Traditions of Texas A&M University

File:Texas AandM University seal.png

Texas A&M University

The following is a list of the traditions of Texas A&M University that are still performed by students today. This list may include traditions not officially recognized by the administration of Texas A&M University including those started by students such as ring dunking, or those that have been discontinued by A&M such as the Bonfire.

The Aggie Spirit

Some may boast of prowess bold

Of the schools they think so grand
But there is a spirit can ne'er be told

It's the Spirit of Aggieland

— First verse of "Spirit of Aggieland"

"From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it." Aggies have always shown great devotion to their school and to each other, from the beginning down to the present day, often across multiple generations in some Aggie families.

The 12th Man

File:12thManStatue.JPG

12th Man Statue located adjacent to Kyle Field

See also: 12th Man (football)

In Dallas on January 2, 1922, at the Dixie Classic (the forerunner of the 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 but surely defeating a team which boasted having three All-Americans. Unfortunately, the first half produced so many injuries for A&M that 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 reserve who had left football after the regular season to play basketball. Gill, who was spotting players and was not in football uniform, willingly volunteered and donned the uniform of injured player Heine Weir. 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. A&M finally won 22-14. When the game ended, E. King 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." A statue of E. King Gill stands to the north of Kyle Field to remind today’s Aggies of their constant obligation to preserve the spirit of the Twelfth Man. That spirit of readiness, desire, and enthusiasm has continued through the years, and to this day the Aggie student body, known as the Twelfth Man, remains standing at football games as a gesture of its loyalty and readiness for duty. But the tradition of the Twelfth Man embraces more than mere athletic events. It is the essence of the Aggie Spirit that unites all Aggies into a fellowship of service and devotion to each other and their school.

In the 1980s, Jackie Sherrill created the "12th Man Kickoff Team" composed of regular students who tried out for the team instead of players who were recruited, as is the normal practice in college football. These students were placed on the roster for the sole purpose of running the kickoffs. This 12th Man team performed very well and held opponents to one of the lowest yards per return averages in the league. Later, Head Coach R.C. Slocum changed the team to allow only one representative of the 12th Man on the kick off team who wears uniform number 12. However under Dennis Franchione the "12th Man Kickoff Team", entirely made of walk-ons, has been brought back, though it only rarely used.

The 12th Man has evolved into a tradition at Texas A&M. The Texas A&M student body acts as the "12th Man" for the football team and stands throughout the entire game, ready to help the team should the need arise.

12th Man Towel

12th Man towel

On 1 January 1988, Texas A&M was playing Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. A member of the 12th Man Kickoff Team, Warren Barhorst, tackled Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown. Defensive back Chet Brooks, who is also credited with the creation of the "Wrecking Crew" moniker on the A&M defense, used to play with Tim Brown in High School. Brooks didn't hold Brown in the highest regard, but he did know a few of Brown's pet peeves and one of those was someone using his towel. Knowing this information, Barhorst stole Brown's towel during the tackle and proudly waved it over his head as he ran back to the sidelines. Infuriated, Brown ran over and tackled Barhorst, and received a 15 yard personal foul penalty for his efforts. Later in the game Barhorst repeated his antics and so did Brown. Again Brown received another 15 yard personal foul penalty and was ejected from the game. In the ensuing 1988-89 season, students began to bring towels to the game and waved them to show their support for the team.

Howdy

Texas A&M students keep alive the word "Howdy" by using it as their primary greeting. It is polite to greet as many people as comfortably possible with a smile and a howdy. Howdys should always be returned if one is received. An unreturned howdy is perceived as bad bull. In the late 70s/early 80s this greeting was sometimes modified to howdy, dammit!, partly to express frustration at unreturned howdys, but this usage has largely vanished. If addressing a large group, the "dy" part is drawn-out longer than it would be normally. 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.

Texas Aggie Bonfire

The 2005 Student Bonfire.

