Traditions of Texas A&M University
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{{See also|List of Texas Aggie terms}}
[[Image:AggielandWaterTower.JPG|300px|right|Texas A&M University]]
The '''traditions of Texas A&M University''' are entrenched in the culture of [[Texas A&M University]]. Some of the school [[traditions]] date to the 1890s, shortly after the opening of the school, while others have been introduced more recently. These traditions help current and former students (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, in many cases, what words a student may use in conversation. Not all Aggie traditions are recognized by the university, and some, like [[Aggie Bonfire|Bonfire]] have been discontinued for safety reasons.
==Aggie Spirit==
Current and former students at [[Texas A&M University]], nicknamed Aggies after the school's agricultural roots,<ref name=malcolm>{{citation|last=|first=|title=Texas A&M University – FAQ|date=2006|url=http://www.tamu.edu/home/aboutam/faq.html|publisher=Texas A&M University|location=College Station, TX|accessdate=2007-10-26}}</ref> are known for their loyalty and respect for their [[alma mater]].<ref name="burkaNov2006"/> They cultivate "the Aggie Spirit" through an "an almost religious devotion to the traditions" of the school, some over 100 years old.<ref name="tresaugue"/> As ''[[Texas Monthly]]'' noted, "Every Aggie is a self-appointed guardian of the Aggie spirit, eternally on the alert for signs of slippage."<ref name="burkaNov2006">{{citation|last=Burka|first=Paul|title=Agent of Change|newspaper=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=November 2006|pages=155-159, 250-264}}</ref> To Aggies, Texas A&M is "not just a university but a...family,...defined and united by a unique culture."<ref name="burka2000">{{citation|last=Burka|first=Paul|title=The Aggie Bonfire Tragedy|newspaper=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=April 2000|page=116|edition=Vol. 28, Issue 4}}</ref> The school song is titled ''[[The Spirit of Aggieland]]'', and proclaims in its first verse that the "spirit can ne'er be told."<ref name="burkaNov2006"/>
The Texas A&M culture is a product of the university's founding as a rural military and agricultural school. Although the school and surrounding community have grown, and military training is no longer required, the [[History of Texas A&M University|school's history]] has instilled in students "the idealized elements of a small-town life: community, tradition, loyalty, optimism, and unabashed sentimentality."<ref name="burka2000"/> This respect for Aggie traditions and values is the university's greatest strength.<ref name="burkaNov2006"/>
Many of these traditions are part of what Aggies call "The Other Education", activities designed to make students well-rounded and "moral, ethical people".<ref name="hallett"/> 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."<ref name="hughes"/> Freshmen are introduced to these traditions and to the Aggie spirit at Fish Camp, an optional four-day retreat held in [[Palestine, Texas]] during the summer.<ref name="hallett"/> 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."<ref name="burkaNov2006"/><ref name="hallett"/> Fish Camp began in 1954 as a simple camping trip involving several new students and Gordon Gay, a former Student Activities director. The program has since developed into the largest independent student organization in the country, and annually accommodates over 5,000 Texas A&M freshmen.<ref>[http://fishcamp.tamu.edu Fish Camp - Texas A&M University]</ref> In 1987, Texas A&M established a parallel orientation for summer and fall transfer students called T-Camp.<ref>[http://t-camp.tamu.edu/history.htm History of T-Camp]</ref> Howdy Camp also serves as a campus orientation program. Modeled after T-Camp and Fish Camp, it is intended for freshman and transfer students who enter A&M in the spring semester.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tamu.edu/admissions/catalogs/Final2005UndergradCatalog/Source/B-Gen%20Info/Orientation.htm |title=Texas A&M University Undergraduate Catalog - Orientation |accessdate=2007-03-13}}</ref> Students who choose not to participate in The Other Education are known on campus as "2 Percenters," because of the belief that only 2% of students do not endorse Texas A&M traditions.<ref name="scharf">{{Citation|last=Scharf|first=Steve|title=Big 12 schools are rich in tradition|date=[[February 10]], [[2007]]|newspaper=The Daily Nebraskan|url=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/02/12/LifeStyle/Big-12.Schools.Are.Rich.In.Tradition-2711478.shtml|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref>
===Howdy===
Many incoming students at Texas A&M choose to attend the campus because they feel that the students are friendlier than those at other universities.<ref name="hughes">{{cite conference | first=Robin L.|last=Hughes|title=Traditions of Change:Student Expectations for the Other Education|booktitle=The American Educational Research Association 1999 Annual Meeting|place=Montreal, Canada]]|year=1999|month=April|url=http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/19/c0/3c.pdf|format=[[PDF]]|accessdate=2007-06-25}}</ref> This perception is created partly by the Aggie tradition "[[Howdy]]", the official greeting of Texas A&M University. Students are encouraged to greet everyone they pass on campus with a smile and a howdy.<ref name="hallett">{{cite web | last=Hallett | first=Vicky | title=The Aggie Way of Life
| publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report ]] | date=2005 | url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/articles/brief/05texas_brief.php| accessdate = 2007-06-25 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050826033718/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/articles/brief/05texas_brief.php | archivedate=2005-08-26}}</ref> Howdy is the preferred method for a speaker to get a large group's attention, as the members of the group are expected to return the "Howdy" back to the speaker.<ref>{{cite paper| last=Stanford | first=Frank S. | title=Escaping the Frozen Lake: Individual and Social Idealism Manifest As Forms of Religion and Religiosity: A Dissertation | publisher=Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University | month=December | year=2003 | url=https://txspace.tamu.edu/bitstream/1969.1/198/1/etd-tamu-2003C-SOCI-Stanford-1.pdf | format=[[PDF]] | accessdate=2007-09-13 | page=109-110}}</ref>
[[Image:RobertGates TAMU SeniorBoots.JPEG|thumb|right|[[United States Secretary of Defense|US Secretary of Defense]] [[Robert Gates]] along with senior cadets from the [[Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets|Corps of Cadets]] give the "gig 'em" sign at the [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]]]]
===Gig 'em===
{{main|Gig 'em Aggies}}
Rather than end a conversation with "goodbye," many conversations between Aggies end with "gig 'em," usually accompanied by a [[Hand gesture|hand signal]] in which the hand is fisted and the thumb extends upwards. This tradition began at a 1930 [[Midnight Yell Practice]] held before the [[American football|football]] game against the [[Texas Christian University]] [[TCU Horned Frogs|Horned Frogs]]. In an attempt to excite the crowd, Pinky Downs, a 1906 Texas A&M graduate and member of the school's Board of Regents, asked "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?"<ref name="pinky"/> Using a term for frog hunting, he answered his own question, "Gig 'em, Aggies!"<ref name="pinky"/> For emphasis, he made a fist with the thumb extended. The phrase and hand signal proved popular, and it became the first hand sign of the [[Southwest Conference]].<ref name="pinky">{{citation |last=Burka|first=Paul|newspaper=[[Texas Monthly]]|title=Football Hand Signals|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/ranch/readme/handsign.php|accessdate=2007-07-10}}</ref> Gig 'em is also the name of one of the school yells, which is used during football [[Kickoff (American football)|kickoffs]].<ref name="gigemyell">{{cite web|title=Yells|publisher=Texas A&M University [[Yell Leaders]]|url=http://yell.tamu.edu/?page_id=7|accessdate=2007-08-03}}</ref>
===Aggie Ring===
[[Image:AggieRingCase.jpg|thumb|right|2007 Ring in its case]]
The most visible way for graduates of Texas A&M to recognize each other is by the Aggie Ring.<ref name="tresaugue"/> The Aggie Ring is worn by current and former students. The first Aggie Ring was designed by E. C. Jonas in 1894, and the design has remained relatively unchanged since; the only major change came when the school's name was changed from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1963.<ref name="kane">{{citation|last=Kane|first=Maureen|title=Tradition sets A&M aside as the oldest institution of higher learning in Texas|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=2001-10-30 |url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2001/10/03/Ams125th/Tradition.Sets.Am.Aside.As.The.Oldest.Institution.Of.Higher.Learning.In.Texas-515916.shtml|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref>
The Aggie Ring cannot be purchased unless specific requirements are met: a current student must be in good standing with a minimum 2.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale. In addition, the student must have completed 95 hours of coursework, including at least 45 hours at A&M. Graduate students may receive a ring after 75% of their graduate coursework is completed or after the acceptance of their dissertation or thesis. Graduates of the university, either undergraduate or graduate, who do not meet these minimum criteria while pursuing their degree, may purchase the ring after their graduation.
