By Maggie Meegan | Reporter
Once during the academic year, the Baylor history department gets together to honor its students in a historical but non-traditional way.
Some departments, such as Journalism, Public Relations and New Media have a banquet for student awards and recognize their students for all their achievements in fashion. The history department differs slightly in pomp and circumstance.
Instead, they host an annual picnic alongside Phi Alpha Theta for just history majors and minors.
Phi Alpha Theta is a national honors society that has been at Baylor since the 1970s, and it aims to award outstanding students and create a network amongst its collegiate and alumni members. It is a part of the Baylor history department and carries on keeping the past and present members connected.
Grand Rapids, Mich., senior Joshua Beuker, officer of Phi Alpha Theta, has enjoyed getting together with his fellow history friends for the last four years through the annual picnic.
“I love getting with my friends and some of my favorite professors to celebrate the year and to grow as a community and relationships,” Beuker said. “It is one of my favorite things about the history department: the community and the camaraderie that we all have together.”
Dr. Steven Jug, lecturer in history and modern languages and cultures, serves as the faculty adviser for Phi Alpha Theta.
“For a lot of students, there is a time to mingle with faculty you haven’t met if you haven’t had their class this semester or just have not seen them in several months,” Jug said.
The annual picnic has existed as long as any student or professor can recall, according to Jug.
The picnic is not just a time to mingle, but also holds special moments for the students and faculty in attendance. Phi Alpha Theta announces its new officers for the upcoming school year, and there is a raffle for attendees to enter and win some prizes. There is also the celebration of awards handed out to students, recognizing where the graduating class will go once they leave Baylor and the induction of new members into the organization.
“This is usually a sort of just celebration mode, which is what we are up to,” Jug said. “The [history] department is key to making the meal happen and the event viable, weather permitting. It is just such a great time for faculty, staff and students just to engage with each other.”
This year, the annual picnic will be held at 5 p.m. Friday at the Cameron Park Clubhouse.
