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The majority of Aggies came to this school not based on a merit ranking some ivory tower magazine reviewer gave us. Aggies don't come here for the food, the buildings or for the surrounding town. The real reason most Aggies are attending this university is to be a part of that "spirit which can ne'er be told."
Sadly, that spirit and the will of the administration seem to be at crossroads. While the student body had high hopes for Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates to make positive changes to the school, it's become clear he does not understand what it means to be an Aggie and would rather conform to other schools than do right by the students.
In an article published by The Battalion on Sept. 13 Gates said, "This business of 'when you're on the inside you can't explain A&M, and when you're on the outside you can't understand it needs to go by the wayside." The adage he quoted and tossed aside is one of the most famous phrases used to describe Aggieland. A&M stands out among universities as a place where students can unite in camaraderie and encourage important values such as honesty, integrity and bravery.
Gates' vision however, seeks only a spot at the top of school rankings, oblivious to the fact that Aggies already stand out as something special.
Visit Yell Practice, Muster, Silver Taps and the hallway in the MSC filled with Aggie Medal of Honor plaques, and you will know there is something wonderful and different about A&M, without forcing students to accept rhetoric that says Ivy League schools are by definition better.
Time and again, Gates has proven a complete lack of understanding for Aggie traditions. In a May 2004 article in Texas Monthly, Gates said, "If, after 127 years, the loyalty and love that Aggies so demonstrably feel toward their institution depends on resisting change that is necessary for the University to take its place among the nation's best ... it's reasonable to ask whether traditions are worth it after all."
With that kind of attitude, is it any wonder that he has failed to return Bonfire to campus?
The cry that "Old Army" Aggies are merely resisting change, as they did when women were first admitted, simply doesn't apply here. The changes Aggies resist are ones that threaten our individuality by homogenizing our school to fit a bland Ivy League ideal.
Aggie traditions - practices such as saying "Howdy" and building and burning Bonfire - stand for higher values. Bonfire allows the school to come together in hard work, laughter and brotherhood. "Howdy" represents a friendliness that the South is famous for. These traditions aren't just silly habits. Yet Aggies have had to stand silently by as Gates slowly sells off Aggieland in favor of his own vision.
Gates also said improvement in diversity recruiting was the primary objective for the 2003-04 school year. Once again, Gates has an ignorant vision of what it means to be an Aggie. Simply put, if anyone - of any race, philosophy or background - wants to come to A&M and can prove he is academically worthy, Aggies should throw open their doors and welcome him as a brother. Forcing certain backgrounds and cultures into the student population does little to help Aggies learn about different experiences because every person has a different experience from which he can celebrate and share, regardless of his skin color.
When it comes down to it, Gates presents an antithetical vision to what most of us were correctly taught as children: While you should care about other people, you shouldn't live your life for their approval, but rather according to what is right for you. Life isn't a popularity contest, but often a contest between right and wrong, between values and conformity. Gates only sees an opportunity to make this University conform to schools he believes are better.
No one can deny that A&M will always have change. It's part of life. But if those changes distort or destroy the Aggie spirit, they must be opposed with the strength and determination of Aggie reputation.
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