By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer
When it comes to planning large scale events and working with a variety of student groups, Baylor Activities Council (BAC) acts as a campus connector and seeks to create meaningful activities for Baylor students to participate in.
BAC is an organizing and planning board composed of Baylor students who help with popular, university-wide events on campus like Christmas on Fifth Street. BAC partners with campus groups like Pi Beta Phi and Asian Student Association to host Howdy, Lunar New Year and other events.
Birmingham, Ala., junior Maggie McBride serves as president of BAC and enjoys the opportunity she has to work with a variety of different groups on campus to put on events.
“I love getting to work with so many groups at Baylor,” McBride said. “We work primarily with multicultural, Greek and special interest groups here on campus, which has created an awesome and well-rounded experience for me in my time at college.”
BAC frequently partners with other student planning groups like Student Productions and Chamber of Commerce and it supports the different roles they play in hosting and organizing Baylor events.
“Pigskin is put together by Student Productions and Homecoming is run by Chamber,” McBride said. “We love participating in the Homecoming festivities and supporting the other programming boards here on campus. We put a lot of work into our programs, so we love to support the other organizations that help form the Baylor experience.”
BAC is currently planning for campus tradition Christmas on Fifth Street, where the group plays a role in partnering with different groups and assisting with the overall planning of the event.
“We specifically handle a lot of the overarching elements, and we work closely with groups like Union Board and Kappa Omega Tau for other major parts of the event like the Bill Daniel Student Center and the tree lighting,” McBride said. “I always look forward to the execution of the event and seeing how the Baylor community experiences it. It’s really fun to see my team’s work come to fruition and to see our students, faculty and staff enjoying themselves.”
Spicewood senior Bradi Zapata views Christmas on Fifth as an important Baylor tradition and one that motivated her to get involved in BAC.
“I’ve been in BAC since April and was inspired to join because of the wonderful execution of Christmas on Fifth,” Zapata said. “I’ve gone since my freshman year, but last year I discovered that BAC helped put on the event. It brings a diverse group of people together to celebrate all the love and traditions Baylor offers.”
Zapata appreciates BAC as a way to actively participate in campus events and see her hard work pay off.
“It’s great seeing an en event that I’ve worked so hard on come to life,” Zapata said. “An event I helped plan this semester was FIJI Fright Night, and I loved getting a behind the scenes look at event planning, constructing and getting to know the program partners. Program planning with BAC is remarkable because our events help students find a home and purpose at Baylor.”
BAC is currently recruiting for new interested members for the group, and McBride said the best way to apply is through the student activities page on the Baylor website or by shooting her an email at maggie_mcbride@baylor.edu for any questions.
“We look for people who are dedicated and hard-working,” McBride said. “We want students who are up for the challenge of contributing to campus culture and building the Baylor experience. BAC is a really great way to build professional skills and make great friendships in the process.”
BAC hopes to continue forming partnerships and promoting their group in the future in order to reach an even greater number of students.
“We want to continue pushing ourselves and our partners to build better experiences for Baylor students each consecutive year,” McBride said. “Even during my own experience on BAC, I’ve seen vast improvements in our programs by stretching ourselves and building on knowledge from past events. Our goal is to reach a broader student population so that everyone gets to experience a feeling of home and community here at Baylor.”
