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A bit of information concerning fanlistings in general and Texas A&M.
The Fanlistings.org defines fanlistings as "a web clique that lists fans of a particular subject. Unlike most web cliques, a person does not need a web site in order to join. Fans from around the world submit their information to their approved fanlisting and they are then listed to show their love for the subject."
Texas A&M University is a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institution located in College Station, Texas. The university is centrally located, approximately equidistant from three of the 10 largest cities in the United States (Houston, Dallas and San Antonio) and the State Capital (Austin). The university’s enrollment includes approximately 44,000 students studying for degrees in 10 academic colleges.
Texas A&M University is dedicated to the discovery, development, communication, and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields. Its mission of providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate programs is inseparable from its mission of developing new understandings through research and creativity. It prepares students to assume roles of leadership, responsibility, and service to society. Texas A&M assumes as its historic trust the maintenance of freedom of inquiry and an intellectual environment nurturing the human mind and spirit. It welcomes and seeks to serve persons of all racial, ethnic, and geographic groups, women and men alike, as it addresses the needs of an increasingly diverse population and a global economy. In the twenty-first century, Texas A&M University seeks to assume a place of preeminence among public universities while respecting its history and traditions.
People are Texas A&M University's most valuable asset. The University strives to maintain an environment which encourages all employees to achieve their personal and professional goals and aspirations as we work toward achieving the University's mission. In this environment, each person's individuality and contributions are respected.
Texas A&M University recognizes that all people have rights at work, including the right to be treated with respect and dignity, the right to be recognized and rewarded fairly for performance, and the right to a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. The University is committed to these rights. All people at Texas A&M University are expected to treat each other in accordance with these rights.
Texas A&M University recognizes that people have needs at work. We need adequate facilities, equipment and resources to perform our jobs. We need training and development to allow us to make effective decisions, and to grow personally and professionally. We need understanding with regard to our family-related responsibilities. The University is committed to strive for a work environment where these needs are met.
Texas A&M University recognizes the importance of communication, and is committed to an environment which stresses open sharing of information and ideas, and values input from all people. Texas A&M University will strive for a work environment in which all people accept responsibility to contribute to the success of the University, and are empowered to do so. Finally, for this vision to become reality and endure, it must be continually communicated, supported and upheld.
Texas A&M, the state’s first public institution of higher education, was opened on Oct. 4, 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. The school owes its origin to the Morrill Act of 1862, which established the nation’s land-grant college system.
In 1963, the name of the institution was changed to Texas A&M University to more accurately reflect its expanding role as a leader in teaching, research, and public service for the state, nation and world. The initials "A" and "M" are a link to the university’s past; they no longer represent any specific words as the school’s curriculum has grown to include not only agriculture and engineering, but architecture, business, education, geosciences, liberal arts, medicine, science, and veterinary medicine.
Credit: Tamu.edu
Texas A&M University, often "Texas A&M", "A&M" or "TAMU" for short, is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. Texas A&M's rare triple designation as a Land-, Sea-, and Space-Grant institution reflects a broad range of research, with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
Texas A&M University is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the nation and is currently ranked 21st among public universities in the United States. The university's enrollment includes 44,647 students2 on its 5,200 acre4 (21 km²) campus studying for degrees in 10 academic colleges. The fall semester of 2002 set a record of 45,083 students, making Texas A&M the fastest growing university in the nation. Since that time, an enrollment-management plan has been initiated to maintain a high standard of teaching excellence. Recently, Texas A&M was invited to become a member of the highly selective Association of American Universities and now ranks first in Texas and among the top 10 U.S. institutions in enrollment of National Merit Scholars. Led by Texas A&M University president Dr. Robert M. Gates, the university recently has also started diversity recruitment initiatives.
The Dwight Look College of Engineering is ranked 8th among public universities and is tied for 14th nationally when including private institutions. Four specialty areas in the college are ranked among the top five in the nation. Petroleum engineering and Agricultural engineering rank first in their field nationally, with nuclear engineering placing third in its area and industrial engineering fifth in its category. The industrial distribution program administered by the department of engineering is ranked number one in the United States. In all, 10 of Texas A&M's 12 engineering disciplines are ranked among the top 20 in the nation1.
The Texas A&M College of Architecture, one of the largest architectural colleges in the United States (2,000 students), is ranked third in Texas, behind the University of Texas and Rice University, and 10th among public institutions.
