Burgers, Boots, and a Big Splash: BSA Cookout brings family vibes to the pavilion

Lipscomb’s Black Student Association (BSA) brought a taste of the wild west to campus today, hosting its highly anticipated “Cowboys and Cowgirls” themed cookout at the Pavilion from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The event was a high-energy gathering designed to unite the campus community before the long holiday weekend. Students showed up clad in western wear, filling the air with music, laughter and line dancing. Sizzling hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and cold drinks, kept the crowd fueled as the line dancing kicked into high gear.

For many attendees, the cookout provided a unique space to bond across different backgrounds.

“I came to a cookout event, you know, to enjoy some community with our fellow people here on campus,” said Yazeli Ortiz, a junior education major. “I feel like it’s very much cultural. You get to learn from them and how, even though we’re all different, we’re still people at the end of the day and we can still enjoy each other.”

Beyond a fun evening of music and food, the cookout served a dual purpose as a vital fundraiser for the organization.

“BSA is the Black Student Association, and this is a fundraiser for the organization,” said Olivia Webb, assistant director of First-Year Programs and BSA co-advisor. “Just trying to raise money so we can host more events for campus, for students… just trying to find fun ways to bring students together and raise some money, have some food and listen to music and just have a good time.”

Nyari Joyce, the Secretary and Treasurer of BSA, emphasized that the family-style cookout format is inherently meaningful.

“I think you could say they’re like a cultural event within the Black community,” Joyce explained. “I think it’s where we are able to connect with each other. We make food, we play games, we dance. It is just community building. You get to interact with each other. You build deeper relationships. A lot of cookouts are family. So I think we’re throwing this event just to connect with the campus and with the people on it.”

This year’s fundraising effort came with a massive incentive: the chance to dump a freezing bucket of ice water onto Jose Brown, BSA advisor and the resident hall director of High Rise Hall.

The group set a strict pricing tier for the watery punishment. “This time, we’re fundraising, and depending on how many donations we get, we’ll have bigger or smaller sizes of ice buckets that we’re gonna dump on Jose,” Joyce noted. The tiers ranked from a $25 small bowl and a $50 small tub to a grand total of $100 for a massive, heavy-duty cooler.

By the time the event wrapped up, the student body exceeded expectations, raising over $160 in total. Webb shared her excitement about hitting the milestone, adding that the event was an amazing way for students to segue right into the Student Activity Board’s “Boot Scoot” dance later in the evening.

The evening ended with the ultimate payoff. A crowd gathered to watch Brown get drenched by the top-tier $100 cooler of ice water.

“Yeah, a lot of ice water,” Brown laughed. “I was willing to do that only because we were taking fundraisers for BSA, like donations, and the goal is to help this group thrive and succeed, and we want to put on events like this to have fun.”

Brown reiterated that the organization’s overarching mission is rooted in inclusivity and hospitality. “Our goal as Black Student Association, BSA… is just creating space for Black students or anybody on campus who wants to be a part of this group to just have a space to connect.”

According to leadership, that space is expanding rapidly. The cookout marks a strong, visible trend in student engagement for the organization this semester.

“I feel like we’ve had amazing turnouts,” Joyce said. “We’ve had two events so far this semester, and we’ve had a lot of people show up to them for the first time. So I think we’re doing a better job outreach, and we hope to continue doing that, growing the club, having people meet each other, and build relationships outside of the club.”

Featured image taken by Harold Espinoza Lopez.