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NEWS
| October 14, 2004
Commemoration
Hundreds join celebration
Over 300 people learned about
UTA traditions at the Founders Day event.
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| The Shorthorn: Chris Fox |
The UTA Marching Band
energized the crowd with the
UTA Fight Song Wednesday during the Founders Day
celebration. |
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By Ebony
M. Moore
Contributor to The Shorthorn
by Princess McDowell
The Shorthorn staff
Blue and white streamers covered the Central Library mall as sounds
of the UTA “Alma Mater” and “Fight Song”
filled the air Wednesday in celebration of the second annual Founders
Day.
About 300 people attended the event, which was sponsored by the
Student Alumni Association and EX.C.E.L. Campus Activities. Organizers
said the occasion was intended to educate students about the history
of the university and further a sense of tradition on campus. Mascots
Sam and Samantha Maverick and UTA cheerleaders threw mementos to
the crowd like T-shirts, foam cup holders, commemorative coins and
bumper stickers. The mascots also stayed after the pep rally to
take pictures with patrons.
President James Spaniolo, the keynote speaker, spoke about UTA tradition
and the pride all students should have for the university.
“There is a proud history at this campus, and I believe there
is a great future,” Spaniolo said.
UTA alumni handed out pamphlets listing the university’s history.
Student Congress President Casey Townsend and Jasmine Stewart, Student
Alumni Association president, spoke to the crowd about university
highlights like the transition of names from Arlington College to
UTA.
They also told of a heated rivalry that ended with brands on the
backs of students’ heads.
In the 1920s when UTA was still known as North Texas Agriculture
College, their rivalry with nearby John Tarleton Agriculture College
had not gone beyond sabotage of either side’s bonfires, they
said. However in 1939, students here decided to wreck the bonfire
in a new, innovative way — by plane. A group of Tarleton boys
saw the plane and began throwing wood at the aircraft, connecting
with a propeller and causing the plane to fall. The students in
the plane were unharmed, but they were forced to go back to the
North Texas Grubbs with Ts shaved into their heads.
Some students said they enjoyed the history lesson and came for
more than the free cake and lemonade.
“I came because I wanted to find out more history about the
university, and I definitely I got that,” undeclared sophomore
Adriana Lopez said.
Stewart said she believes students are participating in campus events
like Founders Day more, especially this year.
“A lot of the events this year were huge success,” she
said. “Oozeball was a big success. I would definitely count
this as a successful event.”
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