By Erianne Lewis | Staff Writer

In a normal semester, the LEAD Living and Learning Center puts on 2:42 nights as a way for residents and community leaders to socialize. 2:42 nights, held every Thursday at 7 p.m., are inspired by Acts 2:42, which discusses the fellowship of believers in Christ.

Washington junior Susannah Sage, executive fellowship director for LEAD, said due to the social distancing orders in place, most of the usual activities have been replaced with virtual and socially distanced activities.

“[Last semester] for some of our virtual events we had a trivia night and a Jackbox Game night on Zoom,” Sage said. “We also had a night where we talked about voting and how to register in McLennan county or vote absentee. For our distanced in-person events we did a Bob Ross tutorial on smaller canvases.”

Sage said LEAD had to modify one of its many traditions to fit Baylor’s COVID-19 guidelines.

“One of our LEAD traditions is a big capture the flag game in front of Pat Neff. Last semester we modified it where people would touch each other with pool noodles so that everyone could stay distanced. It was a lot of experimenting with virtual and in-person and trying to ensure that everything was as safe as possible,” Sage said.

Thursday, LEAD held “window wars” as a way for residents to participate in a high-spirited competition.

“Our RHD, residence hall director, Juliana actually suggested window paint markers, and so we were trying to think of a fun way to implement them,” Sage said. “We wanted to boost engagement, especially the first week back, and came up with Window Wars to make it a competition where people could go all out while staying safe.”

Plano freshman Emmy Coburn was one of the many residents that participated in this event. Coburn and her roommate chose a simple design that showcased their Baylor pride, she said.

“My roommate and I used paint markers to draw a bear head and paws silhouette with Sic’ em written under it. Then we decorated the background in blue, pink, purple and white waves,” Coburn said. “What I loved most about this event was the ability to share our creativity and spirit with the other members of LEAD and have the chance to walk around and take in the beauty of others’ work,” Coburn said.

The windows were judged by Dr. Beth Allison Barr, the faculty-in-residence for Dawson and Allen Residence Halls, Sage said.

“We set an 8 p.m. cut-off, so afterward she walked around outside with her family and they picked their favorite windows,” Sage said. “We also had people take pictures of their windows and send them in so everyone could see all the creative window ideas.”

Coburn said events like this are why she is thankful to live in Dawson Residence Hall.

“I feel very grateful to live in a community where I get to have fun and grow with my peers in unique and safe ways, thanks to the work of our leadership team,” Coburn said.

Sage said she is not sure what the future has to hold for upcoming 2:42 nights, but she is sure that LEAD will continue to find ways to give students an opportunity to have a creative outlet. So far, Sage said they are planning online trivia nights on Kahoot! with prizes.

“I think everyone can relate to some feelings of loneliness this year and trying to find a way to create a fellowship in the dorm has been a real challenge,” Sage said. “Luckily, we have found ways to adapt with events like window wars, where we can involve the whole dorm while remaining socially distant. It also gave students an opportunity to be creative and bond with their roommates or suite mates to come up with a fun theme together.”