By Joana Karoshi | Staff Writer
Baylor students may see changes to the game-day experience this year as a new student council works with Baylor Athletics to address barriers keeping students from attending athletic events.
The Athletic Student Advisory Council, a new initiative under External Vice President Lucy Dennis, held its first meeting Friday. The 11-member council and a Baylor Athletics representative will meet monthly to discuss ways to improve game days and increase student engagement.
The first meeting focused on how to get students’ attention for game days. Aaron Fordyce, associate athletic director of marketing and fan experience and the council’s Baylor Athletics representative, asked members for feedback on a weekly email from Baylor Athletics. Members discussed its formatting, colors, graphics and content, as well as other ways to engage students, including athlete meet-and-greets and social media reels.
Fordyce said student feedback is important to Baylor Athletics because the department relies on students’ energy and passion at games.
“Hearing from students on what the obstacles are [that do not allow] them to come to events, or what things we could do better, is extremely important for us,” Fordyce said.
Some barriers to attending games, such as classes and busy schedules, are unavoidable, Fordyce said. Others, including communication from Baylor Athletics, can be addressed.
“We talked a lot today about whether there are opportunities for us to email the students regularly and get the student-athletes out on campus to communicate with their students about upcoming games or matches,” he said.
Dennis, a junior from Parker, said the council has been in the works since last spring. To find members, she reached out to campus partners, including the Office of Multicultural Affairs, New Student Programs and organizations connected to athletics, to ask for recommendations.
“Yes, there are students in there who care a lot about athletics, and this is something they put thought into,” Dennis said. “But also the student who has not really gone to games or encounters barriers to entry — we want to make sure their voice is accounted for as well.”
Dennis said she is already thankful for her relationship with Baylor Athletics and hopes the council will create a two-way exchange between students and the department.
“Our relationship already is what we hope for it to be,” she said. “[It’s] definitely a two-way street, where it is not simply just students giving input to athletics but also bringing news back to their communities as well.”
Changes resulting from the council will not happen immediately, Dennis said. The timeline will depend on the type of request.
“Requests like ‘We need more water’ or notifications for game days, I see those requests as things we could improve within the semester quickly,” she said. “But when you are thinking of changes that are more structural and require a lot of funding or donor support, institutional approval, such as Baylor Line improvements, those are things that might take nine months, a year.”
Dennis said some success may not be seen immediately and that the council will help future generations. She also believes initiatives like the council hold both the athletic and student sides accountable.
“Success in a council doesn’t come from how many items on our list we see change immediately,” she said. “But rather, do students feel like they’re able to voice things, and if they’re being received well, that’s one measure of success.”
Waco senior Benjamin Jacob joined the council because of his involvement in Baylor athletics. A self-described “die-hard avid Baylor fan,” Jacob joined the Bear Pit as a freshman and worked his way up to president his junior year.
“I want to showcase the fun aspects of the atmosphere on game days,” he said. “My goal is to get as many students to show up at the games as possible.”
Jacob said the Bear Pit meets with Baylor Athletics every two weeks, but he believes additional opportunities for student input can help strengthen communication between students and the department.
“I think it will be really good to have more student voices heard by athletics,” Jacob said.
Looking ahead, Fordyce hopes students will notice the changes the council helps create.
“Overall, what I want that change to feel like is … students who have nothing to do with this council feel the same way because they’re like, ‘Wow, they really thought of everything,'” Fordyce said. “That all starts by listening to the students in an environment like this first to make sure that we can achieve that goal.”