The Mays Business School is ranked 18th among public institutions and tied for 29th overall (tied for best in Texas). The Mays MBA program is now ranked 1st in Texas and 21st nationally, up three spots from last year. The department ranks 15th among public institutions1.
Other colleges at Texas A&M include: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Education, College of Geosciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service
Texas A&M University is one of the largest universites by area (with 5,200 acres4 (21 km²) in all) in the nation (behind the United States Air Force Academy and Stanford University, among others) with approximately 200 buildings and a value of over $1 billion. The Texas A&M campus is home to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
The campus is divided into two parts separated by a set of railroad tracks that run through its center. The portion of the campus east of the railroad tracks is known as the Main Campus while the portion of the campus west of the railroad tracks is known as West Campus. Also, the area west of White Creek is known as Research Park.
A view of Main Campus of Texas A&M University, looking from Kyle Field. In the distance is the Academic Building with its copper dome.
Texas A&M University's Main Campus is located in College Station, Texas, also known as Aggieland. The metropolitan area of Bryan-College Station, Texas is located in Brazos County, Texas, population 152,415 (Census 2000), in East Texas. The city is centrally located, approximately equidistant from three of the 10 largest cities in the United States. It is 95 miles north of Houston, 166 miles northeast of San Antonio and 169 miles south of Dallas. It is 104 miles east of Austin, the state capital of Texas. Seventy five percent of the Texas and Louisiana populations (13.1 million people) live within 3.5 driving hours of College Station.
Of the over 200 buildings on Texas A&M University Campus some of the most recognized include the Academic Building, the Albritton Bell Tower, the Administration Building, Kyle Field, the Memorial Student Center (MSC) and recently the George Bush Presidential Library.
Texas A&M University System endowment totals approximately $4.3 billion; 10th in the nation and third among public university systems. The University receives income from an endowment known as the Permanent University Fund. The PUF principal in the fall 2000 was approximately $10 billion, second only to Harvard's endowment. The PUF serves 15 Texas universities in the Texas A&M University System and the University of Texas System. Other Texas public universities outside these two systems, notably University of Houston and Texas Tech University, are prohibited by law from sharing in the income from this endowment. At one time, the PUF was the chief source of income for Texas A&M, today its revenues account for less than 10 percent of the university's annual budget. This has challenged the university to increase sponsored research and private donations.
As the oldest public college in the state, Texas A&M University has many time-honored traditions, many of which shown below.
A charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution in 1996, Texas A&M now competes in the Big 12 Conference (South Division) of the NCAA's Division I-A. The sports teams are known as the Aggies and the colors are maroon and white.
The University's major rival is the University of Texas, known to Aggies as "texas university" or simply "t.u.". In 2004, sporting events between Texas A&M and the University of Texas became known as the "Lonestar Showdown". The most-watched part of this rivalry is the annual football game held on the day after Thanksgiving.
Credit: Wikipedia
The following is a list of the traditions of Texas A&M University.
Credit: Wikipedia
"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, from the beginning down to the present day, often across multiple generations in some Aggie families.
Texas A&M is the original home of the 12th Man. In January 1922, Texas A&M was playing Centre College, the nation's top-ranked team. The Aggies had limited reserves on their squad and several players were hurt. A&M coach Dana X. Bible, looking for much-needed players remembered a student by the name of E. King Gill, a former football player who was helping reporters identify players in the press box. Gill was asked to be available for the game, suited up and stood on the sideline ready to go in at a moment's notice. As the game ended, which the Aggies won, Gill was the only remaining man on the sidelines. Similarly, today, 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.
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.
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the precision military marching band of Texas A&M University. The Aggie Band is composed of approximately 400 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets and the group 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.
A "Yell Practice" is a much larger replacement for what other schools may call a "pep rally" where over 20,000 students and fans attend the night before the football game to support the team. The principle is the same: to excite the crowd to cheer Texas A&M on to victory.
At a Midnight Yell Practice before the 1930 football game against Texas Christian University, a Texas A&M board of regent Pinky Downs shouted, "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?" His muse did not fail him as he improvised, borrowing a term from frog hunting. "Gig 'em, Aggies!" he said as he made a fist with his thumb extended straight up. And with that the first hand sign in the Southwest Conference came into being.
