By Kaylee Hayes | Reporter
This Friday, from 7 to 9 p.m., the Barfield Drawing Room will be a drawing room no more. Instead there will be mocktails, hors d’oeuvres, low lights, ironed shirts and some smooth jazz.
The idea for the slam started with Dr. Kevin Villegas, the dean of intercultural engagement and division of student life initiatives. Villegas said his job is to “create a more vibrant, inclusive and supportive campus community.” He believes that storytelling can facilitate those goals.
“One way to go about doing that [creating inclusivity] is through the power of story,” Villegas said. “Recognizing that we all have varied life experiences, and we all have a variety of stories that we carry within us. I think it’s important that we create space in our community to share and to hear those stories because it really does broaden our minds. I think it generates a lot of empathy and curiosity.”
The 2025 Sic ‘Em Slam will be the university’s second time ever putting the event on. Last year’s slam was a success, having a turnout of around 200 students, according to Villegas and Kathy Ottenad, the senior coordinator for intercultural engagement.
The Baylor Sic ‘Em Slam, organized by the Baylor Activities Council and Intercultural Engagement division of Student Life, will include ten performers. Some have more than one piece to share.
Greer Rutt, the Collins Residence Hall chaplin and Baylor graduate student, performed at the event last year. Rutt said that she was involved in getting the event off the ground and will be a returning performer this year.
Rutt beamed about how special the event was and is.
“I just feel like me up there [on stage],” Rutt said.
Ottenad said they have gone all out with the event this year. There will be balloon arches and also a big light up sign on stage that will say, “Sic ‘Em Slam.” A band out of Dallas will be playing live music that compliments the vibe of the piece being performed on stage.
In addition to that, Chartwells will be catering the hors’ d’oeuvres. Pop’s lemonade will be supplying the mocktails and there will be sparkling water as well, Ottenad said.
