As stay-at-home orders continue to be extended across the nation, people are finding themselves connecting to others even more through social media. At Baker University, Dean of Students Cassy Bailey has made a memorable breakthrough on social media-creating Instagram and TikTok accounts and interacting with students and faculty.

Bailey makes regular posts to the different platforms, ranging from dance videos to special appearances from Wowzer the Wildcat to guessing a professor based off of their baby photos. 

These new and interactive posts are exactly what some students say is refreshing and nice to see on a day to day basis. 

“She is by far one of the most heartwarming faculty members,” said sophomore Chris Davies. “Her being so energetic and posting content in these tough times, shows just how much she cares about us and Baker. It gives us a feel of campus life at home.”

“I enjoy that she has now brought energy to media for us to enjoy during these times in particular,” freshman Sada Branson said.

All of this began when Bailey uploaded her first video and students could not get enough.

“So the first one we made was the ‘Wildcat Clap Challenge’ and I was just curious. It did not go viral but you know, a few people did it,” Bailey said.

One game in particular, known as “Baker Babies” on Bailey’s Instagram and Twitter accounts, features photos of Baker University’s professors as babies, asking students to make their guesses on who those babies are.

This is only one way she has kept the interaction alive among students and faculty. Bailey has also done a variety of dances and skit-like videos, which begs the question, what is her favorite video to film?

“My favorite one has been the movie trailer,” said Bailey. This video features Bailey herself and WOWzer the Wildcat finding love in each other while safely in quarantine and staying six feet apart. 

Bailey also shared that she is not only doing this for her students, but that this new pull towards social media has also been helping herself during these dark times.

“I have really, beyond words, loved how it has been helping me connect with people,” Bailey said. “Students will comment on them, they will say ‘this made my day’ and that feels pretty good in a time when we all could use a little bit of that.”

Staying connected has been something students and faculty have found challenging, but continue to find news ways to do so.

“It is great to see Dean Bailey and other staff go to new heights to reach out to students, having already been so interactive with us,” Branson said.

Though Bailey is, in her own words, going completely out of her comfort zone by interacting on social media, it has left students feeling loved more than ever.

“It is important to stay interactive with us because all students—and faculty for that matter—are experiencing something we could have never imagined. I know Dean Bailey genuinely cares about us,” Davies said. “Simply, she cares.”