• What it means to be BaylorProud, even in disappointment

    Pat Neff Hall

    If this week’s Baylor news has left you shaken, you’re not alone. How, you may wonder, can we ever be proud of Baylor when the university has fallen so far short of the standards it sets for itself?

    A little history… Almost nine years ago, this blog was started to show the many reasons why we can and should take pride in the Baylor family, and over the course of more than 2,000 posts, we’ve celebrated virtually every aspect of Baylor — the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of this university who have fulfilled the Baylor mission by leading and serving in countless ways all across the world.

    And yes, we have certainly taken great pride in the university’s athletic accomplishments, from team championships to individual honors.

    So what does it mean to be “BaylorProud” when we find ourselves saddened and disappointed in the events outlined in the Pepper Hamilton documents? From time to time over the years, people have noted the name of this blog and reminded us of Proverbs 16:18 — loosely quoted, “Pride comes before a fall.” Can an individual be proud — of anything, but in this case, of Baylor — without it becoming arrogance?

    I believe so. I believe pride can easily become a vice when it’s all about one’s own greatness, but I don’t believe pride has to be a vice. For instance, plenty of parents are proud of their children in beneficial, loving ways. But if this blog has played any role in causing us to move from supportive pride to boastful pride, then for that, I am truly sorry. What I hope we’ve been able to do, at least most of the time — and what I hope we can do moving forward — is to celebrate one another, as Baylor family members, and the accomplishments of those across our university.

    Do we enjoy winning football games? Yes. Do we like seeing our university’s good standing slashed in national news stories? No. But people have been brutally hurt, and we owe it to those brave victims who came forward (and to all our students) to make sure this campus is safe for everyone, and that we have our priorities properly aligned.

    Baylor has a mission. It is our “North Star,” and it must guide all we do and be the standards against which all our efforts are aligned. So that’s what I come back to today — our mission statement. “The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.”

    So let’s do that. In particular, let’s be that caring community. Let’s come together and support our university — our family — as Baylor moves forward and has the opportunity to become a national leader in its approach to sexual assault prevention, response and care for those impacted. And let’s start by praying — for university leadership, and for one another — that we will stand for all those good things that Baylor has stood for since 1845.