The top of the ring depicts an eagle and shield. The shield at the top of the ring symbolizes protection of the reputation of the alma mater. The thirteen stripes in the shield represent the thirteen original states and symbolize patriotism. The five stars in the shield refer to the facets of student development: mind, body, spirit, emotion, and integrity. The eagle denotes agility, power, and ability.<ref name="tresaugue">{{citation|last=Tresaugue|first=Matthew|title=Gift has nice ring to it|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|page=A1, A8| date=2007-07-07|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
[[Image:AggieRing.jpg|thumb|left|Aggie Ring (2004)]]
On one side of the ring is a large star, borrowed from the seal of the state of Texas. The oak leaves symbolize strength. On the other side of the ring are a cannon, a saber, and a rifle, symbolizing Aggies' preparedness and valor in defending their land. The crossed flags of the United States and Texas symbolize allegiance to both nation and state.<ref name="AggieRing">{{cite web|title=The base or 'Crown' of the Ring|publisher=The [[Association of Former Students]]|url=http://www.aggienetwork.com/ring/crown.aspx|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref>
Traditionally, students wear their rings with the class year facing them to signify the fact that their time at A&M is not yet complete. At the annual Ring Dance, or at the end of the student's collegiate career, the student turns his ring around so that the class year faces away, symbolizing readiness to "face the world."<ref name="kane"/>
[[As of 2008]], ring prices start at $415 and 822, for women's and men's styles respectively, which are awarded three times a year.<ref>{{citation|title=Ring Prices|publisher=[[The Association of Former Students]]|url=http://www.aggienetwork.com/Ring/Prices.aspx|accessdate=2008-06-19}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=2008 Delivery Schedule|publisher=[[The Association of Former Students]]|url=http://www.aggienetwork.com/ring/schedule.aspx|accessdate=2008-06-19}}</ref> Prices of rings vary throughout the year depending on the [[Gold_price#Gold_price|price of gold]].<ref name="watkins">{{citation|last=Watkins|first=Matthew|title=Ring raise|newspaper=The Battalion|date=2006-06-20|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/06/20/News/Ring-Raise-2116751.shtml|accessdate=2007-08-10}}</ref> Many students camp outside the [[Association of Former Students]] building the night before Ring Day to ensure they will receive their ring early.<ref name="tresaugue"/> For decades, though unsanctioned and often discouraged by the University, it has been an unofficial tradition among willing students to "dunk" their newly-acquired Aggie Rings. The ring is dropped in a pitcher of beer and the student chugs the entire pitcher in a "Class Set" (for example, the Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 2011 will have 111 seconds to "dunk" their ring) and catches the ring in his/her teeth. The [[Dixie Chicken (bar)|Dixie Chicken]], among other bars, has been one of the more popular venues for dunking Aggie Rings, though it no longer endorses the activity.<ref name=RingDunk>{{cite news|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2005/09/26/News/Unofficial.Tradition.Of.Ring.Dunking.Began.On.Accident-997822.shtml |title=Unofficial tradition of ring dunking began on accident |accessdate=2007-05-23 |date=2005-09-26 |author=Janik, Jenna}}</ref> Some students choose to dunk their rings in alternative substances, including ice cream or nonalcoholic beverages.<ref name="hallett"/><ref name="wirt">{{citation|last=Wirt|first=Ashley|title=Aggies find new ways of 'ring dunking'|date=2006-09-14 | newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|url=http://www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/09/14/News/Aggies.Find.New.Ways.Of.ring.Dunking-2271747.shtml?norewrite200612132307&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref>
==Honoring the deceased==
In keeping with the idea that all current and former students comprise a family, Aggies have created two traditions to honor members of the Aggie family who have died. [[Muster (Texas A&M University)|Aggie Muster]] is held annually to honor any current and former student who died during the previous year, while Silver Taps is held monthly as a special tribute to deceased current students.
===Muster===
{{main|Muster (Texas A&M University)}}
[[Image:AggieMuster.jpg|right|thumb|2007 Aggie Muster at [[Reed Arena]]. The [[Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets#Ross Volunteers|Ross Volunteers]] stand at attention as candles are lit for the deceased.]]
According to the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'', "perhaps the best, most meaningful Aggie tradition of all is one you wish never happened."<ref name="lopez">{{citation|last=Lopez|first=John P.|title=Tragedy strikes A&M family|date=[[November 26]], [[2002]]|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|accessdate=2007-08-16|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2002_3603773}}</ref> While students at many schools prize their individuality, "Aggies are all about unity and loyalty. When an Aggie falls, the family comes together to remember."<ref name="spencer">{{citation|last=Spencer|first=Jason|title=Brother's death shows UT grad meaning of Muster|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=[[April 23]], [[2004]]|accessdate=2007-08-16|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3756556}}</ref> This remembrance occurs annually on [[April 21]] as Aggies observe Muster, a solemn event to honor current and former students who died during the previous year. Over 300 Musters are held around the world, with the largest taking place at [[Reed Arena]] on the [[Texas A&M University campus]].<ref name="lozano">{{citation|last=Lozano|first=Juan A.|title=Especially solemn rite of Muster|date=[[April 22]], [[2000]]|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2000_3209862|accessdate=2007-08-16|newspaper=Houston Chronicle}}</ref> All Muster ceremonies feature the Roll Call for the Absent. As the names of the deceased Aggies are called, a family member or friend answers "Here," and lights a candle, to symbolize that although their loved one is not present in body, his or her spirit will shine forever.<ref name="lopez"/><ref name="silvertaps"/>
The first Aggie Muster was held [[June 26]], [[1883]], seven years after the school opened. Rather than a memorial service, the event was intended as a reunion to allow former students to gather and remember their college days.<ref name="spencer">{{citation|last=Spencer|first=Jason|title=Brother's death shows UT grad meaning of Muster|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=[[April 23]], [[2004]]|accessdate=2007-08-16|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3756556}}</ref> During the day, the alumni also established a "Roll Call for the Absent" to honor their classmates who could not attend. In 1889, the gathering was moved to [[April 21]] and became an official school holiday, set aside for the annual cadet track and field competition. On [[April 21]], [[1903]], the tradition evolved into a celebration of Texas's victory at the battle of [[San Jacinto]]. Gatherings would include field games and banquets so Aggies could reflect on their days in [[Aggieland]].<ref name="Emerald"/>
The field day events were cancelled in 1922, although former students were still expected to congregate annually for camaraderie and to remember their fellow Aggies. The March 1923 ''[[Texas Aggie (magazine)|Texas Aggie]]'' urged, "If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas."<ref name="Emerald">{{cite web |url = http://clubs.aggienetwork.com/emeraldcoastamc/muster.htm |title = Aggie Muster |accessdate = 2006-12-17 |publisher = Emerald Coast A&M Club}}</ref> The event received worldwide attention during [[World War II]], when 25 Aggies "mustered" during the battle for the island of [[Corregidor]].<ref name="tutt">{{citation|last=Tutt|first=Bob|title=Enemy shells at Corregidor couldn't stop Aggie Muster|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=[[April 16]], [[1994]]|accessdate=2007-08-16|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1994_1196332}}</ref>
[[Image:Academic Buildind and Sul Ross.jpg|thumb|left|Silver Taps is held in front of this statue. Buglers are stationed at the top of the Academic Building, in the background.]]
