Hello Aggie Spirit

Hello Aggie Spirit, later Hi Aggie Spirit, was the name of a tradition of friendliness at UC Davis. After World War II, the campus expanded from a small farm to a full-fledged member of the UC System. Since this change was so rapid — an order of magnitude more students in a decade — many students tried to preserve the "small campus" feeling of openness and fraternity.

'Hello Aggie Spirit' was pretty simple in operation. It simply means saying "Hi, Aggie!" to fellow students when you see them on campus, thus breaking the ice between any two Aggies.

The idea of 'Hi Aggie Spirit' lasted from the early 1950s until the mid-1960s, when campus became too big and too caught up in the politics of war and social justice to maintain a sense of friendship based solely on community. Of all of the traditions that UC Davis has lost, this is probably one of the two most deserving of being brought back.

2008-02-17 16:10:06   This is so absurd! It makes me think of Pleasantville. —JeremyOgul

• It does sound pleasant, to encourage an active mindfulness of friendly acknowledgment. —jw