Aggie Ring Day continues to break records with the 2015 April order of 5,436 — the largest to date.
On Friday, 4,811 of those orders will be Aggies in College Station who will celebrate their senior status by receiving their Aggie Ring. Kathryn Greenwade, vice president of The Association of Former Students, said the Alumni Center is prepared for 30,000 people between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.
“We’re seeing some people bring two people with them, some people bring 20 people with them,” Greenwade said. “It kind of averages out to about six guests per person.”
Greenwade said Ring Day became the actual celebration people consider it today in 2000, and the ceremony has since continued to exceed its original expectations.
“It’s very gratifying to see that it’s become what it should be,” Greenwade said. “It’s become this celebration and this milestone and I think it’s grown to more than we ever thought it would be. We thought it would be an exciting day for the students. I don’t think we ever envisioned the multiple generations that would come together.”
Several changes will be in place this year. The Ring Plaza will only be open to the group receiving their ring and the “on deck” group, Greenwade said. The Haynes Ring Replica will not be available for photos on Friday. There will also be three delivery areas within the Alumni Center to which students will be designated. Greenwade said the changes were made to better funnel students and guests through the building.
“We had to make these changes to be able to ensure safe entry and exit for everybody,” Greenwade said. “The crowd is getting so large that we needed to put those controls in place.”
In the April order, the span of class years among the rings is large. The oldest ring in the order is a 1970, and the youngest is a 2018, Greenwade said. For all years, Greenwade said the significance of Ring Day lies in part with the fact that all Aggies receive similar rings.
“My ring is not that much different than my grandfather’s ring was,” Greenwade said. “And it’s a rite of passage when we earn our ring. We now have earned the right to wear the family crest. We have a very visible representation of Texas A&M that we wear, and proudly wear.”
