Eddie Sorrell marvels at the golden Aggie ring that weighs down his hand. His Aggie ring is more than a payoff for his hard work at Texas A&M. To him, the ring bears a deeper, more personal significance.
Sorrell, a senior sports management major, planned to take out a short-term loan in order to pay for his ring. His friends surprised him, though, by covering the expense themselves. They presented him with a certificate redeemable for one free Aggie ring.
“I was speechless at the fact that when my friends heard I might not get my ring on time, they all came together to do such a thoughtful thing,” Sorrell said. “Every time I look at my ring I think of the friends who helped me get it.”
Transfer students often have a harder time getting their Aggie rings because of the number of credit hours they have and at what point in their academic career they transfer.
Sorrell transferred from Sam Houston State University to Brazos Port College and finally transferred to A&M in Fall 2000.
“I loved the atmosphere when I came to visit,” he said. “I knew A&M didn’t compare to any other college.”
Sorrell encountered some obstacles as the date approached to order his ring. He planned to order it in January, but he had to pay his rent.
“I planned on using my money from work to pay for my ring,” Sorrell said. “Once I got back from the Christmas holidays I didn’t have the money to pay for it because I had to choose between paying for my rent or paying for my ring. I decided to pay for my rent and moved my ring order to February 10.”
Then, when he tried again in February, his tuition was due.
“I was hit by another wall because I had to pay for my tuition,” Sorrell said. “It was looking like I wasn’t going to get my ring without some help, so I was going to get a short-term loan.”
In his undergraduate years at A&M, Sorrell has served as a T-Camp director, Howdy Camp director, Howdy Camp counselor and T-Camp counselor. Sorrell was finally eligible to apply for his ring as a third-year student at A&M in Spring 2003.
The Aggie ring can be obtained through The Association of Former Students’ ring office. A student has to have successfully met certain undergraduate or graduate requirements. Kelli Hutka, director of Campus Programs for the Association of Former Students, said students should complete at least 45 undergraduate hours at A&M.
“They must have completed 95 total hours, 45 of which have to be at A&M,” Hutka said.
For some transfer students, it could take longer to qualify for their ring”If students transfer 60 hours, for example, it’s later in their Aggie career that they get their Aggie ring,” Hutka said.
Maggie Fraser, a senior international studies major, transferred to A&M from the University of Texas at Austin in fall of 2000.
Fraser works at the Sterling C. Evans Library Annex reserves desk and is a member of the MSC Film Society. She has taken part in countless hours of volunteer work.
Fraser said she looks forward to getting her Aggie ring in April.
“Both my parents are former students, so I’ve been eyeing theirs all my life,” Fraser said. “It will make up for the hard work.”
Fraser said it can be more difficult for transfer students to get their Aggie ring, depending on how many transfer hours they bring in.
“I should have been able to order mine last semester,” Fraser said.Ngoc Tran, a junior biomedical sciences major, transferred to A&M this spring
Tran said it’s important to her to get her Aggie Ring because it symbolizes being part of the Aggie family. Sorrell agrees.
“Whenever anything happens to me here at A&M, my friends from other schools will never fully understand what I am talking about and may think I am crazy,” Sorrell said. “But a fellow Aggie either will feel the same way or will totally understand. It is this instant bond that every Aggie has with one another.”