===Silver Taps===
Students who die while currently enrolled at Texas A&M are also honored at Silver Taps, a ceremony held, when necessary, on the first Tuesday of the month. This tradition began as a memorial for former Texas A&M president [[Lawrence Sullivan Ross]].<ref name="hegstrom">{{citation|last=Hegstrom|first=Edward|title='Silver Taps' honors Aggie Bonfire victims|date=[[December 8]], [[1999]]|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1999_3182335|accessdate=2007-08-16}}</ref> In the modern incarnation, on the morning of Silver Taps, a small card with the deceased student's name, class, major, and birthdate is placed as a notice at the base of the flagpole in Academic Plaza. At 10:15 p.m., all lights on campus are extinguished, and [[Campus_of_Texas_A%26M_University#Albritton_Bell_Tower|Albritton Tower]] begins to chime hymns. When the music begins, students gather in silence in front of the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross at Academic Plaza. At 10:30 pm, the [[Ross_Volunteers#Ross_Volunteers|Ross Volunteers]] march into the plaza and fire a [[21-gun salute]]. [[Bugle (instrument)|Buglers]] stationed at the top of the Academic Building then play a special rendition of ''[[Taps]]'', known as ''Silver Taps''. The song is played three times; once to the north, once to the south, and once to the west. It is never played to the east, "because the sun will never rise on that Aggie again."<ref name="silvertaps">{{citation |last=Eisterhold|first=Michelle|publisher=Houston Community Newspapers|title=Klein youth killed while walking near A&M campus|date=2006-10-18 |url=http://www.hcnonline.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17343968|accessdate=2008-06-23}}</ref> Once the buglers have finished their tribute, the crowd disperses. Generally, students remain silent until reaching their homes.<ref name="silvertaps"/><ref name="hegstrom"/>
==Texas A&M Corps of Cadets==
{{main|Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets}}
The [[Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets|Corps of Cadets]] (or the Corps) is known as the "Keepers of the Spirit" for its staunch defense of Aggie traditions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Keepers of the Spirit|publisher = [[Association of Former Students]]|url=http://class.aggienetwork.com/heavens_11-72/traditions/index.html|accessdate=2007-03-23}}</ref> The Corps is a link to the early days of Texas A&M's history, when all students were required to be members and receive military training.<ref name="nauman">{{citation|last=Nauman|first=Brett|title=Women Joined Corps 30 Years Ago|newspaper=The Bryan-College Station Eagle|date=[[September 10]], [[2004]]|url=http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/091004womencadets.php|accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref> Although Corps membership became voluntary in 1965,<ref name="nauman"/> as of 2001 it was the [[United States]]' largest uniformed student body outside the [[service academy|service academies]],<ref name="hopgood"/> with an enrollment of 2,318 cadets at the beginning of the 2006–2007 school year.<ref name="TAMU_Office_of_Institutional_Studies_and_Planning">{{cite web |url = http://www.tamu.edu/opir/reports/ep/epfa2006_certified.pdf |title = Texas A&M University Fall 2006 Enrollment |accessdate = 2007-02-25 | pages=7-8 |format = PDF |publisher = Texas A&M University}}</ref>
[[Image:Aggies-CampFallujah Robert-Gates.JPEG|thumb|left|[[US Secretary of Defense]] [[Robert Gates]] gives a [[gig 'em]] with a group of Aggie [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] at [[Camp Fallujah]], [[Iraq]]]]
Members of the Corps have served in every [[Declaration of war by the United States|armed conflict]] fought by the United States since 1876, and over 225 have served as [[General]]s or [[Flag Officers]]. Many members participate in [[Reserve Officer Training Corps|ROTC]] programs and earn commissions in the [[United States Armed Forces]] upon graduation.<ref name="hopgood">{{citation|last=Hopgood|first=Maj. Gen. M.T. "Ted"|title=Corps is dedicated to training tomorrow's leaders|newspaper=The Bryan-College Station Eagle|date=2001|url=http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/anniversary/2hopgoodcorpsfeature.htm|accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref> As of fall 2007, the Corps is composed of two Air Force Wings, three Army Brigades, and two Navy and Marine Regiments, in addition to a Task Force of special units and veteran-based outfits, as well as the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, whose members may be affiliated with any military branch.<!-- This structure will change in fall 2007--><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cadets.tamu.edu/documents/standard/Standard.pdf|title=The Standard|publisher=Texas A&M Corps of Cadets|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-03-15}}</ref> Among its notable units is Parson's Mounted Cavalry, the only mounted [[ROTC]] unit in the [[United States of America|United States]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tamu.edu/admissions/catalogs/06-07_UG_Catalog/gen_info/campus_life/corps/corps_activities.htm|title=Campus Life: The Corps Experience|publisher=Texas A&M University|accessdate=2007-05-18}}</ref> The Ross Volunteer Company, the oldest student-run organization in the state, is the official honor guard for the [[Governor of Texas]].<ref>{{citation|last=Sterling|first=William Warren|title=Trails and Trials of a Texas Ranger|publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]]|location=[[Norman, Oklahoma]]|date=1959|isbn=0806115742|page=284}}</ref><ref name="CorpsAbout">{{cite web|url=http://www.aggiecorps.org/About/default.htm|title=About the Corps|publisher=[[Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets]]|accessdate=2007-05-18}}</ref> The Fish Drill Team, a precision, close-order rifle drill team composed entirely of Corps freshmen, represents the Corps and A&M in local and national competitions. They have won the national championship almost every year since their creation in 1946, and have appeared in several Hollywood productions with prominent roles in the movies ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' and ''[[Courage Under Fire]]''.<ref name="fishdrillteam">{{citation|last=Nading|first=Tanya|title=Corps Fish Drill Team Reinstated|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=[[2001-11-02]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2001/11/02/FrontPage/Corps.Fish.Drill.Team.Reinstated-516243.shtml|accessdate=2007-04-13}}</ref>
Members of the Corps are often referred to as "C.T.s", which stands for "Cadet in Training," or, in cruder terms, "Corps Turd." Freshmen in the Corps are required to "whip out" to upperclassmen. This tradition requires the freshmen to extend their hand and introduce themselves to the upperclassman. From then on, they are expected to know the name of the person to whom they "whipped out."<ref name="whipout">{{cite web|title=Joe B. Foster '56|date=October 2001|publisher=[[Mays Business School]]|url=http://maysbusiness.tamu.edu/old/2001/10/oaa-01/foster.html|last=Zuehlke|first=Lara|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref> The tradition applies only to upperclassmen in the Corps, and not to "non-regs", students who are not in the Corps.<ref name="corpsdict"/>
One of a senior cadet's "most cherished possessions" are his Senior Boots.<ref name="hensley"/> Only seniors are allowed to wear these knee-high riding boots, and most consider receiving their boots to be a rite of passage.<ref name="hensley">{{citation|last=Hensley|first=Laura|title=Holick's: as Aggie as it gets|newspaper=Bryan-College Station Eagle|date=2001|url=http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/anniversary/1holicks.htm|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref> All Senior Boots are custom-made to fit the cadet and are a dark tan to brown color.<ref name="Emison">{{citation|last=Emison|first=Celinda|title=Brownwood man finally receives his Aggie boots|newspaper=Brownwood Reporter News|date=[[November 27]], [[2006]]|url=http://reporternews.com/news/2006/Nov/27/brownwood-man-finally-receives-his-aggie-boots/|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref> Students wear their Senior Boots for the first time at Final Review, the last activity that Corps members participate in as a unit. This full military review takes place at the end of the spring semester on Simpson Drill Field, and is in two parts. The entire Corps march past a reviewing stand, which consists of high ranking military and university officials, for inspection. The Corps then returns to their dorms to change into the uniforms they will wear the following year, with the juniors donning their Senior Boots. The freshmen, sophomores, and juniors then march in formation past the reviewing stand, which is now filled with the senior cadets, saluting their former leaders.<ref name="finalreview1">{{cite web|title=Final Review|publisher=Texas A&M University Traditions Council|url=http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/finalreview.shtml|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref>
==Fightin' Texas Aggie Band==
