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One Brand. One Baylor.

A multi-year effort to unify the Baylor brand across all facets of the University culminated in the launch of the Baylor United campaign, revealing a rebranding of the Baylor Athletics programs and a new University Brand Mark. 

Both the athletics and University brand are anchored with an updated interlocking BU mark. 

Athletics also rolled out a new bear logo and consistent green and gold color schemes across all the teams.

The iconic interlocking BU logo, a longstanding mark for the University, will serve as the sole institutional mark, replacing the silhouetted Judge Baylor statue and Pat Neff Hall mark used by the University since 2008. 

The interlocking BU received minor adjustments, adding smooth outer edges and an inner chisel that resembles a bear claw. The preferred use will be a single-color mark of either green, gold or white.

Jason Cook, Baylor vice president for marketing and communications and chief marketing officer, spearheaded the institutional mark transition, uniting the athletics and University under the same mark.

"Baylor is fortunate in that we already have a strong brand identity with the interlocking BU — a design that was used within the University nearly 100 years ago prior to its presence in athletics in the 1950s," Cook said.

Now joined with the updated interlocking BU, the Baylor University wordmark received minor updates to create a familiar look and feel that represents the strong tradition and rich history of the University.

Athletics Rebranding

The athletics rebranding is the result of the department's administration pursuing a long-term partnership with Nike, a commitment that will include updates to uniforms, athletic gear, stadium signage, premium items, spirit wear, social media and all marketing assets surrounding the brand identity.

Mack B. Rhoades IV, Baylor vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, led efforts for Baylor athletics.

"In everything we do as a department, we strive to be elite," Rhoades said. "Our partnership with Nike is one way to ensure that we equip all 19 sport programs and more than 500 student-athletes with elite gear and apparel."

A recommitment to the signature colors of Baylor Green and University Gold will bring all intercollegiate sport programs under a consistent styling and limit alternative color schemes to enhance the strength of the brand.

The uniform combinations will come from four color groups: green, gold, white and dark steel gray. 

After almost 15 years in its current design, the bear logo used by Baylor Athletics also received a redesign, serving as the secondary identifying mark for the department. Pulling from previous variations of the bear logo, the refreshed mark creates a more powerful, modern look. Adding more intensity to the eyes and widening the open mouth of the bear signifies the strength, valor and pride of the sport programs.

A Few Bears of Note

If one thing is consistent, it is the variety of bears that Baylor fans and teams have used since 1914 — the year the bear became the University's rallying symbol.

The simplified design of the new bear, introduced April 15, means it can be easily used across many applications, from TV to print to apparel and beyond.

A handful of the previous bears have gained various levels of recognition. 

Popularly known as Sailor Bear (though some point out the 'hat' was meant to resemble a freshman beanie or slime cap of that era) came about in the 1950s or so. It was created for use by any college or university using a bear as a mascot. Sailor Bear is licensed by Baylor as part of its vintage collection.

Of the many versions of the Growling Bear, the bear head seemed to be the most commonly used. Its difficulty to reproduce cleanly on clothing and related items likely kept it from being widely adopted.

More recent bear designs have earned nicknames like Fuzzy Green Bear and Brown Bear, with the latter used 2005-19.

Baylor Brand Standards

The consistent use of brand marks and colors is a cornerstone of the University's Baylor United rollout. Consistency in theUniversity identity icons conveys the brand more clearly and amplifies its potential impact. 

A Brand Guide along with licensing guidelines were developed and placed online to help those on campus who create materials and communications as well as vendors who produce apparel and other items follow the Brand Standards. The guides also assure that all efforts are focused on building momentum for the University.

Go Gold #WithBaylor

With the goal of visually enhancing the spirit of the Baylor Family, the Baylor Athletics department announced its "Go Gold" initiative for the 2022-23 athletic season. Fans are invited to wear and visually unify in Gold throughout the year, creating an optical impact for opposing teams and fans alike.  

The Gold Factor was contagious at the 2022 Sugar Bowl, and the initiative brings the same energy back to Baylor's campus. Each of Baylor's 19 sports will Go Gold this year in their conference home opener. Baylor Athletics has made a commitment to providing Gold giveaways at these games, varying from Gold poms and rally towels to Gold apparel.  

"We want to create something special for Baylor fans to look forward to each year," said Jovan Overshown, senior associate athletic director for external operations. "Our goal is to create an atmosphere that packs a physical punch. From the moment the opposing team takes center stage, we want them to feel the presence of our fans. When you have 45,000 fans in Gold, the visual impact is striking and powerful. Gold is a representation of Preparing Champions for Life. It's the Gold Standard we expect our student-athletes to live by and we hope our fans will join us in this visual rally and wear Gold throughout the year." 

