By Rewon Shimray | Reporter
As a part of the ongoing Lights Shine Bright campaign, this week’s Dr Pepper Hour was decorated with green lights with Dr Pepper floats served in glowing LED cups on Tuesday in the Barfield Drawing Room in the Student Union Building.
Dr Pepper Hour, a tradition since 1953, was incorporated into a new spring 2018 campaign to encourage students to be a light in the world.
“Light means so many things to us at Baylor. We are called scripturally to be lights into the world,” said Lori Fogleman, Assistant Vice President for Media Communications. “It’s part of our traditions ‘to light the ways of time,’ the lighting of Pat Neff tower, our memorial lamp posts.”
Five thousand glowing LED cups were handed to students who began lining up fifteen minutes before the event began.
Fogleman said the “glowtastic” cups serve as a reminder for students “to be a light unto the world and an ambassador for Baylor University.”
Students took pictures next to large letters spelling “BRIGHT,” which were displayed for the first time to complete the series around campus that spell “BAYLOR,” “LIGHTS,” and “SHINE.”
Fogleman said the photo opportunity serves as an opportunity for students, “our greatest ambassadors,” to share on social media with #BaylorLights.
Over 15,000 pictures posted with #BaylorLights were compiled in a social mosaic in the Bill Daniel Student Center Den.
Jason Cook, Vice President for Marketing and Communications, said the best way to communicate the excitement and energy on campus was through social media.
“Our primary audience is prospective students and their families, but we know that our current students play such a role in recruiting new students to our campus,” Cook said. “So, we wanted to make sure that we gave our current students an opportunity to celebrate; to celebrate our lights here at Baylor, and especially the new spring semester.”
Cook said Baylor partnered with Johnson & Sekin, an advertising agency in Dallas, to creatively launch the Lights Shine Bright campaign on campus.
“The great thing about light is that there’s so much you can do with it,” Cook said.
Along with the “glowtastic” Dr Pepper float cups and large letters, the campaign has reaped USB rechargeable flashlights, the relighting of Moody library exterior lights, and LED bracelets at basketball games.
Design Technicians for Baylor Institutional Events, including Wacoan Coty Peterson, built the letter signs, designed the poster, and helped set up events.
“I love to see people actually walk into the middle and show their pride for Baylor,” Peterson said. “This whole event, at least from my perspective as a Wacoan, is to bring a light that every person who comes to Baylor, that is a part of staff, a part of faculty, or a student, who has a place to grow and succeed.”
Peterson said Baylor has helped Wacoans “to feel good about where they live.”
“Waco has been known for a lot of crazy things, and Baylor is one of those places where students come from all over the world, and get a great education, get a great community aspect,” Peterson said.
Victoria freshman and regular Dr Pepper Hour attendee Sydney Baker said she likes the aspect of the Lights Shine Bright campaign that engages with students.
“To me, it [the Lights Shine Bright campaign] means to take what I learn here at Baylor; being a positive role model and shining my light, not only here but also in my future career,” Baker said.
Baker studies corporate communications, and seeks to work for a nonprofit to “help people everyday.”
“You will be seeing much more of Lights Shine Bright in the days ahead,” Cook said.
