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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1991)
STUDENT LIFE londay, September 2, 1991 The Battalion SECTION D Texas A&M football traditions By K. Katrina Keating Special to The Battalion Ill 'Ini $ > m ■ m ' Wm Drawing tickets for Texas home football games is only ilie beginning of a week full of Ag ile traditions. On Monday mornings, hun- jreds of seniors usually line up in jont of G. Rollie White Colosseum ■(tempting to get some of the best tickets. Juniors draw tickets on Tues- jays, sophomores on Wednes- jays, followed by freshman and general ticket drawings on Thurs- Jays. This year Friday, Sept. 13, is (he first Yell Practice. As midnight nears, thousands of A&M students and a few fans from the opposing team flock to Kyle Field. The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band forms behind Duncan Dining Hall, guarded by the Corps of Cadet's unior class. The band begins to play and the Drum Majors and se nior Yell Leaders lead the proces sion to Kyle Field. Many A&M students, standing ioshow their 12th Man Spirit, at tend the nightly football rite. The air is usually filled with the sounds of pounding drums as the band approaches. feL i . • •’ ...... £ . ;,;|g • S • i % -f. •• i .‘ 'Aoc-J • ; v^#'- ' V: v i.'%X\ ; r V v . N ^ >i> ^ •- ' • 'f-' •:• < - N ^ ^ .. ■.■5.- • < , s -- >v'* os The group enters Kyle Field, with Aggies "whooping" fiercely. No one knows for sure when "whoop" started; it's just a shout A&M students use to show their excitement at football games. Junior cadets form around the track and the band begins to play the "Patton" theme as it marches to the south end of Kyle Field and back. The five Yell Leaders quiet the crowd as they give the signal for the first yell of the year, "Gig 'Em." The Aggies "hump-it" and yell. To "hump-it," people at Yell Practice lean forward placing their hands on their knees. This action is followed by sev eral other yells. The band then strikes up the "Aggie War Hymn" and all Aggies begin to sing "Hul labaloo caneck caneck." After the "Aggie War Hymn" and "sawing Varsity's horns off," it's time fro the junior "fable," or "grode story," as it is now called. Two junior Yell Leaders relate the brief "joke" about "Rock, the Good Ag" and his girlfriend "Raquel." Junior Corps members then "push." That is, they do the JAY JANNER/The Battalion same number of push-ups as the last two digits in their Class. This is followed by several more yells, then all gets quiet as the Yell Leaders signal for "The Spirit of Aggieland." Thousands of Aggies sing for the school that means so much to them. Many "whoops" are heard as the Senior "grode story" begins. Most people who attend Yell Prac tice are anxious for this story to end because the lights on Kyle Field go out when it is finished. The crowd is generally al lowed, even encouraged , to kiss their date. Those students with out dates to bring cigarette lighters, and "flick their Bics" and hunt for someone to kiss. When the lights finally come back on, the Yell Leaders signal for "Beat the hell" and the Ag gies "hump-it" and twice yell "Beat the hell outth" whoever is the opposing team. The last yell is yelled and everyone leaves Kyle Field. Kickoff is set for Saturday, sometimes around noon, in the College Station heat. About two-and-a-half hours before game time, the football team goes to the locker room. A few minutes later, the Corps of Cadets and Aggie Band form in the Quad. They march to Kyle Field, the band leading. The Corps march es around the track while the band forms on the field. When the band finishes, the Corps ex its Kyle Field, but the band goes to its place in the stands, 50 yard See Traditions/Page 3 Student Affairs, UPD outline Habitat builds shelter for homeless ways to keep campus safe by Amy J. Bening Sjaecialto^nieJiattaUon Texas A&M students looking for a way to get involved with the Bryan-College Station community should consider Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is a non-profit organization that builds houses for the less fortunate. The Bryan-College Station Chapter started building homes a year and a half ago. The next home will be built in early fall at 803 Fairview, College Station. Habitat does not have a student chapter. The local chapter, however, is open to any interested A&M istudents. Students who want to join can visit the Habitat office at the First United Methodist Church, 506 East 28th, Bryan, or call 846-7200. Kandy Rose, director of publicity for Habitat, said the organization uses money from donation to pay materials cost. Habitat also employs some unusual payment plans. "Sweat equity" is the 500 hours of work Habitat home owners must,complete as their down payment. Habitat home owners are selected on the basis of need. Ten percent of the money raised by the Bryan-College Station Habitat chapter goes to the national office to build homes in third world countries. During the summer, the Bryan-College Station community had a major fund-raising event for.Habitat. From July 4 through 8, KAGG disc jockeys worked from a billboard at 500 S. Texas Avenue. KAGG reached their goal of raising one million pennies ($10,000) for Habitat. "Habitat for Humanity asked us to help them out," Dan O'Neil, KAGG program director, said. "So we decided to change our habitat to help improve the community's." KORA, KKYS, KTSR, KHRN, and KAGG took turns broadcasting from the billboard site. Each station incorporated the event into their midday shows. "We were out there for 96 hours and our competitors joined us," O'Neil said. "It really was a community effort." Money raised by the KAGG event will be used on Habitat's fourth house for the Bryan- College Station community. by Sharon Gilmore Special to The Battalion Texas A&M's departments of Student Affairs and University Po lice provide safety and security policies and services, but they say "Your personal safety is largely up to you." Dub Oliver, student life pro gram specialist for the Department of Student Affairs, says the Uni versity's goal is to provide as much safety as possible. The University Police's Crime Prevention unit, says Lt. Bert Kret- zshmar, is dedicated solely to the purpose of crime prevention. Kretzchmar says A&M supplies emergency phones, escorts, cam pus lights, locked doors, security force and safety programs to make campus a safer place. Emergency phones are locate throughout the campus and at each residence hall. Twenty-one "blue light" emergency phones were installed this summer. Phones are located outside each residence hall and are designed for emergency and visitor use. Students contact the Universi ty Police by pushing the phone's red button. The emergency See Safety/Page5 The Texas A&M University Interfratemity Council and Its 28 National Fraternities Invite You to Participate in FALL 1991 FRATERNITY RUSH It All Begins With the Fraternity Life Seminar. • • • Wednesday, September 4, 7:00 p.m., MSC 225 The Fraternity Life Seminar represents the beginning of fall rush for Texas A&M’s 28 men’s fraternities. You are invited to the seminar to meet representatives of the fratemites and to receive schedules of each chapter’s rush activities. Fall rush will end with Bid House on Friday, September 13. Should you have any questions, please come by the IFC office on the second floor of the Pavilion. Come and see what Fraternity Life Offers,., BROTHERHOOD LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP SERVICE SOCIAL