“Within the first few hours after dropping me off at Baylor, my mom called four times to check up on me,” said Milan Wright, a freshman psychology major from Katy, recalling her first night at Baylor.

Many parents feel the need to constantly check up on their children the first time they are dropped off at a university.

Often the anxiety of their children’s safety as they leave home for the first time leads parents to worry about the dangers living away from home.

However, to ease this anxiety and worry, there is an organization here at Baylor that helps parents cope.

Started in 1968, the Baylor Parents League was created to help keep parents better connected to what’s going on campus.

Since then, the Parents League has come a long way in helping both parents and students.

“We provide information and services to parents in order for them to become familiar with Baylor and to know the resources that are available to help their students be successful at Baylor,” said Judy Maggard, director of Parent Programs at Baylor.

In order to keep parents involved and aware of on campus activities, the league sends out a newsletter every few weeks titled “Perspectives”.

In the latest edition of Perspectives, articles highlighted topics from study abroad programs, to summer vacations and even BRIC, Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative.

Even though the league is primarily geared towards parents, students are not left out of their benefits, for example scholarships and emergency funds.

When asked, some students had no idea that The Parents League even existed.

A few students had heard of the organization, but weren’t sure of its purpose.

Students had various thoughts about what the Parents League is, including: a group of parents joining together to prevent students from making mistakes, a group of parents that act as mentors or a group of parents that pray over students.

The league does all of these things including other benefits students were shocked to hear about.

For example, the Student Emergency Fund is money donated from many Baylor parents that students may apply for with proper documentation to what the money is being used for and receive up to $500 in aid.

“They what? I was not aware they offered these things,” said Natalia Gutierrez, a freshman social work major from Carrollton, upon hearing about the Parent’s League Student Emergency Fund.

The fund is available to students twice during their Baylor career and helps to pay for unexpected expenses.

These include, but aren’t limited to: car repair, living expenses when a parent loses their job, medical bills not covered by insurance and even books for this semesters classes.

Exaggeration and disbelief were a few words that some students who have received help, thought when first hearing about the aid they could receive from the Parents League.

And relief was the only word used by a student after receiving help.

After hearing about the emergency fund and the Parents League Endowed Scholarship Fund, Alli Baker, a sophomore political science and psychology major from Longview, said, “I will probably go check them out.”

Currently, the scholarship is helping provide financial aid to 29 students on campus chosen by the Office of Student Financial Aid, based on merit and need.

A number of students were surprised to hear these financial opportunities existed and were wondering how they didn’t find out about these opportunities sooner.

“I’m surprised they have that money available for kids here, um, it’s very nice of them and I’ll know now to take advantage of it if I’m ever in need,” said sophomore university scholars major, Lyndsay McReynolds from Keller.

The Parents League has numerous ways of letting students know about them.

“The Parents League organization is introduced to parents of incoming freshmen and transfer students at summer orientation and at student send-off events in the summer,” Maggard said. “I also serve on a panel of administrators during fall, winter and spring premiere programs hosted by the Office of Admissions to let parents know about our office.”

According to some students that have heard of the league, the organization contacted their parents via e-mail and sometimes over phone about events happening on campus or to raise funding.

With all of the notices and invitations the league sends out, it seems it has always been accessible, just overlooked.

Even though the league may not be able to help with all problems, their goal is to help students finish out their college careers and help parents keep a peace of mind while their student does so.