Gooooooooood morning, Bears! Welcome to the best year of your life (probably.) If you are new, the What's New BU emails will arrive at your inbox every Monday morning. There are no homework assignments in here. Or bills. Or even responsibilities. These emails are 100% fellowship, activities, music, athletics, some educational events, and a lot of fun. We highly encourage you to save them and refer back throughout the week if you find yourself looking for something epic to do! It's going to be an awesome year, and we are so excited to see you at events on campus this year! 

Stop by the Baylor Sciences Building, Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, Moody Library or Bill Daniel Student Center this morning and take your official First Day photo - you know your family wants one! You can also participate at Penland Dining Hall during lunch. Staff will be on hand at all locations to take the photo with your phone so you can share it with your family. If you post it on social media, be sure to tag Baylor.  

Join President Livingstone and First Gent Brad Livingstone for FREE popsicles from Hellos La Azteca — a Waco favorite. It’s a first-day "welcome home” you don’t want to miss. Stop by the front of Allbritton House  — where the President and First Gent live on campus — today at 2 p.m. and select your favorite flavor.

Don't miss the Student Football Ticket drop. Student tickets will be available via your student athletic ticketing account at 4 p.m. every Monday before a football game. The queue begins in the system at 3:30 p.m. All students: make sure to login early to make sure your username and password work correctly before the ticket drop. For more information on student tickets and how to access your student ticket account, click HERE

Meet YOUR registered dietitian! Kirsten Hancock, RDN, LDN, M.S., will be available at our dining halls to meet with students and guests and discuss the nutrition resources available to them. For more information, click HERE. Location will vary by day:

August 25: Penland Dining Hall | 5 -7 p.m.
August 26: East Village Dining Commons | 5 -7 p.m.
August 27: 1845 at Memorial | 5 -7 p.m.

Since 1953, Dr Pepper Hour has been a long-standing tradition of the Student Union. Sponsored by Student Activities. Click here to learn about the Dr Pepper Hour Club! Don't miss the chance to earn your DP Hour Mug. Contact sarah_patterson@baylor.edu for more information.

Meet and hang out with other new students from your home state, region, or country during your first week of classes! Enjoy a come-and-go time of fellowship and refreshments!

FREE FOOD ALERT!!! The Department of Multicultural Affairs cordially invites you to celebrate the start of the semester with Mosaic Mixer - a celebration of the rich culture that makes up our family here at Baylor University. Beginning at 5 p.m., the Organization Fair will offer an exciting opportunity to explore a wide variety of cultural organizations, coalitions, and campus departments. All are welcome!

Enjoy performances from our community as organizations compete for a chance to call themselves the 2025 Mosaic Mixer Showcase Champions! 

Immediately following the showcase, join us in the SUB Den for the Block Party. There will be an abundance of food, fun, and fellowship. Contact Romina Vidal Martinez for more information. All are welcome!

Hoping to find your place in the Baylor family? The Department of Multicultural Affairs invites you to Black Student Welcome. Reconnect with friends you missed over the summer, enjoy some free food, and learn about the organizations that make up the Black Student Coalition! Contact, Chelsey_Wise1@baylor.edu and Cornelius_Bisong1@baylor.edu, Black Student Coalition Interns, for more information. All are welcome!

For information about LatinX Night and Asian Mosaic Night (both taking place next week, September 3 and September 4) click HERE.

Welcome New Transfers! You are invited to join and meet other transfer students for some bowling, billiards, foosball, free pizza, and more! Come hang out in the gameroom and meet some other transfers! A time to make friends and hang out before the Sign the Line Event!

For more information about Baylor Athletics events, visit: baylorbears.com.

You’ve made it through the first week of classes… but now what? Go home? Drive to Dallas? Neither! Stick around Wacotown over the weekend and hang out with your friends! And we’ve got you covered – with a pretty big football game, some great activities and awesome discounts. Check off a few spots HERE and it’ll be one of the best weekends of the year!

On Friday, the Baylor Bears will take on the Auburn Tigers in McLane Stadium for the first game of the season. The game begins at 7 p.m. Please note, Friday classes will be held as usual. Please remain in contact with your instructors about any changes that may occur.

The game does impact several parking garages on campus: 

Pick up a free $5 voucher to Waco Downtown Farmers Market on behalf of the Division of Student Life and Campus Programs while supplies last. Click HERE for more information about the Waco Farmer's Market. Once you arrive at the Farmer's Market, head for the main WDFM booth and Baylor will have a booth right next to it where you can pick up your voucher.

Waco Surf, in the heart of Texas, is one of the largest inland surfing and water sports facilities in the country! Baylor students get discounts on many activities at Waco Surf. Check it all out HERE. 

In addition to the great deals at Waco Surf, your Baylor ID unlocks discounts, deals, and specials on food, entertainment, attractions, and services all across Waco, through our Waco Perks partnerships. Check out the massive list of discount partners HERE. To unlock the incentives at locations below you must present your Baylor student ID. 

