From TAMUG To TAMU – A Most Incredible Journey

As the fall semester comes to a close and the displaced Sea Aggies prepare to return to the Galveston campus for the spring semester, this seems an appropriate time to reflect on their experiences in Aggieland.

In what is being called the largest student-faculty transfer of its kind ever in academia, more than 1,500 Sea Aggies from Texas A&M University at Galveston and hundreds of faculty and staff put their coastal lives and careers in high gear and moved about 150 miles from the Texas coastline to the prairies of College Station to continue their college careers in a transition that was both remarkable and history making.

Two Universities Become One

Forced out of their Galveston surroundings by the ravages of Hurricane Ike, TAMUG students, faculty and staff united as one, and with the unprecedented help of the Texas A&M and Bryan/College Station communities, turned a disaster story into a memorable recovery tale for the ages.

While other universities have endured catastrophic events, it’s believed no other institution has disassembled and then reassembled like TAMUG students and faculty/staff. And they did it all in less than two weeks, with about 90 percent of the TAMUG students enrolling for fall classes.

Any label applied to it – teamwork, cooperation, unity, solidarity, compassion, reorganization, understanding – would probably not do justice to the entire effort. It’s been Texas-sized big and A&M-size worthy, all accomplished with military-like precision and Aggie gung-ho and can-do spirit.

Two Student Body Presidents

TAMUG student body president Mike Spiers summed it up best recently when he spoke at Texas A&M President Elsa Murano’s pre-game luncheon prior to the Aggies-Oklahoma game.

Spiers, speaking to a gathering of more than 500 persons in the MSC, among them former President George Bush, said, “Early last summer I spoke to (Texas A&M student body president) Mark Gold about re-establishing a program between the College Station and the Galveston Student Governments where some of the Galveston members would visit in the fall and College Station members would visit in the spring. I had no intention for us to visit for the whole semester. However, I believe that we have accomplished something that no one could have ever thought possible.

“With the amazing efforts of both the Galveston and College Station administration, we were able to move over 1500 Sea Aggies over 100 miles and start classes just 2 weeks after the worst hurricane Galveston has seen since the hurricane of 1900. (Just to compare the two, Ike’s storm surge was only one foot less than the storm of 1900). It is astonishing to think about what it took to accomplish this task.

“This semester has been a true testament to the Aggie Spirit. Despite the devastation to their homes and community, over 1,500 Sea Aggies showed their dedication to their education and their drive to develop leadership by coming to a new city two weeks after Ike to continue their academic career. Many students came with no more than a few days worth of clothing, stood in registration lines for hours, and were filled with anxiety and frustration regarding their future, however still maintaining their Aggie Spirit through emotional and trying times. In addition, over 48,000 College Station Aggies and the surrounding community opened their homes, their classrooms, and their hearts to welcome the Sea Aggies.”

Galveston Students Return To Help Others

Spiers continued, saying, “To go above and beyond, College Station flooded the Sea Aggies (no pun intended) with donations spanning from clothes, to furniture, to gift cards, to supplies for children. And many Aggies from both College Station and Galveston took time out of their weekend to travel to Galveston to aid in the rebuilding of the Galveston community.

“Over the past few months, so many people and organizations have dedicated themselves to assisting the Sea Aggie family and the entire Galveston Community. This past week I have heard some overwhelming stories from fellow Galveston students in need. One, a single mother with a seven month old son, is living in Austin and commuting to College Station to take 15 hours of class. Another student, is caring for her younger brother, and is receiving no assistance from her parents because of financial problems due to her father’s brain surgery.

The Association of Former Students answered the call of these students and many others by generously donating $200,000 in aid. This money is currently being allocated to those members of the Sea Aggie family in need.
“In closing, to the Board of Directors of the Association, I would like to say on behalf of the entire Galveston Student body, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I would like to thank Dr. Murano, her staff, and the College Station community for welcoming the Sea Ags to College Station and for all of their hard work in making the move take place. Finally, I would personally like to thank Mark Gold for all of the help he gave me in my transition to College Station. His guidance and support has been extremely valuable for not only myself, but for the entire Texas A&M at Galveston student body. Without him, I would probably still be as lost as a freshman on the first day of school.”

Generosity has been continuous, not only in the $200,000 check from the AFS, but also in time and effort. On Oct. 25, more than 60 students, staff members, parents and family members made a trip back to Galveston for “Ike Relief Trip.” They spent the weekend cleaning up numerous Galveston homes and helping people trying to get their lives back to normal. Another such event was held Nov. 15 with TAMUG students once again pitching in to help Galveston-area residents.

With just a few weeks left in the fall semester and plans for the students to return to Galveston for the spring session, the great Gulf relocation project has earned “4-Star” reviews and A+ grades from all concerned – bona fide, concrete, real-world proof that Aggies do indeed help Aggies.