Going solo to True Aggie Night
Last Friday night, nearly 2000 students gathered around the Block A to celebrate True Aggie Night. Craig Whyte, the Director of Alumni Affairs, called True Aggie night the “greatest tradition at Utah State,” and “everyone should be a True Aggie before they graduate.” Whyte talks with alumni all over the United States, and he said “easily 80-85 percent always talk about becoming a True Aggie.”
Whyte said True Aggie Night is one of the “the most inclusive traditions at the University, regardless of backgrounds or anything, it is open for everyone to participate.” More and more Aggies are participating in True Aggie Night, regardless of background or relationship status.
Dylan Jones, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, attended True Aggie Night without a date, but he still became a True Aggie. Jones said “everyone wants to be a True Aggie,” and he had met the girl he kissed a couple of times. He said he would rather become a True Aggie with someone he knew, rather than a complete stranger.
Andrew Gooch, a junior majoring in business administration, said when he became a True Aggie it was with a random person, but they became friends. Gooch said its “something you gotta do. It should be part of the curriculum, one of those checkpoints before you graduate.”
Gooch said True Aggie Night is “one of those great traditions that Utah State has.” He said all the alums he talks to also mention becoming True Aggies.
Gooch is also the Student Alumni Association True Aggie Night Chairman. He said it’s “been very fun to be a part of and help make those memories.” Gooch helps make memories by playing the part of “love doctor,” and pairing up people without dates.
Britnee Bromley, a sophomore majoring in elementary education, hasn’t had the chance to become a True Aggie despite attending every True Aggie Night, but she says “its fun just being there, watching, seeing everyone be so anxious and excited.” Bromely said she is “confident in every area,” but she said she doesn’t do well at True Aggie Nights because she doesn’t give out her kisses for free.
Madison Dunn, a sophomore in the pre nursing program, is no stranger to kissing strangers during True Aggie Night. She kissed three different boys throughout the evening. The first boy was someone she had kissed last year during True Aggie Night. Dunn ran into him again Friday night, so they decided to “make it a tradition.” Dunn said the second boy was “such an angel. He was such a good kisser.” The two had joked about kissing at the beginning of September. Dunn said “he found me, and I was like ‘lets do it,’ so we did it.”
The third boy Dunn kissed wanted to do something a little different. He wanted to kiss two girls right after each other. Dunn said she grabbed one of her friends and they went and did it.
She also said this boy had wanted to kiss sisters, and he had dated the sister of her friend who went up with her, so he “killed two birds with one stone,” because he kissed “two girls in one night and then sisters.”
Dunn said True Aggie Night is “one of the best traditions Utah State has,” and as long as she is single, she will be going stag. She said she wanted to be one of the “old couples they have come and kiss on Homecoming” someday.
Jacob Butterfield, a sophomore majoring in computer science, attended True Aggie Night alon
e, but he also found someone to become a True Aggie with.
“There were two girls, I went up, and I just kind of asked them which one wanted to become a True Aggie.” Butterfield said “you always find the cool girls that are willing to do stuff” at True Aggie Night.
Jacob wanted to become a True Aggie to “get the monkey off his back.” He thinks everyone who attends Utah State should become a True Aggie. He said True Aggie Night is “an incredible tradition, its really original, and its something that makes Utah State unique.”
The True Aggie Night tradition is kept up by the Student Alumni Association (SAA.) Craig Whyte, who doubles as the advisor for SAA, said the SAA is “really about networking. Connecting students and alums. The program we actually do is called ‘A-network,’ a network of students, a network of alums, connecting them for job placements, career paths, internships, advice, whatever it may be.” The SAA is “open to everyone on campus” and Whyte “definitely encourages everyone to look into it.”
– carli.sue.sorenson@aggiemail.usu.edu