Already, 2010 has been a year that has resulted in several noteworthy events for the University, the nation and the world.
A tragic event of 2010 was when a 7.0 earthquake struck Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 12, leaving the nation in turmoil. Meanwhile at A&M, a group of students banded together to put on a charity concert to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people.
Mohammad Hashim, a senior recreation parks and tourism science major, was involved in organizing the concert.
“I wanted to do a little concert to raise money for Haiti. I hoped, initially, to raise $3,000, then I started to look for a team to work with, and together, with the help of everyone volunteering and coordinating, the student government, and ,of course, all the people that showed up it became that beautiful thing,” Hashim said.
The concert made twice what Hashim estimated.
“We did it because we felt a call we had to answer and we tried to do our part in helping,” Hashim said. “We raised $6493.40 for UNICEF.”
In January, R. Bowen Loftin, who had been named interim president following Elsa Murano’s resignation, was officially named president of Texas A&M.
Sheri Ruter, a junior sociology major, said she has enjoyed having Loftin as president.
“I think his quirky attitude is honestly entertaining, it helps to keep me engaged in A&M’s issues,” she said.
In March, after much debate, a controversial national health care bill was passed.
Brittany Ali, senior sociology major discussed how she thinks it will affect our generation of college students.
“I never was a fan of the health care bill; it’s not fair to be made to buy a commodity,” Ali said, “but it will probably be good for students because they can stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26, but I also feel like that would keep young adults dependent on their parents.”
Despite that 2010 has already been a memorable year for Texas A&M, the nation and the world, for some students, it is the personal triumphs and experiences that this a memorable year.
For Josh Flowers, senior sociology major, it was attending the weddings of several of his friends.
“The most memorable thing has been all my friends getting married,” Flowers said. “I kind of see it as a sign that our generation is coming into maturity.”
Hali McCurry, a senior biology major, had a different most memorable moment of 2010.
“My most memorable moment was definitely getting my senior ring,” McCurry said. “That was awesome.”