Main article: Aggie Bonfire

Beginning in 1909, Texas A&M students worked together each year to build a bonfire on the grounds of the school. Though it began as a trash pile, Aggie Bonfire grew significantly in scale as students would cut down logs and bring them to campus and work for weeks, often around the clock, to construct a massive six-tiered structure before the annual football game versus the University of Texas (referred to by Aggies as t.u., or, just another Texas university) on Thanksgiving weekend. In addition to building cameraderie, Bonfire was intended to symbolize the Aggies' "burning" desire to "beat the hell outta" their rival.

On November 18, 1999, 12 were killed and 27 injured when Bonfire, still under construction at the campus, collapsed. A memorial to remember the 12 fallen Aggies was dedicated on November 18, 2004.

After the collapse of 1999, Bonfire was suspended by the university until further notice. Some estimated 900 Aggies still gather each year since 2002 to carry on the tradition by building an off-campus bonfire. Aggie Student Bonfire

Replant

Main article: Aggie Replant

Replant is a one-day environmental service project carried out by student volunteers at Texas A&M University. Each fall semester, thousands of Aggies work together to plant hundreds of trees at public schools, parks and other properties in order to improve the local environment. The event was begun in 1990 by Scott Hantman in response to Bonfire critics who lamented the fact that Aggies cut down many trees but did not compensate the environment. Scott teamed up with Bonfire leaders and, in spring of 1991, they planted 400 trees. Today, Replant has a tree farm at the Texas A&M Riverside campus in Bryan, Texas and has its own Student Government committee. Though it is no longer directly associated with Bonfire, in the spring of 2000 Replant volunteers planted twelve live oak trees at the Texas A&M Polo Grounds in memory of the twelve victims of the 1999 Bonfire collapse.

The Big Event

Big Event is a one day service project which provides the students of Texas A&M University an opportunity to say "thank you" to the surrounding Bryan/College Station community for their continued support. Originating as an idea from Joe Nussbaum, then Vice President of the Student Government Association at Texas A&M, he took the initiative to make others aware of this need by passing it through the student senate in 1982. From its beginnings of six individual students wanting to contribute back to the local community, The Big Event has expanded to include over 800 jobs, such as raking leaves, painting houses, and trimming trees; and roughly eight thousand students. Big Event takes place around mid Spring on a weekend to allow the greatest student participation. The Big Event has since become the largest, one-day, student run, service project in the nation with 71 schools across the nation participating each year including 1 middle school, 2 high schools, and 68 universities.

Texas A&M Corps of Cadets

Main article: Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets

An organization that trains students in the ways of the military with the option of a commission to the military upon graduation. The Corps trains more military officers than any school in the U.S. apart from the service academies. See also the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association

March to the Brazos

Main article: March to the Brazos

March to the Brazos is an annual event during the spring semester, usually in April but the actual day varies. The cadets conduct a road march starting from the Quadrangle through main and west campuses to Texas A&M's Animal Science Teaching, Research & Extension Complex (ASTREC) near the east bank of the Brazos River, a 14-mile round-trip. After the first leg of the march, cadets participate in various competitions (tug-of-war, relay races, etc.), eat lunch, and unofficially transfer poisitions to their respective successors for the following school year. The day concludes with a march back under the leadership of the next senior class while the current senior class rides buses back to campus.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band

2006 Lone Star Showdown - Fightin' Texas Aggie Band marches past the Lone Star Showdown logo in Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium

Main article: Fightin' Texas Aggie Band

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the precision military marching band of Texas A&M University. The Aggie Band is composed of approximately 350 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets. The Band is the largest military marching band in the United States, performing at all of the school's football games and in other special events, such as inaugural parades for presidents and governors.

Its best known and most complicated maneuver is the "Four-Way Crossthrough" which requires band members to actually step between each's other's feet in order to complete the maneuver. Until 2000, available computer software for designing drills stated that this maneuver was impossible because it required two band members to occupy the same physical space at the same time. Recent upgrades in software have allowed for this feature to be overridden.