[[Image:Lone Star Showdown 2006 TAMU band.jpg|right|thumb|2006 Lone Star Showdown - [[Fightin' Texas Aggie Band]] marches past the [[Lone Star Showdown]] logo in [[Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium]]]]
{{main|Fightin' Texas Aggie Band}}
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (also known as The Noble Men of Kyle or the Aggie Band) is the official [[marching band]] of [[Texas A&M University]]. Composed of over 400 men and women from the school's [[Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets|Corps of Cadets]],<ref name="BQ composition">{{cite web|title=The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band |publisher=AggieAthletics.com|url=http://www.aggieathletics.com/index2.php?&CAT=TRD&pageID=225|accessdate=2007-06-13}}</ref> it is the largest [[military band|military marching band]] in the world. The band's complex straight-line marching maneuvers are performed exclusively to [[American march music|traditional marches]]. As of 2005, some of these maneuvers could not be simulated by commercially available computer marching drill programs.<ref name="Powell">{{cite book|date=1994|coauthors=Donald B. Powell and Mary Jo Powell|title=The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University)|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|ISBN=978-0890965955}}</ref>
Since its inception in 1894, its members, known as BQs (for Band Qualified or Band Queer),<ref name="gravois">{{citation|title=Memorandum|last=Gravois|first=John|date=[[January 5]], [[2007]]|newspaper=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]|volume=53|issue=18|page=A6|section=Short Subjects}}</ref> eat together, sleep in the same [[dormitory|dormitories]], and practice up to forty hours per week on top of a full academic schedule. The Aggie Band performs at all home [[College football|football]] games, some away games, and [[Muster (Texas A&M University)|university]] and [[Parade (military)|Corps functions]] throughout the year. Other events in which the band participated include inauguration parades for many [[President of the United States|United States Presidents]] and [[Governor of Texas|Texas Governors]], [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade|major annual parades]] across the country, and the dedication ceremony for the [[George Bush Presidential Library|George H. W. Bush Presidential Library]].<ref name="stuffdone">{{citation|last=Foley|first=Sara|title=RVs, Texas A&M U. band to attend Bush's inauguration|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=[[1 January]] [[2005]]| url=http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/voices/200501/0118local0.html|accessdate=2007-06-14}}</ref><ref name="BQ about">{{cite web|title=About the Band|publisher=Aggieband.org|url=http://www.aggieband.org/visitors-about.php|accessdate=2007-06-13}}</ref><ref name="Powell">{{cite book|date=1994|coauthors=Donald B. Powell and Mary Jo Powell|title=The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University)|publisher=[[Texas A&M University Press]]|ISBN=978-0890965955}}</ref>
==Reveille==
[[Image:Reveille-TAMU-Mascot.JPG|thumb|left|Reveille VII at a football game]]
{{main|Reveille (Texas A&M)}}
Texas A&M's official mascot is Reveille, now a purebred American [[collie]]. The first Reveille, a [[mixed breed dog]], was adopted by students in 1931 after they found her on the side of the road. As of 2007, the current mascot is Reveille VII. She is considered a Cadet General, the highest ranking member in the Corps of Cadets, and must be addressed by cadets as "Miss Reveille, ma'am."<ref name="lynn">{{citation|last=Lynn|first=Gregory|title=Who had the first canine?|date=[[November 22]], [[2000]]|newspaper=The Daily Texan|url=http://tspweb02.tsp.utexas.edu/webarchive/11-22-00/2000112216_s01_Pig.html|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref> So as not to inconvenience her, if Reveille decides to sleep on a cadet's bed, that cadet is required to sleep on the floor.<ref name="lynn"/> She accompanies her handlers, members of the E-2 unit of the Corps of Cadets, everywhere, including classes.<ref name="alvarado">{{Citation|last=Alvarado|first=Nicole|title=Aggie's Best Friend|date=[[April 27]], [[2007]]|newspaper=The Battalion|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2007/04/27/News/Aggies.Best.Friend-2884920.shtml|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref> If she chooses to bark in class, that session is cancelled.<ref name="drehs">{{cite web|last=Drehs|first=Wayne|title=Follow the yell leaders!|date=[[November 26]], [[2003]]|publisher=ESPN.Com|url=http://espn.go.com/page2/s/drehs/031126texasam.html|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref> Upon the death of a current or former mascot, a full military funeral is held at [[Kyle Field]], which usually attracts several thousand mourners.<ref name="drehs"/>
===Ol' Sarge===
Texas A&M also has an unofficial mascot, Ol' Sarge, who is displayed only in graphics.<ref name="greenwald"/> Ol' Sarge is portrayed as a tough-looking corps [[drill sergeant]] and is considered one of the many icons representing Texas A&M's long standing military history.<ref name="sarge">{{citation |url = http://www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2004/09/07/Opinion/Let-The.Dog.Out-711421.shtml?norewrite200612162132&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com |title = Let the dog out |accessdate = 2006-12-28 |date = [[2004-09-07]] | newspaper = The Battalion }}</ref> The drawing was first seen in the 1940s, when ''[[The Battalion]]'' ran a caricature of one of the Yell Leaders. That caricature, of a rough and tough military man, quickly became used throughout campus.<ref name="kristasmith">{{citation|last=Smith|first=Krista|title=Traditionally speaking|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=[[October 2]], [[2006]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/10/02/Aggielife/Traditionally.Speaking-2319058.shtml|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref>
==Sports traditions==
===12th Man===
{{see also|12th Man (football)}}
[[Image:Homeofthe12thMan.jpg|thumb|right|Kyle Field during 2006 Maroon Out]]
Aggie [[college football|football]] fans call themselves the 12th Man, meaning they are there to support the 11 players on the field. To further symbolize their "readiness, desire, and enthusiasm," the entire student body stands throughout the game.<ref name="12thMan">{{cite web |url = http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/12thman.shtml |title = Twelfth Man |accessdate = 2006-12-31 |date = |publisher = Texas A&M University }}</ref> In a further show of respect, the students step "off the wood" (step off of the bleachers onto the concrete) whenever a player is injured or when the band plays the ''[[Aggie War Hymn]]'' or ''The Spirit of Aggieland''.<ref>The bleachers in Kyle Field were originally made of wood. Although they now are made of aluminum, "off the wood" is still commonly used to mean "get off of the bleachers".</ref><ref name="ivey">{{citation|last=Ivey|first=Tommi|title=Aggies should not walk on A&M seal|newspaper=The Battalion|date=[[October 19]], [[2005]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2005/11/09/Opinion/Aggies.Should.Not.Walk.On.Am.Seal-1050633.shtml|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref>
Seniors wearing either their [[Senior boots]] or Aggie Rings are also encouraged to join the "Boot Line." As the [[Fightin' Texas Aggie Band]] leaves the field after their [[half-time]] performances, seniors line up at the north end of Kyle Field to welcome the team back onto the field for the second half.<ref name="hartsell">{{citation|last=Hartsell|first=Jeff|title=Citadel punter returns home for A&M game|newspaper=Charleston Post and Courier|date=[[August 29]], [[2006]]|url=http://www.aggiesports.com/stories/082906/football_20060829037.php|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref>
The tradition began in [[Dallas]] on [[January 2]], [[1922]], at the [[Dixie Classic]], the forerunner of the [[Cotton Bowl (game)|Cotton Bowl]]. A&M played defending national champion [[Centre College]] in the first post-season game in the southwest. In this hard fought game, which produced national publicity, an underdog Aggie team was slowly defeating a team which had allowed fewer than 6 points per game. The first half produced so many injuries for A&M that [[Dana X. Bible|Coach D. X. Bible]] feared he wouldn’t have enough men to finish the game. At that moment, he called into the Aggie section of the stands for E. King Gill, a student who had left football after the regular season to play [[basketball]]. Gill, who was spotting players for a Waco newspaper and was not in football uniform, donned the uniform of injured player Heine Weir and stood on the sidelines to await his turn.. Although he did not actually play in the game, his readiness to play symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually entering the game. When the game ended in a 22-14 Aggie victory, Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. Gill later said, "I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me."<ref name="beano">{{cite web|last=Cook|first=Beano|title=Ten Days That Shook the Sport|publisher=Espn.Com|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2615391|date=[[October 8]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref>
