By Marisa Young | Staff Writer
All-University Thanksgiving took on a unique feel this year, due to a rainy forecast that prompted a last-minute move indoors. Though the student, faculty and staff body were divided in person, students still expressed feeling united in spirit throughout the event Wednesday night.
The event is traditionally hosted on Fountain Mall, but it was divided between Penland, Memorial and East Village Common Dining halls this year, with Memorial featuring dietary restriction meals.
Ormond Beach, Fla., senior and Campus Promotions Co-Chair Jordyn Murchison said her team has been planning this event since the summer. The annual tradition is a product of a close partnership between several other Baylor organizations, including the Student Government, the Baylor Police Department, Chartwells Higher Education and Baylor Eats, according to Murchison.
While it was a hectic turnaround to move the event indoors, Murchison said she doesn’t think it tainted the community experience of All-University Thanksgiving at all.
“If anything, you’re literally being physically brought closer together, and you’re joining tables with other people and meeting new friends,” Murchison said. “I think it’ll be great either way.”
Greenwood, S.C., second-year Ph.D. candidate Ben Luke said that despite the dining halls being “more crowded than anticipated,” the energy was a fun aspect, and it did not take away from the draw of the event.
“It’s free, so it incentivizes more people to show up,” Luke said. “I think the food is better this year than I remember it being last year.”
As a Ph.D. student, Luke said there can be a slight disconnect from most Baylor traditions, which primarily engage the undergraduate community. Despite this, he feels All-University Thanksgiving stays true to its name by bringing all of campus together, regardless of their grade.
“There’s definitely a richer undergraduate tradition here on campus, which I think is a great thing,” Luke said. “But this event is fun because it’s university-wide, so it’s trying to pull in graduate students and faculty too.”
McKinney third-year Master of Divinity student Ethan Tong felt a similar connection to the undergraduate community at All-University Thanksgiving. Being in the dining halls, though “hectic,” forced him to interact with more familiar faces, he said.
“I ran into a lot of people here that I know from chapel,” Tong said. “These events definitely help me feel connected to the larger campus, just like going to football games.”
Harlingen freshman Daniella Sanchez said she felt slightly overwhelmed while navigating the dining halls, but she is glad Baylor persisted in putting the event on. As a first-year attendee, she said she especially appreciated the brown paper and markers lining the tables, on which students could write what they are grateful for.
“There’s a lot going on, but it’s really cool,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s important to have university-wide events like this, especially because we’re such a small university. You’re seeing people that are right down the hall from you that you maybe haven’t talked to, and it’s like, ‘Oh, hey, they need a spot to sit,’ and they’ll sit with you.”
San Diego sophomore Katy Scott agreed, saying she still felt a deep “communal” aspect of All-University Thanksgiving, despite it being indoors.
“Food is a bonding thing for all cultures,” Scott said. “I really think the [All-]University Thanksgiving brought us all together.”