The Spirit of '02

A Model 1902 3-inch field gun called The Spirit of '02 is fired by the Corps of Cadets at each Aggie football game when the Aggies score. The "canon" was found during the late 1970's at a Bonfire cut site near Easterwood Airport and was thought to be left over from the filming of the movie "We've Never Been Licked". In September of 1982, The Spirit of '02 was first fired on the Corps Quad; a plaque now commemorates the event. Placed on a limber found near Georgetown, TX, with its wheels made in Oklahoma City, and including the original McClelland tack. The effort was achieved by John Gunter and funded by the Association of Former Students

Reveille

Main article: Reveille (Texas A&M)

Reveille is a purebred American collie and Texas A&M Universities official mascot. Now at Reveille VII, she was not the only mascot A&M had nor was she always a purebred collie. Reveille stands proudly today as the "First Lady of Texas A&M” and the highest ranked member of the Corps of Cadets, with the honorary rank of Cadet General.

Ol' Sarge

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.

Boot Line

As the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band leaves the field after each home game half-time performance, seniors (giving evidence either by their Senior boots or Aggie Ring) line up at the north end of Kyle Field to welcome the team back onto the field for the second half.

Yell Leaders

Main article: Yell Leaders

Texas A&M has Yell Leaders (unlike many schools which feature cheerleaders) to encourage crowds to support their sporting teams. Texas A&M’s Yell Leaders are five students (three seniors and two juniors) who serve to lead the crowds in yells. Yell Leaders do not perform gymnastic feats, and they use a variety of hand signals, called pass backs, to direct and intensify crowds. The term "yell leader" is not native to Texas A&M, and in fact was the original term for cheerleader.

Midnight Yell Practice

Main article: Midnight Yell Practice

Midnight Yell Practice (often locally, just Midnight Yell) is a regular event held at Texas A&M University. A "Yell Practice" is a replacement for what other schools may call a "pep rally." The principle is the same: to excite the crowd to yell Texas A&M on to victory. Midnight Yell Practice, is held the night prior to every Texas A&M home football game at Kyle Field. Midnight Yell also serves another purpose: to introduce to the student body any new yells that have been introduced since the last yell, and to establish any changes to yells since the last football game. (The most prevalent example is the BTHO yell. BTHO stands for Beat the hell outta *insert school name*. The next opponent's school name is used, and the Yell Leaders inform the crowd of the name. For example, when vs. Southern Methodist University, the yell goes "Beat the Hell Outta SMU")

Maroon Out

Maroon Out began on October 10, 1998, when #2 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers football team came to Texas A&M for the first time in school history. The Class Councils suggested having Texas A&M fans wear all maroon to support their team. The effort to get everyone to wear maroon, titled "Maroon Out," was developed as a way for students and former students who did not already have a maroon shirt to get one. In the week before the game, 31,000 "Maroon Out" shirts were sold at low cost to ensure that tens of thousands of Aggies attending the game would create a sea of maroon spirit throughout the stands. The movement also cause a temporary national shortage of maroon t-shirts. Texas A&M defeated Nebraska 28-21. Even the Nebraska fans acknowledged after the game that the intensity of the Maroon Out spirit made a difference in the game leading to A&M's 28-21 victory. As The Daily Nebraskan expressed it on October 12, 1998:

"A game that was dubbed a 'maroon-out' for Texas A&M fans proved to be a 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."

Students are encouraged to wear maroon all season long, but Maroon Out officially became a tradition after it was done a second time against the Aggies’ biggest rival, Texas. On Nov. 26, 1999 the Aggies beat t.u. 20 – 16. While a majority of Aggie fans wear maroon to all football games, one game each season is specifically designated "Maroon Out". In the first five years of the Maroon Out tradition, the Fightin' Texas Aggies have beaten all five opponents including four teams in the national top 10 at the time, including when the unranked Texas Aggies beat the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in 2002.