In the 1980s, the tradition was expanded as coach [[Jackie Sherrill]] created the 12th Man squad. Composed solely of walk-on (non-scholarship) players, the squad would take the field for special teams performances.<ref name="beano"/> This squad never allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown.<ref name="heater"/> Sherrill's successor, [[R. C. Slocum]], amended the tradition in the 1990s to allow one walk-on player, wearing the No. 12 jersey, to take the field for special teams plays.<ref name="beano"/> The player is chosen based on the level of determination and hard work shown in practices. Coach [[Dennis Franchione]] has continued Slocum's model, while also keeping an all-walk-on kickoff team that played three times in the 2006 season.<ref name="heater">{{citation|last=Heater|first=Jay|title=LaMantia A&M's main 12th Man|newspaper=[[Oakland Tribune]]|date=[[December 27]], [[2006]]|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20061227/ai_n17077154|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref>
[[Image:12thManTowel.JPG|thumb|left|12th Man towel]]
A statue of E. King Gill stands to the north of [[Kyle Field]] to remind Aggies of their constant obligation to preserve the spirit of the 12th Man.<ref name="beano"/> Beginning in 1988, fans also began waving 12th Man Towels during the game to show their support. The towel tradition originated after the 1988 Cotton Bowl, which A&M played against [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]]. Twice during that game Warren Barhorst, a member of Sherrill's 12th Man Kickoff Team, tackled [[Heisman Trophy]] winner [[Tim Brown]], and then grabbed Brown's towel and waved it over his head. Both times, an infuriated Brown tackled Barhorst, earning himself two 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and ejection from the game. During the 1988-1989 football season, students began waving their own white towels, and now the towels are ubiquitous.<ref name="12th man towel">{{cite news|last=Burson|first=Rusty |url = http://12thmanfoundation.com/mag/Vol5/vol5no05/aggieflashback.html |title = Aggie Flashback by Rusty Burson |accessdate = 2007-02-13 |date = [[2006-06-01]] |format = HTML |publisher = 12th Man Foundation}}</ref>
Because the students are always waiting for the opportunity to support their team, they are also willing to take the credit for the team's good deeds. A popular Aggie tradition is that "when the team scores, everybody scores."<ref name="nissimov">{{citation|last=Nissimov|first=Ron|title=A Salute to 125 Years: A&M celebrates Corps of Cadets|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2001_3334627|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=[[September 16]], [[2001]]|accessdate=2007-08-16}}</ref> Whenever the [[Texas Aggies|Aggies]] score points during the game, students kiss their dates.<ref name="nissimov"/><ref name="lyght">{{citation|last=Lyght|first=Daniel|title=Cultivating that Aggie Spirit: Tradition gors beyond football, binds fans, players, alum.|newspaper=The Fresno Bee|location=[[Fresno, California]]|date=[[September 7]], [[2007]]|page=D1}}</ref>
===Yells===
[[Image:AggieYellLeader.jpg|thumb|A yell leader doing the "[[List_of_Texas_Aggie_terms#W|whoop]]" hand signal on the field at a [[college football|football]] game]].
{{Main|Yell Leaders|Midnight Yell Practice}}
Unlike many schools, which have a large group of [[cheerleader|cheerleaders]] to rally their fans during sporting events, Texas A&M has five student [[Yell Leaders]]. Consisting of three seniors and two juniors, historically all male, the Yell Leaders are elected to their positions annually by the student body.<ref name="alvaradoyell">{{Citation | last =Alvarado | first =Nicole | title = Yell Leaders represent Aggie Spirit past, present, and future | newspaper=[[The Battalion]] | date=[[April 20]], [[2007]] | url =http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2007/04/20/News/Yell-Leaders.Represent.Aggie.Spirit.Past.Present.And.Future-2870762.shtml | accessdate=2007-05-29}}</ref> These students do not perform [[gymnastic]] feats, but instead use hand signals, known as "pass backs," to direct and intensify crowds.<ref name="axtman">{{citation|last=Axtman|first=Chris|title=Texas school where pompoms aren't welcome|newspaper=[[Christian Science Monitor]]|date=[[December 6]], [[2001]]|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1206/p3s1-ussc.html|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref> After the signals are passed through the crowd, the Yell Leaders give the signal to "hump it," where the crowd leans forward and places their hands on their knees to maximize the noise.<ref name="schabach">{{cite web|last=Schabach|first=Mark|title=Texas A&M hoops finds place on football's back|publisher=ESPN.Com|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2625264|date=[[October 14]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref> The Yell Leaders have a dozen yells that they can choose from depending on the situation. While some yells are designed to praise and motivate the team, others exist solely to make fun of the opposing side.<ref name="connolly">{{citation|last=Connolly|first=Mike|title=Open your mouth and yell!|newspaper=Notre Dame Observer|url=http://www.nd.edu/~observer/09012000/Scene/0.html|date=[[September 1]], [[2000]]|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref> Aggies are expected to remove their hats when participating in a yell, and often the yell itself is preceded by a handful of students yelling "Uncover!"<ref name="uncover">{{Citation|last=Ship|first=Dallas|title=Uncover!|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=[[September 30]], [[2003]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2003/09/30/Sports/Uncover-508038.shtml|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref>
Students practice the yells at [[Midnight Yell Practice]]. Held at Kyle Field at midnight the night before a football game, Midnight Yell is similar to a [[pep rally]]. Over 20,000 Aggies attend each session, practicing the yells that will be used in the following day's game and generating an excitement for the game.<ref name="hallett"/><ref name="drehs"/> At the conclusion of the yell practice, the stadium lights are extinguished and fans kiss their dates. This is also done as practice, because Aggies are expected to "mug down", or kiss their dates, every time the football team scores on the field.<ref name="drehs"/><ref name="mugdown">{{citation|last=Haskins|first=Maggie|title=The Perfect Week|newspaper=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=[[November 4]], [[2004]]|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/sioncampus/11/03/perfect1104/|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' named Midnight Yell as one of the "100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate.'<ref name="si100">{{cite web|last=|first=|title=The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate (Whatever the Cost)|date=[[September 24]], [[2003]]|publisher=SI.Com ([[Sports Illustrated]])|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/sioncampus/09/24/100_things0930/|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref>
Aggies practice their yells again after each football game. If the team is victorious, the freshmen in the Corps of Cadets capture the Yell Leaders on Kyle Field and march them across campus to be dunked in Fish Pond. The very wet Yell Leaders then make their way to the YMCA Building, where the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band and members of the crowd join them for a short yell practice in preparation for the next week's game.<ref name="drehs"/> If the team is "outscored" or "runs out of time" (Aggies never lose), a mini-Yell Practice is held in Kyle Field before the crowd disperses.<ref name="drehs"/><ref name="hartsell"/>
The most well-known Aggie yell is the simple "Beat the Hell Outta" the opposing school. In writing, this is often abbreviated as BTHO. For the annual game against the [[University of Texas at Austin]], students yell "Beat the Hell Outta [[t.u.]]"<ref name="greenwald">{{citation|last=Greenwald|first=Michael L.|title=Crash course in rooting for Aggies|newspaper=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061224/news_1s24am.html|accessdate=2007-07-26|date=[[December 24]], [[2006]]}}</ref> Booing is strongly discouraged, and an upset Aggie will instead hiss their opponents or the referees. If a referee call is especially egregious in the minds of the Aggies, the Yell Leaders will call for the "Horse Laugh," a yell that ends with a stadium wide hissing.<ref name="greenwald"/>
