This Friday, Sept. 23, thousands of Aggies will receive their Aggie Ring at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center and take part in accompanying festivities at the newly opened Aggie Park.
Ring Day is one of A&M’s newest traditions with the first recognized Ring Day happening in 2000. Scot Walker class of 1990, vice president of The Association of Former Students, said he recalls how different the tradition was from when he received his ring.
“I got a notification on my answering machine that my ring was ready, so I went by between classes, picked up my ring, threw away the box and went back to class,” Walker said. “When Porter S. Garner lll became [The Association’s] CEO in 2000, he felt very strongly that when Aggies earn their ring, there ought to be a celebration in commensurate with honoring the ring.”
The celebration has gotten larger each year since 2000. The Association has calculated that each recipient has an average of six to seven guests in attendance. Annika Roberts, communications assistant at The Association, said The Association is working with Aggie Park to make Ring Day enjoyable for all attendees.
“We are encouraging ring recipients and their guests to enjoy Aggie Park while they are here,” Roberts said. “There will be photo opportunities, food and drinks and other vendors throughout the park. Now that Aggie Park is open, we plan on utilizing it as much as we can.”
Ring Day will start at the cannon blast of Parsons Mounted Cavalry at 8:15 a.m. Ring recipients will pick up their rings between 8:30 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. during a designated, 15-minute time slot. Ring recipients selected their time slot through a virtual ticket-pull process weeks in advance. This makes the ring delivery schedule as smooth as possible, Walker said.
“Back in the day, when Ring Day first started, there was no ticket pull,” Walker said. “People would camp outside our building the night before so they could pick up their ring earlier. Ticket pull is a much more efficient process. By selecting a 15-minute window, you show up on time, come through, get your ring and get out to celebrate with your family and friends. You tell your family exactly when to be there. It’s much better than waiting in a long line.”
Ring recipients and their guests can park at the West Campus Garage and take an accessible shuttle to the Alumni Center. Students must bring two forms of identification to receive their ring. Such forms of identification include a student ID, any government-issued ID or their ring order receipt.
“We want to give your ring you earned to you and nobody else,” Walker said. “The ring was made for you.”
While there are over 4,400 ring recipients attending Ring Day, The Association received over 5,000 ring orders. This total figure includes ring recipients in College Station, students at other A&M campuses and Aggies receiving their rings by delivery around the world.
Construction science junior and Aggie Network student ambassador Ariana Sanchez said she will miss working Ring Day and she will receive her Aggie Ring while she currently interns in Oregon.
“Ring Day is a lot of fun to work,” Sanchez said. “Our main goals were directing traffic, answering questions and congratulating people. It motivated me to become eligible to order my ring more, seeing all these families so happy and excited. I can only imagine what it’s like to attend Ring Day when you get your ring. Half of the people at my work are Aggies, and they’re actually throwing a Ring Dunk for me when I get my ring.”
The Association has provided a map with parking options on its website for the event, a page with frequently asked questions and the full-day schedule.
