While crowds of eager students gather outside the Alumni Center, several military Aggies will join scholarship donors in a quiet conference room to receive their long-awaited rings.
The Aggie Rings for Veterans program presents awards based on personal financial need, past military record and a one-on-one interview. The Class of 1960 began the tradition of fundraising specifically for veterans, and many scholarship programs have followed. These efforts will be shown on Friday as 35 donors personally present Aggie Rings to those selected.
Sheila Nelson — Association of Former Students development specialist, coordinator for the private veteran ceremony and Class of 1992 — said the Class of 1960 acknowledged the pressing need for veteran support in this area that wasn’t previously considered. As of this year, the Class of 1960 will have given 56 rings to scholarship recipients.
“Veterans are a different class of student,” Nelson said. “They are a little bit older; a lot of them have kids and are married. It became apparent that a lot of them were paying their way through college on the G.I. Bill and didn’t have family support and were not able to afford a ring.”
Kathryn Greenwade, Vice President for communications and human resources at The Association of Former Students and Class of 1988, said veterans don’t often seek out attention for their accomplishments but are always moved by the experience of receiving their rings.
“This [is] a group that does not seek recognition or appreciation, but its a group that when the appreciation is extended to them, they feel it deeply,” Greenwade said “So many of them, upon receiving their rings have said ‘I am going to do this for somebody in the future.’”
Kinesiology senior Anyssa Powell served in the Air Force and said she recognized A&M’s adherence to military traditions. According to Powell, the ring dunk is similar to a tradition in which officers dropped their rank in their drinks rather than a ring.
“Being in the military, we see so many traditions on campus that are military traditions ,and I don’t think a lot of people realize that,” Powell said. “When I got my ring, I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it, but now I am making a big deal out of it. … I actually feel the Aggie Spirit.”
Communication senior and member of the Army Reserves Adrienne Williams said A&M’s support in every aspect of veterans lives hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“The whole concept, when I got here, that the ring was such a big deal was so new to me,” Williams said. “I just started seeing them everywhere. This is this really awesome network that you can just see someone across the room and have a connection because we went to this school — like distant family.”