After each yell, students make a noise and a hand motion that is known as a wildcat. Each class has a separate wildcat, and students caught "pulling out," or using the wildcat of a higher class, are often forced to do pushups as punishment.<ref name="connolly"/> Freshmen raise their hands above their heads and yell "AAAA". Sophomores, symbolically pushing back on the seniors, chant "A!" five times, waving their hands up and down in front of the torso with their index fingers extended and thumbs perpendicular. Juniors yell "A! A! A! Whoop!", using the same hand motion as the sophomores during the "A"s. For the "Whoop," juniors wrap their left hand over their right fist, with both index fingers extended and pointing towards the ground, signifying their wish to shoot the seniors and take their place. As a symbol of their expert marksmanship, seniors yell a single "A!" and then "Whoop!" while interlocking their fingers with their index fingers extended and pointed into the air. At the same time, the right foot is raised and tucked behind the left knee. The fingers are interlocked rather than covering the right hand so that the Aggie Ring is visible. <ref name="corpsdict"/><ref name="pollyhughes">{{citation|last=Hughes|first=Polly Ross|title=Aggie Spirit|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=[[November 28]], [[1999]]|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1999_3180333|accessdate=2007-08-16}}</ref>
===The Spirit of '02===
[[Image:Spirit of '02.jpg|thumb|right|A member of Parson's Mounted Cavalry guarding ''The Spirit of '02'' before a home football game]]
The Corps of Cadets marks any Aggie scores during football games by firing ''The Spirit of '02'', a model 1902 3-inch [[field gun]].<ref name="dynamo">{{cite web|title=Hoops, Dynamo to battle for cannon|publisher=[[Houston Dynamo]]|url=http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20060504&content_id=58083&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&team=hou|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref> The cannon was found in the fall of 1974 at a [[Aggie Bonfire|Bonfire]] cut site, and it is thought to have been used during the filming of the movie ''[[We've Never Been Licked]]''. The cannon remained outside of cadet Dorm 4 for most of the 1974 fall semester. Cadet freshmen ("fish") passing by it had to address it (loudly) by saying, "Howdy Mister 1902 Cannon, Sir !" First fired on the Corps Quadrangle in 1982, the cannon became a part of football tradition during the 1984 football season.<ref name="cannon">{{cite web |url = http://pmc.tamu.edu/spirit02.htm |title = The Spirit of ‘02 |accessdate = 2006-12-28 |date = [[2004-09-07]] |publisher = Parsons Mounted Cavalry}}</ref>
===Maroon Out===
One of Texas A&M's newer traditions is Maroon Out, which began in 1998. The football team had ended their 1997 season with a lopsided defeat to [[University of Nebraska|Nebraska]] in the [[Big 12 Championship Game]]. Several Aggie students noticed how united the Nebraska fans seemed, all dressed in red. They proposed that Texas A&M attempt to "Maroon Out" Kyle Field for the [[October 10]], [[1998]] rematch against Nebraska and formed an organization to sell maroon t-shirts at a low cost to students. This resulted in the sale of 31,000 Maroon Out shirts, leading to a temporary national shortage of maroon t-shirts.<ref name="maroonout">{{cite web|title=Maroon Out History|publisher=Maroon Out T-shirts|url=http://www.maroonouttshirts.com/|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref>
The Aggies defeated Number 2 Nebraska 28-21, the first time in six seasons that Nebraska had lost a regular-season conference game. The ''[[Daily Nebraskan]]'' noted that "A game that was dubbed a 'maroon-out' for Texas A&M fans proved to be lights out for Nebraska. The fans dressed themselves in maroon T-shirts in an attempt to wash out the red and white that opponents have gotten used to. It worked."<ref name="miller">{{citation|last=Miller|first=Matt|title=Aggie offense ran away with NU's game|newspaper=[[Daily Nebraskan]]|date=[[October 12]], [[1998]]|url=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/1998/10/12/Sports/Aggies.Punish.Nu.2821-2088719.shtml|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref>
Since then, one football game each season is dubbed an official Maroon Out and discounted maroon t-shirts are for sale for fans. Through 2005, Texas A&M has been 6-1 in Maroon Out games, beating 5 teams ranked in the Top 25, despite being the underdog in each of the games.<ref name="maroonout2">{{cite press release|title=Yell Practice Details for A&M vs. t.u.|publisher=[[Association of Former Students]]|date=[[November 16]], [[2005]]|url=http://www.aggienetwork.com/release.aspx?p=177|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref> The basketball team has a similar tradition, called a "White Out," where fans are encouraged to wear white t-shirts.<ref name="huffman">{{citation|last=Huffman|first=Holly|title=Attendance at Reed Arena rises with number of wins|newspaper=[[Bryan-College Station Eagle]]|date=[[January 27]], [[2007]]|url=http://www.theeagle.com/stories/012707/am_20070127001.php|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref>
Perhaps the most memorable Maroon Out moment was not maroon at all. After the events of [[September 11, 2001]], five Aggie students wished to help honor America. They decided to ask the attendees of the next A&M football game, which would be held at Kyle Field on [[September 22]], [[2001]], to wear patriotic colors. The colors would be divided by deck, with the upper deck wearing red, the middle deck wearing white, and the lower deck in blue. Within a five-day period the students had contracted with several printers to create special t-shirts which read "Standing for America" and the date. The students sold about 70,000 of these shirts, raising over $150,000 for the relief efforts.<ref name="meeks">{{citation|last=Meeks|first=Flori|title=Shirt business is the perfect fit for Klein entrepreneur|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=[[November 1]], [[2001]]|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2001_3348956|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref><ref name=”RedWhiteBlue”> {{citation |url = http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2001/09/24/Opinion/Editorial.Aggies.Stand.Tall-513104.shtml?sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com/ |title = Editorial - Aggies Stand Tall |accessdate = 2007-01-01 |date = [[2001-09-24]] |newspaper = [[The Battalion]]}}</ref>
==Aggie Bonfire==
[[Image:2007-SBF.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The 2007 Student Bonfire.]]
{{main|Aggie Bonfire}}
Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing tradition at [[Texas A&M University]] as part of a [[college rivalry]] with the [[University of Texas at Austin]], known as t.u. by Texas A&M students. For ninety years, Texas A&M students built and burned a large [[bonfire]] on campus each fall. Known within the Aggie community simply as Bonfire, the annual fall event symbolized the students' "burning desire to beat the hell outta t.u."<ref name="smith2007">{{citation|last=Smith|first=Jonathan M.|date=2007|title=The Texas Aggie Bonfire: A Conservative Reading of Regional Narratives, Traditional Practices, and a Paradoxical Place|newspaper=Annals of the Association of American Geographers|pages=182-201|url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFullText?submitFullText=Full+Text+HTML&doi=10.1111%2Fj.1467-8306.2007.00530.x&cookieSet=1#Two%20Southern%20Narratives|accessdate=2007-08-15}}</ref> The bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in conjunction with the festivities surrounding the annual [[college football]] game between the schools.<ref name="bernstein"/>
The first on-campus Aggie Bonfire was burned in 1909, and the tradition continued for the next 90 years.<ref name="bernstein">{{citation|last = Bernstein|first = Alan| title = Aggie Bonfire holds distinction as Texas symbol|newspaper= [[The Houston Chronicle]] | date = [[November 18]], [[1999]] | url =http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/bonfire/386353.html | accessdate = [[2007-02-28]] }}</ref> For almost two decades, Bonfire was constructed from debris and pieces of wood that Aggies "found," including lumber intended for a dormitory that students appropriated in 1912.<ref name="as" >{{cite web | title = Vanities of the Bonfire | newspaper = [[American Scientist]] | date = November - December 2000 | url =http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/23826/page/2;jsessionid=aaa5LVFO | accessdate = 2007-02-28 }}</ref> The event became school-sanctioned in 1936, and, for the first time, students were provided with axes, saws, and trucks and pointed towards a grove of dead trees on the edge of town.<ref name="bernstein"/> In the following years the Bonfire became more elaborate, and in 1967 the flames could be seen {{convert|25|mi|km|-1|lk=on}} away. In 1969, the stack set the world record at {{convert|111|ft|m|-1|lk=on}} tall.<ref name="bernstein"/><ref name="WorldRec">{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/books/it/1999/12/08/bonfire/index.html|title=Memories of an Aggie bonfire boy |publisher=[[Salon.com]]|accessdate=2007-08-14}}</ref>
While the Bonfires of the 1960s were constructed in five to ten days, working primarily in daylight, by the late 1970s a more elaborate construction schedule had been implemented.<ref name="smith2007"/> Construction began in late October with "Cut", with several weekends devoted to cutting down the logs with axes.<ref name="homeland"/><ref name="smith2007"/> The logs were brought to campus during "Load."<ref name="homeland"/> In early November, crews began "Stack", a three-week period in which the logs were wired together and Bonfire took shape. Near the end of stack, known as "Push", students worked around the clock in rotating shifts.<ref name="homeland"/> Although between two and five thousand students participated in the construction of Bonfire each year, most of them were unable to devote themselves full-time to the task, and many worked only one or two shifts.<ref name="smith2007"/> While participating, the students wore "grodes," old [[t-shirt]]s, jeans, and boots. By tradition, grodes were either not washed until after Bonfire burned or not washed at all.<ref name="stratton">{{cite book|last=Stratton |first=W.K.|title=Backyard Brawl: Inside the Blood Feud Between Texas and Texas A & M||publisher = [[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]]| date =[[September 3]], [[2002]]| pages =100-101 | isbn = 0609610538}}</ref>
