The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, August 28, 1989, Image 51

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    The Battalion
es
Some
that
•vertfr
or” dei
assets
e othen
the |
a) the i:
WELCOME BACK AGGIES!
We Have “Everything you’d expect” from
Baskin-Rohbins.
Imagine all the taste, all the flavor and all the fun you expect from Baskin-Robbins.
Now in frozen yogurt. Because we’ve taken everything we’ve ever learned about
ice cream and put it into bringing you the best tasting, fullest flavored frozen yogurt
you’ve ever tried. Smooth and creamy. Pure and natural. Frozen yogurt that’s really
as good as our ice cream. From the people who ought to know.
601 University Dr.
(Northgate)
846-4288
603 Villa Maria
(In Manor East Mall Parking Lot)
822-7970
t'r
‘4
©1989 Baskin-Robbins
incorporated
BUY ONE
err ONE FREE!
Any frozen yogurt item
(excluding pies & bulk) with
the purchase of any item of
equal or greater value.
Offer good with coupon only. Not good in combi
nation with any other offer. One coupon per visit.
Otter good only at location(s) listed. Void where
[just *1.49T
Banana Royale
Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt
Offer good with coupon only Not good in combi
nation with any other offer. One coupon per visit.
Offer good only at location(s) listed. Void where
Inhibited or restricted by law.
JUST 99*
Regular Frozen
Yogurt Sundae
Offer good with coupon only. Not good in com
bination with any other offer. One coupon per visit.
Offer good only at location(s) listed. Void where
prohibited or restricted by law.
Monday, August 28,1989
Page 7E
Aggie senior ring glistens
with traditions, folklore
By Kelly S. Brown
Of The Battalion Staff
An Aggie in an airport reaching for his luggage no
tices someone staring at his hand. Conversation begins
something like this: “My name is Lynn Walker, Class of
’61.” The raised eyebrow reply — “. . . T.J. Smith, Class
of’80.”
This happens all the time — Texas A&M folklore has
volumes of tales involving a senior ring bringing to
gether Aggies who once were strangers.
The tradition of the senior ring began in 1894. The
ring, as long as it is worn, is the one thing that always
will distinguish an Aggie from anyone else.
One of the things that makes an A&M ring unique
from other school rings is the accomplishments a stu
dent must have undergone before the ring can be
slipped onto the finger.
A&M requires students to have completed 95 hours.
If students have transferred to the University, they
must have taken at least 30 of the 95 hours at A&M. A
cumulative GPR of 2.0 is mandatory.
The Senior Ring Committee reviews these qualifica
tions before a student can file an order for a ring. Veri
fication takes three days to complete. Although prices
of school rings are generally the same as at other col
leges, most universities have no requirements to get a
ring.
Rings must be paid for when ordered, and students
can choose between the traditional and rose styles. Car
olyn Swanzy, director of the ring office, said most stu
dents order the rose style.
The only difference in the rings are in size, quality of
10 or 14 karat gold and the finish.
Prices for the basic 10-karat gold ring range from
$145 to $150 for the smaller woman’s ring and $248 to
$260 for the larger men’s ring. The costs fluctuate with
the price of gold. The Student Financial Aid Office has
loans specifically for senior rings.
Swanzy said eight to ten orders are placed with the
L.G. Balfour Company each year (the next order will be
sent Sept. 15). The rings arrive several months later
and the celebration begins.
Some initiate their rings at the annual Ring Dance,
where seniors turn their rings around so the number
faces the world to say, “I am an Aggie.” Many others
“christen” their rings in a different manner.
Christening rings is a tradition that E.C. Jones, Class
of 1894, probably didn’t have in mind when he de
signed the first senior ring — the dropping of the ring
in a pitcher of beer at Northgate.
This particular tradition most likely never will find its
way onto the senior ring as one of the engraved symbols
representing a major part of the University’s, as well as
Texas, history. A leaflet printed by the Association of
Former Students explains the meaning of each symbol
on the ring.
On the top of the ring is a shield symbolizing protec
tion of the good reputation of the alma mater. The 13
Christening rings is a tradition that E.C.
Jones, Class of 1894, probably didn’t have
in mind when he designed the first senior
ring — the dropping of the ring in a pitcher of
beer at Northgate.”
stripes in the shield refer to the 13 original states and
symbolize the intense patriotism of the graduates and
undergraduates of A&M. The five stars in the shield
refer to phases of development of the student: mind or
intellect, body, spiritual attainment, emotional poise
and integrity of character. The eagle is symbolic of agil
ity and power and the ability to reach great heights and
ambitions.