Perhaps the most memorable Maroon Out moment was not maroon at all. After the events of September 11, 2001, five resourceful Aggies decided that Texas A&M needed to do something special to honor America. So, within a five-day period, they had shirts printed up in red, white, and blue with the text "Standing for America" and the date. The shirts were sold by deck: the upper deck in red, the second deck in white, and the lower deck in blue. On September 22, 2001, "Red, White, and Blue Out" was born. Kyle Field became a patriotic symbol of American ingenuity and support. Over $150,000 was donated to the relief effort from the sale of the shirts which numbered around 70,000.

Aggie Ring

Aggie Ring (2004)

The Aggie Ring is worn by students and graduates of the University, and each aspect of the ring is used to promote school spirit. It was designed by E. C. Jonas in 1894 and the design has remained relatively unchanged since with only the class year changing, as well as the university's official name (it was called the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas until 1963).

The Aggie Ring cannot be purchased unless specific requirements are met. The 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. In addition, graduates of Texas A&M (either undergraduate or graduate) that do not meet these minimum criteria, may also purchase an Aggie Ring.

2007 Ring in its case

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's development: mind, body, spirit, emotion, and integrity. The eagle denotes agility, power, and ability.

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.

Traditionally, students wear their ring with the class year facing them to signify the fact that their time at A&M is not yet complete. During Senior Weekend at the annual Ring Dance, or at the end of the student's collegiate career, students turn their rings around with the class year facing away, symbolizing readiness to "face the world."

For decades, though unsanctioned and often discouraged by the University, it has become 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 very short time, catching the ring in his/her teeth. The Dixie Chicken, among other bars, has been one of the more popular venues for dunking Aggie Rings, though it does not endorse the activity. Some students choose to dunk their rings in alternative substances, including ice cream or nonalcoholic beverages.

Ring Dance

Ring Dance began on May 15, 1936 by a group of seniors who decided a dance with the ring as the predominant theme would be appropriate as a final function of the Senior Class. The first Ring Dance had no admission charge and was preceded by the Senior Banquet. It took place with an orchestra in the mess hall and had one plaster of a Ring replica for the official portraits. In 1941, Ring Dance had two giant Rings for pictures and the traditional "Ring Ceremony”. In 1943 and 1945 there were two separate class Ring Dances because of World War II, in which the school was in a 12-month "express" cycle. One Ring Dance was held in January for one graduating class; the other in May for the next group of graduates. In 1949, two Ring Dances were held again; one Friday night and one on Saturday night due to the number of participants with over 2400 people attending. In order to help get everyone through the rings in an organized manner, the Senior class issued cards informing students what night each couple was to go to. Ring Dance was one room of entertainment, an orchestra, until 1978 when another entertainment option was made available; a rock band. The entertainment increased to three rooms in 1989, four rooms in 1993, seven rooms in 1997, and eight rooms in 1998. The variety of entertainment over the years has ranged from orchestra to Tejano to country to piano bar. Currently each year the dance is held around late April. After receiving an Aggie Ring, Seniors wear the ring so that it faces them, with their palm face down and fingers pointed away from their body. Ring Dance represents the end of their senior year when they can turn the ring around to be readable by others. During the “Ring Ceremony” each couple, in turn, steps through the huge replica of the Aggie Ring. When inside this large ring, the date removes the senior’s ring from his/her finger and reverses it to show the seal and inscription such that others can read what is written. After the ring has been turned, the couple steps from the large replica.

Elephant Walk

Main article: Elephant Walk (Texas A&M)

Elephant Walk is a tradition at Texas A&M University in which the senior class walks around campus to remember the good times they had at Texas A&M. This tradition generally takes place the week before the "t.u." (University of Texas at Austin) football game. It signifies the last time that the seniors will stand as a part of the 12th Man student body.