In 1978, Bonfire shifted to a wedding-cake style, in which upper stacks of logs were wedged on top of lower stacks. The structure was built around a fortified centerpole, made from two [[telephone poles]].<ref name="homeland"/> Although tradition stated that if Bonfire burned through midnight A&M would win the following day's game, with the introduction of the wedding cake design Bonfire began to fall very quickly, sometimes burning for only 30 or 45 minutes.<ref name="burka2000">{{citation|last=Burka|first=Paul|title=The Aggie Bonfire Tragedy|newspaper=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=April 2000|page=116|edition=Vol. 28, Issue 4}}</ref>
At 2:42 AM on [[November 18]], [[1999]], the partially completed [[Aggie Bonfire]], standing {{convert|40|ft|m|-1|sp=us}} tall and consisting of about 5000 logs, collapsed during construction. Of the 58 students and former students working on the stack, 12 were killed and 27 others were injured.<ref name="homeland">{{cite web | last = Cook | first = John Lee, Jr. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Bonfire Collapse | work = | publisher = [[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]] | date = | url =http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-133-508.pdf | format =PDF | doi = | accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref> On [[November 25]], [[1999]], the date that Bonfire would have burned, Aggies instead held a vigil and remembrance ceremony. Over 40,000 people, including former President [[George H.W. Bush]] and his wife [[Barbara Bush|Barbara]] and then-Texas governor [[George W. Bush]] and his wife [[Laura Bush|Laura]], lit candles and observed up to two hours of silence at the site of the Bonfire collapse.<ref name="whitmarsch" >{{citation | last = Whitmarsch | first = Geneva| title = Thousands Mourn Fallen Aggies | newspaper = [[The Bryan-College Station Eagle]] | date = [[November 26]], [[1999]] | url = http://www.theeagle.com/bonfire/storyarchive/november1999/261199a.htm | accessdate = 2007-02-28 }}</ref> The Bonfire Memorial was officially dedicated on [[November 18]], [[2004]].<ref name="mfon">{{citation | last = Mfon | first = Tosin| title = A&M remembers bonfire tragedy | newspaper=[[The Daily Texan]] | url =http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2004/11/19/TopStories/Am.Remembers.Bonfire.Tragedy-811494.shtml|date=[[November 19]], [[2004]] | accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref>
Bonfire was postponed until 2002 in order to restructure it to make it safer. Delays in the development of a safety plan and a high estimated cost (mainly due to [[liability insurance]]), led A&M president Ray Bowen to postpone Bonfire indefinitely.<ref name="milloy">{{citation | last = Milloy | first = Ross E.| title = National Briefing | Southwest: Texas: Aggie President Cancels Bonfire | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03E5DA113DF936A35751C0A9649C8B63|date=[[February 5]], [[2002]] | accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref> Despite the university's refusal to allow Bonfire to take place on campus, since 2002 a non-university sanctioned Bonfire has burned annually.<ref name="badger">{{citation | title = Off-campus Texas A&M bonfire brings out thousands | newspaper=[[The Badger Herald]] | url =http://badgerherald.com/news/2002/11/26/offcampus_texas_a_m_.php|date=[[November 26]], [[2002]] | accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref> Known as Student Bonfire, the off-campus event draws between 8,000 and 15,000 fans.<ref name="windle">{{citation| last=Moghe|first=Sonia| title = Off-campus bonfire|newspaper=[[The Battalion]] | url =http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2005/11/17/News/OffCampus.Bonfire-1108094.shtml|date=[[November 17]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref>
==Elephant Walk==
{{main|Elephant Walk (Texas A&M)}}
Every November, in the week of the football game against the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]], the senior class gathers together for Elephant Walk. The seniors link arms and "wander aimlessly" through campus.<ref name="ewalk1">{{cite web|title=Texas schools curb football rivalry to mourn log collapse|publisher=CNN.com|date=[[November 23]],[[1999]]|accessdate=2007-07-27|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9911/23/students.crushed.01/}}</ref> The University of Texas game is always the last football game of the regular season, so Elephant Walk has come to symbolize the end of the seniors' "usefulness" to the 12th Man and the passing of the torch to the junior class.<ref name="jennajones"/> In a reference to Elephant Walk, seniors in their last semester of study are often called "dead elephants."<ref name="corpsdict"/>
Elephant Walk began in 1926, when a group of students decided to take one last walk around campus to remember their experiences at the school. Because they walked single file, with a hand on the shoulder of the person in front, an observer remarked that they "looked like elephants, about to die."<ref name="jennajones">{{citation|last=Jones|first=Jenna|title=Date for annual Elephant Walk approaches|date=[[November 24]], [[2003]]|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2003/11/24/News/Date-For.Annual.Elephant.Walk.Approaches-566726.shtml|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref> The day now begins at Kyle Field with a yell practice and speaker, and then the senior yell leaders lead the class through campus.<ref name="facultytips">{{cite web|title=Faculty Survival Tips|publisher=[[Association of Former Students]]|url=http://www.aggienetwork.com/survivaltips.aspx|accessdate=2007-07-27}}{{dead link|date=June 2008}}</ref> Leaders of the graduating class also announce the class gift at Elephant Walk. <ref name="ElephantWalk">{{cite news |url = http://www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/11/21/News/Seniors.Take.Last.Steps.Through.Campus-2505372.shtml?norewrite200612272128&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com |title = Seniors take last steps through campus |accessdate = 2006-12-28 |date = [[November 21]], [[2006]] |newspaper = [[The Battalion]] }}</ref>
==Service projects==
===March to the Brazos===
{{main|March to the Brazos}}
Each year the Corps conducts the March to the Brazos, a {{convert|14|mi|km|-1|lk=on}} round-trip road march that serves as both a ceremony to transfer leadership as well as a fundraiser for the [[March of Dimes]]. The Corps hold various fundraisers and solicits donations throughout the year. On a Saturday morning, generally in April, each year, all members of the Corps gather at the Quadrangle, near their dormitories, and march en masse across campus and down Highway 60 to Texas A&M's Animal Science Teaching, Research & Extension Complex near the east bank of the [[Brazos River]]. There, the cadets learn who will fill each leadership position for the following year. The current seniors are allowed to ride a bus back to campus while the newly promoted cadets lead their outfits back to campus.<ref name="tintera">{{citation|last=Tintera|first=Amy|title=Forward March|newspaper=The Battalion|date=[[April 25]], [[2005]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2005/05/02/News/Forward.March-945731.shtml|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref> The event is the largest and most successful student-run fundraising event in the United States for the March of Dimes.<ref name="martell">{{Citation|last=Martell|first=Marilyn|title=Dollars Roll in for March of Dimes|date=[[June 29]], [[2003]]|newspaper=The Bryan-College Station Eagle|url=http://www.theeagle.com/brazossunday/outabout/062903outandabout.htm|accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref> In its first 27 years, from 1977 through 2003, the event raised a combined [[US$]]1.3 million.<ref name="martell"/>
===Replant===
In fall 2006, approximately 1000 Aggie students participated in Replant,a one-day [[Environmentalism|environmental]] service project, planting 250 trees in three public parks. The event has been an annual tradition since 1991, when the Texas A&M Environmental Issues Committee began planting trees to replace those that had been cut down for Bonfire. Although Bonfire has been disbanded, Replant continues. Its goals are now to beautify the Bryan-College Station area and to "creat[e] harmony between students and the residents."<ref name="srinivas">{{citation|last=Srinivasan|first=Arun|title=Replant digs what they do
