The Silver Lining: Cold Water and Cookouts

If you look “round up” in the dictionary, you won’t find a very conclusive definition. Which is rather fitting, because Texas Round Up weekend is nearly indescribable, until you’ve experienced it for yourself.

From crawfish boils and concerts to pancake parties, Round Up is a blur, but in the midst of the chaos, two things stood apart from the rest of the festivities.

If you’re in West Campus at about 2 a.m. during Round Up, the crowd is fairly homogeneous: neon tanks, Greek letters, and generally, an exhaustion and substance-propelled stupor. But one group definitely stood out as they stood on the corners of busy streets.

The brothers of BYX, a Christian fraternity, spent their nights passing out water to passersby. Regardless of your stance on Christianity, BYX as an entirety, or individual members of the organization, there’s something to be said for their actions, and how they went about it.

Yes, they’re a religious fraternity, and it’s no secret that BYX doesn’t offer alcohol at any of their events, but instead of preaching at people or condemning their peers, the guys just smiled as people walked by, offering water instead of judgment.

It wasn’t about making a statement. Rather, BYX came to be a peaceful presence and to serve their peers. I’d say that’s a pretty good representation of the person they’re hoping to imitate -- Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, my sorority held its annual Courtyard Cookout -- burgers, face painting, dunk tank, you name it -- and although I may be a biased party, I’d say we threw a pretty great event!

But far more importantly, we ended up raising more than ten thousand dollars for our national philanthropy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and we were ecstatic!

St. Jude has a special place in our hearts, because its mission hits close to home. One of our Tri Delta sisters, Emily Stephens, was diagnosed with cancer at only four years old, and she has been fighting against the disease ever since.

Emily had to leave UT when her tumor began to grow again, and she sought treatment at St. Jude. As the only chapter with an active member at the research hospital, we realized, more than ever, how directly our efforts impact the kids at St. Jude.

We were so happy to welcome Emily back this semester -- in fact, she was a huge part of making Courtyard Cookout happen -- but we are all still very connected to the patients of St. Jude. Because we’ve seen St. Jude’s work first hand, we realize that there’s a fantastic cause behind all the cookouts.