The expectation from my parents when I turned 16 was that I get a job so I could pay for things on my own, such as gas, clothes or going out to eat with friends. This is the expectation for many other teenagers like me when they turn 16. Not only was I able to earn my own money through having a job, but I was also able to learn responsibility, how ... [Read More…]
When coffee stops helping and starts hurting
I first started listening to heavy metal music in my junior year of high school. During my 20-minute commute, I blasted screaming vocals through my speakers, not because I loved the sound, but because I needed something strong enough to keep me awake. By then, my caffeine addiction was so intense that three energy drinks a day couldn’t keep me ... [Read More…]
Student attendance makes a difference at games
Wildcat athletics programs perform better at home than on the road nearly every season. The football team just wrapped up its regular home season 5-0 with an average game attendance of 9,077 people, including a 12,000-fan sell-out crowd for the Homecoming game against Tarleton State University. The sold-out crowd against Tarleton played a huge ... [Read More…]
Normalize counseling on campus
The popular saying is 'college is the best years of your life,’ yet behind the highlight reels is the dark reality that suicide is among the leading causes of death for college students. The stigma around mental health only leads to suffering in silence, but normalizing counseling can save lives. The 2024-25 Health Minds Study found that ... [Read More…]
Give me back my em dash
I am not anti-AI. I’m not angry at or scared of it as a concept, but I do have one bone to pick. AI ruined my favorite punctuation mark. ChatGPT in particular has coined the em dash as its signature. Honestly, the word “signature” doesn’t quite get across how much the program uses em dashes. Put in any prompt, and an em dash will sneak into its ... [Read More…]
My journey to understanding, overcoming anxiety
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 4.4% of the global population experiences an anxiety disorder. However, only around one in four people seek treatment, in part because of a lack of awareness that anxiety is a treatable health condition. I began feeling anxious around the third grade, but didn’t identify the feeling ... [Read More…]
Wildcats have what it takes to make FCS playoff run
With their second consecutive FCS playoff berth, the Wildcat football team is equipped, motivated and ready to make a run at the championship. After making the playoffs in 2024, the Wildcats won their first-round matchup against the University of Northern Arizona by a score of 24-0 before losing to the eventual FCS Champion North Dakota State ... [Read More…]
Bring back philosophy
The word “philosophy” may conjure up many different ideas. For some, it is rich, ancient, old men lying around and asking questions with obvious answers. For others, it may bring to mind people sitting in microbreweries and coffee shops wearing beanies with no job as they ask irrelevant questions about the meaning of life. For those looking to ... [Read More…]
Grief isn’t a finish line
For months, I watched the life slowly drain out of his cancer-ridden body. It had come time for my family to put my childhood dog, Buddy, to rest. The doctor injected him with a needle. I blinked, and he was gone. They laid his body on the table, and with tears streaming down my face, I said my goodbyes. I prayed he would wake up, but I ... [Read More…]
Change Greek Life back to social clubs
For many students, Greek life is an exciting part of the college experience during their first year as they figure out which fraternity or sorority fits them best and which one their friends are joining. Fraternities and sororities have been a part of ACU’s culture since 1919 and were formerly known as “social clubs” until 2015, when the name was ... [Read More…]