Baptist Student Union

Research Ready: January 2020

Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baptist Student Union, Baylor athletics, Research Ready, School of Education, student life, Texas Baptists
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January’s finding aids
By Paul Fisher, Assistant Director and Processing Archivist

Baylor students at a Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Foreign Missions event, part of Missions Week in 1956. You’ll find this item in the BU Records: Baptist Student Union, Accession #BU/15, box 10, folder 18, at The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Sharing Student Scholarship: Religion at Baylor, 1921-1930

Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baptist history, Baptist Student Union, Baylor University, BGCT, Higher Education and Student Affairs, Nathan Alleman, Revivals, Samuel Palmer Brooks, Texas Baptists, Theology study and teaching
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For the last few weeks, we’ve been putting up teasers about the fascinating Baylor history, 1921-1930, that Higher Education and Student Affairs students analyzed and shared on the Foundations and History of Higher Education class blog. We’ve already looked at Curriculum,  Finance, Students/Student Groups, and Access. This final week we’re looking at Religion at Baylor, with papers examining Baylor’s relationship with the BGCT, the beginnings of the Baptist Student Union, and the role of Samuel Palmer Brooks’ faith in maintaining Baylor’s Christian identity. Did you know that…

Baptist Young People's Union of Texas, Waco, Texas
The Baptist Young People’s Union was one of many existing groups that would fall under the Baptist Student Union’s umbrella after the latter organization was formed in 1921.
  • Out of concern over the evolution controversy, the BGCT formed a textbook commission with Samuel Palmer Brooks at its helm; however, the challenge of how to select textbooks for all departments and courses quickly showed itself to be unwieldy and the idea was dropped. Learn more…
  • The Baptist Student Union worked with the university to hold a revival every year, with regular classes canceled for five days—the revival was considered a part of the coursework in the academic catalogue. Discover more…
  • People from all over were aware of Brooks’ faith and knowledge of the Bible, to the point that people as far away as Missouri sometimes wrote to him asking theological questions. He would reply if he could, but always with the disclaimer, “I am not a theologian.” Read more…

We hope you’ll explore these blog posts and enjoy the benefits of the HESA students’ research and scholarship. If you’re inspired to dig deeper, most of their sources can be found in the University Archives within The Texas Collection and in our digitized materials available online in the Baylor University Libraries Digital Collections.

Background on this project: Students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) masters program have taken on the challenge of creating original scholarship that adds to what is known about Baylor’s history. As part of Dr. Nathan Alleman’s Foundations and History of Higher Education course, students were grouped under the five class themes: curriculum, finance, students/student groups, access, and religion. In collaboration with Texas Collection archivists and librarians, students mined bulletins, newspapers, correspondence, and other primary resources as they researched their topics. Final papers have been posted on blogs.baylor.edu/hesabaylorhistoryproject and grouped by their particular sub-topic so that patrons, researchers, and other interested persons could benefit from these students’ work. This is the second installment of an annual accumulating project–see last year’s teasers here. Please visit again for future installments!

Sharing Student Scholarship: Students/Student Groups at Baylor, 1921-1930

Baptist Student Union, Baylor Orientation, Baylor University, Baylor Yell Leaders, Higher Education and Student Affairs, Immortal Ten, Nathan Alleman, Samuel Palmer Brooks, special collections research
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For the next few weeks, we’re putting up teasers about the fascinating Baylor history, 1921-1930, that Higher Education and Student Affairs students analyzed and shared on the Foundations and History of Higher Education class blog. We’ve already looked at Curriculum and Finance. This week we’re looking at Students/Student Groups at Baylor, with papers examining the beginnings of new student orientation, the cultivation of the campus environment, and the Baylor community’s response to tragedy. Did you know that…

Baylor University Immortal Ten scrapbook page
Telegrams received by Baylor University following the loss of the Immortal Ten. Such telegrams from schools and individuals across the country fill a scrapbook in the Texas Collection.

 

  • President Samuel Palmer Brooks taught a year-long freshman orientation course, with topics ranging from Baylor history to selection of vocation to social law and order. (One class was subtitled, “Suppose the freshman class shipwrecked on an island. What would they do?”) Discover more…
  • Student organizations begun in the 1920s include Yell Leaders, the Baptist Student Union, the Nose Brotherhood, and the Freshman Student Organization…all of which still exist in some form today! Learn more…
  • The term “Immortal Ten” was coined within one day of the bus-train accident that took the lives of 10 Baylor students in 1927. Read more…

We hope you’ll explore these blog posts and enjoy the benefits of the HESA students’ research and scholarship. If you’re inspired to dig deeper, most of their sources can be found in the University Archives within The Texas Collection and in our digitized materials available online in the Baylor University Libraries Digital Collections.

Background on this project: Students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) masters program have taken on the challenge of creating original scholarship that adds to what is known about Baylor’s history. As part of Dr. Nathan Alleman’s Foundations and History of Higher Education course, students were grouped under the five class themes: curriculum, finance, students/student groups, access, and religion. In collaboration with Texas Collection archivists and librarians, students mined bulletins, newspapers, correspondence, and other primary resources as they researched their topics. Final papers have been posted on blogs.baylor.edu/hesabaylorhistoryproject and grouped by their particular sub-topic so that patrons, researchers, and other interested persons could benefit from these students’ work. This is the second installment of an annual accumulating project–see last year’s teasers here. Please visit again for future installments!

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