As finals loom larger by the day and each study session becomes more essential, spiritual life leaders say staying grounded in faith means choosing presence over panic.

The cold front came just in time for Christmas on Fifth. Despite rain concerns, Christmas on Fifth continued in full swing, drawing students out of their dorm and families from staying at home. Students said the Christmas spirit was infectious, helping ease stress around finals.

The Extraco Events Center hosted one of Waco’s largest community gatherings Thursday as H-E-B brought its annual Feast of Sharing back to Central Texas, serving thousands of free holiday meals and offering an evening full of music, activities and volunteer support.

We’re at college to learn. Learning requires struggle and it requires taking the time beyond what’s needed for studying for a test to actually understand how information sits with your current worldviews and be willing to listen to people who disagree with you.

Former Baylor volleyball player Emily Huston created HomeTeam, which is “the first centralized hub for athlete-centered care and community,” according to its website. HomeTeam was born to combat the loneliness athletes face after leaving their sport.

With the current digital age, social media usage continues to rise and seep into college campuses. The short-video format has been revealed to be the most addictive and equally the most harmful. Out of all the apps, TikTok takes the throne.

You don’t owe anyone your time, your energy or your emotional labor. But you do owe the world your basic decency. Because when everyone’s too busy proving they can survive alone, we all end up standing in locked rooms, thinking the title of “most self-sufficient” is how you win life.

“We wanted to create something that freshmen and people of all grades could come in, find their people, have a little community that’s aside from everything else that we can just move our bodies, get our mental health up,” Piede said.

What once felt like home, students describe as distant and constrained after returning from studying abroad. Students said adjusting to life back on campus was more challenging than expected, with many experiencing reverse culture shock.

“A lot of people assume that we are a princess club that goes to hospitals, but we do a lot more,” Dorris said. “There’s so many different demographics that we serve. Whoever needs us, we try to go.”

This week kicked off Baylor’s annual Missions Week, and Barfield Drawing Room hummed with the chatter of community Tuesday night. The event, which included free dinner and conversations with global organizations was more than a convenient meal — it was about connection. Staff of global and local mission organizations met face-to-face with students who are eager to learn how they could serve.

Held four times each semester, the event is designed to help graduate students carve out focused writing time alongside their peers. The first 20 attendees received a free drink and no RSVP was required.

Amid banners, flags and music, one element stood out: the growing presence of young people seeking to take part in shaping the nation’s future and the desire of the older generations for the younger ones to get involved.

Every Wednesday from March through October, Park Rangers lead free hikes in Cameron Park to help the public explore the trails. Each week, around 40 participants join the rangers to learn more about the park and build community in nature.

According to the current owner of the greenhouse, Ashli Robken, Bonnie was a born-and-raised Wacoan and plant lover. Bonnie had originally started the greenhouse as a casual neighborhood shop, later growing her passion into a blooming business and local Waco staple.

The Waco Police Department planned neighborhood block parties all across the city last Tuesday night in celebration of National Night Out.

Baylor track and field athletes are trading competition for community this fall, leading a six-week youth running program through the national nonprofit Run Your City. The Waco chapter kicked off its first season Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 19 at Rice Field, with free sessions held Sundays from 2 to 3 p.m.

What Pinewood heard last Thursday, the city is beginning to hear elsewhere. As the Baylor Jazz Ensemble opened their season with its first performance last Tuesday, and For Keeps Coffee prepares for another jazz night, they join into the same song, one of impulse, choice and collaboration.

Instead of a big city high-rise, Morehead’s team works in a small red brick building in downtown Waco. Suits and ties are replaced with casual (mostly green and gold) clothes. And in an industry that’s mostly men, four out of the office’s five investment professionals are women. It all helps to put the attention on what really matters: making money for Baylor without touching students’ wallets.

A group of black and yellow jerseys swarmed Fountain Mall Thursday afternoon, handing out HTeaO and greeting passing students with a smile. The Epsilon Epsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta keeps the tradition of Theta Thursday alive and thriving on Baylor’s campus.

Friendship rates among adults are steadily dropping, which research attributes to various factors like the increased mobility of people, isolation driven by technology and a decrease in accessibility to third places.

Families filled the Mayborn Museum on Saturday afternoon and for the fourth year in a row, hosted the Community Offering or “Ofrenda” in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, featuring an array of artwork, activities and performances.

“Tomorrow is not promised” isn’t a warning — it’s an invitation. An invitation to live with urgency, to love without hesitation and to find comfort in knowing that when life ends, it might just be the beginning of something even greater.

Baylor was recognized by the Great Colleges to Work For program as an Honor Roll institution Friday. The acknowledgment is awarded by an institutional questionnaire that captures employment data, workplace policies and a survey administered to faculty and staff. Additionally, the primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was employee feedback.

“It’s a really cool opportunity to be a support person and to be somebody that I would have wanted when I was going through my recovery journey,” Lufkin senior Luke Langston said.

Baylor held its annual Faculty and Staff of Color Reception Thursday afternoon to welcome new staff for this school year and celebrate plans for the new year, one being the new memorial on Founder’s Mall.

While people outside of the fanbase see us as poor, unfortunate souls grasping onto false hope, they overlook the characteristics that make a Cowboys fan a Cowboys fan — and believe it or not there are many appealing characteristics and qualities about us.

Public discourse unfolded online, leaving students to make sense of gun violence on high school and college campuses. With traditions like Homecoming and Christmas on Fifth Street around the corner, administrators are navigating safety measures in the current political climate.

The tragedy of September 11, 2001, remains an unforgettable moment in American history, and Baylor ROTC hosted the third annual stair climb 5:30 this morning to recognize the sacrifices of first responders that day.

“In the BSU, I think our job is to show incoming freshmen and existing students that they have a place here on campus, and it doesn’t necessarily have to feel uncomfortable,” Emanuel said. “Our place on campus is to promote unity and friendship.”