Baylor University Announces Family Weekend Virtual Experience Schedule

Families invited to join virtual event celebrating the student experience

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By Jonathan Hill, senior brand integration specialist, Baylor Marketing and Brand Strategy

WACO, Texas (September 18, 2020) – Baylor University will virtually welcome families from around the world to a Family Weekend Virtual Experience on Sept. 25-26, with live-streamed video events, a Family Weekend Spirit Box available for order for a limited time and other more. While safety precautions due to COVID-19 require some changes to the programming, Family Weekend will once again help families of Baylor students become better acquainted with the University and its beloved traditions.

New to this year’s celebration, a Family Weekend Spirit Box will provide families at home a unique way to join in, with a fully loaded kit that offers a glimpse of the campus experience. Each box will contain a Family Weekend-branded cap, a branded decal, celebration buttons, spirit pom poms, pens, a recipe card featuring the famous Vitek’s BBQ Gut Pak and a bottle of Common Grounds Secret Sauce.

To receive your box in time for Family Weekend, orders must be placed online by Friday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m. Boxes will still be available for order the following week, but may not arrive in time to join the virtual celebration.

A number of main events will continue to anchor the weekend experience for our students and families, including:

• After Dark (Friday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m.) – Baylor’s student variety show will be delivered virtually and free of charge this year. This unique, professionally produced viewing experience will feature top student talent, including outstanding solo performances, dance, stand-up comedy, musical theater and more.
• Family-Faculty Coffee with President Livingstone (Saturday, Sept. 26 at 9 a.m.) – Join President Livingstone and Baylor faculty from across the institution for a live-streamed conversation about education and transformation amidst COVID-19, emerging research efforts and our shared commitment to a caring Christian community.
• Family Lunch with John Morris (Saturday, Sept. 26 at noon) – Enjoy a conversation around the virtual “family dinner table” with John Morris, Voice of the Bears and the 2020 Texas Sportscaster of the Year. Morris will share reflections on his life, how it has intersected with the Baylor story and highlights of his 30-plus years broadcasting Baylor Football. The Q&A discussion will be led by Jovan Overshown, senior associate AD of external affairs in Baylor Athletics.
• Baylor Football vs. Kansas (Saturday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m.) – The Bears will start the Big 12 Conference slate, hosting the Jayhawks at McLane Stadium and nationally televised on ESPNU. With limited tickets available due to COVID-19 seating capacity restrictions, fans can tune in to cheer on the football team in its first Big 12 contest under first-year head coach Dave Aranda.

If you are coming to Waco to visit your student over the weekend, please help us keep all our students safe by following the campus safety protocols and interim policies currently in place to help support Baylor’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts. Face coverings are required to be worn by all individuals (faculty, staff, students and visitors) in ALL buildings on the Baylor campus and in ALL outside campus areas where social distancing is not possible, when in groups or where congestion is likely. For more information on Baylor’s interim COVID-19 policies, visit baylor.edu/coronavirus.

Residence Halls Safety Guidelines

As a reminder, Baylor University has implemented changes to visiting policies in our on-campus housing during COVID-19. If you are coming to campus, please note that these policies remain in place for Family Weekend and throughout the fall semester. We ask for your understanding and cooperation as we continue to put Family First and care for all the members of the Baylor Family and our respective communities.

These guidelines include:

• Allowing guests during normal visiting hours only with the expressed advance permission from all roommates, suitemates or apartment mates
• Each resident may only have one guest at a time
  • Suites with six student residents may not exceed 10 total occupants at one time
• No overnight guests will be allowed to reduce exposure to individuals from outside the on-campus community

For a complete list of Family Weekend events and links to the event streaming platforms, visit baylor.edu/familyweekend.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 18,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.