By Zainab Richardson | Staff Writer
Her Campus at Baylor and the Nu Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity joined Tuesday night to show that love isn’t just about relationships — it shapes friendships, families and how people treat each other.
Sigma and Her Campus hosted “The Art of Loving,” an event centered around what it means to love. The event was one of many comprising Baylor’s Civil Discourse Week.
Austin junior and Sigma President Damo Kouakou opened the event with a speech reminding attendees that there are still positive things in this world to focus on. Kouakou’s hope for it was to help men and women understand each other better in relationships.
“I understand that a lot of people have different opinions of how relationships will work,” Kouakou said. “Highlighting or trying to get the mass opinions of how relationships work is a way everybody can improve and figure out what type of relations do for them.”
The event featured thought-provoking questions, like “What does love mean to you right now?” Attendees shared their opinions on various questions about relationships.
Alvin senior Alexa Padilla, a member of Her Campus, said she defines love as a connection that overcomes disagreements.
“I feel like it’s a connection on a deeper level where you know that you can acknowledge the fact that we’re human and that we’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to get into arguments,” Padilla said.
Organizers provided tacos and lemonade to accompany the discussion. Some students attended simply to support their organizations, but left with a new perspective on what it means to love. Though Padilla came to support Her Campus, she said she stayed because she loved the discussion.
Another activity involved the host presenting different relationship scenarios, and attendees deciding whether each was a red or green flag. Dallas sophomore and Her Campus President Naomi Ma said it helped students understand what to look for in relationships.
“I think it’s really important because, especially in college, you’re in something new and you never know what relationships you’re looking for,” Ma said. “So I think it’s really important for people to be able to talk about and express themselves.”
Raniya Dawood Abdullah Hussen, a sophomore from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, said the event opened her eyes to a new perspective and gave her more insight into relationships.
“Sometimes I tend to think that men don’t think the same as women, but tonight made me open up to more perspectives,” Hussen said.
