By Matt Kyle | Staff Writer
Diadeloso was back in full force Tuesday for the first time since 2019. Due to COVID-19, the event looked very different last year and went virtual in 2020, meaning on Tuesday, all non-senior Baylor students were experiencing their first-ever Dia, while seniors experienced their last.
The first true Dia in three years featured a myriad of games and rides, goat yoga, a petting zoo, tons of food, performances from NPHC Greek-letter organizations and a concert from Apollo LTD.
In a previous Lariat article about Dia, Jordy Dickey, associate director of student activities for student union, said the Activities Council sought to bring back beloved elements of previous Dias while also “rewriting the narrative of what Dia is” for students who had never experienced the event. Dickey also said the Activities Council wanted students to have a day off from classes to enjoy themselves.
So, what did students think of this year’s Dia? Denver sophomore Jake Janssen said Tuesday was a random day to have off, but he had a great time at Dia. Janssen said everything has been weird the past two years with the pandemic, and it was great to see everyone in the same spirit having fun together.
Austin freshman Emily Oehler said she had a great time at Dia with her friends, and she said she loves all of Baylor’s traditions because they unite the students and create a sense of community.
“I thought it was really fun,” Oehler said. “The slide was really fun, and we ate way too much food. There were so many things you could do.”
San Antonio freshman Brenden McAllister said that Dia was a good break from classes and that he is excited for upcoming Dias and how each one will be different from the one before it. He also said Dia sets Baylor apart from other universities.
“It’s not an event that a lot of colleges have,” McAllister said. “[Dia] is something that is unique to Baylor.”
Friendswood junior Gracie Sweet said her first Dia lived up to her expectations of what Dia was.
“It was fun, kind of chill — lots of people,” Sweet said. “Having the day off and seeing everybody go kind of crazy, that’s been fun. I liked watching all the intramurals and pickleball and all that stuff.”
Houston senior Mauricio Funes said he went to Dia in 2019 during his freshman year. He said that it was weird having to wait for Dia to return and that he never thought the event would return during his time at Baylor.
Funes said the thing he missed most about Dia was being able to have fun with his friends. He said his freshman year, he didn’t do too many activities on Dia.
“Freshman year, I was like, ‘I’ll have more Dias. I’ll check it out later because I have all this time,’” Funes said. “I made a good group of friends sophomore year. We were excited for Dia, but then obviously COVID hit, so that was difficult. It wasn’t like I remembered freshman year, but it was nice. I enjoyed it.”