Muster

Main article: Muster (Texas A&M University)

Beginning June 26, 1883, Aggies would gather and remember their college days, the victories and defeats on the drill field and in the classrooms. Also established on this day by the Ex-Cadets Associatation was the “Roll Call for the Absent”. In 1889, A&M made April 21 an official holiday and set the day aside as annual cadet track and field day. On April 21, 1903, the tradition evolved into a celebration of Texas’ Independence in the battle of San Jacinto due to then A&M President Davis Houston attempting to cancel field day activities, wishing for a more productive day. Gatherings would include field games and banquets so Aggies could reflect on their days in Aggieland. Muster was officially begun in 1922 when April 21 became a day not for field day events but for comradery and remembrance of fellow Aggies. The March 1923 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’.

Silver Taps

Silver Taps is a monthly tradition of Texas A&M University to honor Aggies who died while attending Texas A&M. It is a special arrangement of the military song "Taps" composed by Colonel Richard J. Dunn in the 1930s. The ceremony began in 1898 when the first Silver Taps was held to honor Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the president of then Texas Agricultural & Mechanical College and former Governor of Texas. The ceremony was observed in front of Old Main until it burned in 1912, and then in front of Goodwin Hall until 1918 when it was moved to the present site, in front of the Academic Building. In the 1920’s, the flag was placed at half-staff the day of Silver Taps. The chimes, which play prior to Silver Taps, were rung from 1955 to 1973. They were resumed in 1975 after the renovation of the Memorial Student Center. Notices are posted at the Memorial Student Center, Evans Library, and at the base of the flagpole in front of the Academic Building. Around 10:15 P.M. the lights across campus are extinguished and hymns chime from Albritton Tower while students and faculty collect in the Academic Plaza. Following a 21-gun salute by the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad, six buglers play Silver Taps three times from the dome of the school's Academic Building: once to the north, once to the south and once to the west. The song is not played to the east because the sun is never to rise on that Aggie again. Originally held on the evening of a student's death, it is now held only on the first Tuesday of the month during the school year (when needed) at 10:30 P.M.

Gig 'em

Main article: Gig 'em Aggies

Pinky Downs, Class of 1906, and a member of the Board of Regents from 1923 to 1933, is credited with the Gig ‘em hand sign. At the 1930 Midnight Yell Practice before the football game with Texas Christian University, whose mascot is the Horned Frog, Downs shouted out, "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?" Answering his own question, he replied, “Gig ‘Em, Aggies!” while making a fist with his thumb extended. A “gig” is a spear-like tool used for hunting frogs. The gesture became known as the "first" hand sign of the Southwest Conference.

Fish Camp

Fish Camp, a four-day orientation program, originally held near Junction, TX, now held in Palestine, TX, gives freshmen the opportunity to learn Aggie traditions, ease their way into college life, develop leadership skills, and create friendships. It began in 1954 when Gordon Gay, a former Student Activities director, took a few new students camping. Fish Camp has since developed into the largest independent student organization in the country, and annually accommodates over 4,500 Texas A&M freshmen. In 1987, Texas A&M established a parallel orientation for summer and fall transfer students called T-Camp. 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.

Aggie Lingo

TAMU's deep history as military school causes confusion for non-Aggies who may not be familiar with certain terminology, places, or events that take place at A&M. Many examples of Aggie terminology are given here.

