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Support the Spirit

The recently formed Aggie Experience Fund is helping cover students’ participation fees in recognized campus organizations.

By Dorian Martin '06

Photos provided by the Texas A&M Division of Student Affairs

February 14, 2022

 

Anna Thottumkal ’23 is making up for lost time. The Missouri City, Texas, resident transferred to Texas A&M University as a sophomore, so she missed Fish Camp and other relationship-building freshman activities. And because of COVID-19, the first-generation college student has had limited opportunities to connect with other Aggies.
 

Texas A&M’s student organizations provide Aggies with valuable learning experiences outside the classroom. The Aggie Experience Fund is making these extracurricular activities more accessible.

To fill this void, the communication major is determined to take part in one of Texas A&M’s 2022 Venture Camps. Coordinated through Texas A&M’s Department of Student Activities’ Extended Orientation Team, these four-day summer trips give transfer students and freshmen a chance to build friendships while hiking or paddling.

Like many Texas A&M student experiences, Venture Camps require a registration fee—and that could have been a barrier for Thottumkal, whose parents own small businesses and have struggled financially. The Aggie has limited extra funds in her personal budget, especially after covering the cost for textbooks.

But thanks to the new Aggie Experience Fund, her registration fee will be covered. “This funding serves as a catalyst for me to try new things,” Thottumkal said. “It takes away my excuse of, ‘That's $220 that I can use for something else.’ Since I can’t say that now, I have no reason to not get involved.”

Growing Need

Numerous Aggies come from low socioeconomic backgrounds or are the first in their families to attend college. While these students’ tuition, fees, room and board may be covered by scholarships or family, they struggle to pay the required fees for participation in student groups and Aggie experiences.

Yet those experiences are critical to their education. “We know that being an Aggie is about much more than attending classes. The whole experience is paramount,” said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Vicki Dobiyanski ’03. “Most employers are interested in students’ experiences both inside and outside the classroom.”
 

“This funding serves as a catalyst for me to try new things.”
– Anna Thottumkal ’23

And student interest in these types of experiences is growing. “This fall, the participation numbers for Fish Camp, Howdy Week, Freshman Leadership Organizations and Midnight Yell were very, very high,” Dobiyanski added. “There is an increased yearning for these types of experiences.”

Investing in Experience

That’s where the Aggie Experience Fund comes in. The fund supports undergraduate and graduate students’ participation in recognized campus organizations, committees or programs, including Extended Orientation programs (Fish Camp, T-Camp, Howdy Camp, Ventures Camp and Grad Camp), Memorial Student Center programs, Freshman Leadership Organizations, The Big Event leadership, Fish Camp leadership, sports club fees, fraternity/sorority fees and leadership conference fees. Students can apply to receive $250 or 50% of the program cost, with a lifetime limit of $1,500 per student. The first funds were awarded during the spring 2022 semester.
 

The fund is supported by the Anne ’90 and Mike Hachtman ’86 Aggie Experience Endowed Fund, the Erika ’14 and Chris Pesek ’97 Aggie Experience Endowed Fund, and small non-endowed gifts. These gifts are administered through the Texas A&M Foundation.

 

Through the Aggie Experience Fund, students can receive $250 or 50% of the program cost to participate in recognized campus organizations, committees or programs.


Realizing the power of Texas A&M’s “other education,” these lead donors want future generations of Aggies to have extracurricular experiences so they can step into leadership roles in society. “Despite the fact that the school is markedly bigger than it was in my day, the mission of the university remains the same,” Mike Hachtman said. “Part of that mission includes educating future leaders for Texas—men and women who can assume roles in leadership, responsibility and service to society. You don’t learn all of that solely from a classroom or a book.”
 

Finding Lifelong Friends

For some students, these experiences and the opportunity to build connection have taken on added importance during the pandemic. After transferring to Texas A&M as a sophomore, Alaicia Sauser ’23 wanted to find a group to join. The public health major decided to follow the advice of her best friend’s mother, who encouraged Sauser to join a sorority because of the opportunity to be part of a like-minded community.  

Because of COVID-19, sorority recruitment was only online and Sauser never had the opportunity for in-person conversations. However, she felt a genuine connection with Delta Zeta and decided to pledge.

The sorority’s activities remained online until spring 2021 when in-person activities resumed. Since then, Sauser has joined Delta Zeta’s in-person Bible study, workout class and Craws for a Cause philanthropic event. She also took her parents to the sorority’s Tailgate for Dads event during football season and assisted with its 2021 recruitment efforts. “Honestly, I would not have made this network of friends without Delta Zeta,” she said.
 

Your small contribution to the Aggie Experience Fund can give more Aggies the chance to learn by doing.

Yet, being involved in the organization is not cheap, with monthly dues of approximately $300. That expense falls squarely on Sauser’s shoulders. “I grew up with a single mom,” the League City native explained. “While she’s now married, she solely pays for all my college. But she told me if I wanted to be in a sorority, I had to pay for it. I paid my dues for the last year and a half, but it’s definitely hard because I don’t have any help. When I saw the opportunity to receive an Aggie Experience Fund scholarship, I took it.”

Donors hope other students like Sauser and Thottumkal tap into the Aggie Experience Fund—and are committed to ensuring the fund remains viable. “There are thousands of other Aggies out there who have graduated over the years,” Mike Hachtman said. “When they look back on their time at Texas A&M, they really appreciate the academic education they got, but they also appreciate what they learned outside of the classroom. My hope is that they see they can give back through the Aggie Experience Fund to ensure other students gain the same experience.”

Books and labs provide the basics, but it’s the “other education” Aggies receive through Texas A&M University’s student programs that has helped produce outstanding leaders and citizens for more than a century. Help more Aggies experience the joy of participating in campus student life by giving a gift of $25 or more to the Aggie Experience Fund today!

Give to the Aggie Experience Fund

 

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Contact

  • Reagan Chessher '96

  • Chief Development Officer
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • Call: 979.862.1247

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Help more Aggies enjoy campus student life activities through a gift to the Aggie Experience Fund.

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