By Olivia Turner | Staff Writer
With finals fast approaching, Baylor students can plan for a fair amount of studying and hard work in the near future, but they can also anticipate a bit of fun thanks to Alpha Phi’s first-ever Jubilee, a co-sponsored event with Baylor Activities Council. From 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday the event will occupy Fountain Mall with plenty of festivities to go around.
This farmer’s market-inspired evening is intended to provide a study break for students who will likely be hunkered down in the libraries, Alpha Phi Chapter President and San Jose, Calif., junior Ashley McIntyre said.
“It’s just gonna be a fun time to hang out with friends, to meet new friends and just kind of celebrate that we made it through the year,” McIntyre said.
Stands with springtime activities like tote bag-making, glitter tattoos and cotton candy-making, food trucks, live music featuring artists and bands from the Baylor community, a dunk tank and a fraternity pie-eating contest are all on the agenda for the night, according to McIntyre.
Plenty of local vendors will also be showcased, such as Hey Sugar Candy Store, Norma’s Blooming Bike, Zapped and Big Frog T-Shirts, as well as student-owned businesses like Local Skate Rats and MyGirlTees — all for students to enjoy. Food options will include Pokey O’s, Nico’s and Bitty and Beau’s Coffee, which will be making a specialty tea called the “Alpha Phi” of which they will give the first hundred away for free, McIntyre said.
The entire event was made possible by Baylor Activities Council, McIntyre said. Baylor Activities Council Marketing Coordinator, Theodora John Milton, said the group’s mission when partnering with student organizations is to create lasting, quality experiences for students while working on events such as Jubilee.
“The launch of Jubilee marks an exciting development in Baylor’s event calendar, with a distinctive program of activities designed to foster a sense of belonging and community spirit, all while indulging in some cotton candy,” Milton said.
Through their collaboration, Milton said she can see Jubilee becoming a valued tradition at Baylor, one that will bring joy to the lives of both students and the community outside the university.
While Jubilee is meant to be an overall lighthearted and joyful event, the cause it supports is weighty, McIntyre said. Focusing on supporting women’s heart health, McIntyre said this event will put much of it’s profits from vendors towards the Alpha Phi Foundation, the sorority’s philanthropic organization which works to further research in the field of women’s heart health.
“So many women die every year because of heart issues, and that’s something we’re really passionate about for all of our events,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre said in addition to Jubilee, Alpha Phi also hosts reoccurring events which similarly support the heart health mission, like Wolfstock and the Red Dress Event, which is put on by Alpha Phi chapters in the United States and Canada. They also have a partnership with Starting Hearts, a nonprofit that works to teach CPR to the chapter members and Carter BloodCare, a local nonprofit blood center organization which provides Baylor with many of its on-campus blood drives.
McIntyre said she hopes the event will be brought back year after year, one of the reasons why it was dubbed “Jubilee,” meaning an anniversary-type celebration. She said she wishes, with the possible help of the Baylor Activities Council, that Jubilee can join the numerous other beloved traditions that Baylor has kept up through the generations.
