Howdy Camp also serves as a campus orientation program. In 1987, Texas A&M established a parallel orientation for summer and fall transfer students called Transfer Camp, or T-Camp. The program has been emulated by several schools, including Virginia Tech. The program has since evolved to accommodate approximately 70% of incoming freshmen over 5,600 Texas A&M students attended in 2008. Current students organize and run Fish Camp, leading sessions on the Aggie Spirit, school yells, and other school traditions so that new students can "begin the process of feeling part of the extended Aggie family." Fish Camp began in 1954 as a simple camping trip involving several new students and Gordon Gay, a former Student Activities director. Many of these traditions are part of what Aggies call "The Other Education", activities designed to make students well-rounded and "moral, ethical people." Students who attend Texas A&M feel "that they receive 'more' from Texas A&M than just the knowledge one acquires from the formal classroom and books." Freshmen are introduced to these traditions and to the Aggie spirit at Fish Camp, a four-day extended orientation retreat held during the summer. Although the school and surrounding community have grown, and military training is no longer required, the school's history has instilled in students "the idealized elements of a small-town life: community, tradition, loyalty, optimism, and unabashed sentimentality." This respect for Aggie traditions and values is the university's greatest strength. The Texas A&M culture is a product of the university's founding as a rural military and agricultural school. As Texas Monthly noted, "Every Aggie is a self-appointed guardian of the Aggie spirit, eternally on the alert for signs of slippage." To Aggies, Texas A&M is "not just a university but a.fined and united by a unique culture." The school song is titled The Spirit of Aggieland, and proclaims in its first verse that the "spirit can ne'er be told." They cultivate "the Aggie Spirit" through "an almost religious devotion to the traditions" of the school, some over 100 years old. The official mascot, a dog named Reveille, is present at most official university activities, including sporting events.Ĭurrent students and alumni at Texas A&M University, nicknamed Aggies after the school's agricultural roots, are known for their loyalty and respect for their alma mater. Since 1922, students, known as the 12th Man, stand throughout football games, symbolizing their willingness to step in and assist the team. Before games, university yell leaders host yell practice, similar to other schools' pep rallies. Many school traditions revolve around sporting events, especially football. A subset of the Corps, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, is the official marching band of the university. On campus, the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is known as the "Keepers of the Spirit" for its staunch defense of Aggie traditions. Since the 1950s, incoming students have been offered orientations, led by current students, which teach the various traditions, songs, and yells in current use. Incoming students are generally first exposed to traditions when they are greeted with the official Texas A&M greeting "Howdy". Texas Monthly states that the students' respect for school traditions and values is the university's greatest strength. Not all Aggie traditions are recognized by the university, and some, like Bonfire, have been discontinued for safety reasons. The most visible tradition among senior class students and alumni (more commonly referred to as "former students") is the wearing of the Aggie Ring, whose design has been relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1894.
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These traditions encourage current students and alumni (Aggies) to cultivate the Aggie Spirit, a sense of loyalty and respect for the school, and dictate many aspects of student life, including how to greet others, how to act at an A&M sporting event, and what words a student may use in conversation. Some of the school traditions date to the 1890s, shortly after the opening of the school, while others have been introduced more recently. The traditions of Texas A&M University are a key aspect of the culture of Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University Aggieland water tower
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