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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1985)
( JUC?A bU/V\ SUO.40 JU| ^ |U ( 7<o ^=>i<r~>/\ RHA, OCA plan goals for ’85-86 Up, up and away Fi '* pl, ° t0 Riders in this hot air balloon take a ride and see the sights over campus By KAREN HELLER Reporter The Residence Hall Associa tion and the Off-Campus Aggies have had a good year, but both groups are expecting bigger and better things next year. RHA President Gina Harlow and OCA President Stacey Rob erts said they were pleased with the Adopt-A-Fish program, in which off-campus freshmen and transfer students are paired up with on-campus students. The program gave the two organiza tions a much-needed chance to work together, Roberts said. She also said that this has been one of OCA’s best years, but that changes still need to be made. “One of the changes we’re working on now is the revision of our constitution,” Roberts said. The new constitution is OCA’s primary accomplishment this se mester. Roberts said the new constitution will make job de scriptions more detailed and po sitions more binding. It also will increase the responsibility of some of the positions. Furthermore, the new consti tution will be more specific than the original, she said — it out lines a chain of command which OCA does not have. Harlow said RHA’s primary accomplishment this semester has been a proposal to extend visitation hours, which she ex pects to be ratified by RHA at its next meeting. The new hours, 9 a.m. to mid night on weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, should be in effect by next se mester, Harlow said. RHA is trying to install micro- waves in some of the dorms, and lights around the aerobics track, Harlow said. One problem RHA had this year was that no-one volun teered to run for any of the ex ecutive offices, but, Harlow said “that is all taken care of.” RHA created an election com- mision to review and approve several candidates. The list of approved candidates will be sent to all the dorm presidents, Har low said, and RHA officers will be determined by a majority of write-in votes. OCA’s primary goal for next year is to continue to improve relations with both RHA and Student Government, Roberts said, so that it can increase its power on campus. A&M spirit grows quickly for some By SUZANNA YBARRA Reporter Many choose to become Ag gies; others have no choice. Some get their first dose of Aggie spirit when they’re old enough to wear a Curity t-shirt with “I’m a little Aggie” painted on the front. Others get theirs when they walk on the Texas A&M campus for the first time and hear “how dy” from a total stranger. „ Older Aggies remember be ing “Aggie-ized,” or gradually spirited. “In sixth grade you get to go to the games,” said John Benson, a College Station resident of 13 years and a 1984 graduate of the University. “In high school they let you sell Cokes to help raise money for the band,” he said. He re members going to Silver Taps and Muster with his parents. “A lot of people start shying away (from A&M) around col lege age and choose to go to other universities,” he said. “They’ve had so much of it (Ag gie spirit) while they were growning up, they’re sick of it.” But what is Aggie spirit? Ben son gave it some thought and said: “Aggie spirit is a commit ment to A&M where you’re will ing to give more than you re ceive.” Cathy McGuill, whose father graduated from A&M, was brought up loving A&M while living in Austin. She said she kept her Aggie spirit more on the reserved side. “I tried not to be outspoken,” the junior accounting major said. “I feel offended inside if someone puts A&M down . . . but I don’t say: ‘Hey, you’re stu pid.’” She said she wouldn’t force her children to go to A&M, but she hopes they’ll at least consider it. But not all Aggies were sur rounded by Aggie spirit while they were growing up. Phillip Rosenfeld, a senior management major, moved to College Station from Baltimore, Md. The only Aggie in his family, Rosenfeld joined the Corps of Cadets. “One day you’ll realize why you go to Silver Taps,” Rosen feld, former director of student Y Fish Camp said. "You realize that when you die you’d like to have people come. It’s caring, in a special sort of way.” New Reveille File photo Reveille V, the First Lady of Aggieland, poses for a picture during her first official appearance at the Texas A&M-SMU game in G. Rollie White Coliseum.