Inside
Dear Readers:
A&Ms rich history and traditions influenced
many students and eventually led to their
choosing this University. But there’s more
behind the well-known facts. Tall tales of Aggie
folklore fill the University archives and the
minds of former students. Some of the stories
sound like typical college pranks, but they
distinguish A&M from other colleges. This week
At Ease found hidden facts that you probably
didn’t know about your school.
For our main story, we talked to former
students about their memories of A&M. For
example, they were not immune to the
changing fads of the day. Believe it or not, this
conservative campus was once the home to
streakers. And at one time, Reveille was joined
by Trigon and Ranger as mascots. Do you think
all the buildings on campus are original? Fire
has had an impact on some of the campus
landmarks. Read on to learn more about these
and other facts in the University’s history.
A&M folklore Mis the pages of the old issues
of The Battalion and other historical
documents However, few students ever hear of
these stange but true tales. Our second story
highlights some of the unusual facts in A&M’s
history.
For the profile we found a retired A&M >
professor who spent his entire teaching career
in College Station. If he doesn ’t know how the
school has changed, chances are that no one
knows. Even though he’s no longer in the
classroom, he still explores Texas history.
Attending A&M has become a family
tradition for many students. They are just
another name added to a long list of Aggies. In
addition to talking to some of these students, we
also found some students who hope to start
their own Aggie family
At Ease Staff
Editor Leslie Guy
Assistant editor Lawson Reilly
Staff writers Staci Finch
Suzanne Hoechstetter
Desiree Kennon
Mandy Mikulencak
' Kristi Outler
Wade See
Music/Movie Reviewer Shane Hall
The good or days 8
Even though Texas A&M maintains a certain
timelessness through its traditions, the school has
changed a lot over the years. It has metamor
phosed from an all-male, all-white military college
into a co-ed, culturally diverse (really) university
striving for world-class status. But what was it like
in the old days? We talked to some former stu
dents to get a peek at the history behind the tradi
tions that make A&M what it is today.
Bet you didn't know . 10
Every Aggie knows about Silver Taps, Muster and
bonfire (if these terms are new to you do some re
search, quick!). But A&M has all sorts of lesser-
known tidbits of heritage that can dazzle your
friends at other schools. Digging through the Uni
versity Archives is guaranteed to produce a trea
sure trove of humorous anecdotes and amazing
trivia about A&M, but it’s a lot easier to read our
story.
A&M through the eyes of a professor 7
For 38 years, our profile subject taught history at
A&M. During that time A&M underwent some of
its most drastic changes. He comments on some
of these, and adds a few tales of his own.
Live Music 4
Even though Shane found a few minor flaws in
Patio Furniture, he says they have an unusual ar
ray of new wave covers, which they do well, and
good vocals, which make them stand out in the lo
cal scene.
Album Reviews 4,5
Shane has so much to say about U2’s “Rattle and
Hum” that it can’t even be summarized here. He
also concludes that Ivan Neville’s ancestors would
be proud of his latest funk/rock/soul album.
Movie Review 5
“Accused” is a powerful, horrifying depiction of
rape and its aftermath, Shane says. He highly rec
ommends the film for anyone with misconcep
tions of rape as anything other than sickening.
Cover photo by JayJcmner
Thursday^ Oct. 27,1988/At Ease/Page 3