience in the area. But for now, traffic has swelled on the street where students make their final right turn into the H-E-B parking lot.
Previously a national security correspondent, Sid Balman Jr. has written a new novel that shifts from his focus on foreign conflict to a tragedy closer to home: “The Mural.”
INTERNATIONAL
The Iran war is now in its 46th day. Iran responded by restricting access to Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil, and moving to toll vessels transiting the strait. Waco drivers are already feeling it. The local average hit $3.38 a gallon last week, up 21 cents in seven days and 75 cents year-over-year, according to AAA data.
Gas prices in Texas have surged more than 70 cents per gallon since the U.S. went to war with Iran three weeks ago. The near-total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has driven oil prices up more than 40%, pushing the national average to its highest point since 2023 and sending diesel past $5 for the first time in three years.
The largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East in decades unfolded as American and Israeli forces struck Iran Saturday, killing its supreme leader and triggering retaliatory strikes from the Gulf to Israel. The White House said the campaign is aimed at dismantling Iran’s military and toppling its government.
Dr. Joshua Alley, assistant professor of political science, said part of the Trump administration’s interest in Greenland has to do with America’s national security strategy.
