By Avery Ballmann | Staff Writer
Seeking community and spiritual life resources, a group of graduate students gathered around fajitas from Fuego at the first “The Table” luncheon, held Tuesday in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center.
The Graduate Student Association, InterVarsity Unite and the Bobo Spiritual Life Center created The Table as a monthly luncheon for graduate students to commune with one another. GSA president David Winkler, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the higher education studies and leadership program, said when he started graduate school, there was a lack of community among different programs.
“We’re always trying to figure out how to better serve graduate students and how to advocate for the things that they need,” Winkler said. “This is really one of the first departments that we worked together for a new idea and some way to serve students.”
InterVarsity Unite is a fellowship specific to graduate students, and it meets every Monday for Bible study. Ramer, Tenn., graduate student Christian Brown is a Bible study leader for InterVarsity Unite and began his graduate program in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of student clubs and ministries either weren’t doing their normal thing or they were not advertising well to grad students,” Brown said. “There were a lot of groups that I saw that I was aware of, but it looked more like an undergrad-specific thing.”
Bentonville, Ark., graduate student Meg Palen said she feels isolated in her programs. She said she attends InterVarsity Unite’s weekly Bible study and sees it as a way to connect with others.
“You see all the examples in the Bible of Jesus sitting at the table with all different types of people and getting to know them,” Palen said. “It’s a great way for community to happen, like share a meal and sit down together.”
At the luncheon, each table had QR codes that listed campus resources and churches in the Waco area. Pastors from these churches also attended the gathering.
“It was those kinds of generative ideas that were helpful to GSA when we were thinking about ways to serve students when it comes to their spiritual lives,” Winkler said.
Dr. Sara Perry, associate professor of management, spoke at the event to gauge if graduate students felt unseen or unheard in their programs. Many students began voicing their frustrations, shouting phrases like “lack of organizations” and “language barriers.” As more students spoke, more joined in.
“One of the things I felt coming into grad school that I have seen is there is a lack of community, lack of resources or at least a lack of awareness of resources among graduate students,” Brown said. “So I would love to see something like this be a consistent thing where grad students can come together for community, and it’s a place to advertise other resources for grad students.”
As the luncheon continued, Brown and Winkler shared their organizations’ events and resources while students ate. Winkler said every graduate student automatically belongs in GSA, no matter what program they are in. There are no dues or strenuous tasks to maintain membership.
Palen is in a one-year program at George W. Truett Theological Seminary that focuses on contextual witness and innovation.
“It’s different,” Palen said. “It’s weird because it’s already my first and last year, so I’ll be here for not too long and then doing something else.”
With Baylor reaching R1 status, Winkler said this need for advocacy is increasingly important to this group of students.
“Being able to advocate for graduate students means not only supporting the graduate students that are here, but entice other ones to come to Baylor to do their research and see Baylor as a viable place to participate in being a graduate student,” Winkler said.
To continue the momentum of building community, the next The Table luncheon will be Oct. 6 in Truett Seminary’s Great Hall. More information on time and volunteer sign ups will be emailed to graduate students.
“Things like [community] are really important because it helps students make it through this arduous, long journey of being a graduate student,” Winkler said. “So advocating for them seems like the least we can do in helping them be successful here at Baylor.”
