Post by captaggie on Mar 13, 2009 15:45:30 GMT -5
www.ncatregister.com/why_my_pride_ain_t_dead-1.1604518
Marcus Bass
SGA President
Share this article Published: Wednesday, March 11
Over and over again I have heard people say “Aggie Pride is Dead” and even go lengths into their description and synopsis of why this generation of NC A&T students have lost the oh so coveted sense of respect, honor and homage for our alma mater.
After giving this topic some thought I began to believe myself that Aggie Pride was dead until I was snapped back into reality one day last semester.
I received a phone call from an alumnus of A&T about a week after homecoming. They were outraged as to why anyone would claim death on a phrase that has meant so much to them and their classmates.I attempted to explain to the Alumnus that the meaning was only figurative and that it was related to the overall feeling of campus life. I was cut short in the middle of my explanation by these words. “Aggie Born, Aggie Bred, and when I die, I’ll be Aggie Dead.” They repeated it three times and then after a few more moments of conversation we hung up, but his words still lingered in my head.
Of course I had heard the phrase over a million times since I’ve been here, but this time it took a different meaning. This time it seemed as if the words began to wrap around in my mind what it means to have “Aggie Pride”.
We can never say that something has died until it is completely extinguished. When a person dies there is a complete shut down of all bodily functions, when a plant dies it shrivels up and losses root.
When I walk around campus I don’t see dead people (no pun intended) but what I do see is a different campus than in years past. No, there aren’t any more “Panty Raids,” or people selling fish and chicken sandwiches out of their front window, but there are still packed games and the sounds of the band marching through the yard. The old Scott Hall may have been demolished, but in its place stands the Village named after some of the most famous alumni to ever grace the halls of old Scott.
Things are supposed to change, nothing stays the same. If we continue to compare ourselves to the past then what is the point of change?
There is a great deal to learn from our history and it is always important to remember where you came from, but Aggies don’t live in the past, they make the future.
We make it by discovering the Hypo-allergenic peanut, by designing sensors that help detect weak spots in highway bridges; we make it by being the biggest source of community service in the Triad area. We make it by supporting our queen as she becomes the National Queen of all Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
So let this be the last of the phrase “Aggie Pride is Dead”. The next time you hear a person say that let them know that their Pride may be gone but Aggie Pride is still alive.
Marcus Bass
SGA President
Share this article Published: Wednesday, March 11
Over and over again I have heard people say “Aggie Pride is Dead” and even go lengths into their description and synopsis of why this generation of NC A&T students have lost the oh so coveted sense of respect, honor and homage for our alma mater.
After giving this topic some thought I began to believe myself that Aggie Pride was dead until I was snapped back into reality one day last semester.
I received a phone call from an alumnus of A&T about a week after homecoming. They were outraged as to why anyone would claim death on a phrase that has meant so much to them and their classmates.I attempted to explain to the Alumnus that the meaning was only figurative and that it was related to the overall feeling of campus life. I was cut short in the middle of my explanation by these words. “Aggie Born, Aggie Bred, and when I die, I’ll be Aggie Dead.” They repeated it three times and then after a few more moments of conversation we hung up, but his words still lingered in my head.
Of course I had heard the phrase over a million times since I’ve been here, but this time it took a different meaning. This time it seemed as if the words began to wrap around in my mind what it means to have “Aggie Pride”.
We can never say that something has died until it is completely extinguished. When a person dies there is a complete shut down of all bodily functions, when a plant dies it shrivels up and losses root.
When I walk around campus I don’t see dead people (no pun intended) but what I do see is a different campus than in years past. No, there aren’t any more “Panty Raids,” or people selling fish and chicken sandwiches out of their front window, but there are still packed games and the sounds of the band marching through the yard. The old Scott Hall may have been demolished, but in its place stands the Village named after some of the most famous alumni to ever grace the halls of old Scott.
Things are supposed to change, nothing stays the same. If we continue to compare ourselves to the past then what is the point of change?
There is a great deal to learn from our history and it is always important to remember where you came from, but Aggies don’t live in the past, they make the future.
We make it by discovering the Hypo-allergenic peanut, by designing sensors that help detect weak spots in highway bridges; we make it by being the biggest source of community service in the Triad area. We make it by supporting our queen as she becomes the National Queen of all Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
So let this be the last of the phrase “Aggie Pride is Dead”. The next time you hear a person say that let them know that their Pride may be gone but Aggie Pride is still alive.
