So, you made it to campus! You probably need to Get Settled first, and get all of that logistical and admin work out of the way… but once you are done with the serious (and admittedly boring) tasks of your adulting life here is some stuff to beautify your campus days!
Baylor Traditions
Baylor is a quite ancient institution! It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas, and it is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas, as well as one of the first educational institutions west of the Mississippi River in the U.S. A bit more recent, but still suitably old, here are some then/now pictures of the campus, some dating back to the 40’s.
No campus tradition that old survives, but one of the longest running weekly event on campus has been going strong since 1953: it’s the Dr. Pepper Hour. Every Tuesday from 3pm to 5pm, at Bill Daniel Student Center, they hand students and staff Dr. Pepper floats. Dr. Pepper, by the way, is a soda that was invented in Waco, by a local pharmacist in the 1880’s (and the city has a Dr. Pepper Museum too).
All of this conveniently happens across the street from the Bear Habitat where the two actual Baylor mascot bears are kept. They are sisters and can usually be seen doing absolutely nothing, blissfully napping the day away.
Of course, that’s not all and Baylor has a bunch of other campus traditions, annual or seasonal, that you can check out. Add to that their campus events and it should give you enough occasions for a little break, now and then, during your work day!
Wellbeing on Campus
There’s a wide a selection of activities and services offered all across campus, enough to stay sane in body and mind… provided that you know about them! Here is a selection of links we thought could be useful to your quality of life at Baylor. If you hear of anything that could be added to this list, please let us know.
- Wellbeing Services: there’s a lot! Have a look so you know it exists if one day you need it
- Employee Assistance Program: apparently offers a range of free legal, financial, etc. services, as wells as counseling
- Pro Bono Legal Clinics: ran by the law students, so services are a bit limited in range
- Baylor Counseling Center
- Fitness:
- Access to the gym (SLC) is free – see link for list of amenities, hours of operation and options to rent a locker
- Choice of programs and services (fitness classes are in there)
- One can also rent equipment, be it for indoor sports and outdoor activities
- It’s even possible to book the facilities themselves (maybe BUPA should have a pool party?)
- A bunch of quite random Baylor perks thrown together, some cool stuff in there!