In the aftermath of national attention over Baylor hosting Turning Point USA on campus, statements made at the closed event have ignited controversy amongst students and faculty.
Browsing: All Are Neighbors
By Sam Gassaway | Photo Editor & Mesha Mittanasala | Photographer
By Mesha Mittanasala | Photographer
The audience at the All Are Neighbors event, hosted by multiple university coalitions, included a sizeable share of older generations, including, but not limited to, tenured professors, university staff and community members.
All Are Neighbors, held in the Cashion Academic Center, drew 270 ticketed attendees, totaling 352 people, including VIP guests and speakers, nearly filling all available seats. The event was created in response to TPUSA’s presence on campus, but speakers and organizers consistently emphasized that the gathering was not merely reactive. Instead, it functioned as a faith-centered call to action, rooted in Christian teaching and expressed through civic engagement.
TPUSA sent out an email in the late afternoon that attendance for the “This is The Turning Point” tour, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., would be limited to Baylor students only after originally being marketed for the broader community.
Several students’ responses to the events reveal a disconnect between institutional attention and student interest, a disconnect that may negatively affect other events across campus.
The event, originally featuring Executive Vice President Donald Trump Jr., “Border Czar” Tom Homan and Political Commentator Benny Johnson, will now host Attorney General Ken Paxton, Homan and Johnson. Turning Point USA Baylor posted a new graphic Tuesday morning with Paxton, Homan and Johnson.
Baylor’s Department of Public Safety works with local, state and federal law enforcement partners to prepare for events of varying scale, from athletic competitions and concerts to guest speakers and campus traditions. The department also monitors similar events at other institutions as part of its planning process.
What might it look like if students attended All Are Neighbors, then walked together to the Quadrangle for prayer and, from there, continued on to the Turning Point USA event? What conversations might emerge not in isolation, but in movement — in the shared experience of listening, reflecting and then listening again?
As Turning Point USA’s “This is the Turning Point” tour meets in Waco Hall April 22, another group will meet a few doors down for “All Are Neighbors,” an alternative option for students.
As Turning Point USA prepares to visit Baylor, a coalition of student groups are organizing an alternative event focused on unity, dialogue and inclusion.
