By Erianne Lewis | Arts and Life Editor
Beta Upsilon Chi will host its annual Island Party event on Oct. 21 at Common Grounds. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the event will last until about 11 p.m. The event will include multiple artists performing on the Common Grounds backyard stage including the headliner, indie band Valley.
BYX was established in 1985 at the University of Texas at Austin. The BYX chapter at Baylor was established in 2000 and has thrown Island Party every year.
Island Party is an event meant to introduce BYX to the community and to fundraise for its philanthropy, Living Water. Living Water establishes wells and provides good quality drinking water to impoverished communities throughout the world.
Plains senior Bryce Mcwhirter, who oversees Island Party, said this year they are attempting to top all of their previous Island Parties.
“Our biggest [Island Party] to date was 2007 when we brought Switchfoot on campus, which was a big deal for us,” Mcwhirter said. “This year we are trying to reach that same goal again and make it even bigger and better with our band this year, but also to fundraise for Living Water.”
Mcwhirter said they looked through a plethora of bands before they were able to settle down and book Valley. There will be other performers such as Sarah Peyton, a small performer from Auburn, who is known for her indie-pop style and Philip Vo, whose acoustic style resembles Ed Sheeran, Mcwhirter said.
Mcwhirter said the real reward from the event is seeing the way God moves through all things.
“Just to see the beauty of his creation through something as simple as an indie rock concert,” Mcwhirter said “Whether this turns out to be the biggest concert of the year or just another Common Grounds concert, it is just so cool to see our fraternity come together.”
Mcwhriter said he would like to extend a personal invitation to the Baylor community to come out to Island Party and get to know more about BYX.
“We are excited that y’all get to see us, but we also want to introduce y’all to who we are,” Mcwhirter said. “We are Beta Upsilon Chi; we are a Christian fraternity that believes in establishing brotherhood and unity within the common bond of Jesus Christ. We live everyday by our five core values: Brotherhood, Unity, Faith, Leadership and Character. We just want to get to know you, to love you and to introduce you to us. So come on out.”
Tickets will go on sale next week and will be attached to a link in BYX’s Instagram bio.
Charleston, S.C. junior Andrew Robertson, a recruitment chair in BYX, said the event will allow for students to experience great artists, after a year without concerts due to COVID-19.
“Really all I’d say to convince people to come is that our tickets are incredibly cheap for the caliber of talent that will be on stage,” Robertson said. “Even if you don’t know the bands, the event is going to be a fantastic time. For most of us it has been a while since we’ve been able to enjoy live music, so why not come out and enjoy it?”
Colleyville junior Trenton Fickey, head philanthropy chair in BYX, said he is looking forward to seeing the impact that ticket and T-shirts sales will have on the Living Water organization.
“Living Water’s mission is to build sustainable water resources for families struggling in Rwanda, and this event is going to make a lot of this mission possible,” Fickey said. “By buying a ticket or a T-shirt, a person is helping save a life in Rwanda and just thinking about that makes me happy.”
