  We present the rest-frame ultraviolet-optical spectral properties of 65 broad
absorption line (BAL) quasars from the Gemini Near Infrared
Spectrograph-Distant Quasar Survey (GNIRS-DQS). These properties are compared
with those of 195 non-BAL quasars from GNIRS-DQS in order to identify the
drivers for the appearance of BALs in quasar spectra. In particular, we compare
equivalent widths and velocity widths, as well as velocity offsets from
systemic redshifts, of principal emission lines. In spite of the differences
between their rest-frame ultraviolet spectra, we find that luminous BAL quasars
are generally indistinguishable from their non-BAL counterparts in the
rest-frame optical band at redshifts $1.55 \lesssim z \lesssim 3.50$. We do not
find any correlation between BAL trough properties and the H$\beta$-based
supermassive black hole masses and normalized accretion rates in our sample.
Considering the Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar sample, which includes the
GNIRS-DQS sample, we find that a monochromatic luminosity at rest-frame 2500 A
of $\gtrsim 10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$ is a necessary condition for launching BAL
outflows in quasars. We compare our findings with other BAL quasar samples and
discuss the roles that accretion rate and orientation play in the appearance of
BAL troughs in quasar spectra.