Late Night is THE premier opportunity for you to meet and engage with hundreds of our registered student organizations. From spirit and sport to academic and service, our student organizations look forward to this event. The SLC will be hosting the Intramural Dodgeball Tournament, as well as house our Sport Clubs and demonstrations. All other student organizations will be in Russell Gymnasium, the Bill Daniel Student Center, or on Vara Martin Daniel Plaza, just outside the SUB. 

Registration is now open for volleyball (through 8/28) and dodgeball.

Dodgeball registration closes TODAY (8/25)! Grab your crew, get your Play Pass at myrec.baylor.edu, and sign up via the Fusion Play app!

Dodgeball playoffs are during Late Night (8/30) in the SLC gym!

Register to play intramural sports through the FUSION PLAY APP in 3 easy steps!

There’s a good chance that you don’t know what hazing actually is! We’re not kidding. The laws around hazing have changed, and we want all of our students, faculty, and staff to understand how it affects our community. So we have a goal of training the entire campus in order to make our family as safe and respectful as possible. Protect yourself, your student organization, and your university by taking this simple training. If students complete the training by Friday, September 12, they’ll be entered to win 1-of-5 faculty/staff parking passes for the 2025-2026 academic year. Visit  baylor.edu/hazing to take the training.

Student Productions is excited to announce that AFTER DARK is back! Our Family Weekend variety show will take place on September 12 at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. in Waco Hall. We are looking for members of our Baylor Community, including students, faculty, and staff, to join us on stage! If you have a knack for singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument, ventriloquism, or if you have a physical art piece you would like to submit, please fill out the Connect form HERE. 

Opportunities for student organizations to showcase their activities are also welcome - show off your dances, instruments, and unique abilities on the Waco Hall stage! As an added bonus, tabling will be available for all participating organizations. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Student Productions at stupro@baylor.edu, or directly to the After Dark Executive Producer, Giavanna Russo at giavanna_russo1@baylor.edu.

Interested in joining one of our 12 national organizations or our 2 local chapters? Formal recruitment for upperclassmen and transfer students is OPEN!

Register today and reach out to chapters through Connect to attend specific events. Check out the Recruitment Website for more specific information, eligibility requirements and registration link. If you have further questions, please reach out to Lauren Fisher, IFC Advisor, Lauren_fisher2@baylor.edu. 

Free one‑day certification offered to students, faculty, and staff to learn to identify, understand, and respond to early signs and symptoms of mental health or substance use concerns—equipping you to support yourself and others effectively. Earn a National Council for Mental Wellbeing certificate upon completion.
Faculty & Staff can sign-up in Ignite and student can email Valerie_Willis@baylor.edu to sign-up.

Calling all student orgs! Want a prime spot to show your spirit, connect with new students, and recruit members on game day? This year’s Student Organization Tailgate on Bear Lawn is back for all home football games, and it’s completely free to participate. Each group gets: • A no-cost tailgate spot on Bear Lawn • One parking pass (Baylor Law School lot)

Just bring your own setup (tents, tables, chairs, etc.)—or make life easy with 50% off our basic equipment rental package. Reserve your spot HERE (first come, first served.) Spots are limited! If your game fills up, you’ll be added to the waitlist and contacted if a space opens. Let’s make game day a great day for your org!

Do you have someone in your student organization that represents Baylor well? Nominate them for Baylor Homecoming Court for a chance for them to be the next Baylor King or Queen. Nominations must be made on behalf of an organization. Nominations are open today through October 1. Click HERE.

Thank you to everyone who has already completed the Faith and Character Study. The survey helps Baylor better understand the long-term impact of a Baylor education on a person’s faith and character development from when they arrive on campus to when they graduate and a decade after graduation. We encourage incoming freshmen to complete the survey before it closes at the end of this week. 

Meal Plans are a great way to budget and save while dining on campus, and we have plenty of options available for students living both on and off campus! Start your semester off right with a plan that fits your lifestyle! For more information, click HERE or contact bayloreats@baylor.edu.

Rising country music powerhouse Tucker Wetmore, whose hit songs “3,2,1” and “Wind Up Missin’ You” have topped radio airwaves, will headline his first arena show at the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. Opening for Wetmore is singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts. This concert will bring the entire Waco community and fans from the surrounding area to Foster Pavilion, the hottest new music venue in the region. Tickets are on sale now on the Foster Events website.

Kick off your fitness journey with FitWell FREE WEEK! Enjoy unlimited access to all Group Fitness and Specialty Classes, no FitPass needed! 9/2-9/2—first come, first served!

For just $50 (students) or $60 (faculty, staff & faculty spouses), you get access to every group fitness class all semester long. One pass, every class.Grab yours now at myrec.baylor.edu

If you are a department or Baylor student organization and have items you would like to see appear in What's New BU, submit them for consideration by Friday at 8 a.m. by clicking here or emailing them to whatsnew@baylor.edu. View past issues of What’s New BU here. 

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