Unlike many schools that feature cheerleaders to encourage crowds to support their sporting teams, Texas A&M has Yell Leaders, 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 passbacks, to direct and intensify crowds. Yell Leaders are elected by the Student Body.
Beginning in 1909, Texas A&M students worked together to build a massive bonfire on the grounds of the school. Students cut down logs on their own and brought them to campus, working around the clock to construct a massive bonfire before the annual game versus the University of Texas at Austin on Thanksgiving weekend. The idea behind the bonfire was to symbolize the Aggies' "burning" desire to beat the "hell" out of their rival.
On November 18, 1999, 12 were killed and 27 injured when a huge bonfire structure under construction at the campus collapsed. A memorial to remember the 12 fallen Aggies was dedicated on November 18, 2004.
On April 21 of each year current and former students of Texas A&M University gather together, wherever they are, to commemorate fellow Aggies who have died during the year. In 2004, there were over 400 Aggie Musters worldwide. The largest, with around 13,000 in attendance, was held on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Silver Taps is a 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. Following a 21-gun salute by the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad in the Academic Plaza, 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.
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 been used since with only the class year changed, as well as the university's official name (it was called the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas until 1963).
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, the student's ring is turned around.
Texas A&M University adopted its first official mascot, Reveille, in 1931. The "First Lady" of A&M, and the highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets is a collie named Reveille that is present at all football games and many other University functions. Reveille I was a small malnourished black and white dog which a group of corps boys smuggled into the dorms to take care of her. The next morning was found when she barked to the morning reveille, hence the name. Although it was against the rules to keep pets in the dorms, the corps fell in love with the dog and kept her as the mascot. The current mascot, Reveille VII, is a collie, just as Reveille II-VI were. Reveille I-VI are currently buried in front of Kyle Field, facing the scoreboard (so they can watch their Texas Aggie football team outscore the opponents).
A tradition where the entire crowd wears maroon to sporting events. Even though this is now practiced at every game, each football season one game is specially 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, one of the most memorable being when the unranked Texas Aggies beat the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in 2002.
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. Howdy's 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.
Fish Camp, a four day orientation program 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 an independent student organization that annually accommodates over 4,500 Texas A&M freshmen.
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.
The Aggie War Hymn was written by J.V. "Pinky" Wilson, former student, while standing guard on the Rhine with the AEF, after World War I.
Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!
Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!
All hail to dear old Texas A&M,
Rally around Maroon and White,
Good luck to the dear old Texas Aggies,
They are the boys who show the fight.
That good old Aggie spirit thrills us.
And makes us yell and yell and yell; --
So let's fight for dear old Texas A&M,
We're goin' to beat you all to --
Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem!
Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem!
Rough! Tough!
Real stuff! Texas A&M!
Good-bye to Texas University.
So long to the Orange and White.
Good luck to the dear old Texas Aggies,
They are the boys who show
the real old fight.
The eyes of Texas are upon you.
That is the song they sing so well,
So, good-bye to Texas University,
We're goin' to beat you all to --
Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem!
Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem!
Rough! Tough!
Real stuff! Texas A&M!
Saw Varsity's Horns Off!
Saw Varsity's Horns Off!
Saw Varsity's Horns Off!
Short!
Varsity's Horns are Sawed Off!
Varsity's Horns are Sawed Off!
Varsity's Horns are Sawed Off!
Short!
The Spirit of Aggieland was written in 1925; the words by Marvin H. Mimms, a student, and the music by Col. Richard C. Dunn.
Some may boast of prowess bold
Of the school they think so grand,
But there's a spirit can ne'er be told
It's the spirit of Aggieland.
Chorus
We are the Aggies -- the Aggies are we.
True to each other as Aggies can be.
We've got to FIGHT boys,
We've got to FIGHT!
We've got to fight for Maroon and White.
After they' ve boosted all the rest,
They will come and join the best.
For we are the Aggies --
the Aggies so true,
We're from Texas A. M. U.
T--E--X--A--S, A--G--G--I--E,
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Fight! Maroon!
White--White--White!
A--G--G--I--E, Texas!
Texas! A. M. U.
GIG 'EM AGGIES! 1! 2! 3!
FARMERS FIGHT! FARMERS FIGHT!
Fight -- fight --
Farmers, farmers, fight!