A century of USU kissing
Utah State University has seen 100 years of full moons, tic tacs, mint chapstick and kissing students for Utah’s oldest collegiate tradition, True Aggie Night.
This Friday, April 22, USU students will pucker up for a taste of True Aggie glory.
“It’s extra special because it’s A-Week. We always have one during A-Week, regardless of a full moon. It’s also a full moon, and it’s the 100 year anniversary,” said Maegan Kasteler, Vice President of Traditions for the Student Alumni Association. “It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
True Aggie Night’s origins began in 1916 with the Beno Club. While the exact story behind the club’s name varies, it was said to have been a tongue-in-cheek (no pun intended) response to an administrator stating there will “be no clubs.” The Beno Club erected the now famous Block A. According to legend, a student must kiss another student on the Block A under a full moon to become a True Aggie.
True Aggie Night’s exact origins are unknown, Kasteler said, but the event has since become a school sanctioned activity. Kasteler and the Student Alumni Association are planning to make True Aggie Night’s 100th anniversary the literal “True Aggie Night of the century,” according to the USU event calendar.
“Kissing is timeless,” said Erika Norton, USU alumni, “which is why the tradition is so iconic. It brings the community together.”
Norton and her husband Erik shared memories of True Aggie Night and both admitted to saving the certificates they received on their last True Aggie Night.
“You can’t leave college without becoming a True Aggie,” Erik Mikkelson said. “Other universities have tried to copy True Aggie Night, but it is not entwined in their history like it is in ours. Whenever anyone sees the Block A, they know exactly what it means.”
Norton and her husband will both be returning for a chance to relive their glory days at the 100 year celebration.
Doug Fiefia, former USU student body president, and his wife Jocelyn, will be featured as the celebrity couple this Friday. Fiefia said that he was both surprised and honored to be selected for this monumental event.
“It’s not only a tradition that we love at Utah State, but a family tradition,” Fiefia said.
True Aggie Night has a special place in the Fiefia family. They have celebrated their engagement, their pregnancies and the first birthday of their daughter on the Block A. Fiefia says his first daughter became a True Aggie before she was even born.
Fiefia recognized the Student Alumni Association for their efforts to preserve the tradition and maintain the excitement with photographers, lights, True Aggie Night certificates and a dinner with the alumni before the event. He said that the event has endured because it is sponsored by the school.
“Every True Aggie Night is someone’s first time, so the university has done a good job at making sure that it’s special,” Fiefia said.
Some participants don’t have a partner in mind, but daringly leap onto the Block A anyway, waiting for someone to make a move. Others like to watch. Every True Aggie Night has a fun environment and a lot of energy, and it gives people the opportunity to meet others that they might not have otherwise, Fiefia said.
“My first and only kiss was when I became a True Aggie, so it has a special place in my heart,” Kasteler said. “It’s a unique experience that, honestly, you’ll remember forever.”
Kasteler and the Student Alumni Association have been preparing for this event for over a year. This True Aggie Night will feature live music by John Allred, True Aggie Night flavored ice cream, giveaways and chapstick for everyone. The SAA is anticipating long lines for the event and will be selling fast passes for $10.
“I think every student at Utah State should be required to be a True Aggie before they graduate,” Fiefia said. “I believe that True Aggie Night will still be around for another 100 years.”
— whitney.howard@aggiemail.usu.edu
— kayla1swenson@gmail.com