re: Question for Aggies re: a weird tradition

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I realize that an "alumnus" isn't necessarily a graduate, but it certainly has an elevated connotation compared to "former student". When I hear "former student" I think "Jonathan Taylor is a former student of Alabama" When I hear "alumnus" I assume that person has a degree and is in good standing with their university.

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I don't understand why these threads persist. It should be obvious to fans of other SEC schools by now that A&M is unique and has no desire to "be like everybody else."

I think that, because it's a very conservative school, a lot of people look askance at how they do things. They don't fit the "everybody is a liberal when they're in college but become conservative when they have to work for a living" mold of most schools. Most Aggies, I would guess, go in conservative and stay conservative.

I don't see a problem with it. Their traditions may seem ritualistic and unchangeable to outsiders, but they're just one of the ways that a culture is maintained in their group which is no different from any other school, business, religious or civic group, or any other community.