By Kristin Burns
Reporter
Complete with cowboy boots and a mechanical bull, Howdy is ready to bring a fun evening for all Baylor students at 7 p.m. Friday in the Burleson Quadrangle.
Howdy is an all-university event co-sponsored by Pi Beta Phi and the Baylor Activities Council and offers all Baylor students a chance to enjoy a fun night of boot scootin’ and country tunes.
“Howdy is our private-advised, all-university event that we put on every year,” said Dallas senior Katie Morrill, Pi Phi president. “It’s a good way to kick off the year and get everybody together on campus.”
Around 52 years ago, Pi Phi started Howdy as a country western dance for Baylor freshmen to attend in the first weeks of the fall semester and became an all-university event when it partnered with Campus Programs and the Baylor Activities Council and moved on campus. Since that time, the dance has grown through this partnership into the event it is today.
Lamar Bryant, associate director of Campus Programs, explained how Student Activities works alongside Pi Phi to make Howdy possible.
“We agree to contribute financially to the event, and we also agree to contribute to the planning and the logistics of the event through our Baylor Activities Council,” Bryant said.
Howdy is more than just a fun event, Morrill said. It also raises raise money for Pi Phi’s philanthropy, First Book, an organization that supports and promotes literacy.
While entry to Howdy is free, Pi Phi and the Baylor Activities Council donate a portion of the proceeds made from T-shirt sales to First Book.
“One of the things that we really take pride in is that we operate in a mindset that we want all of our events to have some type of philanthropic endeavor associated with it,” Bryant said. “It’s always important to look for ways to give back.”
Texas barbecue, carriage rides, and a mechanical bull are set to entertain Howdy attendees. The year, the event hosts live country music from the Chris Story Band, who will perform both original and popular covers.