In celebration of the Go Gold initiative, Baylor Athletics has created official "Go Gold" apparel available from the Baylor Bookstore. In addition, expanded options for gold apparel are available from licensed partners across the country. 

"The Go Gold Initiative is an exciting opportunity for Baylor to gear up and show our cohesive unity," said Larissa Rupley, area director of retail shops for Baylor University. "We are committed to creating an assortment of merchandise to provide fans with a diversity of options to participate in the 'Golden Wave' of solidarity." 

 For more information on season or single game tickets, visit BaylorBears.Com/tickets or call the Baylor Ticket Office at (254) 710-1000.  Go Gold apparel.

Animal Welfare Group Files NIH Complaint Against Baylor

WACO, Texas / Washington, DC (FOX 44) – The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has filed a complaint with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), raising issues about Baylor University's mistreatment of rats in an undergraduate Learning and Behavior Lab course and the university's failure to respond to these concerns.

According to the AWI, students taking an undergraduate psychology class at Baylor were led to believe that approximately 60 live rats enlisted in their experiments would not be euthanized at the end of the class. When the truth came out, at least one student reportedly suggested to the instructor and the department chair to have the rats adopted, placed in a sanctuary or kept as class pets – but his plea was denied.

When the student asked why he and his classmates were not given information concerning the planned euthanasia, the instructor reportedly told him that it was better for students not to know.

The AWI says that Baylor's failure to respond to its April 14 letter requesting specific information about the university's policies governing live rats raises serious questions about accountability and animal welfare at the university.

The letter also urges the NIH to investigate the animals' mistreatment for potential violations of the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy), which must be complied with by research facilities such as Baylor that receive federal funds. Compliance with PHS Policy is monitored by the NIH's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare.

The AWI says that Baylor received more than $5.8 million from the NIH in fiscal year 2022 – a portion of which was earmarked for experiments involving live animals. The PHS Policy requires that a facility's internal Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee review concerns about the care and use of animals.

Baylor's IACUC apparently approved the use of live rats in the lab for nearly two decades, most recently in the fall of 2022. The lab in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience aimed to teach students how to condition a rat to pull a lever on command to get a sip of water as a reward.

In a January 30 letter delivered to Baylor President Dr. Linda A. Livingstone and other top administrators, AWI expressed grave concerns about the university's oversight failures – including allowing the rats to live in social isolation in shoebox cages and be deprived of water for 23 hours a day. "Social species suffer when deprived of companionship, and here, there is no scientifically justifiable reason for the rats to be housed alone," AWI wrote, referencing the federal "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals." Moreover, the lab manual for the Baylor course contained inappropriate jokes about the rats "solitary confinement" and their eventual demise if they didn't press the lever.

In response to the following question in the manual's FAQ section: "What happens to these rats when the lab is finished?" it stated that "these rats are used by other Baylor researchers for numerous other purposesRest assured however that all animal research at Baylor University is conducted using ethical and humane guidelines and under the supervision of Baylors Animal Care and Use Committee."

Dr. Bradley Keele, the interim department chair who also chairs Baylor's IACUC, later reportedly said that the labs IACUC-approved protocol dictated that the rats be euthanized. (This protocol could have been amended, according to the AWI.)

"Baylor University should have in place a robust adoption policy, not only for the healthy rats used in this lab, but for all suitable animals used throughout its research programs," said Dr. Joanna Makowska, AWI`s laboratory animal advisor.

According to the AWI, live rats were not even necessary for this lab. The ethical use of animals in science, including science education, mandates that animals should be used only if the research/learning objectives cannot be achieved using non-animal methods. "Sniffy the Virtual Rat" software, for instance, is already used extensively and often exclusively by many universities. Baylor itself uses the software but supplements it with live animals.

In response to AWI's first letter, Baylor officials wrote that the IACUC conducted a complete review of teaching protocols involving live rats, and the lab manual for the course had been corrected to "reflect more accurately the policies and procedures of Baylor and the actions and requirements of the IACUC." They also noted that Baylor had "re-enacted a formal animal adoption program" as an alternative to euthanasia.

The AWI says it was dissatisfied with the university's vague response, and sent a second letter in April specifically asking about the outcome of the IACUC review and whether the university would continue to use live rats for teaching, among other issues. The group also raised concerns about Baylor's institutional culture and attitudes of staff.

Baylor has not yet responded, which prompted the AWI to file its complaint on June 21. The Baylor student who initially expressed alarm about the rats being killed has also contacted the NIH.

According to the AWI, the situation at Baylor is not an anomaly. Similar conduct at other universities often escapes federal enforcement and sanctions because IACUCs have wide discretion and little accountability.

FOX 44 News has reached out to Baylor University for a response to this complaint.

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