By Thomas Mott | Reporter
The Better Together BU organization camped out in front of the Bobo Spiritual Life Center on Thursday to promote religious freedom and diversity across Baylor’s campus. April 6 is National Better Together Day where people come together to put aside their religious differences, according to the event’s website.
Outside the Bobo Spiritual Life Center, students were able to enjoy food, get drinks and sign a pledge with their fellow students.
The pledge, which had over 160 signatures, called on students to embrace diversity, advocate for justice and serve together in order to become better.
Dr. Josh Ritter, assistant director for formation, said the best way to promote the Better Together ideals is to engage in conversation with people from all different types of backgrounds.
“We think the only way that we can love our neighbor is by getting to know our neighbor,” Ritter said. “We do that basically by just figuring out ways to get to know our neighbor.”
To help students get to know other students who might share different religious backgrounds, the Better Together group set up a couch outside the Bobo where students could sit down and have simple conversations with other students.
Plano sophomore Wafa Demshkiah, co-leader of Better Together BU, said she hopes students could talk to someone new through the conversation couch.
“The one thing that I would want them to do is just to be able to open up a conversation with someone that they would normally not want to talk to,” Demshkiah said.
April 6 is a day where people can “show the world that religious bigotry doesn’t belong here,” according to the Better Together website.
Students who were not aware of the significance of April 6 were able to read and sign the pledge and learn more about religious diversity.
“I think it promotes a good spirit on campus. Different groups kind of across cultural and religious barriers-pretty good idea to me,” said Friendswood junior James Antal.
Students who were unable to attend the Better Together Day outside of the Bobo on Thursday can still learn more about the group and sign the pledge online at https://www.bettertogetherday.com/