General Vocabulary

• Bad Bull — Any action that goes against Aggie spirit.
• Class Set — The number of pushups students were required to do (usually in reference to cadets, but not exclusively). The number of pushups is determined by the class year of the student (the class of '45 had to do 45 pushups, '46 had to do 46, etc). As the year 2000 approached, it was decided through popular opinion that the class of '00 would have to simply do one more pushup than their predecessors (99 + 1 = 100). Currently a class set numbers 100 plus the class year. (ex: Class of 2009 would have to do 109 pushups).
• E-Walk — The Junior's equivalent of Elephant Walk. This is a relatively new tradition where juniors assume their position as the new leaders of campus. Also, all non-seniors say E-Walk when making reference to Elephant Walk.
• Good Bull — Any action that supports Aggie Spirit.
• Mug/Muggin' down — Kissing your date when a sports team scores.
• Off the Wood — Stepping off the bleachers when the Aggie War Hymn or Spirit of Aggieland are played (Or when a player is injured). The bleachers in Kyle Field used to be made of wood. Although they now are made of aluminum, the term is still in common use.
• Old Army/Ol' Army — "Back in the Day" (Often refers to the time when TAMU was a military school only). Used by former students to refer to their time at Texas A&M. Also used by current students who are sophomores or older to refer jokingly to their freshman year.
• The other education — Involvement in campus organizations and other aspects of A&M life outside the classroom.
• Pulling Out — Saying the class year, a word, or the wildcat of the year above you. (It is good bull to do this as long as someone is present to make you "push")
• Pushing — Pushups; the consequence for pulling out privileges of a higher class. Often a class set.
• Red—ass — A term for an Aggie that goes out of their way to show their Aggie spirit.
• T.A.M.C. — The Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas (a.k.a. Texas AMC), TAMU's original name.
• Uncover — Taking off one's hat. This is expected of Aggies when doing a yell and required by all when entering the MSC. This is frequently yelled out as a command; it means: "Please take your hat off!"
• Walk — When a professor doesn't show for class or when Reveille barks in class (in theory, anyway), it means class is skipped/let out early.
• Whipping out — In the Corps of Cadets, underclassmen's formulaic introduction of him/herself to an upperclassman.
• Whoop! — An Aggie's exclamation towards anything positive or good bull. Juniors and seniors are the only ones allowed to say this.

People and Places

• B.Q. — Band Qualified, or slang for Band Queer, a Fightin' Texas Aggie Band member.
• C.T. — Cadet in Training, or slang for Corps Turd, a member of the Aggie Corps of Cadets
• The Chicken — short for The Dixie Chicken, a popular bar on Northgate
• Day Duck — An Aggie (specifically a cadet) living off-campus.
• Dead Elephant — A senior in their last semester of study.
• Final Review — A series of two military reviews. The first is the last for the outgoing senior class and is conducted by the Trigon and a full military reviewing party usually consisting of a 4-star general and several other generals. The second, held mere hours after the first, is conducted with the outgoing seniors as the reviewing officers and all of the cadets in next year's uniforms.
• fish — A freshman in the Corps of Cadets
• Fish Pond — One of the many fountains, this one is located near Lechner Hall and the Sbisa Dining Center, after a victory, the aggie Yell Leaders are 'deposited' here by freshman Corps members. This was a fish gift to the University from the class of 1938.
• M.S.C. — Memorial Student Center, dedicated to Aggies who have died in battle, past, present, and future.
• Non-Reg — An Aggie not in the Corps of Cadets.
• Northgate — a row of popular establishments lining the north side of campus known primarily for its bars and dance halls
• Pisshead — A sophomore in the Corps of Cadets.
• R.V.'s — Ross Volunteers, the most prestigious group in the Corps, originally the Scott Volunteers. This unit is also the official honor guard for the Governor of Texas.
• Serge butt — A junior in the Corps of Cadets. A reference to the pleated serge on the rear of the pants that was formerly a junior privilege. All of the pants now have serges, but the name continues.
• Tea sip (T-sip, T—sipper) — Student or graduate of the University of Texas. They were given this name because both the Junior and Senior classes of A&M joined the armed forces during WWII, with around 30,000 Aggies serving as officers, while students at UT stayed at home and sipped tea.
• t.u. — (In lower case) is used as a derogatory reference to the University of Texas at Austin by current and former students of Texas A&M. Students at the University of Texas began to refer to their school as The University of Texas (emphasizing it as the only "true" University). Aggies believe the University of Texas is not the university of Texas, but just another "texas university", therefore the name.
• Two Percenter — A reference to the two percent of the student body which does not participate in the Aggie Spirit such as those who leave games early.
• Zip — Another term for seniors that only seniors may say. It references the black and gold braid on the senior's garrison cap, which resembles a zipper.