|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/10/23/News/Replant.Digs.What.They.Do-2381549.shtml|date=[[October 23]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref> In 2000, the group planted twelve [[live oak]] trees at the Texas A&M Polo Grounds in memory of the twelve victims of the 1999 Bonfire collapse. That year the group was awarded the Community Forestry Award from the Texas Forest Service.<ref name="replantchron">{{citation|title=12 trees planted in honor of A&M Bonfire victims|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=[[March 5]], [[2000]]|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2000_3199586|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> The group provides their own trees, grown at the [[Texas A&M University-Riverside|Texas A&M Riverside]] campus in [[Bryan, Texas]] and has its own Student Government committee.<ref name="Replant">{{cite web |url = http://replant.tamu.edu/whoweare/history.html |title = History |accessdate = 2006-12-24 |date = |publisher = Texas Aggie Replant }}</ref>
=== The Big Event ===<!-- This section is linked from [[Texas A&M University]] -->
Texas A&M was the originator of The Big Event, the largest one-day student-run service project in the nation.<ref name="hernandez">{{citation|last=Hernandez|first=Akisha|title=Aggies helping others|newspaper = The Emerald|publisher=[[Kappa Delta Chi]]|date=September 2006|url=http://www.kappadeltachi.org/images/pdf/KDX%20National%20Newsletter%20Sept%2006.pdf|format=[[PDF]]|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref> The annual event began in 1983 after the Texas A&M Student Government Association passed a resolution encouraging students to show their gratitude to the community by giving of their time.<ref name="hernandez"/><ref name=”OU">{{cite web |url = http://bigevent.ou.edu/learn1.htm |title = The Big Event |accessdate = 2007-01-13 |date = |publisher = [[University of Oklahoma]]}}</ref> From its beginnings of six individual students wanting to contribute back to the local community, The Big Event has expanded to allow over nine thousand students to participate in over 500 jobs, such as raking leaves, painting houses, and trimming trees.<ref name="filbin">{{citation|last=Filbin|first=Melissa|title=Traditions 101|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=[[August 22]], [[2007]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2007/08/22/Aggielife/Traditions.101-2933871.shtml|accessdate=2007-09-14}}</ref> The concept for The Big Event has spread throughout the nation, and as of 2007, 71 schools across the nation participate each year including 1 middle school, 2 high schools, and 68 universities.<ref name=”BigEventExpansion">{{cite web |url = http://bigevent.tamu.edu/expansion.html |title = The Big Event: Expansion |accessdate = 2007-01-13 |date = |publisher = Texas A&M University}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.midweeknews.com/articles/2008/04/16/local/northern_illinois_university/niu01.txt|title='Learning from our experiences' |publisher=''[[The MidWeek]]''|accessdate=2008-04-16|date=2008-04-16|author=Hines, Dennis}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/509713.html?nav=5014|title=‘Big Event’ slated this weekend|publisher=''Williamsport Sun-Gazette''|accessdate=2008-05-02|date=2008-05-02|author=Clarke, Cheryl}}</ref> The 2008 Big Event attracted 10,600 students who worked a record number of 1,000 jobs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theeagle.com/local/A-amp-amp-M-students-help-out-in-a--big--way|title=A&M students help out in a 'big' way|publisher=''Bryan-College Station Eagle''|accessdate=2008-03-30|date=2008-03-30|author=Braden, John}}</ref>
== Asking for luck ==
[[Image:Century Tree.jpg|thumb|right|The Century Tree. The statue of Sul Ross is at the end of the path.]]
Many students believe that they will do well on exams if they make an offering to [[Lawrence Sullivan Ross|Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross]]. Ross, the president of Texas A&M in the 1890s, is credited with saving the school from closure. Affectionately known as "Sully," many believe him to be "the embodiment of Aggie Spirit and tradition."<ref name="sully">{{cite web|title=Sul Ross Statue|publisher= Texas A&M University|url=http://www.tamu.edu/home/imagepage/sulross.html|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref> A&M legend states that Ross would often tutor students, and as payment would accept only a penny for their thoughts. At exam time his statue, located in Academic Plaza, is often covered in pennies.<ref name="pierce">{{citation|last=Pierce|first=Carrie|title=Have you seen this tradition?|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=[[November 22]], [[2004]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2004/11/22/Aggielife/Have-You.Seen.This.Tradition-812856-page2.shtml|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref>
Another spot in Academic Plaza is also believed to be lucky. Tradition says that if a couple walks together under the branches of the Century Tree, one of the oldest trees on campus, they will eventually marry. If the proposal takes place under the Century Tree, the marriage is supposed to last forever.<ref name="watkins">{{citation|last=Watkins|first=Matthew|title=Tree-ballin' it|newspaper=[[The Battalion]]|date=[[July 18]], [[2005]]|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2005/07/18/News/TreeBallin.It-962938.shtml|accessdate=2007-07-27}}</ref><ref name="centurytree">{{cite web|title=Century Tree Donors|publisher=Texas A&M University Replant Committee|accessdate=2007-07-27|url=http://replant.tamu.edu/trees/centurytree.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2008/04/29/News/Century.Tree.symbol.Of.Strength.Loyalty.For.More.Than.100.Years-3354778.shtml|title=Century Tree 'symbol of strength, loyalty' for more than 100 years|publisher=''The Battalion''|accessdate=2008-04-29|date=2008-04-29|author=Lein, Brook}}</ref>
== Privileged words ==
For much of its [[History of Texas A&M University|first 100 years]], Texas A&M was a small, all-male, military academy. The school became coeducational in the 1960s, and membership in the Corps of Cadets became voluntary. In military tradition, privileges are meted out as one climbs the ranks, and Texas A&M has several such traditions. The most obvious are the uniforms worn by the Corps of Cadets. Corps members wear different uniforms for each year, culminating in the prized Senior boots.<ref name="pollyhughes">{{citation|last=Hughes|first=Polly Ross|title=Aggie Spirit|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=[[November 28]], [[1999]]|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1999_3180333|accessdate=2007-08-16}}</ref>
Vocabulary is also restricted by class. Freshmen may not say the word ''Pisshead'', a nickname for sophomores.<ref name="gravois"/> Juniors are known as "Serge Butts", so neither freshmen nor sophomores can say any form of either word. Juniors are also the first class to be allowed to say "[[Glossary of Texas Aggie terms#W|Whoop]]!" Seniors, known as "Zips" for the black and [[gold braid]] on their [[garrison cap]]s, which resembles a zipper, have reserved the word ''elephant'' and all words dealing with death, dying, or guns, in reference to the traditions surrounding [[Glossary of Texas Aggie terms#E|Elephant Walk]].<ref name="corpsdict"/>
Students caught "pulling out", or saying words that are reserved for other classes, are forced to "push."<ref name="corpsdict"/><ref name="karawilson">{{cite press release|title=Texas A&M Freshman Active as Ever|publisher=Texas A&M University|date=[[August 20]],[[2007]]|url=http://newsarchives.tamu.edu/article.php?articleid=910&month=11&year=1995|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> Traditionally, this means the students must do a "class set" of pushups, one for each year of their class. The Class of 1945 did only 45 pushups and an extra pushup has been added for each subsequent year; the Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 2011 now does 111.<ref name="karawilson"/> Pulling out privileges of the class directly above is considered "[[Glossary of Texas Aggie terms#G|Good Bull]]", but pulling out two classes or more is "[[Glossary of Texas Aggie terms#B|Bad Bull]]."<ref name="corpsdict">{{cite web |url=http://b-batt.aggieband.org/dictionary.html |title=Corps Dictionary |accessdate=2007-05-13 |publisher=Texas A&M University}}</ref> Members of the Corps of Cadets generally take privileged words more seriously than [[Glossary of Texas Aggie terms#N|non-reg]] students.<ref name="smith2007">{{citation|last=Smith|first=Jonathan M.|date=2007|title=The Texas Aggie Bonfire: A Conservative Reading of Regional Narratives, Traditional Practices, and a Paradoxical Place|newspaper=Annals of the Association of American Geographers|pages=182-201|url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFullText?submitFullText=Full+Text+HTML&doi=10.1111%2Fj.1467-8306.2007.00530.x&cookieSet=1#Two%20Southern%20Narratives|accessdate=2007-08-15}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
== External links ==
{{Commons|Texas A&M University}}
* [http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/ Texas Aggie Traditions]
{{Texas A&M University}}
[[Category:Texas A&M Aggies|Traditions of Texas A&M University]]
[[Category:Texas A&M University|Traditions of Texas A&M University]]
[[Category:Texas A&M University traditions|Traditions]]
[[Category:Traditions by university or college in the United States|Texas A&M University]]