As Republicans wrap up their convention activities in Tampa, Flo., Democrats converge on Charlotte, SC prepared to conduct official business of approving the party platform and nominating Barack Obama and Joe Biden for re-election.

Baylor cafeterias need more Oreos.

OK, so maybe that’s not the healthiest option to help prevent college weight gain.

Baylor has four cafeterias in dormitories.

Penland Food Court offers the mall food court type of feel with plenty of options and late hours but not too high healthwise.

RFoC at Memorial brings some home cooking to campus.

For most students at Baylor, we have 126,227,704 seconds — or four years — in college.

Only 126,227,704 seconds to figure out exactly what we want to do and get the education so other people will let us do what we want to do.

That’s not very much time. We have to take X and Y and Z and ABCDEFG on top of that and that leaves very little time to really think about anything else.

Fellow students, I must admit that the second week of school has been painful, for many reasons, as I’m sure most of you will agree.

Not only has the excitement and spontaneity of summer become a fading star in our memories, the fall looms before us like a solemn mountain in the distance, threatening us with all the hazy unknowns in our futures.

As Baylor undergraduates, we must feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, rent apartments and purchase textbooks. We pay dues for extracurricular activities, pay for parking decals, and gas up our vehicles all by ourselves…or with the loving assistance of our parents. Regardless, somebody’s pocket is taking a major hit. But as tuition and fees continue to increase, are we really reaping any benefits, or just paving the way for future debt to ensue?

All things Baylor will pass.

To think otherwise would be foolishness, it has happened before and it will happen again.

For example, there used to be a very large pool where our very large practice field is now. Brooks College and Flats — the insular havens for “potterphiles” and married couples ­— is a completely new creation. It used to be a men’s dormitory called Brooks Hall. The face of Baylor has fundamentally changed over the years, and will continue to change in the future.