With 2,100 rings to be given out Friday, preparations for Aggie Ring Day begin months in advance and involve staff and student volunteers from all across campus.
Kathryn Greenwade, vice president of the Association of Former Students, said November’s Ring Day preparations began as soon as September’s Ring Day ended.
“Our team thoroughly observes everything that happened during the event, and while it’s fresh on our mind, we have a debriefing with the folks that are the most intimately involved and work to incorporate improvements for the next ring day,” Greenwade said.
The teams behind every Ring Day encompass people from all across College Station. The association teams up with campus programs teams and student organizations alike to ensure the day runs efficiently.
“Members of our staff doing the primary planning include the campus programs team, our ring office and our events team,” Greenwade said. “We also work closely with the university police department, parking and transit, student affairs … and just coordinating with whomever necessary to make sure things go smoothly.”
MSC Hospitality is one of the student organizations involved in helping out with ring day. Kristine Richmond, special events executive and communication sophomore, said her organization closely coordinates with the association to delegate tasks among members.
“Ring Day is one of MSC Hospitality’s favorite traditions,” Richmond said. “We help the association by volunteering at certain jobs so they can focus on what they need to do for running the day efficiently. This year, we will be assisting the photographers.”
The Clayton Williams Alumni Center expects to host 15,000 guests during the span of the day. Greenwade said volunteer recruitment occurs before ring orders even begin.
“In addition to our staff volunteers, we also have volunteers that work on campus or who are former students to help hand out rings,” Greenwade said. “Thankfully we don’t have a difficult time recruiting helpers because it’s an opportunity people love to be a part of.”
Greenwade also said the production of rings themselves encompasses its own intricate procedure.
“Balfour spends 4-6 weeks producing rings that are delivered [a] few days prior to ring day,” Greenwade said. “Quality check takes place to make sure everything is correct. It’s very rare that we encounter a problem.”
Namrata Khanijow, chemical engineering sophomore and MSC FLI assistant director, said her organization assists with ring day by maintaining crowd control and ensuring things run smoothly. She said volunteering at Ring Day goes beyond raising money for her organization.
“Being involved in Ring Day is an amazing opportunity because we get to be a part of one of the most joyous times for Aggies and their families,” Khanijow said.