By Zach Babajanof-Rustrian | Intern
Baylor Round Table looks forward to hosting its International Thanksgiving on Monday, Nov. 13, where about 300 people are invited to join for a Thanksgiving feast. The dinner is provided to help international students understand the American tradition of Thanksgiving.
Every year, the week before Thanksgiving, the BRT holds its annual international Thanksgiving dinner. Meredith Moore, chair for the BRT International Thanksgiving, said this year the BRT is looking to invite international students, faculty, staff and alumni.
“We have BRT ladies hosting the tables. So a table of international students undergrad or grad are going to be sitting together with BRT representatives and some international faculty and staff from across campus,” Moore said. “We have conversation topics so there’s no stress and just have great conversations and a great meal. It’s a chance to sit with a small group and explain what [Thanksgiving] is but also to explain what Americans are doing for Thanksgiving break.”
The first International Thanksgiving was held by BRT in 1961, following the Thanksgiving theme in food, decoration, and song, according to the BRT website.
In addition to international students, faculty and staff, Baylor President Linda Livingstone will be in attendance at the dinner.
“The president will be speaking this year as well,” Moore said. “We have usually about 200 students, about 50 members of international faculty and staff and BRT members. This year, we’re adding on another 50 seats for international alumni, so we’re gonna have a full house for sure.”
BRT is a group that is designed to help the women of Baylor’s faculty and staff have a go-to group whenever needs arise.
“We bring together the faculty and the staff and the spouses of the faculty as well, in a group that kind of celebrates each other and we help each other,” Rizalia Klausmeyer, public relations co-chair for BRT, said. “When I joined the Baylor Round Table, I didn’t know anybody outside chemistry. And now I can go anywhere, and I will know more than one person in the different departments.”
In the spring of 2024, BRT will celebrate its 120th anniversary of being founded.
“In April, we are actually planning a nice anniversary celebration,” Klausmeyer said. “We are probably going to do it at the Texas Collection because that’s where a lot of the documents from the Baylor Round Table are kept, so we’re kind of going to dig into our history and enjoy a presentation on it.”
BRT also has the Baylor Round Table Endowed Scholarship, providing more than 45 need-based scholarships for juniors and seniors.
“Usually a young lady who’s [an] undergrad gets the scholarship,” Moore said. “When people donate to us, we like to tell people where the money is going, so on our website, if someone was to make a donation, it says where that money is being directed to.”
For students looking to attend the Thanksgiving dinner, Moore said an email will be sent from International Student and Scholar Services, including directions to sign up for the dinner. For further questions, contact: Meredith_L_Moore@baylor.edu.