Each side of the ring has a meaning as well.
On one side, the seal of the State of Texas; a five-
E ointed star with a wreath of live oak leaves and laurel
raves surrounding it, representing strength, but the
desire to use this strength peacefully.
The other side shows a cannon crossed with a saber
and rifle representing the Texas determination to fight
for home and family. Also on this side, the U.S. and
Texas flags are joined together to symbolize unity.
Orders are accepted the first two weeks of September
in the Association of Former Students Center on the
corner of Bizzell and Jersey Streets.
Aggies 'undying love’ for A&M
bums forever in Eternal Flame
By Melissa Naumann
Of The Battalion Staff
Fire typically symbolizes warmth
and passion. At Texas A&M, the
Eternal Flame follows suit, standing
for students’ undying love for the
school.
The Eternal Flame, located just
north of Kyle Field, was a gift of the
Class of ’83. Although it was in
tended to symbolize the intense and
never-ending spirit of that class, the
flame has not always burned as
strong as it does now.
Beth Castenson, a class agent of
the Class of ’83, said the University
promised to assume full responsibil
ity for keeping the flame lighted. Af
ter the first year, however, the cost
became too much, and the flame was
extinguished.
A Sept. 22, 1987, issue of The
Battalion said the cost to fix the
flame would be between $3,000 and
$4,000 and maintaining the flame
would be $500 a year.
The Class of ’83 decided to create
an endowment fund, the interest of
which would pay the gas bill for the
flame.
It was relighted in April 1988.
The original purpose of the flame
was to light candles for Muster and
torches for bonfire.
“We wanted to have something
eternal that encompasses all tradi
tions,” Castenson said. “It’s a living
memorial to Aggies.”
The flame, designed by an A&M
student, burns in a bronze bowl on
top of a black granite pyramid near
the graves of Reveille I, II, III and
IV.
The Aggie Eternal Flame symbolizes Aggies undying love for
A&M. It went out temporarily but was re-lit in April 1988.
Financial aid provides thousands
in needed funds for college students
Of The Battalion Staff
Not everyone can afford the cost of a college
education, but when the chips are down for
some, Texas A&M offers a variety of ways to help
pick them up and pay for the rising prices of tu
ition, fees, housing and books.
“There are millions and millions of dollars of
aid available to students,” Dawn Derr, assistant
director of student financial aid at A&M, said.
But only about 5,000 A&M students have applied
for and been awarded various types of financial
aid for the fall and spring terms.
The types of financial aid available to those
who qualify are:
• Scholarships, which are amounts of free
money awarded on the basis of academics only or
any combination of academics, financial need,
campus or community activities, leadership posi
tions and work experience.
• Grants, which are gift funds awarded on the
basis of financial need.
• Student loans, for students who need finan
cial assistance. Students must meet eligibility re
quirements of the various programs, must be in
good standing with the University, and be mak
ing satisfactory academic progress.
Derr said long-term student loans are the most
widely available and most popular type of aid.
This is because the scholarships and grants come
from sources with set budgets, whereas the stu
dent loans can come from the federal govern
ment or from individual lenders that have much
more money to disperse.
The first step to applying for financial aid is to
ick up a financial aid form (FAF) on the second
oor of the Pavilion, fill it out and send it off to
the College Scholarship Service. The CSS ana
lyzes the information, estimates each applicant’s
need for aid based on individual and family fi
nancial status and sends the University the re
sults.
Students should receive a letter from the Uni
versity telling them whether or not they qualify
for financial aid. If they do, an award letter will
be sent to them, at which time they may either ac
cept or decline the specified amount of aid. The
entire process takes about three to four months
to complete.
The maximum loan amounts per year are
$2,625 each for a freshmen or sophomores;
$4,000 each for juniors or seniors; and $7,500
each for graduate students.
When tuition is due, Derr said, students re
ceiving financial aid don’t have to pay their fees
until the week prior to school because the fiscal
office is not able to disperse funds until that time.
After graduation, applicants that have ac
cepted a loan are given a six-month grace period
before interest payments begin. Loan payments
must be completed in ten years.
Derr said the financial aid office is still taking
applications for loans and will continue to award
aid to those who qualify throughout the semester.
For those who do not qualify or only need a
little bit of help, A&M also offers three types of
short-term loans: the Emergency Tuition and
Fees Loan, the Short Term Loan and the Little
Loan.
Students interested in finding out more about
these or any of the many types of aid offered
should go to the financial aid office on the sec
ond floor of the Pavilion.