By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer
Baylor’s three student campus programming groups — Baylor Activities Council, Union Board and Student Productions — have begun accepting applications from students interested in being involved in planning Baylor events and activities like All-University Sing, UBreak or Christmas on Fifth Street.
Although all three groups operate under the campus programming umbrella, they all function in different ways to serve the Baylor community. BAC is responsible for planning all-university events, Union Board plans weekly events and activities in the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) and Student Productions works to help execute top performance events on campus. Applications to apply for these groups are currently available at the campus programs website and are being accepted until March 20.
Trussville, Ala., junior Maggie McBride serves as the current president of BAC and said that the group is responsible for the planning and execution of large-scale events on campus like Pi Beta Phi’s Howdy, Asian Student Association’s Lunar New Year and Phi Gamma Delta’s Fright Night. She appreciates BAC for helping to develop leadership skills and teaching her how to work in a professional setting.
“BAC has been incredibly impactful to me by teaching me tangible skills for my career and expanding my boundaries,” McBride said. “I’ve learned so much about how to work in a professional environment, and how to work with groups that share different cultures and viewpoints from my own, which is deeply enriching. BAC is the most formative leadership experience I’ve had at Baylor — I’m grateful for the opportunities it’s opened up to me and the friendships it helped me build.”
McBride said that BAC is looking for new members with a passion for serving the Baylor community and anticipates BAC’s partnerships with various on campus groups this semester.
“We’re looking for people who want to build campus culture and increase their own personal and professional development — BAC is a challenging but deeply rewarding experience,” McBride said. “BAC will work with partners this semester to put on Parranda, Delta Night Live, Gospel Fest and Gateway to India. We already had several successful partner events this year that demonstrated huge growth from last year, and we’re excited to continue on the upward trend.”
Minneapolis, Minn., junior Bevin Mairura serves as the social media and marketing coordinator for Union Board, and she has enjoyed the sense of community she feels working with other group members to plan weekly events like Sundown Sessions and UBreak.
“To me, Union Board means family,” Mairura said. “It works as a well-oiled machine that bridges the gap between students on our campus. We bring life to the SUB during weekends, late nights and Friday mornings with the hopes of building a strong and welcoming community for everyone.”
Mairura hopes to continue communicating Union Board’s goal and to reach a wider audience over the next semester, and is grateful to use her role in utilizing social media to spread information about future events.
“I want everyone on campus to attend a Union Board event at least once during their college career,” Mairura said. “Working as the marketing and social media coordinator for this organization has been a wonderful experience — I’ve been able to pick up new skills and help evaluate the marketing side, which we were lacking in previous years, all while getting creative freedom. It’s really easy working with such an amazing team because they make my work fun.”
Arlington senior Olivia Moses serves as the current president of Student Productions, as well as the executive producer for All-University Sing. She appreciates Student Productions for its ability to give students practical experience in planning and organizing campus-wide events and productions.
“Student Productions is a group of students who serve as liaisons, sounding boards, collaborators and coordinators for Baylor students performing in events like After Dark, Pigskin Revue, All-University Sing and Stompfest,” Moses said. “Student producers are there every step of the way for their assigned organization- for example, Stompfest will be happening in April, and awesome producers will collaborate with the captains and coaches to make sure that the overall visual impact of the act aligns with their visions and complies with official regulations and policies.”
Although Student Productions is currently in a busy season with coordinating All-University Sing and Stompfest, Moses said that she looks forward to accepting new members into the group and values her last semester helping out with campus events.
“Student Productions is a great opportunity to work with individuals who you may not have known otherwise and collaborate with students in a unique way on campus,” Moses said. “There’s not a lot of other opportunities like this on campus if you’re at all interested in a future in production- this is a great way to play the role of a collaborator giving tangible feedback on how to improve the visual impact and entertainment of a performance. The experiences are truly once in a lifetime- I’m graduating this year and know I will likely never have the opportunity to be backstage at Sing like I am now.”
Moses said that anyone interested in Student Productions should apply or contact her via Baylor email for a possible opportunity to volunteer at All-University Sing.
