Those who spend their summers away from Baldwin City might think campus looks like a ghost town, but Baker is alive with the glory of summer classes, summer jobs and most of all summer camps.

Terri Morris, coordinator of conferences and campus events, said Baker holds between 20 and 25 summer conferences and camps each summer. These events draw around 1,600 visitors to campus, many of whom are potential students.<br/>Morris said housing these camps is a great way for Baker to publicize its campus.Morris said housing these camps is a great way for Baker to publicize its campus.
Morris said housing these camps is a great way for Baker to publicize its campus.

“Most of them are high school age and it gets them on campus and it gets them to see Baker,” Morris said.

Louise Cummings-Simmons, vice president of enrollment management, said administrators greet every group that comes on campus. She said it is common for Baker students to attribute visiting during a summer camp as a reason for going to Baker. 

“It allows them to see our campus and hopefully, when they leave, they’ll always have in the back of their mind, ‘Gosh, I might want to go back there,'” she said.

Junior Kaci Forsythe attended Broadway at Baker, a camp where students have one week to put together a musical, four times before enrolling at the university. She said the camps are a good way to raise awareness about Baker’s campus.

"I found out more about the campus after being there for weeks at a time," she said.<br/>Forsythe hadn't thought much about choosing a college before attending the camp but said spending the time on campus eventually helped her make a decision.Forsythe hadn't thought much about choosing a college before attending the camp but said spending the time on campus eventually helped her make a decision.
Forsythe hadn’t thought much about choosing a college before attending the camp but said spending the time on campus eventually helped her make a decision.

"I just really liked the campus and where I was staying," Forsythe said.<br/>Morris said the camps also bring in income for the university.Morris said the camps also bring in income for the university.
Morris said the camps also bring in income for the university.

The campus holds camps for high school cheerleaders and wrestlers, Methodist youth conferences, the Kansas East Conference of the United Methodist Church, a wood carvers camp and Broadway at Baker.

Baker sports teams such as soccer, volleyball and basketball also hold summer camps, Morris said.

Morris said four students work for her in the residence halls. These students work with groups that stay overnight. The students receive free room and board and a $200 stipend every month.

Senior Jessica Miner is one of the four summer group’s conference assistants. She said she is mostly in charge of checking people in and out of their rooms and giving them keys.

“There’s a lot of letting people back in the rooms when they lock themselves out,” Miner said.

Miner said the sponsors of the groups make and enforce most of the rules like curfew and bounds.

"We don't have a lot of rules other than safety," Miner said.<br/>Forsythe said the counselors at Broadway at Baker set a curfew every night and make sure they stay within the campus bounds during free time.Forsythe said the counselors at Broadway at Baker set a curfew every night and make sure they stay within the campus bounds during free time.
Forsythe said the counselors at Broadway at Baker set a curfew every night and make sure they stay within the campus bounds during free time.