Singing and Yelling

• The Aggie War Hymn — A song written by J.V. "Pinky" Wilson while standing along the Rhine River shortly after WWI. This song is definitive of true Aggie Spirit.
• BTHO — Stands for "Beat the hell outta _____" Usually followed by either t.u. or the next opponent of an Aggie sports team.
• Horse laugh — Instead of booing, Aggies "horse laugh," or make a hissing noise with their hands held high with palms together as in prayer.
• Hullabaloo — First word of the Aggie War Hymn (Hullabaloo! Caneck! Caneck!).
• The Spirit of Aggieland — Texas A&M's alma mater, written in 1925 by Marvin H. Mimms.
• Wildcatting — Yelling. Each class's wildcat is somewhat less enthusiastic, consistent with its increased privileged status. Each class's wildcat also has its accompanying hand motions which have continued to gradually change and become more formalized over the past 30 years. The current system is as follows:
  • Fish — AAAAAAAAAAAA! (hands held straight overhead): Unlike the other classes' wildcats which now have a distinct number of A's, the freshman wildcat is simply one long, drawn—out "A" sound.
  • Sophomores — A! A! A! A! A! (index fingers extended with thumbs perpendicular, waved up and down in front of torso in time with the A's): Symbolic of the sophomore's attitude toward upperclassmen (i.e., pushing back).
  • Juniors — A! A! A! Whoop! (like the sophomore, but for the whoop, join hands together with left hand fingers covering the right. extend the index fingers and point towards the ground): Symbolic of the junior's attitude toward upperclassmen (i.e., readying a gun to kill the upperclassman and take his place). The fingers of the right hand are covered because the student has not earned their Aggie Ring.
  • Seniors — A! Whoop! (similar hand configuration as end of junior, but with fingers interlocked, and point up in the air and raise right foot off the ground to tuck right toes behind left knee). Symobolic of the expert marksmanship of the senior, taking only one shot, taking the wildcat down, and a whoop for excitement. The fingers are interlocked to show off the student's Aggie Ring.

Privileged Words

Words only seniors are allowed to say include:

• Elephant
• Zip

Words which juniors and seniors may say include:

• Whoop!

Underclassmen who are caught using privileged words are required to push (see above).

Outdated Corps Terminology

• Catching Flies — A form of punitive physical training where an underclassman is required to hold his/her arms out in front of his/her body either while a standing or in a sitting posture against a wall without the support of a chair. While doing this, the cadet opens and closes his/her hands
• Pink stool — A form of punitive physical training where an underclassman is required to hold a sitting posture against a wall, without the support of a chair, while holding his arms out in front of him holding a weight such as a rifle or a load of textbooks.
• Saber licks — Swats on the butt delivered by a senior cadet to an underclassman.
• Steam shower — A form of punitive physical training where underclassmen are required to assemble in the restrooms and do pushups in rain gear while the showers, running hot water, fill the room with steam.

Change

While Texas A&M University has long prided itself on its rich tradition and history, an oft-neglected tradition is the continual change on campus itself. Part of this constant evolution is reflected by the clichéd phrase "Back in Ol' Army...", an ubi sunt evoking nostalgic imagery of the "Good Old Days" of A&M, when things were supposedly better. Texas A&M, much like any other institution of higher learning, faces the problem of rapid population turnover, in part ever year, and completely roughly every four, as students graduate or otherwise leave the University. As a result, by circumstance or trend, traditions change through the years, with some even falling almost completely out of vogue (e.g. Silver Crapper). For these reasons and more, the adage "Things change over time, but the tradition lives on" has become popular.

External links

• Texas Aggie Traditions