True Aggies set new school record
Thousands of students gathered by the “A” Friday evening to break the school kissing record and ring in the 90-year anniversary of the True Aggie tradition in style.
In 2000, two thousand students all kissed at midnight, setting the old record, said Megan Darrington, Student Alumni Association traditions vice president.
“This year our goal was to beat that, and I have no idea how many people are here, but we had people counting, and we definitely handed out more than 2,000 stickers, so I’m calling it and just hoping they all kissed at the same time,” she said.
To keep track of how many students were kissing at the “A,” every couple was given a matching number sticker set, Darrington said.
Regardless of record, Darrington said, “This is the biggest True Aggie turnout we’ve seen in years, so this was a success for us. We just wanted to get the tradition out there.”
Darrington said the True Aggie tradition was started in 1917 by the Beno Club, who “constructed the ‘A’ block, which has been around forever. The A was moved around a lot, but finally landed its spot here on Old Main.”
To become a True Aggie, Darrington said, “You have to kiss someone that is already a True Aggie on a full moon, that’s once a month, but on Homecoming and A-Day it’s free game. You can kiss anyone you want.”
Amanda Maughan, senior majoring in biology, was one student who took advantage of the opportunity to become a True Aggie.
“This was my first time becoming a True Aggie, and it’s also my first, and probably last Homecoming, so it was magical,” she said. “I got to kiss this really great guy, and becoming a True Aggie was really great.”
Another first-time True Aggie, Justin Stocking, sophomore in accounting, said, “I am very glad about my decision to become a True Aggie. It was life changing, one of the funnest things I’ve done all year.”
Stocking said he was glad to be a part of the USU record breaking event.
“I’ve felt I have set a higher bar now for future students at Utah State,” Stocking said.
True Aggie nights are held once a month every full moon, the next being held Nov. 13, Darrington said.
“It’s an awesome tradition, it’s been around since the school’s been here, so it’s way cool, I hope everyone gets a chance to experience it,” Darrington said. “Tonight’s event was really a last minute thing, but it turned out awesome. I just want to thank the students for coming out and supporting this tradition, this was awesome.”
–lindsay.anderson@aggiemail.usu.edu